{New Article} 1949: Clark Gable’s Secret Romance

Out of the many, many ladies that Clark escorted around after the death of Carole Lombard, the one with the most staying power was Virginia Grey. Attractive blonde Virginia was never an A-list star but had small roles in Clark’s films Idiot’s Delight and Test Pilot and was great as Joan Crawford’s wisecrackin’ co-worker in The Women, among other roles. Clark and Virginia were spotted together sporadically from 1943 until 1949. This article is from March 1949 and laments the end of their relationship.

When Clark Gable left California for his European jaunt last summer he spent his last afternoon visiting a girl who lives not far from his house in the valley. It is said that it was a somewhat uncomfortable afternoon for both of them. Perhaps this was not to be wondered at, since he had been dating this girl for five years, and now, as it was being reported around town, he was bound for France—destined to be the fifth husband of Dolly O’Brien, who awaited him there.

No, the visit was not featured by the usual exchange of happy banter between them, nor lighthearted play-by-play. When train time neared, and Clark finally stood up and said, “Well…” the girl just quietly expressed the hope that he would have a good time. His mood was not unlike her own as he replied he’d try to.

There was, of course, no marriage to Dolly O’Brien. Clark was summoned back to Hollywood in a hurry by the sudden death of his father. He found a message from the girl—but he didn’t phone back immediately. When he did get around to it, she wasn’t in. It was not until he had tried for three days that he got her on the line. Then…they discovered that they had surprisingly little to say to each other. Something lay between them that they weren’t able to hurdle. It was one of those conversations in which the pauses are so much more eloquent than the words that just sound like prattle. It wasn’t long before Clark was saying, “Well, I’ll see you when I can find you”—and she was replying, “Yes.” Just, “Yes.”

The way it is told around town, neither was fooling the other with these closing words. They haven’t seen each other since.

But, even more unusual, it is not unlikely that Clark was a little baffled when he walked away from the telephone that night. For it was not in the books that this girl would act so distant, answer so coolly. Not this girl. In fact, any one who knew them both would bet on just an opposite reaction on her part. Because she was Virginia Grey…the same Virginia long-identified in Hollywood talk as “the girl Clark can always be sure of”!

“Why, Virginia is Clark’s ‘steady’!” gasped a well-known feminine star when she heard about it. “They’ve always been together—she was the first girl he was even friendly with after Carole’s death! And besides, who does she think she is? You just don’t do that to Clark Gable!”

An upset like this can affect a man’s confidence—the average man’s, that is. But Clark Gable’s? Any sort of report purporting to even connect him with marriage is always taken lightly (especially by Clark himself when asked about it). Any suggestion that love has so much as give him temporary pause raises a quick laugh. And to imply that he could possibly be carrying a torch for anyone—ridiculous!

Yet, there are certain facts to this parting that can’t be just poofed away, and when there are added up, the pointer on the scale moves exactly in that direction!

First of all, of course, you have to consider Virginia: tall, blonde, beautiful, talented enough so that her picture career may blossom into top stardom. When you look at her, it’s easy to understand why so many people in their circle believe that Clark was devoted to her.

The article is full of fluffy prose, to be sure, and not a lot of substance, as who knows who their “sources” are for these intimate conversations and details. Personally, I always have felt that Virginia was the one Clark should have married after Carole died. She seemed sweet and fun, she didn’t talk to the press about their relationship (unlike many others!), and she seemed madly in love with him. We’ll never know what led to the end of their relationship, but if I was to speculate at all I’d say either she got tired of him always off with other women and unable to make a commitment so she demanded a ring or else (can’t say I blame her after dating for that many years), or he just drifted away from her and into the arms of women he found more exciting.

Clark’s house stands on a 15-acre tract of land. After the death of Carole he talked often of selling it. But the idea seemed to fade after he met Virginia. She admitted quite freely to her friends that she had talked against it; that she had told Clark he was a homesteader at heart and would find himself missing the place the moment it was no longer his. And Clark must have listened because he would quote her when his friends asked if he was going to dispose of the house. “Ginny thinks I ought to keep it,” he would reply simply.

Watching them, hearing of their activities, their friends decided they were both homesteaders. Clark has a fence around his house and corral. Virginia helped him whitewash it—a job that took five days. His driveway is lined with oleander bushes. Virginia helped select and plant them. For that matter, when she bought piping to lay under her lawn for a watering system, it was Clark’s turn to help her and he carted every foot of the pipe to his place so he could cut and thread the ends to fit. He’s handy that way.

It was all fun. They were fun. Being together was fun. That’s why those who were close enough to them to see this, find it difficult to think of them permanently apart now. It isn’t that they suspect Clark’s heart is breaking but that they know he loved being with Virginia, loved being able to be himself when he was with her—which is perhaps more important for him.

Some of his friends catch themselves watching him for an indication of how he feels about the split-up. They know that a happy Clark shows the world how it is going with him—he carries his disposition on his sleeve, if not his heart. In a figurative way, he loves to take off his shoes, curl up his feet and expand into amusing talk if he is happy. If he is unhappy, he makes this plain too. He may be with the most beautiful girl in the world, but the tell-tale actions mean the same thing. He sits up severely straight, he tightens and jerks at his necktie, he clock-watches and, if he talks at all, he bites his words until they come out raw and encourage no answers.

But it is Virginia and her reasons for seemingly being able to take the break-up in calm stride (if she didn’t actually precipitate it, as some hold), that intrigues most of their friends. Did anything new in their relationship form the basis for the change in her attitude which formerly had seen her ready to run to him whenever and however he beckoned? Had she once loved him so once that it had made no difference who else he was seen with—and now, is this love gone?

Or is it the reverse? Did this love grow until it could no longer share him, could no longer be all of her life and just a part of his—and moved her, in desperation, to finish it?

Many had assumed that Virginia would be Mrs. Gable #4 and many a mouth was agape when he married Sylvia Ashley in December of 1949. That marriage went kaput about two years later, and apparently Clark went around to see Virginia again afterwards….article on that coming up later soon!

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