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Gossip Friday: Scared of Crawford
From October 1933: Clark Gable tells an amusing story about Joan [Crawford]. “The only time I ever have been scared in my life was the first time I worked with her,” he declares. “I wasn’t worth a nickel those first few days, couldn’t remember my lines and even acted scared. “It’s funny when I look back, because the one person of whom I should have been frightened, Garbo, didn’t bother me in the least. The first four days I worked with her I never even spoke to her except when we were doing scenes together. And it was during those four days that we shot all the hot love scenes…
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{New Article} 1940: Gable vs. Crawford
This is a new short little article gossiping that Clark Gable and Joan Crawford were not getting along on the set of Strange Cargo. This was actually mentioned in a few Gable biographies. Clark did not want to be in the film as he did not like the script (I can’t say I blame him). Joan’s career was on a downturn and she needed a hit so she was paired with Clark, who was just coming off Gone with the Wind success. Joan was a bit miffed at this, since just nine years earlier, she was the big star and Clark was getting his feet wet playing her love interests…
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Gossip Friday: Ten Years Later
From March 1941: This is anniversary week for Clark Gable. It marks his tenth year as a recognized screen performer. And he’s celebrating it in the true Gable manner–by doing absolutely nothing about it. Where will Gable be ten years hence? Some say Clark will be directing pictures. Our guess is he’ll be well out of movies and living the life of a rancher on some 50,000-acres (or larger) place in Arizona. He’s fed up on the glitter and tinsel and gossip of Hollywood–has been for a long time. And once he gets away they’ll never drag him back–not even for that proposed sequel to “Gone with the Wind.” Our…
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Gossip Friday: No Feud in Cargo
From November 1939: For these many weeks, we’ve been reading items and hearing rumors about Clark Gable and Joan Crawford being so angry at each other the chances are against their ever finishing their current costarring picture. So we dropped by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer today on the theory that maybe we’d see Gable get his face slapped by an outraged Miss Crawford. On stage 26 was Miss Crawford in tatters, as if somebody had gone after her with a pitchfork. There also was Gable, dirty, sweaty, greasy–and snarling at his leading lady. “Don’t tap your heart,” she yelled back at him, “it’ll break your finger.” If ever two movie performers were boiling…
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Gossip Friday: Screenwriter’s Problem
From November 1956: Joe Mankiewicz saw a preview of Clark Gable’s “King and Four Queens” and mentioned the screenwriter’s problem in writing a Gable film. Mankiewicz once was assigned to write a movie starring Gable and Joan Crawford. He said: “If Joan Crawford started from 59th St. to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and Clark Gable from 34th St. to Times Square–with a million people between them–the audience would know from the start that they would fall in love. The only thing for the writer to do is show how and where they are to meet.”
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Gossip Friday: Easy to Handle
From January 1936: Clark Gable is easy to handle, Lionel Barrymore is difficult and Norma Shearer is “sweet and stoical about pain.” That is how Peggy Coleman, who sees the stars when they are suffering, sizes up stellar response to the first-aid treatment she administers in her capacity as studio nurse. For 11 years Peggy Coleman has ministered to common colds, minor ailments, injuries and sometimes serious accident cases that befall the workers on her lot. If an actor has a headache on the set, they send for Peggy. If an actress fears her cold will show in her eyes, Peggy hastens over to give treatment. She may be dressing…
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Gossip Friday: No New Experience
From October 1936: Joan Crawford was sitting in front of her portable dressing room when an office boy brought two visitors, an elderly man and woman, to the set. She called the boy over, “Why don’t you give them a break?” the star suggested. “Clark Gable is right over there.” “I know it,” replied the boy. “They’re his father and mother!” Mr. and Mrs. Gable spent the afternoon with Clark, and later met Joan. “It is no new experience to see Clark,” Mr. Gable remarked to Joan, “but this is a real pleasure. I’ve always wanted to meet you!” ___ Uh, that’d be his father and STEPmother, considering his mother…
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Gossip Friday: Lunch with Buster
From December 1931: Buster Keaton got generous one day and invited the entire cast of “Possessed” to be his guests for luncheon. Joan Crawford and Clark Gable were the honored guests. Then he served them corned beef with cabbage and onions. And that afternoon Joan and Clark had to do a big love scene. Oh, Buster!
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Gossip Friday: Take It From the Script Girl
From March 1937: Florence Thomas is the eldest script girl [at MGM]. For eight years she has been W.S. Van Dyke’s secretary and script girl, and she knows her movie stars. Florence can take them apart, and considers some of them not worth the trouble of putting together again. But about Clark Gable she says: “I’d just as soon he were in all our pictures.” “And not because he’s the great Gable either, or any bunk like that. It’s for purely selfish reasons. Because he’s no trouble. Because he’s efficient. Because he knows this is his business and treats it like a business, and not like a circus hoop for…
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Gossip Friday: Reunited?
From 1953: If the King leaves MGM as rumored, Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, who were one of the greatest box-office teams, may reunite in an independent Western. ___ Clark did leave MGM for good the following year, but he and Crawford were never re-teamed.
