How did "Gone With the Wind" stars Clark Gable
and Hattie McDaniel get along? And how did her career fare after her Oscar-winning
role in the film? Keep watching for the details. "Gone With the Wind" is one of Clark Gable's
most famous films. He played the role of Rhett Butler alongside
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, creating one of cinema's most memorable romances along
the way. Gable was known as the "King of Hollywood"
at the time, and was one of the highest-paid actors of the era. Of the 67 movies Gable appeared in over the
course of his career, 16 of them found their way to the top of the box office charts. From "Mutiny on the Bounty" to "It Happened
One Night" to "Gone with the Wind," he had some undeniable star power. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first
Black actor to win an Academy Award for her role as the loyal maid, Mammy, in "Gone with
the Wind." Despite being nominated for and eventually
winning the Oscar, McDaniel was not allowed to sit with her co-stars during the Oscars
ceremony in The Ambassador Hotel. At the time, the hotel served whites only,
and because of that, McDaniel was confined to a far away table against the wall. She was even banned from attending the film's
Atlanta premiere the year before because of Georgia's segregationist laws at the time. To put it bluntly, McDaniel dealt with racism
throughout her "Gone with the Wind" success, but co-star Clark Gable was always a friend
to her. "Mammy, she is beautiful, isn't she?" "She sure is." McDaniel had an unconventional path into show
business. She was born on June 10, 1895 in Wichita,
Kansas, and was raised in Denver, Colorado, where it was clear from an early age that
she had a knack for performing. Eventually she joined a traveling minstrel
group and worked onstage, but her career would take a hit along with most of the country
at the onset of the Great Depression. The economic conditions made finding work
difficult, so to make ends meet, McDaniel found herself in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, working
as a bathroom attendant in a nightclub. The club had a policy of only hiring white
performers, but some of the club's patrons learned of McDaniel's talents and convinced
the club to let her on stage. She stayed at the club for a year, before
leaving town for Los Angeles. Once in LA, McDaniel got a job on a radio
show, and took the nickname "Hi-Hat Hattie," and became a star on the airwaves. She made her movie debut in 1932, and by 1934
she was in John Ford's film "Judge Priest," singing a duet with cowboy movie legend Will
Rogers. McDaniel had come a long way by the time "Gone
with the Wind" came around, and because of that, Clark Gable considered boycotting the
premiere when he learned his co-star wouldn't be allowed to attend. The two shared a deep bond and friendship
on the film's set, thanks to their habit of playing pranks on each other. So he was understandably upset when his friend
wasn't allowed to celebrate the film they'd made together. McDaniel herself was the one who eventually
talked Gable out of the boycott. Gable and McDaniel's bond as co-stars and
friends actually began several years earlier during the making of the 1935 film "China
Seas," in which McDaniel also appeared as a maid. Though she didn't even get a credit, the actress
was used as a, quote, "prominent" Black performer in Hollywood to help promote the film, according
to The Hollywood Reporter. Gable and McDaniel began their long friendship
during the making of "China Seas," which means he probably noticed the way his co-star was
being treated well before "Gone with the Wind." McDaniel made Academy Awards history with
her victory for "Gone with the Wind," but despite that groundbreaking achievement, the
film remains marked by controversy. It's been nearly a century since the film
was released and made McDaniel an Oscar-winning star, and "Gone with the Wind" is still widely
criticized for its seemingly positive portrayal of life in the South before the Civil War,
and the absence of struggles among servant characters played by African Americans, including
Mammy. McDaniel was certainly aware of the controversy,
but according to The Hollywood Reporter, she usually had the same response to all the criticism:
"I'd rather play a maid than be a maid." Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Grunge videos about Hollywood
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