Gossip Friday: Clark Gable–Forgotten Man

From April 1939:

…take the [Clark] Gable burial and its ramifications. This was in Too Hot to Handle. The scene had been shot a half a dozen times, but still it wasn’t right, in the opinion of Director Jack Conway. “We’ll shoot it again,” he decreed.

Clark looked pained. “Hey, what is this?” he protested. “I suppose you think I LIKE being buried alive!” Myrna Loy, cool and comfortable in her easy chair, soothed him from the sidelines. “It’s for the sake of your art,” she said. At six o’clock, they were still at it and still Conway wasn’t satisfied. Clark was dirty, dishevelled, cranky. Walter Pidgeon remonstrated with him. “Why, Mister Gable, surely you’re not getting temperamental! A Boy Scout like you!” Clark gave him a dirty look. Then, “Okay,” he told Conway, “shoot it once more, but that better be ALL!” It was. With Mr. Gable entombed for the ‘steenth time that day, a vast silence fell upon the vicinity, broken only by muffled noises from the depths of the chaos.

“For the blankety-blank-blank, let me out of here! Whadye think this IS?” Gable demanded. Well, no one thought it was anything for the reason that no one was around there. As soon as the last avalanche had descended all present had gathered up their belongings and had gone home for the day. They had left a message though–a neat little sign stuck up where it would be visible the minute he dug himself out: “HERE LIES THE FORGOTTEN MAN. R.I.P.” What Clark said to the deserters the next time he saw them is not to be recorded. Even now, to ask him how it feels to be buried alive is to elicit dark mutterings quite uncomplimentary to both cast and cre of Too Hot to Handle.