“Happy Birthday Dear Ma…”

Today is Carole Lombard’s 102nd birthday! To celebrate,  here’s an interesting item printed in January 1941:

When bigger and better pranks are played in Hollywood, you can be sure of one thing–Gable and Lombard will play ’em. When Lombard’s birthday rolled around, Gable had made an enormous cake carefully iced on top–“To Ma–on her 75th Birthday”. When Carole cut the cake, imagine her surprise to hear coming from the cake’s innards a conversation between Clark and a friend.

“Now Clark, the gag is for you to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Carole.”

“What? Me sing? Nothing doing,” said Gable’s voice. “Next thing you know the studio will have me in singing films.”

“Well,” came back the friend’s voice, “you could do worse. Remember ‘Parnell.'”

Whereupon Clark sang Happy Birthday to Carole, who was so touched she offered to get him a job with Western Union, if he wanted it.

Of course it was a concealed record playing inside. Carole is keeping the record.

_____

Why is that so interesting? Well, a few years ago a recording of Clark singing Happy Birthday to Carole surfaced. All I have heard of it is a small snippet of him singing the chorus. It has been unknown what year it was from or what the circumstances of it were. Based on this, I would bet that it is indeed from that 32nd birthday recording. Wouldn’t you just love to hear the whole thing? Me too.  Maybe it’s still out there somewhere. Want to hear the snippet of Clark singing? Why, funny you should ask because it is right here in the Multimedia section.

Happy Birthday, Ma!

Tune in to TCM today and watch a seven film salute to the birthday girl!

 Some birthday shots of  Carole:

On the set of her 1939 film “Made for Each Other”, they threw a birthday party for Carole’s 31st. Her gift? A mule! She named it Scarlett and it became part of the menagerie at the ranch.

Another birthday present in 1937…a taxidermied cat!