From 1931-1940 Clark Gable and Joan Crawford appeared in a total of eight films together. Their on-screen chemistry was magical and set the stage for an off-screen love affair that lasted on and off for nearly twenty-five years.
Their first collaboration was in MGM's "Dance, Fools, Dance".
At the time Joan was a bonafide star, whereas, Clark's star was on the rise. Although Gable had very little exposure to film acting, he did hone his skills on the stages of Broadway. Joan was intimidated by "stage" actors and as a result had some reservations about working with Clark. Gable, on the other hand, had never worked alongside the likes of a Joan Crawford, and was grappling with his own insecurities.
Nonetheless, the two made the film and became fast friends in the process. Joan immediately developed a "deep infatuation" with Clark and it wasn't long before the two stars became romantically involved.
They teamed up two more times in 1931 for
"Laughing Sinners" and "Possessed". During the filming of "Possessed" it became clear, to those around them, that Joan and Clark were not just "acting" their very intense love scenes. This did not please the studio brass, not to mention the fact that both of them were married at the time!! Joan was married to actor Franchot Tone and Clark was on his second marriage to wealthy socialite Ria Langham. Clark was given strict orders to stay away from Joan "off-screen". But that did not stop MGM from staying with a winning "on-screen" combination. During the next nine years MGM paired the duo in five more films.
