Actress Ann Rutherford, who played Scarlett O’ Hara’s younger sister Carreen in the classic movie “Gone With The Wind,” has died at the age of 94.
A close friend, actress Anne Jeffreys, tells the Los Angeles Times that Rutherford died Monday night at her home in Beverly Hills. She had heart problems and was in declining health.
Rutherford also appeared in the long-running Andy Hardy series, playing the role of Polly Benedict, Andy’s girlfriend. She co-starred in the series with Lewis Stone, who played the small-town judge, and Mickey Rooney, who played his son son, Andy.
Rutherford first appeared in the second film of the series, “You’re Only Young Once,” in 1938, and she went on to star in 11 more.
Ellen O'Hara (Barbara O'Neil) talks to daughters Careen (Ann Rutherford), Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) and Suellen (Evelyn Keyes) in an early scene in 'Gone with the Wind.'
Regarding the role of Carreen in “Gone With The Wind,” it has been reported that the role was originally given to Judy Garland. Garland was filming another classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” at the time.
Rutherford told the Times in 2010 that MGM head Louis B. Mayer was going to refuse her the role, calling it “a nothing part.” But Rutherford, who was a fan of the novel, uncharacteristically burst into tears and he relented.
You’ll remember Rutherford’s character as the young girl who, early in the film, begs to b allowed to go to the ball at Ashley Wilke’s plantation, saying, “Oh, Mother, can’t I stay up for the ball tomorrow? … I’m 13 now.”
Rutherford once said in an interview about fellow cast members of the classic film that, “Our obituary will say we were in `Gone With the Wind’ and we’ll be proud of it.”
