Lana Turner teamed with Clark Gable in several high-profile films.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of co-starring with Clark Gable in Honky Tonk in 1940 is that I was completely terrified. I was still in my teens and this was my first starring role. And to find myself playing opposite the King was most devastating. So I was nervous. But I wasn’t afraid of him. I think I was more in shock — an ‘Is this really me?’ and ‘Somebody pinch me’ kind of thing.
“But God bless Clark. I’m sure that he, as well as the rest of the cast, the director, and the crew, could see me trembling whenever I would have to go into a scene with him. And it was only after we had finished the picture that I realized how very much this man had helped me. Knowing how frightened I was, and in awe of him really, he would kind of tease me out of it and joke with me, trying to put me at ease. And it was really important to me, not only for the film, but in my life.
“He was very kind and considerate to me. Whenever I fluffed a line, he’d say, ‘That’s all right, Baby. Now don’t you worry about it.’ And you know what he’d do? He’d blow a couple lines just so I wouldn’t feel so bad. And he used to play practical jokes on me because, he said, I was a good sport.”
Source: The Films of Clark Gable by Gabe Essoe