{New Article} 1942: Why Gable Wants to Fight

This article drums over the reasons Clark would want to join the army and whether or not he should. A mute point, of course, since by the time this article was published in October 1942, Clark was already sworn in and in officers school.

If this were a time of peace in the world, Clark Gable would probably seek escape on a desert island. It would have to be an island that offered excitement, however, because, at heart, Gable is an adventurer, a man who loves the mystery of the unknown, who has lived close to nature and knows her changing moods—a man who has always been able to find satisfaction for his searching spirit by seeking out the rugged trail, the unbeaten path, the winding road.

In Carole Lombard, Gable found the perfect companion to match his own intense temperament, the rare woman with a similar adventurous flair and joy in vagabondia; but with her passing there has been left an expansive void in his life which, from all indications, only considerable time and a new design for living can possibly fill.

Gable, today, is a very restless person. What he is seeking is release. That is the whole keynote of his mental attitude. He would like to get away from it all, from everything, not for a day, not for a month, but for a good long spell. And there isn’t just one reason for this, there are many which have followed, one upon the heels of another, culminating last January 16^th with the tragic death of Carole, and its aftermath of sorrow.

It’s true, I think, that if the nation hadn’t been at war and Carole had died in a plane crash or car crash or some other way, Clark would have gone off and gotten lost hunting in the jungles of South America or something. I don’t think he would have ever stayed in Hollywood and greived publicly. He didn’t like seeing people be uncomfortable around him with pity in their eyes.

I talked to another close associate of Gable’s who said:

“Clark has been very hard hit by the death of Carole. He is only beginning to realize it fully now, and it may be only my personal observation but, rather than becoming more resigned in her passing. I feel he is getting more unsettled all the time. He is a very restless man.

“Not so long ago several of us went out to the Gable ranch house and made him a present of a 16 millimeter copy of Carole’s last picture, To Be or Not To Be. He couldn’t run it off. It was just too much for him. Yet it’s a strange thing that since her passing he has been able to live at the house at all. I think it is because Carole’s death did not take place there, and also because the home is filled with happy memories. After all, they were like a couple of kids, and they were certainly madly in love. Theirs was a really idyllic romance.

“But this restlessness that has taken hold of Clark is more than just a momentary phase. It goes down deep. It is linked with his feeling of the futility of any effort today that isn’t related directly to the war. And until he gets into it, he feels he isn’t doing what he could and should.

“Gable’s a man not given to compromise in any way. He cannot convince himself that, in his instance, giving money, or helping raise money, or making pictures is enough. And I am certain that he will never stop at less than going ‘all out.’, if he possibly can, to aid the American cause, which in his opinion is the cause of humanity in the present crisis.

“If necessary, it would not surprise me to see him enlist as a private because he is becoming more impatient, day by day, to get in there and pitch.” In fact as you read this article he may be with the colors as a private, as a non-com, or as an officer.

Aw, that is so sad. I think that is true, he was able to stay in that house because the memories there were precious. He put the ranch up for sale a few times over the years but could never bring himself to actually sell it.

And he did enlist as a private!

The big majority of soldiers—enlisted men and draftees, as well—have gone through experiences similar to Gable’s. They know exactly what a drain it is, on the nervous system, to “wait for orders,” to “strain at the leash,” to be “rarin’ to go.”

The difference between them and Gable, however, is that they are relatively free to make the break. Though he has no family ties, Gable is constantly reminded of his “obligation to the public”—that strange, almost mystical bond which is the result of loyalty and devotion of audiences to him everywhere. He is one of those rare idols who symbolizes escape from the realities of life. And what irony, at this juncture, that Gable should represent this fulfillment when the very thing that seeks is an escape from make-believe to reality!

Too, although it may not count as much, there is a star’s fealty to his organization. It is estimated that Gable nets his studio $3,000,000 annually! So his leaving pictures might temporarily mean quite a dent in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer treasury. Furthermore, his protracted absence might cause a loss of luster, which could not easily be renewed. But—there’s one answer to it all—this is wartime!

His absence from the screen did indeed result in a “lack of luster” for his career, but I don’t think it was only because he joined the service. All servicemen were different when they returned home and Clark was no exception. One can easily tell the difference in photos of a pre-1942 Clark and post-1944 Clark. In those two short years, he seemed to age ten. His temples more silver-lined, his weight heavier, and the boyish twinkle was gone from his eyes. He just seemed…older. The ladies turned their affections onto the likes of Van Johnson and Frank Sinatra. Part of the problem was that unlike many of his contemporaries who were bouncing around the studios doing pictures, Clark remained shackled to MGM and the parts they gave him weren’t teh cream of the crop. MGM, too, had gotten older and had moved on from him–he was no longer their hottest commodity. In many ways, Clark was completely lost after the war, personally and professionally.

You can read the article in its entirely in The Article Archive.

Also there are two new small articles, “Salute to a Soldier” from 1943 and “Mission Completed” from 1945.