{New Article} 1954: Please Don’t Talk About Me

Here’s another one of these early 1950’s articles debating whom Clark will or will not marry. The subject of this one is the elusive model Suzanne Dadolle. I discussed Suzanne a few years ago in this post. Suzanne, like many before her, made the fatal mistake of talking to the press about her relationship with Clark. And with that, Suzanne was swiftly cut off, and rather stunned at the abruptness of it all.

In Paris, on October 12, Suzanne, after returning to work at Schiaparelli’s, announced that she and Gable had been engaged, “but informally,” for several months, the implication being that never in a million years would she have traveled with him all over the Continent unless they’d had some understanding.

She was also quoted as saying that, “Even a year ago, he asked me to be his companion all over the world and for the rest of his life.”

The press associations picked up the announcement, and next day readers throughout America were convinced that Clark and Suzanne would return to Hollywood as man and wife.

In Amsterdam, Gable was making “The True and the Brave” with Lana Turner and Vic Mature. When he was asked to confirm Miss Dadolle’s statement, he was stunned.

The actor is not the quickest thinker in the world, but by nature he is a prudent man, so he turned the whole matter over to Paul Mills, his press representative.

Paul gave out the following denial: “Clark Gable has no plans for engagement or marriage and hasn’t given his promise to engage or marry.”

In Paris, when Suzanne read this, she was hurt. After all, she was wearing the topaz ring Gable had given her, and while the ring may or may not have been an engagement ring, it showed in a way that Gable regarded her in a special light.

At Wolfheze, Holland, he was asked, “Any truth to these stories about you and Suzanne Dadolle?”

“Stories about what?” he countered.

“About you two kids getting married.”

“No truth to that,” Clark Gable said. “I’m not getting married.”

“Are you engaged?”

Gable shook his head. “Not engaged, either.”

“That doesn’t square away with Suzanne’s announcement in Paris last week.”

“What announcement?”

“You know—that the two of you are engaged, that you want her as your life’s companion.”

There was a moment of silence. “She was misquoted,” Gable said.

“Have you been spending any time with her of late?”

“No, she’s back in Paris. She returned to work.”

“Have you been talking to her on the phone? Or writing her any letters?”

“I’ve been too busy for that,” Gable answered.

“Then how do you know she was misquoted?”

“I’m sure she was,” Gable countered. “I know her, and she wouldn’t say a thing like that. She probably said she considered me a good friend and some reporter took it up from there.”

“That may be, but aren’t you in love with Suzanne?”

“She’s a wonderful friend.”

“Of course, but are you in love with her?”

“We’re just good friends.”

“Are you bringing this good friend back to Hollywood with you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“When do you expect to get back?”

“It’s hard to say. Depends on how this picture goes. We should be finished by the end of November. I should get back by Christmas.”

“Then you’re definitely coming home alone?” he was asked. “Is that right? No chance that you might change your mind and bring Suzanne with you?”

“I don’t think so,” Clark Gable said. “No.”

“The True and the Brave” was, obviously, later titled Betrayed.

I’m of the opinion that whether Suzanne had talked to the press or not, Clark was never going to marry her. He was very steadfast in his statements after the disastrous union with Sylvia Ashley that he would not marry again. Suzanne fit the description of someone to keep him company but not somebody he’d take home to the ranch.

Another friend of Gable’s, a beautiful young woman who dates him between marriages, says, “I know the guy pretty well and unless a girl has money and position, preferably both, Gable won’t think of marrying her. He’ll go around with her, the way he has with this French babe. He’ll take her all over and date her exclusively, but he’s not going to slip that wedding band on her finger.

“At his age, you’d think he’d wise up and marry some average doll who’d appreciate him. But no. He marries the society belles. And a funny thing, it’s these dames with dough who make him pay through the nose when divorce time rolls around.

“Take Maria Langham, his second wife, and Sylvia Ashley, his last one. These babes were loaded, and they’re old enough to know the score. I think Gable’s divorce from Ria cost him at least $300,000 and of course he’s still paying Sylvia. He tried to get out of it by saying that she was an extremely wealthy woman in her own right. Of course, it didn’t work.

“You’d think the guy would wise up in his old age and marry some dame who wants to spend her life loving him and taking care of him. But no. He’s got to have a show-piece. I guess that’s why he’s an actor.

“As for this Suzanne Dadolle, I think he just took her around Europe for the ride. His intentions were friendly, not matrimonial.”

Clark was a complicated man to love. He did not want some pretty thing that would follow him around and worship him. He wanted a woman with her own money and her own position. He very much wanted a well-dressed woman, one who was well-groomed and always presentable, but yet he also wanted a woman who would throw on waders and follow him into a duck blind at 5:00am. Like I said, complicated.

You can read the article in its entirety in The Article Archive.