“Gone with the Wind” was controversial for its time. The story included prostitution, some gruesome violence and, ultimately, some light profanity. According to “Today,” the movie’s producer, David O. Selznick, and story editor, Val Lewton, were determined to keep the “Gone with the Wind” adaptation as true as possible to its source material. Mitchell’s novel featured the famous line that ended up in the movie, minus the word “frankly.” “It is my contention that this word as used in the picture is not an oath or a curse,” Selznick told members of the Motion Picture Association. “The worst that could be said of it is that it’s a vulgarism.”

Before Selznick and Lewton received the green light to use the word “damn,” they gathered suggestions for alternative lines from fellow members of the movie business. Each suggestion began the same way — “Frankly, my dear …” — but with santitized endings. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a straw,” was one suggestion; another ending was ” … my indifference is boundless.” Another, more word-heavy suggestion was “Frankly, my dear, the whole thing is a stench in my nostrils.” Ultimately, the MPA decided to offer a special amendment to the code just for the movie, and the original — and most, well, frank — line was used.