Films
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Movie of the Week: Night Nurse (1931)
As I said yesterday, for the next year I will be featuring a movie a week (some lumped together for time’s sake). I’ll be doing a write-up of each film (yes, I am re-watching all these) and posting photos and trivia. These posts will not be in chronological order, so for no particular reason other than the fact that I recently re-watched it, I bring you Night Nurse! Night Nurse is a rather racy pre-code film. You’ve got every pre-code box checked: Half naked girls, men throwing women around, sexual innuendo, heck you even got children being neglected and murdered. What starts out as the story of poor, orphaned and…
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Gossip Friday: Not a Natural Hoofer
From January 1939: Clark Gable’s feet have been problem children ever since he can remember. “The jams they have gotten me into would fill a book,” he said. But from now on, Gable’s 11-C’s have his blessings. He admits being gratefully surprised that they piloted him safely through his song-and-dance act for “Idiot’s Delight,” now showing at the Liberty Theater. “Frankly,” Gable remarked, “that dance business had me worried for two years. I was sold on playing the part of Hoofer Harry Van from the night I saw Alfred Lunt’s performance on the stage in New York. It was a great role, and one that I felt suited me, except…
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Gossip Friday: First Shot in the Can
From January 1935: Twentieth Century’s “Call of the Wild” went into production at the United Artists studios yesterday with Director William Wellman making something of a record by putting away his first shot at 9:45am. More than 300 but and extra players shared the scene with Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Jack Oakie and Katharine de Mille. The call was 9:00am on the set. After two more days in the set, which reproduces Tex Rickard’s Skagway saloon during the Alaskan gold rush, the unit goes north January 3 in a Southern Pacific special of eleven cars, producer Darryl F. Zanuck stated. Ed Ebele, production manager, has has a staff of fifty…
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May Movie of the Month: Cain and Mabel (1935)
This month, Clark’s a grumbling small-time boxer in a love-hate relationship with Marion Davies’ spunky waitress-turned dancer in Cain and Mabel. Clark Gable is Larry Cain, a heavyweight boxer, whose publicity team cooks up a fake romance with Mabel O’Dare (Davies), an aspiring musical star, for publicity. The two loathe each other but begrudgingly agree to play along to help both of their careers. Of course along the way they actually do fall in love and decide to quit boxing and show business to be together. Their publicists won’t hear of it however and set to break them up. This is completely Marion’s film. She’s billed first and carries the…
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January Movie of the Month: Chained (1934)
This month, the site’s friends on Facebook voted and chose this 1934 romantic comedy starring Clark and his most frequent leading lady, Joan Crawford, for January’s Movie of the Month. Gable is Mike Bradley, a South American rancher who falls for the glamorous Diana (Crawford) on a cruise ship. Diana falls for Mike too, despite the fact that she is romantically involved with a married Manhattan businessman, Richard (Otto Kruger). She decides to leave Richard for Mike but, upon her return home, Richard tells her he has finally left his wife for her. Diana feels obligated to marry Richard and Mike is left in the dust. This is certainly more…
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CMBA Blogathon: Why Test Pilot (1938) Should Be Your Third Clark Gable Movie
We interrupt Carole Lombard Month to bring you this post, which is part of the Classic Movie Blog Association’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles Blogathon. I’ve selected Test Pilot to talk about because, in my humble opinion, it should be the third Clark Gable movie you ever see if the first two are Gone with the Wind and It Happened One Night. Here are the reasons why: 1. It is truly a textbook example of a Clark Gable film. It’s got it all: adventure, romance, comedy, snappy dialogue and some intense drama. Clark is Jim Lane, a boozing, womanizing army test pilot who walks to the beat of his own drummer. On one…
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Everything That is Wrong with Gable and Lombard (1976) Part Two
Part Two of me watching Gable and Lombard (1976) again and reporting back on how terrible it is. Here’s Part One. (I am quoting a movie that is Rated R so please pardon the language) Having decided to make a go of their relationship and to keep it under wraps, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are now disguising themselves as Western Union delivery boys and cab drivers to sneak off together. Aren’t those Clark’s pre-denture teeth? He calls her “Ma” here for the first time, but she still shrieks “Gable” all the time. In reality Clark and Carole were seen everywhere–premieres, auto races, horse races, restaurants, parties–everywhere. They received lots…
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Everything That is Wrong with Gable and Lombard (1976) Part One
Oh, the things I do in the name of this site. I receive a lot of random emails (by the way if I don’t answer your email right away, forgive me as my emails server tends to send them in packs of 50 about three days after they were originally sent–don’t get me started). I do love to receive emails from new Clark Gable fans asking questions or just declaring their new love for Clark. I especially love to point Gone with the Wind fans in the direction of Clark’s other works, as there was so much more to the man than Rhett Butler. Over the years, I have received…
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{Photos} Parnell (1937)
Parnell is widely known as Clark Gable’s worst film. I have always disagreed. While the script could have used some work and is far from historically accurate, there is great chemistry (as always) between Clark and Myrna Loy. It is said that the film was a failure because Clark didn’t play his usual smirking rogue, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Sure, his character is lacking that Gable sass, but hey he can’t just play the same character every film, can he? Hmmm…. Some beautiful portraits with Myrna: Some great on the set pictures: And of course the screenshots:
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{Photos} To Please a Lady (1950)
Some photos from To Please a Lady, which was later re-released as “Red Hot Wheels” or “Indianapolis.” Filmed on location at the Indianapolis Speedway, there are some great on the set shots: And this, one of the most infamous on-set photos: Clark and Barbara were friends (and nothing more!), with great affection for each other and I think it’s apparent in their photos. Portraits: And some screenshots. 50 year old Clark isn’t looking too shabby!