Gossip Friday: Secret Elopement

From March 1950, Louella Parsons:

I can tell my readers that the lovely blonde Lady Sylvia Ashley Fairbanks Stanley had no idea that she was going to marry “King” Clark Gable 48 hours before she did on Tuesday, December 20.

The previous Saturday she and Clark had lunched with Minna Wallis, who’d re-introduced them at a dinner months ago. That night they had dinner with Charles Feldman and agreed to dine with him again Tuesday.

Tuesday morning, the telephone rang and Sylvia said to Charlie, “Something has happened. We cannot have dinner with you, but you’ll hear from us later.” That “something” was her elopement with Gable! Charlie didn’t know a thing about it until he heard it over the radio. 

Minna said she was never so surprised in her life. She said that Clark and Sylvia hasn’t been with each other very much since their meeting because Sylvia had been in Europe most of the time. She slipped back into town about two weeks before the wedding and then the romance started again.

How did Clark happen to marry the three-times-married Sylvia, called one of the most handsome women in the world and named on every best dressed list? Well, I’ll tell you:

Sylvia, I think, reminds me a little of Carole Lombard. When he first married Carole, she didn’t like to fish, hunt and was not an outdoors girl. But she adapted herself to Clark’s ways, and I think Sylvia will do the same.

After all, she is English and enjoys outdoor life, even though she seems to be a hot-house plant and looks so fragile.

Let me tell yo a cute little story about the elopement you may not have heard:

The morning of the day they secretly planned to drive up to San Luis Obispo and get their license, Clark called his bride-to-be. “Honey,” he said, “We are going to have to use your car. Mine was sideswiped driving home from your house last night, and the whole side is smashed in! And that little English car of mine is too conspicuous–they’ll spot it!”

So King Gable had to borrow his Lady’s automobile to rush off and get married.

Howard Strickling, head of MGM publicity and Clark’s best friend, who was best man, told me: “During the ceremony, tears came into Sylvia’s eyes and started to run down her face. When Clark turned to her after the ceremony and started to take her in his arms, he first kissed her eyelids–and if you ask me, that big lug’s eyes were moist, too. But happy! I haven’t seen Clark that happy in years and years.”

The whole thing was so sudden, they haven’t made up their minds whether they will live in his house, or her house on the beach, or whether they will buy a new place in Beverly Hills.

But before he left, Clark left word that the master bedroom suite in his house was to be completely redecorated while they are gone. His instructions were, “Get my hunting and fishing things out of there, make it more–frilly and feminine!”

All I can add is– wish them worlds of happiness and joy and I sincerely believe they have found it.

___

There’s typical Louella Parsons, making sure that the point gets across that NO ONE KNEW THEY WERE GETTING MARRIED–IT WAS SO SECRETIVE! So she doesn’t look bad for not having the scoop.

There was no “master bedroom suite” in the ranch. Carole’s room was redecorated after Sylvia moved in. Can you imagine Clark telling anyone to make a room more “frilly and feminine!” ??