One night in 1934, Clark Gable gave his Oscar to a child who admired it. He told the child that winning the Oscar was what mattered, not owning it. After Clark passed away, the child returned the Oscar to his family.
Before making Gone with the Wind (1939), Clark was already good friends with Hattie McDaniel. He wanted her to play the role of “Mammy,” but it was her powerful performance, when she showed up fully dressed and nailed the part, that got her the role. When it was time for the premiere on December 15, 1939, producer David O. Selznick tried to bring Hattie along. But MGM advised against it due to Georgia’s strict segregation laws, which wouldn’t allow her to attend the same event as white people. Clark was so upset by this that he told MGM he wouldn’t go unless they let Hattie attend too. In the end, Hattie convinced him to go without her.
Clark was also the head of the actors’ division of the Hollywood Victory Committee. In January 1942, he sent his wife, Carole Lombard, on a tour to her home state of Indiana, where she sold $2 million worth of bonds for the war effort. Tragically, on their way back to Hollywood, the plane they were on crashed, killing Carole and her mother. Clark was devastated and drank heavily for six months. Eventually, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a private. He worked as a combat cameraman in Britain, eventually rising to the rank of major. Later, he was furloughed to work at Hal Roach Studios, where the headquarters became known as “Fort Roach.” His discharge papers were signed by Captain Ronald Reagan.