 Of the original screenplay writer, Sidney Howard, film historian Joanne Yeck writes, "reducing the intricacies of "Gone with the Wind"s epic dimensions was a herculean task ... and Howard's first submission was far too long, and would have required at least six hours of film; ... [producer] Selznick wanted Howard to remain on the set to make revisions ... but Howard refused to leave New England [and] as a result, revisions were handled by a host of local writers".Selznick dismissed director George Cukor three weeks into filming and sought out Victor Fleming, who was directing "The Wizard of Oz" at the time.Fleming was dissatisfied with the script, so Selznick brought in the screenwriter Ben Hecht to rewrite the entire screenplay within five days.