Trivia

Born: February 1, 1901 Cadiz, Ohio

Died: November 16, 1960 Los Angeles, California

Buried: November 21, 1960 Forest Lawn Glendale, Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Trust

Ancestry: German and Dutch

Parents: William Gable and Adeline Hershelman Gable

Siblings: None

Children:

Judy Lewis b. November 5, 1935 (to Loretta Young) d. November 25, 2011

John Clark Gable b. March 20, 1961 (to fifth wife Kathleen Williams)

Wives:

Josephine Dillon December 13, 1924-April 1, 1930 (divorced)

Maria “Ria” Langham June 19, 1931-March 4, 1939 (divorced)

Carole Lombard March 29, 1939-January 16, 1942 (her death)

Lady Sylvia Ashley December 20, 1949-April 21, 1952 (divorced)

Kathleen “Kay ” Williams July 11, 1955-November 16, 1960 (his death)

Height: 6’1

Weight: MGM records have it ranging from 175-255lbs.

Favorite foods:

chicken and dumplings, bratwurst and sauerkraut, baked beans, steak, raw onion,  coleslaw, peppermints, chocolate cake

Favorite drinks:

whiskey, gin and tonic, iced tea, lemonade, grapefruit juice, Coca-Cola

Friends:

Spencer Tracy, Robert Taylor, Frank Morgan, Andy Devine, Fred MacMurray, John Barrymore, Victor Fleming, Walter Lang, Ward Bond

Dated:

Joan Crawford, Loretta Young, Grace Kelly, Anita Page, Elizabeth Allan, Virginia Grey, Paulette Goddard, Merle Oberon, Nancy “Slim” Hawks, Audrey Totter, model Anita Colby, model Suzanne Dadolle, socialite Dolly O’Brien, Marilyn Maxwell, future first lady Nancy Davis, oil heiress Millicent Rogers, MGM make-up girl Dotty Pondell, heiress Betty Chisolm, socialite Carol Gibson.

Favorite film of his own:

He usually said Mutiny on the Bounty. After he saw The Misfits, he declared it was the best of his movies. He also expressed adoration for Test Pilot.

Least favorite film of his own:

Parnell, because it was such an embarrassing flop. He also never liked Dancing Lady, saying he was miscast.

Films in color:

Gone with the Wind, Across the Wide Missouri, Mogambo ,Betrayed, Soldier of Fortune, The Tall Men, The King and Four Queens, Band of Angels, It Started in Naples

Films in which his character dies:

A Free Soul, Night Nurse, Night Flight, Manhattan Melodrama, Parnell, Run Silent Run Deep

Films in which he portrays a father:

The Easiest Way, Strange Interlude, Hold Your Man, Test Pilot, Gone with the Wind, Boom Town, Adventure, Any Number Can Play, Across the Wide Missouri, Soldier of Fortune, The Misfits

Most common character name:

Michael, or Mike. Chained, Love on the Run, To Please a Lady and It Started in Naples

Most frequent director: Clarence Brown.

A Free Soul, Chained, Idiot’s Delight, Night Flight, Possessed, They Met in Bombay, To Please a Lady, Wife vs. Secretary.

Most frequent female costar:

Joan Crawford. Dance Fools Dance, Laughing Sinners, Possessed, Dancing Lady, Chained Forsaking All Others, Love on the Run, Strange Cargo

Roles he could have played:

Katharine Hepburn requested Clark to play her ex-husband CK Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story (1940). They sent Clark the script. He deemed it “too wordy” and said “other than pushing the dame down, I don’t have anything to do.” So the part went to Cary Grant.

Carole Lombard was interested in the screenplay for Woman of the Year (1942). She thought it would be a perfect chance for her and Clark to re-team on screen. She was very disappointed to learn that Katharine Hepburn had snatched up the rights to it and it was going forward with her and Spencer Tracy.

Clark very much wanted to star as Bick Benedict in Giant (1956) but director George Stevens nixed the idea, citing him as being too old. The role instead went to Rock Hudson.

MGM wanted him to star in Home from the Hill (1960) but Clark refused, still bitter about the lack of appreciation MGM had showed him when his contract had not been renewed. The role went to Robert Mitchum.