Articles
-
{New Article} 1946: My Hollywood Friends
This little article was written by actress Susan Peters. Susan, a promising young actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for 1942’s Random Harvest, was tragically paralyzed when her shotgun accidentally went off and a bullet lodged in her spine on January 1, 1945. She started a column in Photoplay and “interviewed” celebrities, although I wouldn’t say this is technically an interview: It’s fascinating to observe the effect of his entrance into such a blasé room as the studio commissary. Stars by the gross walk in every day and nary a head turns, but when Mr. Gable arrives it’s an epidemic. Everyone turns to look at him. I’ll tell…
-
{New Article} 1952: Gable’s in Love Again!
Here is a silly little article, not unlike a lot of the silly articles from the time period before he married Kay. I thought perhaps this one might have some real nuggets in it until this part in the beginning: You know what happens to women—practically all women—every time Clark Gable’s name is mentioned. It would be futile for me to deny that my own reactions follow the pattern. When I arrived in Paris this year and heard Clark was in town, prior to going to London to make his first picture there, I wanted to see him as soon as possible. Naturally, then, when Anita Loos phoned me one…
-
{New Article} 1941: Things I Don’t Like About Myself
Well, this website is ten years old and I’ve got well over ten years’ worth of Clark Gable stuff clogging up my laptop, external hard drive and office. Since my Movie of the Week feature ended, I’m trying to organize things better; in particular the pictures on my laptop are nightmare. When you have 75,000+ pictures, what is the best way to organize them? By date? By subject? By subject, then by date? It makes one’s head explode. Which might just happen soon. But before it does, I’m also digging through my articles. This is less of a feat although the sheer volume of articles I have to type might…
-
{New Article} 1960: How Does It Feel To Die
I like finding articles from the 1950’s and early 1960’s about Clark, mainly because the “fluff” of the 1930’s has dissipated and you are more likely to find real interviews with real quotes, not fussy, gushy, studio-directed pieces. Well, this one not so much. The full title of it is “How Does It Feel to Die, Clark Gable: The Strangest Story Story Ever Told” and I have no idea why it was titled this. The article is completely about when Kay miscarried their baby in 1955 and Kay’s subsequent heart problems. There is nothing about how it feels to die and there is nothing strange about the story other than…
-
{New Article} 1935: Behind the Scenes with Joan, Clark and Bob
Here is one of those articles that is utterly pointless and serves only as a publicity piece from MGM for Forsaking All Others. I don’t think there was ever any real concern that there was going to be a battle royale for star status between Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery but nonetheless: When Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery were announced as the stars of “Forsaking All Others,” under the ace direction of “Woody” Van Dyke, the local gossip columnists assumed their favorite cat-that-ate-the-canary expression and sat back and waited for the worst to happen… …of course, there was that fascinating angle of Mr. Clark (star) Gable…
-
{New Article} Gable’s Mystery Romance
In 1952, Clark Gable headed for an extended trip overseas. The plan was, to avoid paying income tax, he was to stay out of the United States for 18 months, during which time he would make what would ultimately be his final three films for his home studio of over 20 years, Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The three films were Never Let Me Go (filmed in London), Mogambo (filmed in London and Africa) and Betrayed (filmed in Holland). Of course, the King of Hollywood was not going to wander the streets of Europe alone. He was quickly spotted with a young model named Suzanne Dadolle. I wrote a piece on her…
-
{New Article} 1950: The King Takes a Lady
After Clark Gable suddenly up and married his fourth wife, Sylvia Ashley, there were a lot of articles praising the union (naturally, are they really going to say otherwise) and this here is one of those: They came back to his Encino Ranch on December 21st, the morning after their wedding, Clark Gable and Sylvia Hawkes Ashley Fairbanks Stanley, who has just become Clark’s fourth wife. And as they fled through the ranch gates, surrounded by knots of curious fans, Clark called out merrily, “I have never been happier.” Then, the big white ranch gate swung shut and a couple of burly, grinning cops from the Metro Studios mounted guard…
-
{New Article} 1933: Get Well Soon, Clark Gable!
This article, from 1933, is all about Clark Gable’s recent tragic illness. Now, it is quite true that Clark became very ill as he started production on Dancing Lady. But this piece really exaggerates: There were many in the film colony who were quick to say, “Gable is leaving the cast of Joan Crawford’s ‘Dancing Lady’ because he doesn’t like his role. That business about being ‘sick’ is just a stall!” But it wasn’t a stall! Clark Gable isn’t bluffing—not this time. He is still dangerously ill at the moment this is being written…. Those who saw him hobble about the MGM lot a few days ago, in a painful…
-
{New Article} 1935: A New Log of The Bounty
This is a short article from 1935 about the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty on Catalina Island. It really doesn’t give much detail except to rehash the history of the events depicted in the picture. A new tale, of another Bounty, could be written around the adventures of that sore-beset crew, filming this grand tale for Metro, for all of them, from Director Frank Lloyd on, have stories to tell of trials and tribulations. But it all is well worth it, for without question here, in “Mutiny on the Bounty,” will be one of the greatest pictures ever contrived. I have lately returned from a cruise on this new…
-
{New Article} 1937: Two Kings Share One Crown
This fluff piece from 1937 was most certainly ordered by MGM publicity to beef up their young acquisition, Robert Taylor. The article discusses how “Bob” is replacing Clark and how Clark’s day in the sun is fading. Which makes zero sense. It wasn’t until after this article was published that Clark was officially crowned the “King of Hollywood” by Ed Sullivan, and Bob at this point was really just starting out, Camille and Magnificent Obsession being his two most memorable roles at this point. This is quite the transparent PR play. Robert Taylor, a youth in his twenties, briefly out of an American university, has overnight become the living symbol…
