Articles
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{New Article} 1934: Let’s Go Home with Clark Gable
I was excited about this article as it is the first I know of to provide a detailed description of the Brentwood home Clark Gable shared with second wife Ria in the early 1930’s. They moved here soon after Clark struck stardom gold in 1931. Clark moved out in 1935 and into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. In 1939, he moved into Carole Lombard’s St. Cloud home and soon after, his Encino ranch, which would be his last home. I believe Ria stayed here until she left Hollywood for good in the 1940’s. Usually I only post a few paragraphs of an article in a blog post, but this one is…
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{New Article} 1938: Gentle Gable
This article is the publicity team at Metro Goldwyn Mayer doing their job–depicting roughneck Gable as a simple, nice soul. And while it is sugary sweet, there are probably some seeds of truth here and there. Nor would anyone expect him, to take time out, away from his own problems, to sit down for hours at a time, every few months, and talk about a little shaver whom he has never seen, a little fellow named Bobby. Yet his understanding of children and their interests is so real to him that it stretches farther than the mere lessons in whittling that he can give to extra children on the set.…
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Monogamy: Hollywood’s Problem
This is a pictorial layout that appeared in the August 9, 1938 issue of “PIC” magazine, which featured a divine shot of Carole Lombard on the cover: Why are there so many divorces in Hollywood? The world’s greatest lovers have the world’s worst divorce record. Lasting marriages among stars are the exception. Divorce is the rule. Boy meets girl, boy wins girl, boy divorces girl is the headline career of most movie stars. And “Pardon me, but haven’t we married before” is no joke in Hollywood. Are stars different from other people” Do they need more than one wife or husband? Is Hollywood to blame for their marital failures? On the…
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{New Article} 1940: A Woman’s Lowdown on Clark Gable!
This article is from the Gone with the Wind-publicity period and is supposedly unique because it tells a woman’s perspective on Clark. I don’t know how unique this article is but it is rather gushy. This fellow is unimpressed by all he has acquired; with his importance as a star. Luck, he insists, was with him: “Anyone who has ears and can speak and understand words of one syllable can do it,” he shrugs. “It might have been any other guy; it just happened to me.” Even his bosses are set back on their heels at unexpected moments by his passion for facing facts. In Atlanta, at the super-swank premiere…
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{New Article} 1955: Clark Gable’s Haunted Love Life
This article is from August 1955 and is all about how Carole Lombard haunts his love life and pretty much dooms all his relationships. It tells what Kay Spreckels must do if she wants to overcome the ghost of Carole and settle down with Clark. By the time this magazine hit newstands, Kay was already Mrs. Gable. Far from doing anything to push Carole from his thoughts, Gable has tenderly preserved every vestige of her influence and presence. Just as one would not violate sacred religious objects, Gable has not tampered with any of the things or people in that household that were part of his life with Carole. The…
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{New Article} 1955: Clark Gable: His Life Story
I don’t usually like articles that are titled “Clark Gable’s Life Story.” Typically, depending on the time period, they are either short and fluffy versions of the truth or they are long, bloated and completely boring to Gable fans who already know he came from humble roots in Cadiz, Ohio and worked as an oil driller and telephone lineman. I have one magazine from the 1960’s that has such a story and the article is 25 pages long. I doubt you will ever be seeing that one typed by me and appearing in the archive! So I wasn’t too optimistic about this article, particularly since it’s from 1955 and Clark still…
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{New Article} 1936: A Heart to Heart Letter to Carole Lombard and Clark Gable
This article was printed early in Clark Gable and Carole Lombard’s relationship, before anyone was really sure if this union was a passing fling or a sweeping romance. I’ve discovered that the fan magazines did this often–“An Open Letter To”…like the stars are really sitting down and reading some journalist’s advice. Oh well. Above is an artist’s rendering of Clark and Carole that accompanied the article. What do you think? Looks more like Ginger Rogers than Carole to me. I’ve seen worse Clark drawings but I’ve also seen much better! Dear Carole and Clark, Lately I’ve been thinking about the two of you and even envying you in an impersonal…
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{New Article} 1938: Why is Carole Lombard Hiding Out From Hollywood?
It’s Clark and Carole’s anniversary this week, so here’s one about the third Mrs. Gable. This article is one on a theme that is so over-played it’s rather boring at this point. Once Carole Lombard fell in love with Clark Gable, her nightclubbing days were over. Suddenly, she was a recluse! This was usually blamed on Clark–like he had forced her into a homebody life. Carole was a pretty strong-minded person and I sincerely doubt Clark forced her into anything. She fell into his patterns, certainly, as is natural with couples. Also, Clark was still a legally married man and I think part of it was because of that. I…
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{New Article} 1949: My Plans for Gable
This article from 1949 is a bit different, in that it is written by Clark himself! I am a bit skeptical that he sat at a typewritter and wrote this out, but I do see that it definitely is his perspective; his voice shines through. … that would be the perfect life for me when I am not working; to be able to go among the people, mix closely with them and be accepted just for myself. Actually I can’t, of course. Now, people don’t mob me or tear off my sleeves for souvenirs or anything like that. They always seem nice and friendly—sort of treat me as an acquaintance.…
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1940 Hollywood Career Girls Poll
I am from the wrong era. I just love anything 1930’s and 1940’s. One night I couldn’t sleep and was up until wee hours on YouTube watching random footage from streets in America from that period. So, I find polls like this particularly fascinating, as it gives a tiny glimpse into life as it was. This poll appeared in Screen Guide magazine in November 1940. Being a magazine devoted strictly to entertainment, Screen Guide did not question Hollywood’s career girls as to their Presidential preferences. However, at the suggestion of the girls themselves, several vital questions pertaining to this country’s welfare were included. Lack of space makes it impossible to…