Fred Crane (actor) Fred Crane (actor) Fred Crane, Herman Frederick Crane, (March 22, 1918 – August 21, 2008) was an American film and television actor and radio announcer. He is probably best known for his role as Brent Tarleton in the 1939 film, "Gone with the Wind", speaking the opening lines in the movie during the opening scene with Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and Stuart Tarleton (George Reeves). Crane was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1918. Along with his brothers John and Harry, he grew up on General Pershing St. and went to the MacDonough #13 and Alsace Fortier schools. His father
Gone with the Wind (novel) adapted into a television mini-series in 1994. A second sequel was authorized by Mitchell's estate titled "Rhett Butler's People", by Donald McCaig. The novel parallels "Gone With the Wind" from Rhett Butler's perspective. In 2010, Mitchell's estate authorized McCaig to write a prequel, which follows the life of the house servant Mammy, whom McCaig names "Ruth". The novel, "Ruth's Journey", was released in 2014. The copyright holders of "Gone with the Wind" attempted to suppress publication of "The Wind Done Gone" by Alice Randall, which retold the story from the perspective of the slaves. A federal appeals court denied the