Gossip
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Gossip Friday: Clark Gable? No Such Person
From April 1937: The screen’s most forward sophisticate has evidently learned that yesteryear’s reticence is best for a fine romance. At Paramount there is just no such person as Clark Gable. Carole Lombard is aghast at any suggestion that she be linked in print with Clark. However, at MGM he admits his fondness for her. Carole’s friends say that she’s too much in love to risk any blunders, and silence is her best bet.
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Gossip Friday: Clark Gable to the Rescue
From March 1937: A young lady we know experienced the double thrill of being rescued from a predicament by Clark Gable, and of being mistaken by him for Carol [sic] Lombard, all on the same afternoon. Stranded on the roadside by motor trouble, the attractive blonde girl was just about to go for help when Clark drove up. First he apologized for mistaking her for Carol [sic], and then pushed her ailing car down the street a few blocks to a garage. Prior to that adventure the young lady’s favorite actor was Clark Gable. He’s still her favorite actor.
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Gossip Friday: The Answer to All Questions
From December 1938: [Clark Gable’s] favorite ambition is to make enough money to travel three years, then relax. I asked him, how would he relax? Just sit still? He said no. He’d relax with raising animals an’ feeding ’em an’ taking care of ’em and building fences an’ anything outdoors, because even if it was hard work, he’d think it was fun. Me too. Spencer Tracy’s his favorite actor. Looks like pretty near everybody’s favorite acttor’s Spencer Tracy. And, oh, gosh, it was the cutest thing. When I said, “What’s your favorite hobby?” he said, “Carole Lombard.” When I said, “Who’s your favorite actress?” he said, “Carole Lombard.” When I…
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Gossip Friday: Gable and Cagney, Up-and-Comers
From September 1931: Clark Gable and James Cagney are the two lads you want to keep your eyes on. They’re the sensations of 1931. (And doesn’t it seem like old times to have sensations again?) Their reputations have grown like Jack’s beanstalk. Each is slated for stardom in the fall. Women–even the hard-to-please Hollywood kind–are calling Clark Gable the greatest lover since Valentino. And Gable’s career, in part, is suprisingly like Valentino’s. After considerable banging around the world, he finally drifted to Hollywood. After much struggle, he became an extra, finally graduationg to “heavy” parts. But here their records differ. No single picture has pushed Gable ahead the way “The…
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Gossip Friday: Lookin’ for a Fight
From August 1934: A fist fight almost marred Sam Goldwyn’s bridge party when Gilbert Roland misunderstood a remark made to his escort, charming Constance Bennett, by Clark Gable. Connie and Clark were playing at the same table when the latter uttered the words that so aroused Gilbert, seated nearby, and caused him to leap from his chair, remove his coat, and shout at Gable, “You quit picking on her and pick on me!” But all’s well that ends well!
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Gossip Friday: How Do You Find Miss Garbo?
From September 1931: Clark Gable is playing opposite Greta Garbo in her new picture. One day at lunch he was approached by an ambitious reporter. “How do you find Miss Garbo?” he was asked. “I don’t,” said Clark. “She is always on the set ahead of me.” And what’s more–they say Clark isn’t a bit “scared” of Greta like most of the other leading men who have played opposite her.
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Gossip Friday: Devoted Mrs. Gable
From February 1941: More and more it’s becoming apparent in Hollywood that one movie career and one only in the family is the rule for happy marriage. With this so apparent, one smart girl, who loves her husband above all else, is taking steps in the right direction. Yes, Carole Lombard, who loves her husband Clark Gable so devotedly, has announced in the future she’ll make only one picture a year. “At the very most, I’ll make three in two years,” Carole said. “I want to be free to join Clark in his between picture vacations.” Maybe Carole has in mind that vacation Bob Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck have been…
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Gossip Friday: Gable Fever!
Letter to the Editor, February 1932: “Clark Gable! Clark Gable! Clark this–and Clark that!” I got tired of hearing my friends rave about him and went to find out what it was all about. I expected to see just another “great lover.” Wow! That guy just about knocked me out of my seat! A wonderful personality, marvelous actor and the most “exciting” person on the screen! That Gable will be as great as Valentino if given half a chance and the other had better look out for their laurels. No fooling! He’s a one hundred per cent man. “Now I’ve got the “Gables,” too! Everybody’s got the Gable fever! Mary…
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Gossip Friday: Clark Gable, True Aquarius?
It’s Clark Gable’s birthday tomorrow! In October 1939, a fan magazine published a chart of different male stars and what their astrological signs meant about their personalities. It was meant as a guide for women: “Check up on the man in your life, and see whether he should be treated like a Robert Taylor of a Gary Cooper!” Clark was the representative for Aquarius. Outstanding Characteristics: Philosophical, independent, original. What Kind of a Husband Would He Make? Faithful but neither sentimental nor domesticated. Not recommended for romantic, possessive women. What Kind of Boss Would He Be? A good friend to his employees, and is strong for laor-saving devices. How He…
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Gossip Friday: Doing All Right for a Dead Man
From January 1938: Jokesters with a macabre sense of humor have been telephoning newspapers that well-known stars have died. Clark Gable was at Carole Lombard’s home when they heard the voice of a newsboy outside crying, “Extra! Extra! Clark Gable killed!” Clark was just kissing Carole good-bye as they heard it. “For a dead one, you’re doing all right,” Carole murmured. But suppose he hadn’t been there when she heard that cry!