Gossip Friday: Party Trick

From 1941:

This happened at a housewarming at the Fred MacMurrays. Everyone was talking about the war and Paris fashions and how to cultivate dahlias, when suddenly Clark [Gable] took a cigarette, held the burning end of it between his thumb and forefinger, and, without a wince, slowly crushed it out with his fingers. That was something! Immediately, the vital topics under discussion were dropped, and everyone wanted to know if Clark’s fingers were made out of asbestos.

Now wait—don’t try it yourself, until you hear how Clark did it. It’s not done with mirrors Just an ice cube. He smuggled an ice cube in his hand, held it between the two fingers for about a minute, until the two fingers became numb. Then he wiped his fingers dry. After that he could hold the burning cigarette without feeling it.