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{New Article} 1938: At Last! Mrs. Clark Gable Talks
Well now here’s a fluff piece. Clark and Carole’s romance was quite celebrated in the media, despite the fact that he was still technically married. Clark’s other dalliances over the years had been kept pretty much under wraps, save for a nightclub date here and there. But the public was enthralled by the matching of two of their most popular stars. This really ruffled the feathers of the current Mrs. Gable. Instead of being sympathisized with, she was instead the martyr, the mean estranged wife standing in the way of Clark and Carole’s true love. “The question of divorce has never arisen between us,” Mrs. Gable said. “Mr. Gable has…
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Gossip Friday: Ria Holds Out
From December 1938: And now Ria Gable comes forth with a denial of all the rumors that she has been holding up divorce proceedings between her and Clark. According to a friend of hers, Mrs. G. insists that the main reason Clark hasn’t got his divorce is that he has never asked for it. The same report states that Mrs. Gable is not interested in a settlement, since she has considerable money of her own. _____________ HOGWASH. It may be true that Clark hadn’t asked Ria for a divorce yet but only because he didn’t want to pay Ria all the money she wanted. A new article is coming…
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{New Article} 1937: Gable Fears Shirley Temple!
This is a strange little piece written for Modern Screen magazine in 1937. In the late 1930’s, Clark was certainly considered “the King of Hollywood” but his box office was exceeded by a certain little curly-topped hoofer. “Sure I’m afraid of Shirley Temple,” he agreed solemnly. “She haunts me. I can see her sitting up there, shaking her curls and twinkling her eyes at me. I can almost hear her: ‘Hey man down there, come on up and catch me.’ But I’m not playing tag with Shirley. I know my place. And mighty grateful that it’s even second.” Clark seems to be taking the whole interview very lightly. He…
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Gossip Friday: The Bride Wore Gray
Since a certain couple’s anniversary is coming up, here’s one from May 1939: And the bride wore gray. When Carole Lombard and Clark Gable announced their intentions to wed, the question of what the bride (a divorcee) should wear became important not only to Carole but to thousands of other women who were about to marry for the second time. Carole never faltered in her choice for a moment. “A gray suit,” was her decision. But the problem wasn’t solved that easily. There are grays and grays, some flattering, some hard and cold in tone, some unkind to blondes, as every woman knows. So, in order to secure exactly the…
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Gossip Friday: On the “Saratoga” set
Since “Saratoga” is Movie of the Month and we’re celebrating Jean Harlow’s centennial… From August 1937: On the “Saratoga” set, watching Clark Gable and Jean Harlow emote, the onlookers snicker when Gable does an impromptu imitation of the Harlow walk. Sitting on the sidelines, Peggy, Jean’s hairdresser, is wearing that super-colossal star sapphire ring. The scene is shot and lunch is called. Before she leaves for the commissary Peggy slips the ring off her finger and hands it to Jean, but Jean returns it. “Wear it to lunch, Peggy,” she says. “Maybe you’ll do yourself some good.” So Peggy rushes off to startle her friends, and Jean turns to us.…
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Movie of the Month: Saratoga (1937)
As we wind up our parade of Gable and Harlow pairings, it is only natural that the last one is their last film together and, sadly, Harlow’s last film period. Gable is Duke Bradley, a bookie who acquires the deed to the Brookdale horse ranch because the owner, Mr. Clayton (Jonathan Hale) owes him a lot of money. When the Clayton dies, his daughter Carol (Harlow), who dislikes Bradley, is determined to get the horse ranch back in the family by winning horse races to pay Bradley back. Meanwhile, Bradley tries to bait Carol’s rich fiancée (Pidgeon) to place bets with him. Jean, looking bloated and tired, was struggling…
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{New Article} 1936: “The New Romance in Clark Gable’s Life”
I have a vintage magazine addiction. The first step towards getting help is admitting you have a problem, right? Well, I admit it. I now have so many magazines stacked on my desk and nightstand and scanner that I had to promise my husband I would not buy another one until I have gone through every one of them. And so I am. In the coming weeks you will find lots of new pictures in the gallery as a result, as well as many new articles. The majority of these articles are quite intriguing and so I am devoting a blog post here and there to them. Also, I would…
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The Scoop on “Gable:The Ties that Bind”
As previously mentioned on this blog, Michelle Morgan, the author of the book Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed , is heading up a new Gable documentary, “Gable: The Ties that Bind”, that features FIVE HOURS of previously unreleased footage! There will also be a companion book penned by Michelle herself. I asked Michelle the questions everybody wants to know: How did you get involved with the project? At the end of summer 2010 I was hanging out my washing one afternoon when an email came through from Tegan Summer, to say that he had acquired some personal home movie footage of Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. I was absolutely intrigued and suggested…
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Oscar Night…Minus Clark and Carole
The Academy Awards are tonight, so I thought I would post something about the night “Gone with the Wind”won it big–February 29, 1940 at the now-destroyed Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles. Clark didn’t win that night; the only black spot on an otherwise glorious night for the film. The one thing about that evening that has always puzzled me is the lack of pictures of Clark and Carole at the Academy Awards. There are none. Zilch. Zero. I understand Clark didn’t win, but how can there be no photos? I am a Clark photo fanatic, as is evident by the thousands of pictures in the gallery, and I have never…
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Gossip Friday: Rhett and…his Scarlett?
From September 1938: With the announcement of Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Norma Shearer as Scarlett in “Gone with the Wind”, Clark and Norma, far from happy, are wearing two worried frowns on their personable faces. Gable is anxious to know these things: “Will I be the Rhett Butler of the fans’ dreams? If please the North, will the South be happy over the choice? Will I interpret each scene, each move, as the millions of readers have pictured it in their minds and hearts? Will I fail in this, my heaviest assignment to date? Frankly, I don’t see how any actor can win with this role and I’m…