16. “Frankly, My Dear, I don’t give a ____,” Part 1
One of the most iconic lines in American cinema is Clark Gable, as Rhett Butler, saying “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” as he turns away from Scarlett O’Hara, played by Vivien Leigh. What isn’t as well-known is the fact that the famous line was almost cut from the film due to a decision from censors that the word “damn” was too offensive to appear in the film. The film’s writers quickly scrambled to come up with an appropriately acerbic replacement, many of which are documented on a typed list from the film’s set.
Perhaps the most hilarious of the proposed replacements is “Frankly, my dear, I’m not even indifferent — I just don’t care.” This one is a real head-scratcher, given that the definition of indifferent is literally not caring. It’s hard to say whether one of the writers intended irony in the biting remark, or perhaps they found personal shades of meaning between the two terms.
The suggested replacements of “it makes my gorge rise” and “it is a stench in my nostrils” are two particularly evocative options. However, given that his “frankly, my dear” remark is in response to the questions “Where shall I go? What shall I do?” neither response makes a great deal of sense in context, despite their humorous descriptiveness.