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Gossip Friday: To Carole from Clark
From November 1936: The Clark Gable-Carole Lombard gift swapping reached a new glittering high the other day. It was from him to her–a gorgeous chromium bag, with Carole’s monogram in rubies like a neon sign!
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Gossip Friday: Closed for the Holidays
From January 1946: Clark Gable will spend the holidays in New York or Florida. The ranch again will be closed. When Carole Lombard was alive the ranch was a festive place at Christmas. The other night the Gable ranch saw its first party in several years with Clark entertaining about twelve of us at a charming buffet supper. Among the guests were Victor Fleming who directed “Adventure,” which brings Clark back to the screen, Diana and Bill Powell and Mrs. Jay (Dolly) O’Brien. We had barbecued lamb that was delicious. I asked Dolly O’Brien–it’s with her and her large family that Clark will spend the holidays–if she and Clark would…
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Gossip Friday: Below Freezing
From March 1947: Clark Gable and Lana Turner are another pair of movie lovers who are not presently what you might call friendly. During “Homecoming,” the atmosphere on the set was below freezing they tell me. And that’s really strange because Lana and Clark are the two sexiest characters in the film business. I mean, if anyone can out-sexy Clark, it’s Lana–and vice versa. I’m told they had an outside date once and something went wrong. However, they’re both too smart to let it show in their movies.
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Gossip Friday: Lunch with Buster
From December 1931: Buster Keaton got generous one day and invited the entire cast of “Possessed” to be his guests for luncheon. Joan Crawford and Clark Gable were the honored guests. Then he served them corned beef with cabbage and onions. And that afternoon Joan and Clark had to do a big love scene. Oh, Buster!
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Gossip Friday: Follow the Peanut Shells
From October 1932: Clark Gable is the least food conscious person on the MGM lot. Dinner is the big meal for Clark, but once in a while for luncheon he’ll order his favorite sandwich (if he’s working hard) that rivals the Empire State Building (tower included) for dizzy heights. It’s a double-double decker including bacon, Swiss cheese, roast beef and minced eggs. And it’s Clark (heavy lover) Gable who carries pockets and pockets of peanuts. They keep track of Clark on the MGM lot simply by tracing the peanut shells.
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Gossip Friday: Take It From the Script Girl
From March 1937: Florence Thomas is the eldest script girl [at MGM]. For eight years she has been W.S. Van Dyke’s secretary and script girl, and she knows her movie stars. Florence can take them apart, and considers some of them not worth the trouble of putting together again. But about Clark Gable she says: “I’d just as soon he were in all our pictures.” “And not because he’s the great Gable either, or any bunk like that. It’s for purely selfish reasons. Because he’s no trouble. Because he’s efficient. Because he knows this is his business and treats it like a business, and not like a circus hoop for…
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Remembering Clark Gable, 60 Years Later
Clark Gable died sixty years ago today, on November 16, 1960. He was only 59 years old. After a long and tedious shooting schedule for The Misfits, Clark was ready for a rest. He was set on not doing another movie until after his child was born, in March. On November 6, 1960, he spent what would be his final day at his beloved ranch. He toiled away the day working with his hunting dog, playing with the children, and relaxing. He told Kay he felt tired and went to bed early. He tossed and turned all night. At about 8:00am, Kay awakened to see Clark standing in the doorway, pale and…
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Gossip Friday: Home by Five
From August 1950: Clark Gable seen dashing off the golf course because, “I’m a married man now and promised to be home by five!”
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Gossip Friday: A Hollywood Picnic
From June 1937: Cutest party of the month was the picnic–uh huh, picnic time is here!–of Clark Gable (of course!!), Carole Lombard, and Gail Patrick and Gail’s boyfriend, Robert Cobb. They took along a huge picnic basket packed with everything it takes to make a picnic hot. Also (and this IS a Hollywood wrinkle in picnicking!) they took along, in a trailer, two horses–“Pride” and “Sonny,” owned by Clark and Bob. At a ranch near the picnic spot in a canyon, some fifty miles from Hollywood, two more horses were hired for Carole and Gail. Hot spot of the afternoon was the goat-lassoing contest between Gail and Clark. Gail won,…
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Gossip Friday: Many Faults
From January 1937: Carole [Lombard], her best friends will gladly tell you, has many faults. It seems that she simply will not close drawers. Dresser drawers, dressing table drawers, bathroom cabinet drawers, they are all hanging out at a rakish angle when Carole leaves for the studio. As far as Fieldsy [sic] has been able to figure out this caused by the fact that Mrs. Peters used to spank Carole for slamming drawers and doors when she was a child, and now the reaction has set in. Another of Carole’s bad habits is to bite off the edges of stationary while she is thinking what to write in a letter. (Probably…
