Gossip Friday: In the Side Door
From March 1938:
This business of being a famous star has its drawbacks. Last night I covered a big preview and happened to park my car alongside Clark Gable’s.
He and Carole Lombard started for the theatre with me, took one look at the swarming mob of autograph hunters, and stopped short.
“Listen,” begged Gable, “be a friend and get the manager to let us in a side door.” I saw them sneak in and, as the picture neared an end, I saw Gable begin to fidget. With at least a reel of the film still unseen, he suddenly clambered out of his seat and dragged Carole to the side entrance and out.
And the whole punch of that particular picture happened to be packed in the last reel. They missed it all.
2 Comments
Lou Cella
You know it really is lost on today’s generation just how big certain stars were and dangerous their casual outings could become. Ringo Starr talks about feeling imprisoned in hotels when Beatlemania was at it’s height. For safeties sake. You can plainly see in photos and newsreels that Gable was treated the same way. Adored to a life threatening extent. You posted an interview a couple of years ago that really demonstrated how tough it was. The price of fame.
Dan
This sounds exactly like something he would do to avoid the crowds lol. Poor Carole lost out on the end of the film 🙂