{New Article} 1956: The Great Gable

This 1956 article, written by Joe Hyams, was serialized over several weeks in newspapers around the country. It rehashes a lot of the same stuff any Gable fan has heard over and over, but there are some good nuggets, as it seems Joe did actually interview Clark, so it isn’t just a puff piece.

During the years he was at MGM Gable was considered inaccessible. The studio built a wall around him. Would-be interviewers were told, “He’s impossible” or “Even if he does talk to you it will be about hunting and fishing and you can’t print that.”

For this series Gable agreed to open up. He said, “It’s time to set the record straight.” He agreed to these interviews, most of which were conducted in his home.

On screen Gable appears to be a perfect gentleman. At home he is the perfect host. He is so determined to make his guests comfortable that his solicitude can become embarrassing.

His memory is remarkable. He is able to recall dates, places, names of people and theaters with amazing accuracy. Occasionally when asked a question he doesn’t wish to answer he will smile quizzically as if to say, “You really don’t expect an answer to that do you?”

But in the end he answered all, or almost all, my questions, And he answered them graciously.

You can just see that amused quizzical look on Clark’s face, can’t you?

Gable has only a few friends and does not make new ones easily. “I don’t know anybody very well until I’ve known them for several years and seen them under various circumstances,” he says. “Everybody is buddy-buddy in Hollywood. You say ‘hello’ to someone and then believe he’s a close friend. Well, that’s not the way it is with me.”

Everyone who has worked with Gable has a good word to say about him. Howard Strickling, head of publicity at MGM and one of Gable’s oldest friends, put his finger on the Gable personality when he said, “To me, he’s the most sincere, unaffected star I’ve ever known. His dressing room door is always open, he talks to everyone, he likes people and they like him. I think he projects this on the screen and that’s why he’s so durable.

“He’s mellowed over the years. He hasn’t gotten bitter or sarcastic. He’s still just as enthusiastic and interested in life as he was when I first met him.”

At fifty-five Clark Gable is a remarkable man. He’s as fit as he was when he was in the Air Force. He has what sociologists term charisma—the essence of authority. He also has sex appeal, despite gray hair and a lined face.

His physique betrays none of the ravages of age. He stands erect, walks quickly and quietly on the balls of his feet. When he gets up from a sitting position it’s a fast smooth movement without using his hands to push himself erect.

He’s not ashamed of his age and hates the thought pf using black dye to touch up his hair. He insists that still photos of him remain untouched. “I’ve always asked the studios not to touch my pictures up,” he said. “I want them to leave the character lines there. Otherwise I look like twenty million other guys.”

Gable is a man’s man in everything he does and says. He’s never run away from either life or a problem. Perhaps that’s part of his screen charm. “I don’t know whether I’m able to cope with all the problems that face me,” Gable admitted recently. “But I am able to face them. There have been many times in my life when I’ve been only able to solve problems half way. I know that everything in life doesn’t have a happy ending.”

Gable is one of the few stars who are not surrounded by gophers—Hollywood term for hangers-on—nor does he have a business manager.

“I handle my own finances,” he said. “If I make a mistake it’s my fault. The fun of having money is handling it yourself. With a smart manager I would have a lot more money. But I don’t care about being rich. I just want to be comfortable.”