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
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