A Western Union telegram sent to Clark Gable by Louis B. Mayer, vice president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, 8 x 6.5, stamp-dated June 14, 1933, at 8:50 PM. The message reads: “It is of the utmost importance that you see our Mister Mannix at his office in our studio tomorrow Thursday June fifteenth at eleven o’clock in the morning and we therefore instruct you to report accordingly.” In fine condition, with a small stain to the center. This telegram likely relates to the production of the film Dancing Lady, a box office smash for MGM that was released on November 24, 1933. The movie was co-produced by David O. Selznick, co-starred Gable, Joan Crawford, and Franchot Tone, and featured the screen debut of dancer Fred Astaire and an early feature film appearance of the Three Stooges—Moe Howard, Curly Howard, and Larry Fine. In spite of the film’s eventual success, Gable did not want to be a part of its cast. He didn’t like the role and he didn’t like Selznick, but when Gable finally relented to do the picture, he became very ill with a gum-and-tooth disease. MGM retained Gable’s services but suspended him without pay while he convalesced. Gable eventually reported to the film set, but he was still so sick that he collapsed and had to have all of his teeth replaced with dentures. Gable completed the picture in October and MGM, still holding a grudge against Gable and how he delayed production of Dancing Lady, loaned him to Columbia Pictures for It Happened One Night, which started shooting in November. The joke, of course, was on MGM—It Happened One Night became the first film to win all five major Academy Awards, which included the Best Actor Oscar for Gable, now the biggest movie star in Hollywood.
