Gossip Friday: Clark Pranks Spencer

From January 1941:

You won’t find two greater pranksters in all of Hollywood than Clark Gable and
Spencer Tracy. So when Spencer returned to town from a trip to New York and
found an invitation to dine with the Gables, he knew there was something up.
Accompanied by Mrs. Tracy, he arrived at the Gable ranch, fully expecting some
gag. All during dinner, he was on pins and needles waiting for the joke to pop.
Up until the moment he and Mrs. Tracy were at the door ready to leave, he
looked furtively about, expecting something to happen. But all had gone
divinely well.

Finally,Spencer mopped his brow nervously and said, “Come on, pal, let’s have it. You
must have something up your sleeve. I’ve been expecting it all night and the
suspense is killing me.”

Clark and Carole looked at each other, burst out laughing. “It worked,” whooped
Clark. “We decided that the best gag of all would be to surprise you with a
quiet dinner without any gags at all—and you fell for that hook, line and
sinker.”