Bette Davis led to speculation in the press that she would be chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara, a similar character, in "Gone with the Wind". Davis expressed her desire to play Scarlett, and while David O. Selznick was conducting a search for the actress to play the role, a radio poll named her as the audience favorite. Warner offered her services to Selznick as part of a deal that also included Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, but Selznick did not consider Davis as suitable, and rejected the offer, while Davis did not want Flynn cast as Rhett Butler. Newcomer Vivien Leigh
Dark Victory Vivien Leigh in "Gone with the Wind". Max Steiner, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score for both this and "Gone with the Wind", lost to Herbert Stothart for "The Wizard of Oz". The film itself lost the Academy Award for Best Picture to "Gone with the Wind". "The New York Times" named "Dark Victory" as one of the "10 Best Films of 1939", as did "Film Daily", and the "National Board of Review" picked both Bette Davis and Geraldine Fitzgerald for Best Acting that year. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these