Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" is a line from the 1939 film "Gone with the Wind" starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The line is spoken by Rhett Butler (Gable), as his last words to Scarlett O'Hara (Leigh), in response to her tearful question: "Where shall I go? What shall I do?" Scarlett clings to the hope that she can win him back. This line is also partially spoken by Rhett Butler in Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone with the Wind", published in 1936, from which the film is derived.
Clark Gable in "Gone with the Wind", "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", is one of the most famous lines in movie history. Gable was an almost immediate favorite for the role of Rhett with both the public and producer David O. Selznick. Since Selznick had no male stars under long-term contract, though, he needed to go through the process of negotiating to borrow an actor from another studio. Gary Cooper was Selznick's first choice. When Cooper turned down the role of Butler, he was quoted as saying, ""Gone With the Wind" is going to be the biggest flop in