Occupation Assistant, Author Name Marcella Rabwin | Spouse Marcus Rabwin (m. 1934) | |
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Born May 15, 1908 Richmond, Virginia, USA Died December 25, 1998, New York City, New York, United States Books Yes, Mr. Selznick: Recollections of Hollywood's Golden Era | ||
Marcella Rabwin (born 15 May 1908, Richmond, Virginia – d. 25 December 1998, New York City) was a Hollywood figure and civic leader. She is most remembered as the executive assistant of David O. Selznick on the production of Gone with the Wind.
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Early life
Raised in Virginia, Marcella Rabwin left for Los Angeles at 16, attended UCLA, and gained employment as a custom dressmaker in Bullock's department store after graduating.
Career
Her first contact with the motion picture industry was with Warner Brothers Studios' costume department, where she worked before becoming a secretary for executive Arthur Caesar. She also worked briefly for Darryl F. Zanuck. She next began to work for agent Myron Selznick, but left for RKO Radio Pictures.
Three months after moving to RKO, the studios were bought by Myron's brother, David, who quickly promoted her from his secretary to his Executive Assistant. She married her husband, Dr. Marcus Rabwin, who was the doctor who delivered Judy Garland in 1922. Marcella Rabwin was David O. Selznick's executive assistant in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Notably, she was his assistant during the production of Gone With the Wind. Her employment under David O. Selznick ended in 1941.
Until her death, she remained close friends with many celebrities of Hollywood's heyday and took part in various community efforts. Rabwin became a civic leader in Beverly Hills, spearheading the campaign to build that city's library. Her only book Yes, Mr. Selznick was published a year after her death.