The Old Hollywood era (and its stars) are still oft-discussed, but new sweet, sad, and scandalous stories from Tinsel Town’s “golden age” continue to pop up. While some of these tales provide entertaining details about the entertainment world, others illuminate just what a cruel and heart-wrenching place Hollywood was in its early days. All of them, however, give a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of these Hollywood legends.
Vote up the stories that are almost as captivating as these classic actors were on-screen.
Lennie Bluett was a Black extra in Gone with the Wind. When he arrived on set in 1938, he discovered that bathrooms were segregated by “White” and “Colored.” Enraged, Bluett went directly to Clark Gable – whom he did not know – and told him about the situation.
According to an interview with Bluett, Gable was livid. He called up the film’s director, Victor Fleming and said, “If you don’t get those goddamned signs down now, you don’t have a Rhett Butler!”
Gable’s disgust with segregation did not end after the movie wrapped, either. The film was scheduled to premiere at a segregated theater in Atlanta, and rather than deal with the logistics of Black actors who had no bathrooms or dressing rooms, the studio simply did not invite them to attend. Gable threatened to boycott the premiere, but his Black co-star, Hattie McDaniel, told him to go anyway.