Can I tell you a story? I like this one. A lot! (we have visited it before - ED!) oh do shut up! It was four years ago and I have added a subtle detail that I only just learned . . . . . nobody's reading anyway!
When they were in Indianapolis shooting the film 'To Please a Lady', Barbara Stanwyck's business manager called her to ask what type of accommodation she would require. She told him she needed a bedroom and bath for herself, and the same for Harriet (her personal maid and ‘friend’, they often stayed in the same bed with no concerns or comments) with a sitting room in-between.
The business manager explained that Clark Gable had requested that they stay in the best hotel in town, where blacks were not welcome. Barbara remained adamant. She wanted Harriet near her and requested that the business manager make the necessary arrangements.
Later that day the director of the film, Clarence Brown, called Barbara to ensure her that Harriet would stay in the best “coloured” hotel in Indianapolis. The ever determined Barbara told him, “I’ll tell you what you can do to solve the whole thing. You make a reservation at the best coloured hotel in Indianapolis for two bedrooms and baths and a sitting room between, and that is where I’ll stay with Harriet. “Oh, Barbara, you can’t do that,” Brown protested. “The hell I can’t,” she said forcefully and hung up. As far as she was concerned the subject was closed. When they reached Indianapolis, she and Harriet both stayed at the best hotel in the city with Gable and the rest of the cast.
I like her!
