Gossip Friday: An Unfortunate Shrine

From October 1947 (Louella Parsons):

Say what you will, there’s nobody like Clark Gable. With his charm, it will be a long time before the King is displaced. Younger men have come along to dazzle the gals, but none has yet hit with the force of a Gable.

Oh, sure–there have been times when Clark has miffed me, and long periods would go by when we didn’t see one another. But it is impossible to be in his company more than a split second, and not fall under his fascinating spell again. 

Not long ago, he came to see me and we had a grand time drinking coffee in the garden and talking over old times, and new ones.

When he raved about Ava Gardner in “The Hucksters” I accused him of having a weakness for the girl. “Nope,” he denied. “If I fell in love with every girl I admired, I wouldn’t have time for fishing and hunting. Those are my two real loves, Louella.”

I believed him. And sad though the word may be, I think Clark will never marry again. There’s an unfortunate shrine in his heart, marked CAROLE LOMBARD, that goes too deep.