Gossip Friday: A Toast to the Winner

Since the Academy Awards are this weekend, here’s one from May 1935:

The afternoon before the Awards banquet Norma Shearer and Claudette Colbert were having tea together.

“I haven’t any more chance of winning it than the man in the moon,” laughed Claudette.

“Nor I,” laughed Norma.

“Then let’s toast the winner with a cup of tea,” Claudette suggested. They poured the cups.

“To Bette Davis,” they chorused.

That night, of course, Claudette carried home the little gold statuette [for “It Happened One Night”].

____

Claudette famously didn’t even attend the ceremony because she was so sure she wouldn’t win. She had to be stopped at the train station and rushed to the auditorium, where she accepted her Oscar in her coat and traveling suit.

Norma had been up for her role as Elizabeth Barrett in “The Barretts of Wimpole Street” and Grace Moore for “One Night of Love”, but despite this hard competition, relative newcomer Bette Davis was considered a shoo-in with her write-in nomation for playing the trashy English barmaid Mildred in “Of Human Bondage”. Claudette winning was a huge upset. Bette won Best Actress for her role in “Dangerous” the following year, many say it was a “consolation prize” for losing the year before. 

I’ve always found it funny that there seem to be no pictures of Clark and Claudette together on Oscar night, holding their statues. I have seen them each separately with Frank Capra, but never together. Maybe I’ll find one some day!

New this week:

Saturday: 100 new pictures in the gallery

Sunday: Article “Goofy Gal Goes Glamorous”

Monday: Clark’s hospital bill

Tuesday: Article “How to Get Your Own Clark Gable”

Wednesday: Clark’s Last Will and Testament

Thursday: Radio Show–Mail Call from 1945

Friday: