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Movie of the Week: Dancing Lady (1933)
This week, Clark Gable’s a grumpy Broadway director in Dancing Lady. Clark made no qualms about which film of his was his least favorite out of all of them–this one. In 1957, he recalled, “MGM assigned me to do a bad part in Dancing Lady with Joan Crawford—a picture I didn’t like. But as bad as the part was, it wasn’t as bad as my health…I’d lost a lot of weight. They’d been working me hard and I was tired. I told myself, ‘If I have a few operations, that will take care of my health and the part in Dancing Lady too.’ I had my appendix and tonsils out,…
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{New Article} 1935: Gable Selects The Ten Most Attractive Women
This article is from 1935 and is a fluffy piece in which Clark Gable is asked to select the ten most attractive women in Hollywood. I have a bit of difficulty believing that this article is quoting Clark verbatim as it includes the following sentence: “A woman’s features may be perfectly moulded, her skin a peach-blown dream and her body perfect, but unless her character shines through, she can never be truly beautiful. It takes more than mere perfection of face and figure for a woman to be beautiful.” Can anyone imagine Clark saying “her skin a peach-blown dream” ???? Me neither. At first Clark picks the ideal characterisitics these…
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Gossip Friday: Crawford vs. Shearer
From November 1936: Interest in the alleged feud between Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer is revived by the announcement that Joan is to challenge direct comparison with her rival by starring in the new version of “The Last of Mrs Cheyney”. The Lonsdale story was one of Norma’s early talkie successes. The assignment follows Miss Crawford’s relinquishment of her role in Parnell with Clark Gable. The star, it appears, did not approve of the plan to make the film more romantic fiction than political history. ____ “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney” actually already had Myrna Loy starring in it when the swap was made and Myrna went to Parnell and…
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January Movie of the Month: Chained (1934)
This month, the site’s friends on Facebook voted and chose this 1934 romantic comedy starring Clark and his most frequent leading lady, Joan Crawford, for January’s Movie of the Month. Gable is Mike Bradley, a South American rancher who falls for the glamorous Diana (Crawford) on a cruise ship. Diana falls for Mike too, despite the fact that she is romantically involved with a married Manhattan businessman, Richard (Otto Kruger). She decides to leave Richard for Mike but, upon her return home, Richard tells her he has finally left his wife for her. Diana feels obligated to marry Richard and Mike is left in the dust. This is certainly more…
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Gossip Friday: No-Show for Joan’s Party
From 1946: Joan Crawford, who never gives big parties, really went the works on a welcome to Hollywood for Viveca Lindfors, the new Swedish importation. There was a dance floor, orchestra, bar and complete buffet service, all under a huge cellophane tent in Joan’s yard. Every guest showed up but Bette Davis and Clark Gable. Believe it or not, Bette got smacked in the head with a moving camera and went to Laguna Beach to recuperate. Clark didn’t get back in time from a fishing trip. Cutest couple present was Ann Blyth and John Compton, the “daughter” and “son-in-law” of “Mildred Pierce.” __ Anyone else not surprised Bette Davis didn’t…
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Gossip Friday: Party at Sonja’s
From 1945: It took her a long time to go social, but Sonja Henie finally cracked out with Hollywood’s first post-war party. She gave it the works! There was a buffet supper served inside a huge tent. A dance floor, music, and not coin a phrase, more stars than there are in heaven. Clark Gable was with Anita Colby–not serious (they say) but having such fun together. Joan Fontaine and Mrs. Ronald Colman wore the same “exclusive” gown, which didn’t make Joan too happy. Joan Crawford and Phil Terry arrived early, left early and danced only with each other. They missed the best impromptu floor show pit on by Danny…
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Gossip Friday: Old Friends
From 1949: There was quite a stir among the guests at the party for the Ernie Byfields in the Beverly Hills Hotels’ Rodeo Room when Joan Crawford and Clark Gable walked in together. They’ve been friends for years but this was their first of a series of dates.
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{Photos} Love on the Run (1936)
Today we’re looking at some of the photos from Love on the Run (1936), one of the several Clark Gable/Joan Crawford pairings. A lot of people don’t, but I actually do like their films together–they have an easy chemistry. This one for me though is one of the weakest; the plot is silly. But these promotional stills of them dancing together are some of my very favorites (they are often times mis-credited as being from Dancing Lady): Some great on the set shots: And of course some great screenshots. Clark was right in his handsome, dashing leading man era here:
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Hollywood Hobbies
This cartoon appeared in Screenland magazine in 1933: John Barrymore Just as sure as not You’ll find John on his yacht Developing seaworthy legs. And spending his time, Without reason or rhyme, With his rarest collection of eggs. Joan Crawford You cannot ignore, In this group of four, The personal hobby of Joan. She considers it play To model in clay And even to chisel in stone. Norma Shearer If you can’t analyze The charm of her eyes Of the glamorous lure of her tresses– You, at least, should have known That Miss Shearer is prone To designing her very own dresses. Clark Gable Here is…
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Gossip Friday: Visitor in a Station Wagon
From December 1939: It was a great thrill for the tiny coast town of Pismo beach to have a big movie location move right into their midst. The entire town was agog because Joan Crawford was reported really to have arrived in her limousine, in true movie star fashion. Every youngster in the village was out for an autograph. The Crawford name was magic until the youngsters found out that the guy driving an old station wagon looked like Clark Gable. When they found out it was Gable, and he fixed up an immediate game of softball to entertain the mob, because the weather got too foggy to work, glamour…
