Olivia de Havilland, the Melanie Wilkes whose unselfishness contrasted to the petulant Scarlett’s behavior in the 1939 classic “Gone With the Wind,” is still alive at the age of 100.

She’s celebrating with dinner and drinks with “dear, dear” friends in Paris, where she’s lived for six decades after marrying a Frenchman.

Miss de Havilland was born in Japan to English parents, who reared her in Los Angeles where she became an American citizen. She was in films for eight decades, but “Gone With the Wind” brought her an Oscar and a permanent place in the memories of moviegoers.

Not even eight on-screen romances with swashbuckling Errol Flynn could top that.

She may have been sweet and loving in “Gone With the Wind” but she took on and beat Warner Brothers in a 1944 lawsuit that forced movie studios to limit their strangehold on actors to seven years, instead of ad infinitum.

John Olesky & 1932 Ford yellow deuce coupe in The Villages

Paul Le Mat as cool hot-rodder Milner in 'American Graffitti'

1932 Ford yellow deuce coupe deja vu

Paula and I visited the monthly car show in The Villages at Spanish Springs.

I was drawn to a 1932 yellow deuce car. It reminded me of the hot-rod that cool John Milner, played by Paul Le Mat, cruised in during the 1973 “American Graffitti” movie.

No wonder. It was a 1932 Ford yellow deuce coupe. Not the one in the movie, of course.

But it was autographed on the dashboard by Paula Le Mat.

Rick Figari of San Francisco owns the 1932 Ford yellow deuce coupe that was in “American Graffitti.”

The "THX 138" plates were custom-made for the movie. George Lucas' first movie was "THX 1138", a sci-fi film.

Including inflation, 8 billion-dollar movies

Adjusted for inflation, there are eight movies that grossed at least $1 billion.

#1, no surprise, “Gone With the Wind,” the Clark Gable film from Margaret Mitchell’s classic about the end of southern aristocracy. $1.7 billion in today’s dollars; $198 million at the time.

#2 “Star Wars” $1.5 billion and climbing.

#3 “Sound of Music” $1.226 billion. #4 “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” $1.221 billion. #5 “Titanic” $1.166 billion. #6 “The Ten Commandments” #$1.127 billion. #7 “Jaws” $1.102 billion.

And #8 “Doctor Zhivago” $1.068 billion.

My favorite movie of all time, “Casablanca,” with Humphrey Bogart at his finest and Claude Rains an excellent cast member, isn’t even on the list. I guess unselfish love and sacrifice and patriotism aren’t worth a hill of beans in this crazy world.

When Paula and I went to Paris for our 10^th anniversary, there were 29 Rick’s Place bars. We’ll always have Paris.

West Virginian is ‘Star Wars’ screenwriter

“Star Wars” screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan grew up in Morgantown and is a graduate of Morgantown High School.



Lawrence Kasdan

He was born in Miami, where his mother Sylvia Landau Sarah was an employment counselor and his father Clarence Norman Kasdan  managed retail electronics stores.

Kasdan has an impressive history as screenwriter, director and producer. He was a co-writer of “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Return of the Jedi.”

With his son, he will co-write the Han Solo spin-off movie.

Kasdan has been nominated for four Oscars (“The Big Chill,” “Grand Canyon” – a great but unheralded movie – “The Accidental Tourist.”

The University of Michigan graduate first planned to be a teacher. Then switched to his fantastic career.