Remembering Cammie King Conlon
Former child star Cammie King Conlon
In Conversation with Dr. Christopher Sullivan
Over the years Dr. Christopher Sullivan has assembled a remarkable collection of movie memorabilia, all of which is currently housed in the Gone with the Wind museum in Marietta, Georgia. On what would have been Cammie King Conlon’s 88th birthday, Film Review sits down with Dr. Sullivan to remember the former child star.
Film Review (FR): Cammie King Conlon holds a unique place in film history for the two major roles she played as a child. She was the voice of young Faline in Walt Disney's Bambi and Bonnie Blue Butler, daughter of Rhett Butler & Scarlett O’Hara, in Gone with the Wind.
Dr. Christopher Sullivan (CS): Cammie always prefaced talking about her film career by saying, “I peaked at age 5.”
(FR): Did Cammie share any stories about working on those two iconic films?
(CS): Cammie had a sister Diane and she was always told by her mother that Diane was going to play Bonnie, but she outgrew the part before filming began. Later in life, she found out that wasn’t true, but her mother wisely told that fib to keep the girls on equal ground. There was another little girl in serious contention to play Bonnie: Elizabeth Taylor, but Selznick felt that 5-year-old girl just looked too mature.
(FR): One of Film Review’s former contributors was the ‘King of Hollywood’ himself, Clark Gable. Did Cammie share with you memories of working with him?
(CS): She had many fond memories of Clark Gable. When speaking to groups of Gone with the Wind fans, she could always count on eliciting envy by claiming, “I’m the only woman in this room who can say Clark Gable tucked her into bed.” She recalled when the film finished that all her mother’s friends would ask what it was like to work with Clark Gable, and she would say, “When he kissed me his moustache tickled.” She meant it quite innocently, but she remembers the swooning of grown women who heard her say that. Cammie had few memories of Vivien Leigh, other than that she was a bit remote. Cammie later realised that all the scenes with Bonnie involved great tension between Scarlett and Rhett. Leigh was probably keeping her concentration on portraying that tension and not coddling a 5-year-old. Gable was more paternal. Under the terms of his contract as a major star, he did not have to work late into the evening like everyone else. When he sensed Cammie was being overworked, he would announce, “The baby is tired. Let’s call it a day.” And he would leave.
(FR): What was one of your favourite anecdotes from Cammie?
(CS): Cammie had a stunt double who fell off the horse in her fateful ride. She was baffled to see a small man smoking a cigar wearing her blue velvet riding outfit. She exclaimed to her mother, “Mommy, that man is wearing my dress!!”
(FR): Her stepfather, Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, was the co-founder and president of Technicolor, playing a significant role in the development of colour film. His press agent Margaret Ettinger once wrote a Film Review article about Technicolor on his behalf. Did Cammie ever mention him?
(CS): She recalled her stepfather Dr. Herbert Kalmus as highly respected. She called him ‘Pops.’ He took her and Diane on their first trip abroad in the 1950’s to go skiing in Switzerland. He made a point of taking a side trip to visit a concentration camp so they could learn first hand the horrors of The Holocaust.
(FR): What would you like others to know about Cammie and her legacy?
(CS): Cammie was an incredibly kind and generous human being. She came to the museum many times, saying she was happy to sign autographs all day long if it helped support the museum. She was always gracious to every single fan. I miss her greatly.
Circa 1954, Cammie (third from left) and Ann Rutherford (forth from left) attend the re-release of Gone with the Wind. Dr. Sullivan shares, “At Lockheed Martin in Marietta, you can see that Cammie was quite statuesque and stunning. I believe that’s George Murphy on the right.”
Clark and Cammie
DR. CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN is a retired endocrinologist from Akron, Ohio and his extensive collection has been on display at the Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum outside Atlanta for the past 21 years. He has exhibited portions of his collection at The Kent State University Museum, Walt Disney World, Self Family Arts Center in Hilton Head, and for Turner Classic Movies’ Lights, Camera, Classics Exhibition. He first read Gone with the Wind at thirteen, having no idea what it was about, only determined to read a big book. Taken with the compelling storyline, he promptly turned it over and read it a second time. He saw the film six months later and has been accumulating ephemera ever since. He says that collecting is just another term for accumulating—once you’ve spent a lot of money.
Learn more about Dr. Sullivan’s collection at the official website of Marietta’s Gone with the Wind Museum: https://www.gwtwmarietta.com/
CHAD KENNERK
