Gossip Friday: Without Any Help
From July 1944:
Buddy De Sylva, in his Paramount office, has a printed sign which tells of a conversation between Clark Gable and an interviewer. The large cardboard quotes the interviewer asking Gable what he attributes he amazing record as a box-office champion for many years. Gable’s answer is: “Any success I may have achieved is due to MGM’s wisdom. The studio picks my stories, casts my pictures and selects my directors.”
The interviewer then asks, “Without any help from you?”
And the Gable answer is, “Without any help from me.”
The sign is prominently displayed so that any actor or actress who enters De Sylva’s office to complain about a scenario can read it. Buddy De Sylva claims that it has saved him from many big arguments.
One Comment
Dan
I believe this. Clark was grateful to be a working actor and be able to live a life free of financial hardship- something which traumatized him in the early part of his life. I love this gratitude and the simplicity of the message