Clark Gable Accused of s**ual Assault by Co-Star: Loretta Young Reveals the Truth

In a shocking revelation, Loretta Young, the renowned actress of Classic Hollywood, has come forward to question whether she was date-raped by one of the industry's biggest stars.

This incident allegedly occurred many years ago, but it has only recently come to light.

At the time of the incident in 1998, Loretta Young was an 85-year-old living a life of luxury and opulence in Palm Springs.

She had previously married French fashion designer Jean Louis, and together they basked in their collective glamour until his passing in 1997.

Young was widely known for her acclaimed show, The Loretta Young Show, which captivated American audiences throughout the 1950s.

However, her career had spanned much longer, with her first appearance onscreen at the tender age of 3 in 1917.

By the time she turned 40, Young had already starred in over a hundred films, making her a recognizable figure with her distinctive doe eyes and name.

Young was also involved in a major Hollywood cover-up, which unfolded in 1935 when she became pregnant with Clark Gable's child.

This occurred while Gable was still married to another woman.

Over the next two years, Young managed to conceal her pregnancy, the birth of her child, and the infant's existence for more than a year.

Eventually, she created a fictional adoption story to bring her daughter home.

Despite circulating rumors within Hollywood, the story remained successfully hidden from public knowledge until after Young's death in 2000 when her memoirs were posthumously released.

Only just before her wedding did her daughter learn about her true parentage, with Gable never acknowledging his connection to the child.

Throughout her career, Young struggled to reconcile her public image as a devout and moral Catholic with the persistent rumors of an extramarital affair.

She faced accusations of being a deceitful liar, a fraud, and a hypocrite.

Young's interest in the term “date rape” was sparked by her regular viewing of Larry King Live.

Curiosity led her to inquire about this phrase with her friend and would-be biographer, Edward Funk, as well as her daughter-in-law, Linda Lewis.

Explaining the concept to an 85-year-old lady like Young was a delicate task.

Lewis, recounting the event from her home in Jensen Beach, Florida, alongside her husband Chris (Young's second child), described how she did her best to help Young comprehend the meaning of “date rape.”

Lewis emphasized that Young was a woman of great propriety.

Upon hearing the explanation, Young had a revelation of her own: “That's what happened between me and Clark.”

After conducting extensive interviews with Young's son, daughter-in-law, and long-time biographer, it has become evident that Young's decision to keep her daughter's conception a secret was an attempt to regain control over her life after it had been taken away from her, a course of action taken by many women throughout history.

To fully grasp the significance of this story and why Young remained silent for so long, one must understand not only how women were conditioned to perceive their role in unwanted s**ual advances but also the expectations imposed on Hollywood stars during the 1930s.

The powerful studio system meticulously safeguarded the reputation and adherence of its stars to these expectations.

Additionally, comprehending the personalities of Gable and Young, as well as the larger-than-life images they represented, is crucial to understanding the potential consequences they faced if the truth were exposed.

While this story belongs to the past, it undeniably echoes the present, with the countless allegations against individuals like Bill Cosby and the recent revelation of the rape of a 16-year-old member of The Runaways in 1976.

It may be easy to dismiss Young's elaborate cover-up as absurd, but it is harder to overlook the underlying power structures, such as patriarchy and Hollywood, that continue to make it challenging for victims to share their stories.