BETTE DAVIS once said her bitter rival Joan Crawford “slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie.” The glamorous actress had many, many lovers and four husbands but only truly loved one of Hollywood’s biggest (and married) heartthrobs her whole life. Their torrid affair lasted decades and was “so electrifying, I nearly fell to my knees.”
The Davis-Crawford feud was indeed iconic, especially given their collaboration in “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?” airing tonight. Davis’ sharp wit and Crawford’s dramatic flair added to the intrigue. Davis’ zinger about Crawford’s love life had a basis in reality, as Crawford was known for her romantic escapades despite being hesitant to marry the man she truly loved due to fears of infidelity. It’s fascinating how their personal lives intertwined with their on-screen personas, adding layers to their legendary status.
Crawford’s marriage to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. during her starring role opposite Clark Gable in 1931’s “Dance, Fools, Dance” adds another intriguing layer to her Hollywood journey. It’s interesting to see how her personal life intersected with her professional endeavors, creating a rich tapestry of experiences that fans continue to find fascinating.
The rumors of an affair between Crawford and Clark Gable indeed spread quickly, prompting the actress to address the situation publicly. She downplayed the speculation by stating that their on-screen chemistry was misconstrued as real-life romance, emphasizing that they were simply good friends off-camera. However, in candid moments, Crawford admitted to the intense sexual chemistry between them, describing it as an electric current that left her knees buckling and needing support from Gable to remain standing.
In 1931, despite Crawford being married and Gable engaged to his future second wife, Maria Langham, they made little effort to conceal their affair. Adela Rogers St. Johns, a mutual friend and journalist, recounted catching them in a compromising position, with Crawford wrapped around Gable in a manner only someone as flexible as Joan could manage. Their brazen behavior extended to Crawford sending flowers to St. Johns with a cheeky message: “I bet you were thrilled watching.” Their affair, though scandalous at the time, adds to the mystique surrounding their on-screen chemistry.
Crawford and Gable’s affair took on an ironic twist as many of their rendezvous occurred in the luxurious trailer purchased for Crawford by her husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Fairbanks later lamented, “It had been my wedding gift to her, which made it worse. I wasn’t quite finished paying for it yet!”
Despite the seemingly unchecked behavior of stars in Golden Age Hollywood, it was ultimately the studio bosses who held the power to rein in such indiscretions. While the era was rife with affairs and other illicit activities, studio executives were fiercely protective of their investments and would act decisively if scandals threatened their business and the image of their stars.
The affair between Gable and Crawford came to a halt when the formidable MGM boss intervened, warning them to end it or risk their careers. When they disregarded this warning, he demonstrated his power by dropping Gable from their joint film “Letty Lynton” and replacing him with another star. This incident highlights the control that studio executives exerted over their stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood and the consequences of defying their authority.
In public, the chastened couple complied. But behind the scenes, they carried on reuniting for many years, through various marriages.
Despite a lifelong love and sexual chemistry, however, they never came close to marrying each other. Crawford once explained: “I didn’t think Clark would make a good husband —a great lover, a fine friend, but I imagined him an unfaithful husband.”
