Remembering Clark Gable, 60 Years Later

Clark Gable died sixty years ago today, on November 16, 1960. He was only 59 years old.

After a long and tedious shooting schedule for The Misfits, Clark was ready for a rest. He was set on not doing another movie until after his child was born, in March. On November 6, 1960, he spent what would be his final day at his beloved ranch. He toiled away the day working with his hunting dog, playing with the children, and relaxing. He told Kay he felt tired and went to bed early. He tossed and turned all night. At about 8:00am, Kay awakened to see Clark standing in the doorway, pale and sweating. “Ma, I have a terrible pain.” he said simply. He told her not to worry, he thought it was indigestion and that he didn’t need a doctor. Kay disagreed and sent for a doctor right away. The instant the doctor arrived and saw Clark, he called for an ambulance.

He was diagnosed with coronary thrombosis and was admitted to the hospital. Kay stayed in an adjoining room and rarely left his bedside. The doctors seemed confident he would recover but warned he would have to rest for a few months before he could resume his normal activities. Kay brought him books and read him the many telegrams and letters he received from people all over the world. Clark borrowed the doctor’s stethoscope and listened to his baby’s heartbeat. “You must have Mr. America in there,” he told Kay.

“The tenth day makes all the difference to a heart patient,” Kay was told by the doctor. She was becoming confident in Clark’s recovery on that tenth day, as he was in good spirits. The hospital barber came and gave him a shave. after which she and Clark had dinner together in his room. She felt her angina (Kay had ongoing heart problems) acting up and decided to lay down but told him she would be back to drink buttermilk with him before bed.

Next thing Kay knew she was being awakened by Dr. Robert Clark, her obstetrician, who was accompanied by a sobbing nurse. He was trying to tell her that Clark was gone. “What?….I must go to him,” Kay struggled to her feet. They tried to stop her and offer her sedatives but she pushed them aside and went to her husband’s room, where he lay, motionless. He was apparently joking with the nurse and then started reading a magazine. Suddenly he closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the pillow, and died, at 10:50pm on November 16, 1960.

The funeral for the King of Hollywood was held a few days later, on November 19, at the famed Forest Lawn Glendale cemetery, in the Church of the Recessional.

For about a decade I have had in my possession original color Kodak slides of Clark’s funeral. They were taken by photographer Gene Lester, who at the time was the West Coast correspondent for the Saturday Evening Post. It being the 60th anniversary of Clark’s death, I have had the slides digitized (some in better shape than others) and present them here for the first time. Along with the slides is an original typewritten page of commentary.

Caption: “In front of the Church of the Recessional at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif. guests are arriving to attend the funeral services for film star Clark Gable. The services were scheduled for 9AM and the guests started to arrive by 8:30. Shown here arriving is Robert Taylor, close friend and former acting associate of the deceased. Taylor was one of the pall bearers.”

“Spencer Tracy arriving at the Church tried to duck the cameramen.” (Spencer is there on the far right with white hair)

“The Color Guard arrives at the Church of the Recessional.”

“A group of guests wait in the forecourt of the Church for the services to begin. James Stewart is 3rd from left with Lew Wasserman head of MCA talent agency, and I believe the next man is Arthur Miller (MM’s husband-about-to be-ex.)”  Yes that is definitely Arthur Miller.

“After the services the photographers huddled at the back of the church at the family exit and waited for Mrs. Gable to come out. This is a series of shots as the family emerged.”

“Mrs. Clark Gable, the former Kay Williams Spreckels, is shown emerging from the family exit following the military funeral services for the actor at Forest Lawn. At the right can be seen the color guard from March Field Air Force Base and in the foreground are members of the press and staff of the Memorial Park. For a film star of such stature as Gable, the proceedings were most orderly and regimented. There was just so much the press was allowed to do and no more.” Kay can be seen there in the black veil with the minister behind her.

“…shows the emergence of Mrs. Gable. She stood for a moment while the photographers grabbed their pictures then got into the limousine. Standing alongside lining the path can be seen James Stewart and Spencer Tracy both pallbearers with Robert Taylor also visible but in deep shadow.”

These three are captioned “This shows the crowd that managed to find their way into Forest Lawn. The Church is about two miles inside the park on top of a hill and at every turn of the road, there were guards stopping all cars for credentials. Stickers were issued for windshields and only guests and properly identified press representatives were allowed.”

Rest in Peace, Mr. Gable. We remember you.