Gossip
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Gossip Friday: Miss Lombard on the Set
Since this week was the 101st birthday of the love of Clark’s life, Carole Lombard, here’s a bit of gossip about her from February 1937: A very colorful set is the one for “Swing High, Swing Low”, co-starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray. It is a street scene, but built entirely indoors. It is a hot, soiled street somewhere in Panama. Carole has been having a salary quarrel with Paramount. It is now settled. Jut how completely it is settled is testified by a brand new portable dressing room behind the false front of a Panama bodega. It is a gift to Carole from the director of the picture, Mitchell…
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Gossip Friday: Speaker Shenanigans
From January 1940: The funniest thing in all Hollywood is that loud speaker attached to the locked gates leading into Clark Gable’s ranch home. Since his experience with an impudent intruder, Clark is taking no chances. The speaker in itself, which connects to a telephone inside the house, isn’t funny of course, but the conversations that can be heard for acres around are a panic. Andy Devine’s cracked-voiced pleas of, “Clark, it’s me—open the gates,” scare even the chickens out of their feathers. “Here’s your steak,” comes the booming voice of the butcher through the speaker. But the pay-off came when a car salesman went through his whole sales speech…
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Gossip Friday: A Fan’s Apology
Letter to the editor of Photoplay Magazine, November 1939: I’m one of those individuals who seldom sees good in things enjoyed and persons admired by other people. Our American screen actors, I felt, were mostly hams who could do little better than smirk into a camera, and marry and divorce every few weeks. Clark Gable, in particular, roused my ire and resentment. This prominent-eared individual, as I liked to term him, was only a trumped-up bag of wind, in my estimation. But, against my will, as I see more and more of his pictures and read of his activities, he is forcing me to admit that he is a genuine…
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Gossip Friday: Elusive Garbo
Since today is the anniversary of the birth of Clark’s Susan Lenox costar, Greta Garbo, here’s some gossip about her from November 1939: Our demon photographer, Hyman Fink, is still recovering from the joyful shock of getting the camera scoop of the year pictured here. It came about, as such surprises usually do, at the most unexpected time, in the most unexpected place. The stylist, Irene, gave a fall fashion show at Bullock’s-Wilshire in Los Angeles, which Hymie attended in line of duty. Things were going along very calmly and uneventfully until the last number went on. Then, suddenly, from a tiny dressing room behind the main salon, emerged three…
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Gossip Friday: Carole outsmarts Clark
From October 1937: Clark Gable thought it would be fun to turn the tables on Carole Lombard–in payment for some of Carole’s jokes on her friends. So he called fifteen of the leading feminine lights of Hollywood and invited them to a tea the next day at Carole’s house. He explained that Carole and her secretary were busy on a picture that day and had asked him to do the planning. The fifteen guests promptly accepted. Not a word was said to Carole and the next day (Sunday) Clark gleefully “dropped in” to see Carole in the afternoon–and incidentally of course to watch her face when the guests began…
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Gossip Friday: Mr. Gable and Miss Garland
From August 1937: Judy Garland won her way into the gallant Gable heart by getting up blithely on a platform at the MGM Convention Ball and singing a song which she dedicated especially to Clark. It was called “My Fan Letter to My Favorite Stars”. Gable was there—with Lombard, and so he couldn’t show his deep appreciation to Miss Garland right then. But the other day was Judy’s birthday and Clark came through–with an enticing charm bracelet, and a lot of other gifts, among them a book with his own photograph in it. Bet Carole’s worried! Of course I took the name for this site from Judy’s song, “Dear Mr.…
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Gossip Friday: No divorce?
From August 1937: It must have been one of those twenty-minutes-to-the-hour or twenty-minutes-after lulls that happens so often in a room full of people. At any rate, in a sudden silence, the voice of Mrs. Clark Gable was heard to say, “Well now, MINE doesn’t want a divorce.” Three women simultaneously leaped to the nearest telephone to call Carole Lombard. Ria of course knew about Clark’s relationship with Carole at that point (who didn’t?) but like many of his other dalliances, she thought it would pass and she would always remain Mrs. Gable. By 1937 they were no longer living together as husband and wife and it is said that…
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Gossip Friday: The Gables at the racetrack
From March 1934: Clark Gable has gone in for race horses in a big way. And Mrs. Gable is just as excited over them as Clark is. They are spending many a week-end at the race track. Mrs. Gable at the time was Ria. Clark was photographed at the race track from the 1930’s through the 1950’s so it seems it was a lifelong passion. No word on if he ever won any money on racehourse bets! A few updates this past week… Lots of new photos in the Gallery, including some with Ria, Carole and some of his childhood. Film pages added for Betrayed and Susan Lenox: Her Fall and…
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Gossip Friday: A new heir?
From August 1941: The rumors are thick and fast that the Clark Gables are expecting an heir. It has even been reported that Carole’s brother has been boasting that he soon will be an uncle. But Carole claims it’s only poison oak she’s having–and that’s why she has engaged a room in an eastern hospital. Well, only time will tell. Aw, both cute and sad. They so wanted a child but it was not meant to be. And rumor has it the “eastern hospital” visit was not for poison oak—but to check Carole’s fertility.
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Gossip Friday: Clark pulls one on Joan
Here’s this week’s gossip blurb from March 1937: We nominate for the best gag-puller in the town of Hollywood–Mr. Clark Gable! The story told us recently by Joan Crawford wins him the award in nothing flat. It’s a well known fact that Crawford is hipped on the subject of music on the set. Bennett, the chauffeur, spends half his time putting on and taking off records for Joan between scenes. In her collection of victrola records are some of the finest symphonies and operas. One day, during a recent picture together, Clark walked over to Joan’s Victrola, lifted high the pile of records and screaming, “I’m damned sick and tired…