Photos
-
Dearest Marilyn
Here is a letter that Clark Gable’s widow Kay Williams Gable wrote to Marilyn Monroe on April 11, 1961: Dearest Marilyn, How about our little ‘carbon copy lover boy’–I am certain you have seen his press pictures. Just exactly like Clark. The ears are too close to his dear little head–I’ll fix that dept. later. Do let me know when you plan to return to California–I’ll let you be second nanny in charge. Later you may take him fishing. Guess I will be the one to teach him to shoot ducks. My work is really cut out for me. I feel certain his dearest father is watching his every…
-
Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and One Wild Cat
Carole Lombard was known for her menagerie of animals. Her home in Bel-Air was affectionately referred to as “the Farm,” because of its diverse residents: a rooster, cats, dogs, doves and ducks. In early 1937, Clark Gable had some time between films and set off on a hunting trip to Arizona. This was before they were married thus it was inappropriate for Carole to accompany him, so she flippantly requested he bring her back “a wildcat or two.” Little did she know that Clark would take her seriously… He returned from his trip with a seventy-five pound mountain lion cub, complete with sharp claws and teeth and a personality to…
-
Photos: Farmer Gable and His Wife
Photos from the November 1939 edition of Silver Screen magazine: They really live on a ranch, but Carole and Clark call it “The Farm.” It has fourteen acres in Encino, California, and they bought it from Director Raoul Walsh, who used to live there. Their house isn’t very large, but it’s built for comfort and informality. Carole and Clark did all of the furnishing and decorating themselves. There’s a large main living room with a small adjacent bar; a cozy dining room off which is the kitchen and butler’s pantry; two small cellar rooms, one of which Clark calls his “gun room” and the other “the office” because that’s where…
-
Photos: We Point With Pride
Silver Screen magazine “points with pride” to Clark, in April 1939: In The Lists Of The “Ten Best,” Clark Gable Is Always Among Those Present. All the misguided promotion ideas that usually leave the actor booked for Oblivion were tried on Clark Gable, but he out-lasted them all. He was Great-Lovered and Parnelled, but he is still one of the best bets at the box-office. Whether he is cast in a part like Christian on the Bounty or a lead in “It Happened One Night,” he does his dardnest and leaves it up to you. And there is his secret–he gives you all he’s got, and who can give…
-
Clark and Carole at the Races
It’s Kentucky Derby Day! Clark Gable loved horses his whole life and there were only brief periods of time in his life where he didn’t own at least one. He even had a race horse in the early 1930’s, named Beverly Hills–although I don’t think she raced to greatness. In addition to owning horses, Clark was a frequent visitor to the Santa Anita racetrack, often with Carole Lombard on his arm, naturally…
-
Joan Fontaine 1917-2013
Legendary Joan Fontaine died December 15, 2013, in her sleep at her peaceful home in Carmel, California. Unlike the other two classic film deaths that preceded her by mere days, Joan Fontaine wasn’t a co-star of Clark Gable’s at all. But he was one of the few big names that didn’t have the honor to star alongside her. An extremely talented actress, Joan had a career that spanned fifty years. Her list of co-stars is beyond impressive: Laurence Olivier, Cary Grant, Joan Crawford, Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Charles Boyer, Orson Welles…wow, talks about a who’s who of Hollywood. Much has already been written…
-
Audrey Totter 1917-2013
In the midst of the holiday rush, we were all shocked and saddened by several classic Hollywood deaths separated by a mere number of days. One of which was Audrey Totter, who died peacefully on December 12 at the age of 95. Audrey was known for her tough gal roles in the 1940’s and 50’s, in films like The Setup, Lady in the Lake and Under the Gun. In 1949, Audrey starred with Clark Gable in Any Number Can Play. Audrey played Alice Elcott, the sister-in-law of Clark’s gambling kingpin character. Clark was married to Alexis Smith in the film, but blonde Audrey caught his eye. She was only thirty…
-
Clark Gable Wants YOU to Buy Christmas Seals!
It is not often that you find Clark Gable pleading for your money for a cause or product. But in 1958, Clark appeared in a short advertisement urging moviegoers to purchase Christmas seals to support the Tuberculosis Association. This rare gem is now on YouTube! Watch it here: Merry Christmas!
-
Holiday Wishes from Clark Gable and Carole Lombard
Happy Holidays to all!
-
“The Misfits” through the lens of Eve Arnold
It was on November 4, 1960, 53 years ago today, that Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe filmed what would be their final scene ever onscreen. Sitting in the cab of a pick-up truck and gazing at the night sky as they traveled through the desert, Marilyn inquires, “How do you find your way back in the dark?” Clark, in a grainy and rather husky tone, responds, “Just head for that big star straight on. The highway’s under it, it’ll take us right home.” The music swells, the screen fades to black, and two stars are gone from us. I’ve had many a Clark Gable fan say to me that…