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Gossip Friday: Not With His Shoes On
From February 1937: Burly Clark Gable can’t make love with his shoes on, it appeared as the pride of Cadiz, Ohio, washed up amatory work in “Parnell” with Myrna Loy. Half-a-dozen times Gable assumed parlor wrestling position No.1 on a brocade sofa and went into his routine. But it was no go, Ken Stahl cutting the take before it got its second wind. The great lover at length kicked off his shiny, patent-leather shoes, and, taking a firm toehold on a bear-skin rug, gave off a perfect scene. Loy, to promote passion, contented herself with shredding a handkerchief and sniffing softly while an off-key phonograph bleated Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”
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Gossip Friday: Ailing
From February 1948: Clark Gable’s back in town after baking out that ailing leg in Tucson, Ariz. He’s still walking with a limp, and his next film, “Angel’s Flight,” won’t go into production for another two months.
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Gossip Friday: Bereaved and Fishing
From February 6, 1942: Grants River Pas, Ore.–Clark Gable, bereaved film star who wanted to get away from picture people after the sudden death of his wife, blonde Carole Lombard, almost found the canyon of the Illinois river southwest of here a Hollywood meeting place this week. He fished there for steelhead trout Wednesday. The next day, Ginger Rogers and Margaret Sullavan, also vacationing at Ginger’s ranch, tried their luck in the same stream. Gable arrived at his old fishing haunts, We-Ask-U Inn, on Monday, and by local newspaper arrangement his presence was not revealed until he left Friday morning, accompanied by Harry Fleishmann.
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Gossip Friday: Clark with Red?
From February 1948, Sheilah Graham’s column: Clark Gable will do a Bob Hope in Red Skelton’s movie, “The Southern Yankee.” Gable will appear suddenly at the end of the picture and drive off with the heroine, Arlene Dahl! _____ Well that didn’t happen.
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Gossip Friday: Seeking Solace
From January 23, 1942: Clark Gable Plans to Seek Solace in Work Hollywood–Clark Gable, turned from a swashbuckling, carefree prankster into a depressed, grief-stricken recluse by the tragic death of Carole Lombard, will seek solace in work. The fun-loving screen star was so anguished by loss of his beautiful blonde wife that he wanted only to be alone. Shielded by studio executives, Gable has been so alone that friends became alarmed at his depressed brooding. Gable hasn’t yet gone to his Encino ranch where he and Carole lived so fully and joyously. He’s in seclusion at a friend’s home. He has left it only twice since he brought Miss Lombard’s…
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Goodbye, Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard Gable died 84 years ago today, when her plane crashed into Mount Potosi outside Las Vegas. She was 33 years old. 84 years is so hard to believe–if you look at the picture above, it could have been taken yesterday. Something about Carole just transcends her era. From the Associated Press: Millions Knew Carole Hollywood, Jan.17–Millions of Americans are going to miss Carole Lombard on the screen. She was killed in a plane crash early today. But she’ll be especially mourned in Hollywood, where she was universally liked because she debunked with that was artificial or insincere. Carol’s name is spelled C-a-r-o-l-e–that final “e” appeared on the screen…
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Gossip Friday: Gable Gets Into a Row
From April 1934: Hollywood, Calif.–A fight that might have been one of the best in Hollywood’s history of fame one-rounders was averted when friends separated Clark Gable and Gilbert Roland just when they had reached the coat-jerking stage in a verbal exchange involving Constance Bennett, it was learned today. The three were attending a party at the home of Samuel Goldwyn. Gable was chatting with Miss Bennett and Roland, Miss Bennett’s escort, was seated nearby playing bridge. Friends professed ignorance as to the draft of Gable’s conversation, but he was interrupted by an angry Roland. “You quit picking on her and pick on me,” Roland suddenly challenged. Gable accepted and…
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Gossip Friday: They’ll Be Back
From January 1958: Clark Gable and his Kay left today on a Caribbean cruise, but they’ll be back here for the Academy Awards and the world premiere of “Teacher’s Pet” the last of March.
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Gossip Friday: Fireside Chat with Clark and Carole
From December 31, 1940: Two Hollywood stars have had a lesson in acting that ought to make them much better performers in 1941. I refer to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. For what reason, I don’t know, they seemed to be visiting the White House Sunday night, and were included in the small group that watched the President broadcast his address to the nation. Comments on the speech did not mention the reactions if Mr. Gable and wife, but whatever they may have thought of the message itself, as professional actors they must have realized they were sitting in the presence of a master performer. It seemed to this listener…
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Gossip Friday: Unorthodox Presents
From December 1938: The gifts Carole Lombard and Clark Gable have exchanged are even more unorthodox. Whoever heard of a woman in love with a man giving him a gun for Christmas! Or a man, crazy about one of the most glamorous, sophisticated and clever women in the land, hanging a petrol scooter on her Christmas tree! For Clark, Carole stopped, almost overnight, being a Hollywood playgirl. People are expected to change when they get married. The necessary adaptation to a new life and another personality shows up in every bride and groom. All Clark and Carole did was strike up a Hollywood twosome. Nobody said “I do!” Clark Gable…
