Gossip
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Gossip Friday: The Bride Wore Gray
Since a certain couple’s anniversary is coming up, here’s one from May 1939: And the bride wore gray. When Carole Lombard and Clark Gable announced their intentions to wed, the question of what the bride (a divorcee) should wear became important not only to Carole but to thousands of other women who were about to marry for the second time. Carole never faltered in her choice for a moment. “A gray suit,” was her decision. But the problem wasn’t solved that easily. There are grays and grays, some flattering, some hard and cold in tone, some unkind to blondes, as every woman knows. So, in order to secure exactly the…
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Gossip Friday: On the “Saratoga” set
Since “Saratoga” is Movie of the Month and we’re celebrating Jean Harlow’s centennial… From August 1937: On the “Saratoga” set, watching Clark Gable and Jean Harlow emote, the onlookers snicker when Gable does an impromptu imitation of the Harlow walk. Sitting on the sidelines, Peggy, Jean’s hairdresser, is wearing that super-colossal star sapphire ring. The scene is shot and lunch is called. Before she leaves for the commissary Peggy slips the ring off her finger and hands it to Jean, but Jean returns it. “Wear it to lunch, Peggy,” she says. “Maybe you’ll do yourself some good.” So Peggy rushes off to startle her friends, and Jean turns to us.…
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Gossip Friday: Miss Harlow and Mr. Taylor
In salute of Jean Harlow, here’s some scoop about her from the set of one of her last films, “Personal Property”: The reported “romance” between Jean Harlow and Bob Taylor was a custom-built item direct from their studio. It was a perfect set-up, what with Jean and Bob typifying all that’s tremendous and colassal in sex appeal, adn what with the two fo them co-starring in “Personal Property.” We snooped around the set for several days just to make sure and we regret to report that all of the necking was right there in the script. When “Personal Property” finished shooting, Jean Harlow dragged out the festive board and tossed…
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Gossip Friday: A Toast to the Winner
Since the Academy Awards are this weekend, here’s one from May 1935: The afternoon before the Awards banquet Norma Shearer and Claudette Colbert were having tea together. “I haven’t any more chance of winning it than the man in the moon,” laughed Claudette. “Nor I,” laughed Norma. “Then let’s toast the winner with a cup of tea,” Claudette suggested. They poured the cups. “To Bette Davis,” they chorused. That night, of course, Claudette carried home the little gold statuette [for “It Happened One Night”]. ____ Claudette famously didn’t even attend the ceremony because she was so sure she wouldn’t win. She had to be stopped at the train station and rushed…
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Gossip Friday: Rhett and…his Scarlett?
From September 1938: With the announcement of Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Norma Shearer as Scarlett in “Gone with the Wind”, Clark and Norma, far from happy, are wearing two worried frowns on their personable faces. Gable is anxious to know these things: “Will I be the Rhett Butler of the fans’ dreams? If please the North, will the South be happy over the choice? Will I interpret each scene, each move, as the millions of readers have pictured it in their minds and hearts? Will I fail in this, my heaviest assignment to date? Frankly, I don’t see how any actor can win with this role and I’m…
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Gossip Friday: Carole with her Clark
Some ooey gooey love mush since it’s nearly Valentines Day… From May 1941: The most in love woman in all Hollywood—Carole Lombard. Watch pictures of Clark and Carole together. Carole either clings lovingly to her husband’s arm or gazes adoringly into Clark’s eyes. She completely submerges herself into one with Gable and openly tell the world with her eyes, “I love this man. He is mine.” For the most in love [girl] we dare you to find any that surpasses Carole Lombard with her Clark. ____ New this week: Saturday: Clark and Carole profiles from Movie Star Parade magazine in the Article Archive Sunday: Screenshots from “Idiot’s Delight” in…
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Gossip Friday: Snippets from the set of Gone with the Wind
From August 1939: There’s a mad scramble between every scene on the “Gone with the Wind” set. For Vivien Leigh is an Anagram fiend and Olivia de Havilland is equally rabid on the subject of Chinese Checkers–and they like Clark Gable for a partner. Gable happens to like both girls and both games, but he’s hit upon a practical solution for the predicament. It’s three-handed bridge and now everyone is happy. *** Though Vivien Leigh has many elaborate costumes for “Gone with the Wind”, her costliest is the ugliest dress she wears in the picture. Fourteen copies of this dress had to be made, for it is the one which…
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Gossip Friday: That Silly Soldier
From March 1944: When Captain Clark Gable, who has been off the screen for over a year, first met little Margaret O’Brien, he asked her if she, too, was in movies. Later Margaret, who was so taken aback, confided to her mother: “That soldier certainly doesn’t know much, does he? He must have never seen a movie in his whole life!” ____ New this week: Love on the Run screenshots in the gallery
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Gossip Friday: “Disappearing into the blue”
From June 1940: Getting lost in their super-elegant station wagon is beginning to pall on the Clark Gables, and their latest diversion is learning to fly. As soon as they pile up sufficent flying hours, they plan to get their licenses, buy a plane and depart for parts unknown every weekend. Less hardy studios might blanch at the thought of their favorite children playing Lindbergh whenever the spirit moved them, but RKO and MGM are becoming calloused to the antics of these two renegades. Still, as one wistful Metro official put it, it was a little more comforting to think of them disappearing into Mexico than just disappearing into the…
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Gossip Friday: What You Need is a Good Story
From September 1941: Maybe you assume that Clark Gable is one of those lucky actors in that he always seems to get good roles. I suspected a method to it all. Clark works hard to get them–and then works hard with them. Of course, he has the advantage of a strong personality. With half a chance, his role assumes proportions of charm and force it probably never had on paper. But drawing on that personality too often is dynamite. Let me quote Gable: “What’s the most important thing a star can do to hold his popularity? That’s easy. Just see to it that he has the good fortune to land…