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Goodbye, Carole
Today marks 77 years since Carole Lombard perished in a plane crash at the young age of 33. Every year I mark this anniversary, and every year I marvel at the fact that she has been dead for such a long time. There is just something timeless about Carole. Carole’s death anniversary over the years: 2010: Memorial poem 2011: Excerpt from “The Story Gable Wouldn’t Tell” 2012: Photo gallery of Carole 2013: Excerpt from “This Was Carole” 2014: Excerpt from “What the Loss of Carole Lombard Means to Clark Gable” 2015: Excerpts from articles about Carole’s death 2016: For the 75th anniversary of her death, I did a day-by-day recap…
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Gossip Friday: New Aunt and Uncle
From December 1940: Proudest couple in Hollywood are Clark Gable and Carole Lombard who now answer to Uncle and Aunt. Miss Lombard’s brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Peters, have just become parents of a seven-pound baby boy. Funniest incident at the hospital, where the Gables kept vigil with Peters and another brother of Carole, Stuart Peters, was that when Stuart heard the stork had arrived, he promptly collapsed. Gable had to leave the new father to look out for himself while he carried the overcome uncle to the adjoining room for treatment.
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Gossip Friday: For Clark From Carole
From December 1938: How would you like to know what Carole Lombard gave Clark Gable [for Christmas?], what Claudette Colbert bought for her husband, Barbara Stanwyck’s gift to Bob Taylor, and vice versa? Well, here goes. Claudette today gave her doctor husband a magnificent new desk set and cuff links. Carole added to the handsome Cabonshon ruby we told you about with a new camera and an outboard motor for Clark. ___ Okay, it says it would tell you what Barbara Stanwyck bought Robert Taylor, and then it doesn’t say. Huh.
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Gossip Friday: A Quiet Holiday
From December 1941: The quietest Christmas celebration in its history was observed in a Hollywood accustomed in the past to tossing around presents of diamonds and minks and sables like confetti. There were some valuable presents to be sure–but most of these were United States defense bonds. Few parties were given, with most of the stars and lesser lights celebrating only with their families and intimates. Only the families with children made the usual fuss. On this score the two busiest homes were those of Mr. and Mrs. Bing Crosby and Mr. and Mrs. Don Ameche. They each have four sons. Almost as busy were Margaret Sullavan and her husband,…
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Gossip Friday: A Flop Debut
From February 1936: The screen debut of Carole Lombard’s pekingese, “Pushface,” was a decided flop, but gave the blonde star a chance to get off one of her best wisecracks. “Pushface’s” big moment came on the “Love Before Breakfast” set at Universal. He was supposed to make an entrance in a basket of flowers, completely hidden by the blossoms. At a given signal, he was to poke his head out and wait for a closeup. But, every time, he leaped out of the basket and into Carole’s arms before the camera could get a shot. It was after the third unsuccessful take that Carole exploded: “Can you beat it! He…
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{Photos} A Ranch of Two Gables
This one-page spread appeared in Picture Show magazine in 1941: A Ranch of Two Gables Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are among the film-star ranchers in the San Fernando Valley. Like Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, they both had separate ranches in the Valley before they were married. Clark Gable has always been an “outdoor” man. Whenever his work allowed, he would go away on hunting trips, as far from the night clubs and swing music and noisy crowds as he could conveniently get, reveling in the silence of the mountains and lakes. Eventually he gave up his hotel suite and moved out to the San Fernando Valley. Carole Lombard’s…
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{Photos} Carole Lombard Connection: Too Hot to Handle (1938)
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were very much a steady item when Clark began filming Too Hot to Handle in the summer of 1938. On his first day on the set, Carole sent her beloved a big box. Upon opening it, he found a stack of pornographic magazines, rubber gloves and a note from Carole signed “Too hot to handle!” Oh my. While Clark was filming a night scene, his gorgeous girlfriend decided to stop by for a visit. These candid photos were snapped of them snuggled under a blanket, with Carole wrapped in Clark’s coat. These were apparently taken in June, but it was uncharacteristically cold in Southern California…
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Gossip Friday: Book of Outtakes
From March 1936: Just heard an amusing story about Carole Lombard. For years, she has been saving all the portraits of herself that went wrong in the gallery and were never released. Pictures in which she looked awkward or silly. Now she’s had 500 of them bound into a book. ___ If that’s true, wouldn’t we all love to see it!
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{In the News} 1941: That Flapping at the Gables’ is Mighty Like a Stork
The omnipresent rumors of an impending little Gable continued on in this newspaper spread from 1941: That Flapping at the Gables’ is Mighty Like a Stork Hollywood, Feb. 14–A little Rhett Butler (or possibly a Rhetta) is now on its way at the nearby rancho of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, according to advices on Sir Stork’s movieland grapevine today. The report was linked to Carole’s visit to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Jan.2, when she was given a physical check up by Dr. Richard W. Telinde, the hospital’s chief gynecologist. Intimates of the couple recalled that Carole’s pet name for Clark is “Pappy” and that, in recent weeks,…
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{Photos} Carole Connection: Idiot’s Delight (1939)
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard weren’t married yet when Clark started filming Idiot’s Delight. He had just signed on the dotted line to play Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, but had time to kill before GWTW started. Norma Shearer had personally requested him for the lead in Idiot’s Delight, as she could no longer be counted on to bring in the big crowds based on her name alone. Clark was leery of the film. He had seen the play when it had been in Los Angeles, with Alfred Lunt in the role, and knew it required singing and dancing, neither of which he was confident in doing. Director…