Gossip Friday: Grounded in Albuquerque

clark gable carole lombard hunting

From September 1941:

Two old hunting pals spent a few hours in Albuquerque Monday, after their eastbound plane was grounded by bad weather–and Alvarado hotel employees were almost swamped by a rush of autograph seekers.

The reasons: one of the hunters is Clark Gable, motion picture star, who was accompanied by his wife, Carole Lombard of the screen.

Gable’s hunting pal is H.H. Fleischman, of MGM studios, who also was accompanied by his wife.

The party was on its way by air to Manitoba, Can., for 10 days of big game hunting when the TWA plane on which the group was traveling was grounded at Albuquerque by bad weather conditions to the east. Arline officials made arrangements for the four to continue by train, and they went to the Alvarado hotel to wait.

Although airline and hotel officials tried to keep secret the news of the stars being in town, Gable and Miss Lombard were spotted entering the hotel The news spread swiftly and within a short time several hundred movie fans gathered at the hotel, all seeking autographs of the stars.

Gable and Miss Lombard signed their names about 150 times, then retreated with the Fleischmans to a private dining room, where they remained until time to board their train. In the meantime, about 100 autograph seekers waited in vain for them in the hotel lobby.

The party left about 8:30 o’clock, planning to go to Minneapolis and on into Canada, where the group will remain about 10 days. Gable will not return to work on a new picture until January.

“He makes no pictures during the hunting season. That’s in his contract,” smiled Fleischman, who said he had been accompanying the star on hunting expeditions for the past 14 years.

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I was curious if the Alvarado Hotel was still around but alas, it was torn down in 1970.

6 Comments

Mary Mingo

September 22, 2017 at 1:16 pm

NICE!!!!!…

Morris Galloway

September 23, 2017 at 9:02 am

Built in 1902, before New Mexico statehood, the magnificent Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque New Mexico was part of the Harvey House Chain. It was to benefit passengers on the Santa Fe Railroad moving towards to the East or West Coasts. With seventy five guest rooms it was a grand affair. It even had Electric Lights! (In 1902 most lighting was by gas.) It also had a large dining room, a large lobby, two parlors, and a library. As rail passenger service fell off, so did occupancy at these grand hotels. The Santa Fe demolished this one in 1970 and now track-side is but a graveled parking lot. A postcard is
available at ‘http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/trail_dust/trail-dust-once-grand-alvarado-hotel-now-a-fading-memory/article_cc3c2b3a-6b1a-594a-8c7e-b9fb69120f76.html.’ However, in 1941, Gable and Lombard probably loved it.

Dave

September 23, 2017 at 11:29 am

My mother was a nurse during WWII, and told me the story of being down in Florida. While standing in a cafeteria line for lunch one day Gable and another man came in, got a tray, and got in line behind her. She said she was stealing glances at him to her left, absolutely scared to say a word as they moved down the line getting their food. Finally Gable, noticing her constant glances, chuckled deeply, looked at her and said ” yes dear it’s really me”, stuck his hand out, smiled at her while shaking her hand and said “how are you today”? My mom said all she could do was smile weakly and mutter, that he looked like a million bucks in a perfectly tailored new officers uniform, and could have eaten her lunch off him he was so immaculate. She met many celeb’s during the war as they came to visit hospitials, but always said that “meeting” Clark Gable was the best ever.