Trivia of Clark Gable

Trivia of Clark Gable

*Despite his dyslexia, he became an avid reader. He would never allow himself to be photographed reading on film sets, fearing it would undermine his macho screen image.

*Gave his Oscar for It Happened One Night (1934) to a child who admired it, telling him it was the winning of the statue that had mattered, not owning it. The child returned the Oscar to the Gable family after Clark's death.

*Gable was very close with Hattie McDaniel and routinely stood up for her when she faced racism, even nearly boycotting the premiere of Gone with the Wind (1939), which McDaniel was not allowed to attend because she was an African American woman.

*Turned down Cary Grant's role in The Philadelphia Story (1940) because he thought the film was too wordy.

*He enlisted in the army in honor of his late wife, Carole Lombard. She had been killed in a plane crash while on tour selling war bonds.Gsble served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II making training films. Also trained as an aerial gunner, he flew 5 combat missions with the 8th Air Force's 351st Bombardment Group (Heavy) while making his films and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.

*We're all familiar with the image of Bugs Bunny leaning on a fence, wisecracking and chewing on a carrot. The pose, prop, and manner was based on Clark Gable’s character Peter Warne, from It Happened One Night. Gable's name also inspired half of Superman’s name, Clark Kent.

*Contrary to popular belief, Gable did not perform his own stunts in The Misfits (1961). He was only used for the close ups while a stunt double stood in for him in the long shots. His heart attack was caused by his lifestyle - thirty years of heavy smoking and drinking, plus his increasing weight in later years. It is also believed his crash diet before filming began may have been a contributing factor.