1954: Clark Gable: The Lonely Man

Clark Gable: The Lonely Man

Look magazine, September 7, 1954

At 53, Clark Gable is a lonely man who says he leads the life he likes. He has all the money he needs and from now on, he will make only the pictures he wishes. His first for 20th Century Fox, after his long career at MGM, may be The Tall Men—“sometimes in the future”. Gable lives quietly on his 22 acre “ranch”, as Hollywood terms it, in the San Fernando Valley, in a house hidden by trees and shrubs. Last week, he was busy fixing a fence and water troughs before turning several ponies loose to graze. He has a new Willys Jeep that he likes to drive around the ranch. Also parked beside his garage is the 1934 Ford pick-up truck with a canvas-topped body which he and Carole Lombard fixed up for hunting and fishing trips years ago. Its original finish is kept polished and gleaming and its engine is as good as new. Gable now is a homebody who watches his garden, waters his roses and keeps an eye on things around the place. His secretary and his butler have been with him for 15 years; some of his friends date back to 30 years ago when he first arrived in Hollywood from the Oregon woods to work as an extra. Says one of them: “All his friends respect the fact that Gable likes his privacy.”