THE TRUTH ABOUT CLARK GABLE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HATTIE MCDANIEL
By ANNA ROBINSON
AND MATT REIGLE
History - Science
Clark Gable and Hattie McDaniel are best known for their iconic performances in the 1939 film “Gone With the Wind,” where they played Rhett Butler and Mammy, respectively. McDaniel won an Academy Award for the role, making her the first Black performer to do so, but she was not even allowed to sit with her fellow cast and crew at the ceremony.
Gable and McDaniel first appeared together in the 1935 film “China Seas,” where McDaniel portrayed a maid, although she was not credited. It was on the set of this film that they formed their friendship, and on the set of “Gone With the Wind,” they regularly got up to antics, including Gable slipping alcohol into McDaniel’s tea.
When “Gone With the Wind” had its premiere in Atlanta, McDaniel was not allowed to attend, due to Jim Crow laws. Gable considered boycotting the premiere in protest, but McDaniel convinced him otherwise.