The historic Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., reputedly boasted film star Clark Gable as an overnight guest at least once during his periodic cross-country trips.
It seemed this sighting always came secondhand, and I always wondered whether such a thing really happened or whether it was urban legend.
But this recent article in the Carthage Press seems to affirm that Gable did stay at the Boots Motel at least once. It’s a story about Don and Maxine Myers and their 72nd wedding anniversary, which they observed Thursday.
As for Gable, this anecdote in the story seems to confirm that he indeed was in Carthage:
The couple have many happy memories in Carthage. One in particular for Maxine remains vivid in her mind.
“You’ve heard those stories about the Boots Motel,” she said. “Well the one where the lady ran across the street to see Clark Gable – I’m that Maxine.”
In 1947, Don and Maxine lived in an apartment across Garrison Avenue from the Boots Motel. Maxine said when she found out who he was, she rushed over to get an autograph with her daughter, Kathy, who was six at the time.
“No one knew he was in town,” Maxine said. “He was sweet, with that big smile. He gave Kathy a kiss – he didn’t give me one.”
Think of it — Maxine Myers is a living eyewitness to Clark Gable staying overnight at the Boots Motel.
Incidentally, this isn’t Gable’s only connection to Route 66. He and Carole Lombard reputedly honeymooned at the Oatman Hotel in the small Route 66 mining town of Oatman, Ariz., in 1939. However, this well-researched article disputes whether that ever happened.
Great story. Happy anniversary to Maxine and Don.