Gossip
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Gossip Friday: Too Many Dance Partners
From July 1934: Clark Gable was at the recent Spinsters’ Ball, exclusive social soiree of Los Angeles. At the Spinsters, girls cut in on the men. Five hundred eager debutantes! For Clark, the evening was something like a game of rugby. No sooner would one cooing, little, starry-eyed girl snuggle into his arms than a smack at her elbow would jerk her away and another was in her place. It went on until six the next morning.
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Gossip Friday: Gone with the Wind Chatter
From May 1937: You wouldn’t think that Willie Powell’s walking out on a production called “The Emperor’s Candlesticks” would have an influence on Clark Gable’s playing the role of Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind” now, would you? But that’s Hollywood for you. It did have–for Willie has a mind of his own, and one of the very best in the acting profession it is too, and he realized that another not-so-hot to follow “Mrs. Cheyney” would endanger all that terrific advance his career has made since his lucky accident of being cast in the original “Thin Man.” Hence he went on his own sit-down strike in the desert…
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Gossip Friday: Tennis, Anyone?
From December 1938: Carole Lombard isn’t exactly the athletic type, but she’s got a tennis cup. It’s the Seabright cup, and a girl gets it only by winning the women’s singles three years in a row. The cup was won by tennis star Alice Marble, who promptly presented it to pal Carole as a gift.
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Gossip Friday: Poor Carole
From June 1937: Two things Clark Gable brought back with him from that Arizona hunting trip–and Carole Lombard liked neither! One was a goatee! During his absence from civilization, in the mountain forests, Clark raised it. When Carole saw it, she nearly fainted. “Off with it, or else!” she [demanded]. Not liking the “else,” Clark shaved the trick beard. Other item he brought back was a mountain lion. It’s still a cub, but even so, it’s tough. And it doesn’t like Carole. It snaps at her. However, Clark still has it. Talking of Carole, the poor girl suffers from rashes that burst out all over her whenever she gets even…
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Gossip Friday: Carole’s New Contract
From March 1937: [Carole Lombard engineered for herself] one of the finest, fattest new contracts in Hollywood–Paramount to pay her $150,000 per picture, for three pictures a year; Carole to have full and final say on all production details! And besides that, she’s to have the right to make one picture away from Paramount each year–when and what she pleases. Oh, I say, do you hear London calling?
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Gossip Friday: Carole Gets Glammed Up
From November 1941: Quite the nicest gesture of any month was made by Carole Lombard during the location shooting of They Knew What They Wanted. After a particularly heavy day of shooting, Carole swished into the hotel dining room , fairly reeking of satin and glamour. With a special little nod to a family group at a corner table, she joined the rest of the company who proceeded to give her a razzing for her movie queen act. So Carole explained, “Last night I came into the dining room feeling very comfortable in slacks and no make-up. But after dinner the mother of those kids over in the corner came…
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Gossip Friday: Happy Birthday, Fieldsie
From July 1937: Screwiest birthday cake in Hollywood was the one at the birthday party of Carole Lombard’s pal-secretary-companion “Fieldsie.” “Fieldsie,” who used to work with Carole when both were Mack Sennett bathing beauties, and who has been inseparable from Carole ever since, was presented with the cake by Bob Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby, and Gail Patrick’s husband. Bob’s cake consisted entirely of hamburgers and hot dogs, with a “frosting” of mustard! The little decorations around the side were pickles. Most hilarious guests at the party were, of course, Carole and Clark Gable.
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Gossip Friday: A New Kind of Star
From March 1932: Yes sir, there’s no two ways about it: the old town’s changing. It’s no longer quite as mad as a hatter. Slowly but surely it’s gaining sense and balance. A few years ago, for instance, a star as brilliant as Clark Gable, would have set out with all his new found riches, to dazzle the town with 15 room mansions, swanky cars, yachts, scandals and parties. Listen to Gable. “I own two cars which I paid cash for. I rent an apartment. Just for six months at a time and not a year. I don’t even own furniture. I’m saving my money.” ____ This makes me think of Sunset…
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Gossip Friday: Mobbed by Fans
From May 1934: Clark Gable came home from his personal apperance tour minus dozens of handkerchiefs, twenty-seven coat buttons–and a dress-shirt sleeve. The crowd in Kansas City was so dense that the crack train he was on was delayed thirty minutes while the police broke through the mob and got Gable aboard. In Baltimore, police refused to let him sleep in his own hotel! A huge crowd had massed in the corridor outside his room. He anticipated seeing many old friends in New York–but didn’t see one of them. He had no time, and they couldn’t crash through the crowds! On that same page of gossip was this piece about…
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Gossip Friday: Gone Fishin’
From August 1935: All Clark Gable is waiting for is that two weeks between pictures. Boy, oh boy, has he got it all planned! Big excitement. Listen carefully, girls. Clark is going to leap into that old smelly fishing boat he chartered and go to sea for yellowtail! He won’t have to shave for two weeks, he will wear clothes you would probably give to the ashman, and what a time he will have. No floating around on dance floors in popular resorts for him.