When it came to wedding planning, most of Hollywood's major stars wasted months agonising over guest lists. The wives of Hollywood's old leading men wouldn't have required more than a judge and a witness who knew not to open their mouth. Studios used to mind their clients' personal lives as much as those personal lives used to matter, and a wedding at a bad time could cost a deal or, even worse, turn into a tabloid headline. The solution was to take a quick trip over the border or even to Mexico and get married in a place where no roving reporter had yet to frequent. Some of these weddings might have been romantic, most weren't, and a few were so dubious as to require the law to make the decision.
Clark Gable And Carole Lombard Married on a Day Off from Filming
The first was the marriage of MGM's number one leading man Clark Gable to rival studio Paramount comedy actress Carole Lombard. The couple married in Kingman, Arizona, on 29 March 1939, three weeks after Gable's divorce became final and discretely while filming a scene in Gable's latest movie. Only a publicist and a friend attended the ceremony; the couple drove all 300 miles back to Los Angeles on the same night and held a press conference the next day on Lombard's front lawn. (A popular but unsubstantiated story maintains that the honeymooning pair checked into a hotel in the nearby town of Oatman, but they drove straight home.)
Sammy Davis Jr. Paid A Stranger to Marry Him Under Threat
Later in the late 1950s, Rat Pack singer Sammy Davis Jr., who was Black, dated White Columbia Pictures star Kim Novak. Cohn discovered the relationship, and biographies and those who knew Davis have said that he called some of his mobster buddies and pressured the singer to marry. He paid nightclub dancer Loray White a $10,000 to $25,000 payout to marry him, and they tied the knot in Las Vegas in early 1958. They divorced less than six months later, and never lived together.
Charlie Chaplin Married in A Railcar to Dodge Prosecution
Silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, 35, was a box office sensation, and co-starred with Lita Grey, 16, in The Gold Rush. However, after she got pregnant, Chaplin faced a difficult predicament as the legal system in California ought not to have him having sex with Grey. To circumvent the law, he held a clandestine wedding in a train car in Empalme, Mexico, in November 1924, but the tale hit the press almost instantly and they divorced bitterly three years later.
Lucille Ball Married Desi Arnaz with a Woolworth's Ring
She was 29 and then became an RKO contract actress at the time of her wedding. Her 23-year-old husband, Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-born bandleader and actor. Due to their age and culture difference, the studio and many friends did not approve of the marriage, prompting the couple to leave New York City and marry before a judge in Greenwich, Connecticut, after they bought a ring at a Woolworth's department store in November 1940.
Judy Garland's Midnight Dash Got Her Suspended By MGM
Judy Garland had fallen in love with David Rose, a handsome bandleader and composer, who was significantly older than she was. Her mother and her studio boss, Louis B. Mayer, opposed the union. They demanded that Garland protect her persona and remain chaste. Nevertheless, Garland and Rose drove to Nevada in the middle of the night and married a justice of the peace in July 1941. Mayer immediately suspended her when he found out.
Lana Turner Flew to Nevada After One Date with Artie Shaw
The day MGM actress Lana Turner went out with bandleader Artie Shaw, he told her at one point during the evening that they should head to Nevada and get married right now. They found a plane, got married by a justice of the peace just before dawn in February 1940, and none of the studio bosses, her parents, or friends knew about it. The press hit the following day and the marriage ended four months later.
Rudolph Valentino Was Arrested for Bigamy After His Wedding
Film star Rudolph Valentino of the film, The Sheik, marries movie designer, Natacha Rambova in order to escape the one-year waiting period in California after his divorce from his first wife. Once in Los Angeles, authorities arrest Rudolph for bigamy, while he remains in jail before bailing out for a $10,000 fee. They are divorced for a year and marry once again in Palm Springs in 1923.
Hedy Lamarr Crossed into Mexicali to Keep MGM Out of Her Life
The Austrian-born MGM star and future co-inventor of frequency-hopping radio technology, Hedy Lamarr, flees an abusive relationship with an Austrian arms merchant. March 1939: Having crossed into Mexico, Lamarr and the Hollywood screenwriter Gene Markey elope, marry over a hastily arranged service, hoping to hide from the studio bosses and keep them out of her life. The bosses discover Lamarr's marriage when she returns.
FAQ's
Why did Old Hollywood stars keep marriages secret?
Studio contracts often prohibited marriage or required approval to protect a star's single, romantic image and box-office appeal.
How did they pull off secret weddings?
Stars frequently traveled to remote towns, eloped across state lines, or married late at night with hidden licenses to dodge tabloid reporters.
Did studios ever force annulments?
Yes, if a secret marriage threatened a star's public persona or violated studio morals clauses, executives could force an annulment or heavily suppress the news.
Who are some famous examples of Golden Age secret spouses?
Examples include Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's quick getaway wedding, and Elizabeth Taylor's multiple hurried nuptials.
What happened if a secret marriage was exposed?
Stars usually faced massive public scrutiny, studio backlash, or breach-of-contract penalties, though some successfully turned the scandal into positive publicity.
