-
Gossip Friday: A Different Clark Gable
From January 17, 1942: On the screen Clark Gable is a suave, swashbuckling hero. Nothing ever really upsets him. He has ice water in his veins. But today there is a different Clark Gable, a Clark Gable with disheveled hair and reddened eyes, a Clark Gable who looks like a broken man, a Clark Gable who spent the night nervously pacing a floor, and chain-smoking cigarettes, waiting for word about his wife, the beautiful Carole Lombard, in a TWA airliner which crashed in the Nevada mountains. Gable wanted to join the rescue party going to the scene of the wreckage, but policy persuaded him not to.
-
Remembering Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard died 83 years ago today, on January 16, 1942. On a record-setting ward bond selling trip with her mother and Gable friend Otto Winkler, they all perished in a plane crash on Mount Potosi outside Las Vegas. As someone who only started researching Clark Gable and Carole Lombard the past 20 years or so, it is incredible to me that she has been gone 83 years. Carole just oozes a tangible human quality–you can see her walking down the street in 2025 no problem. It’s so sad to think we missed out on an elderly Carole, still in her fur coat and diamond brooches with cigarette in her…
-
Gossip Friday: Awaiting the Real Thing
From December 1941: Carole Lombard and Clark Gable: It’s not that I’m lazy, but on these couples that I’m hooking together for a combination gift you can be sure that it’s exactly what they both want for the happiest holiday. I suppose you’re thinking that Clark and Carole have everything, and you’re darned near right. There’s no use filling their stocking with fame, riches, happiness together, fine horses, motor cars, or any other gift most movie stars would be crazy about. They already have everything you’ve got in the bag–with on exception. If you can spare a mama-doll, please be sure that Carole gets one. It’s about the only thing…
-
Gossip Friday: New Baby
From November 1941: Those baby rumors swarming around Clark Gable and Carole Lombard finally paid off—in a way. Carole just bought a colt which she presented to Clark and named Sonny.
-
Gossip Friday: A Fair Enough Exchange
From October 1937: Here’s diversified talent for you. After the Rosenbloom-Nestell fight the other night, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard strolled out to meet Bill Robinson and Joe Louis. Bill introduced the screen stars to the ring champ as the quartet walked over to the parking lot to get their cars. Gable wanted to know how to fight, and Louis, very affable and courteous, said he’d teach him to stay off the floor if Clark would instruct him how to act. Fair enough exchange, that seems. Incidentally, no one paid much attention to them.
-
Gossip Friday: Up to Four
From October 1936: One of the gifts that Clark Gable gave Carole Lombard for her birthday was a thoroughbred cocker spaniel. This brings Carole’s dogs up to four.
-
Gossip Friday: Dwindling Gift
From January 1937: Carole Lombard, high prankster of Hollywood, was on the other end of the gagging when she had a birthday party recently. Instead of elaborate gifts, all her pals got together and sent her the most amazing things! Honest, I can’t tell some of them. But I can tell you what Clark Gable sent—a huge package, elaborately packed and wrapped. Carole, aflutter, unwrapped and untied and untied and unwrapped Clark’s gift. It dwindled and dwindled. And finally, she found a ten-cent-store pop gun! But Clark made up for it. Later, he sent her his real birthday gift—a jeweled bracelet, and a cocker spaniel.
-
Gossip Friday: Morose and Cynical
From September 1936: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard have discovered their temperaments differ too widely to allow of friendship. Incidentally, most of Clark’s friends have remarked that, since the separation from his second wife, he has been exceedingly morose and cynical.
-
Gossip Friday: Interested Observers
From September 1936: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard decided to patch up their quarrel for the sake of the joint box they owned for last week’s Pacific southwest tennis tournament. Another interested observer at the matches was Mrs. Rhea Gable, who spent most of the time looking sadly at the husband from whom she is separated and his blonde companion.
-
Gossip Friday: Jiminy Cripes
From September 1941: Rumors spring out of nowhere in Hollywood and traverse the town’s grapevine routes like wildfire. A report that Gable and Carole Lombard were splitting up had the town on its ears one day last week. Gable, it was said, had quit home and gone to live with George Raft. After MGM’s phones buzzed for hours with queries, the matter was put squarely up to Gable. “Jiminy Cripes,” he said, using much stronger language than that, “what have I done to get this? I don’t even know George Raft.”
