Gone With The Wind could have had a very different ending, according to a newly found script from the 1939 classic.

The 1939 US Civil War film saw Vivien Leigh's character Scarlett O'Hara say: "After all, tomorrow is another day", and vow to carry on after her lover Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable, walked out with the words: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

But an alternative ending can be seen in an earlier script, which is expected to fetch up to 5,000 US dollars (£3,000) when it is auctioned online in August, reported the Daily Mirror.

In the text, which is believed to have belonged to a production member and been passed to a film fan, Scarlett desperately cries out: "Rhett!... Rhett!... You'll come back. You'll come back... I know you will!"

Margaret Barrett from Heritage Auctions, which is selling the script, said: "In the original Scarlett comes across as a determined woman who will survive with or without Rhett, but this alternative ending is much more traditional.

"Her life has been ruined because her man left her. Scarlett is such an enduring character because she is so independent. She was way ahead of her time in terms of how women were viewed," she added.

Vivien won an Oscar for her performance as Scarlett, and the film was the highest grossing movie of its time, taking in £230 million at the box office.

Bidding on the auction begins on August 4 and ends on August 23, with the starting price at 500 US dollars (£295).