Back in February 1932, the pages of Modern Screen were buzzing with a tale that Hollywood couldn’t stop talking about. Joan Crawford, the queen of the silver screen, dismissed whispers of a steamy love affair with Clark Gable as nothing but good acting. "I'm supposed to be madly in love with a certain other actor in Hollywood," she coyly remarked. "Before the camera, we were in love. Now that the picture is over, we are merely good friends!"
But here’s the thing—Joan wasn’t exactly leveling with the press. In the early 1930s, Joan and Clark embarked on an affair so intense, so legendary, that it became the talk of Tinseltown. Their romance was so heated that MGM Studios’ top brass had to step in and force them apart. But even the power players of Hollywood couldn’t sever their deep connection, which spanned nearly three decades. And later in life, Joan was there for Clark when he needed her most. In 1968, Joan finally opened up about their relationship, confessing, “We had an affair—a glorious affair—and it lasted longer than anybody knows.”
Two Stars, One Passion
Joan and Clark had more in common than just their dazzling careers. Both clawed their way out of tough beginnings and dysfunctional families to become the kings and queens of Hollywood. The tabloids were relentless, speculating wildly about their private lives. Clark was rumored to have seduced every leading lady he worked with, while Joan was famous for using her charm to get ahead. Bette Davis, never one to mince words, once quipped, “She has slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie.” Yet, both were also the marrying kind. Joan had four husbands, and Clark tied the knot five times.
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The Spark That Ignited a Storm
When Joan and Clark starred together in 1931’s Dance, Fools, Dance, sparks flew right from the start. Joan, who was the bigger star at the time, admitted that the chemistry between them was electric. “It was like an electric current went through my body... My knees buckled,” she recalled. “If he hadn’t held me by the shoulders, I’d have dropped.”
Their affair mostly unfolded on the studio lot, with clandestine meetings in Joan’s luxurious trailer, a gift from her unsuspecting husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. “It had been my wedding gift to her, which made [the betrayal] worse,” Douglas later said. “I wasn’t quite finished paying for it yet!”
One of their friends, Adela Rogers St. Johns, caught them in a passionate embrace behind a bandstand. Joan, ever the dancer, had her legs wrapped around Clark in a position only someone as flexible as her could pull off. The next day, St. Johns received flowers and a saucy note from Joan. “I bet you were thrilled watching,” it read.
