WHAT Did She Say?

I caught the end of “Boom Town” on TCM last night. You know, the old rags-to-riches flick with Clark Gable as Big John McMasters and Spencer Tracy as Honest John Sand. I came in right as Spence and Gable started beating the ever-lovin’ crap out of each other. Seems Spence found out Gable was cheating on his wife (Claudette Colbert), and this is how he went about changing his mind.

Anyway, after taking approximately 742 blows to the head, Gable realizes he loves his wife and rushes home to tell her. He tells Claudetter, “I love you, I’ll always love you, and if I have to give you a licking to prove it, I will!”

Claudette, naturally, turns to goo at hearing this he-man sweet talk, and tells him, “I’ll always be your girl; you can lick me anytime.”

Well, I almost blew my soda across the room after that line. I know she meant something different than what I was thinking…at least, I hope she did.

Anybody else catch this delightful paean to capitalism and fisticuffs?

No, but I went over and peeked at the IMDB page for it.

Wow! Hedy Lamarr, Frank Morgan, Lionel Atwill, and Chill Wills! Character actor heaven! I’d see it just for those guys…even WITHOUT the prospect of Spencer Tracy providing Claudette Colbert with cunnilingus.


Uke

Sorry, Clark Gable. Wonder if that little moustache gets all tickly?

I’m sure it was an innocent mistake on Claudette Colbert’s part. She is* french, you know. She probably meant “like me.”

Claudette did indeed say,“You can lick me anytime you want,” and I’ll bet it got laffs in 1940, too—people were not all that innocent back then (just ask me muddah!).

I remember a bit of behind the scenes trivia about this film. On the day of the big fight scene, Spencer Tracy went on a drinking binge and passed out in his trailer. The director put in Tracy’s double just so they could get a few hours shooting in. Well, Spence’s double got so excited about being on screen with Gable that he forgot to fake punch and actually hit Gable in the mouth. The punch broke Gable’s upper denture, which ended up delaying shooting even longer.