Gossip Friday: Tasty Bait

From May 1954:

Clark Gable’s “Gone Fishing” to a secluded mountain spot in upper California–and although a devout member of the rod-and-gun brigade, it is hinted by pals that he wants more than anything else to get away from the wild rumors concerning his professional future.

Despite comparatively advanced years, Gable remains the very romantic-hero bet among all Hollywood leading men and there isn’t a major studio head or an independent producer who hasn’t been putting out tasty bait in an effort to attract his interest. Furthermore, his important name is being grabbed by wily press agents as first-ranking ballyhoo fodder for their own clients. It’s a rarity nowadays for any new picture to be announced without Gable being mentioned–completely without his knowledge or consent–as the foremost prospect for the starring role.