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Gossip Friday: Plenty Smart
From April 1956 (Louella Parsons): Clark Gable not only has a beautiful wife in Kay Williams, he has a perfect companion. Of course, Kay went along with The King when he left for Knabe, Utah, for weeks of location for “The King and Four Queens.” She took along her riding clothes (she may even work in some background scenes just for the kicks), just as when she goes to Palm Springs with Clark she takes her golf bags. And, come party time, Kay is dressed to the teeth–just as Clark likes her to be. A plenty smart wife, Mrs. Gable.
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Gossip Friday: That’s What You Get
From October 1955: I doubt if anyone can kid Clark Gable as successfully as his bride, Kay. She keeps The King chuckling even about himself. When they returned from their honeymoon, they accepted the invitation of their friends, the Ray Hommes, to go to the Mocambo. As expected, the autograph hounds nearly ruined their evening both outside and inside the nightclub. In the midst of furiously signing menus and what-have-you, Kay leaned over and whispered in Clark’s ear, “See what you got by marrying me?”
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Gossip Friday: Missing a Friend
From December 1955 (Louella Parsons): Mrs. Clark Gable has become so much the wife of The King that she is seeing few of the old friends who were so good to her in the dark days when life was pretty desperate for her. It’s understandable that a married woman must accept her husband’s friends and make his pals hers, but there is one case where I think Kay is remiss–that of a certain actress who was very good to her during the days when other of her friends shied away from the then Mrs. Spreckels for fear of publicity. Of course, I may be wrong and there may be some…
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Gossip Friday: Popular Birthday Boy
From 1955: Susan Hayward broke right out in front of everyone on the “Soldier of Fortune” set and planted a big birthday kiss on Clark Gable. But not a single newshound found out that Grace Kelly gifted the King with a real live miniature burro for his ranch. While she was in Hollywood long enough to turn down her next picture, Grace called Clark constantly. And sometimes the calls came in when Kay Williams Spreckels was sitting a few feet away with an amused smile on her beautiful face!
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{New Article} 1956: The Brave Lovers
This article is from 1956, when Clark Gable and fifth wife Kay Williams Spreckels had been married less than a year. It’s one of those that I’m not really sure what the point of it is. Also they picked the weirdest photo for the main page of the article; it’s him helping her out of a chair and she’s hunched over and not looking at the camera (See for yourself). Anyway. Clark Gable and his wife Kay have had more than their share of trouble in their lives. But fate waited until now, when they thought there was nothing but peace ahead, to deal them the hardest blow. Their big…
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{New Article} 1955: Let’s Just Say She’s a Friend of Mine (And Then They Eloped)
After Clark Gable’s fourth marriage to Sylvia Ashley imploded after less than two years, Clark’s stance on marriage was firm: “NO THANK YOU.” He echoed time and time again that he wasn’t cut out for marriage anymore, didn’t need it, didn’t want it, and was content to wander the planet alone. But then in July 1955, after years of stating plainly that he would not get married again, he up and married Kathleen “Kay” Williams Spreckels to the surprise of everyone. So was Clark just really good at throwing the press off the track, thought he had them fooled with years of deflection? Not really. The truth is Kay got…
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Gossip Friday: Better Be Home Soon
From 1955: When Clark Gable returned from making “The Tall Men” in Durango, Mexico, he brought Kay Spreckels a gold monogrammed ring. Every local columnist insisted it was a wedding ring–but here’s the inside story. The crew of the picture is crazy about Kay, so they pooled their cash and sent the ring to Kay via “The King.” He did call the beautiful blonde every day while he was away. And Kay’s maid summed up the situation, saying “That man better come home soon or he’ll be too broke to marry you!”
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Gossip Friday: No Pearls or Mink Allowed
From 1955: It’s so much hooey, that printed report that his doctors tabooed cocktails for Clark Gable. The King’s health is churning and so is his interest in Kay Williams Spreckels and not Marilyn Monroe as 20th Century Fox subtly hints! When Clark went duck hunting recently, it was Kay whom he asked to hostess a party for him. She made arrangements with Chasen’s where they cooked and served the wild birds in their private dining room. Clark loves gags so Kay dressed up a hysterical-looking dummy and placed it at the head of the table. The lady guests were instructed to wear sweaters and tweeds and–“no pearls or mink…
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Gossip Friday: A Valentine Keg
From March 1958: It was like any other day February 14th on the Band of Angels set at Warners. Until Clark Gable was called off the set between takes. That’s when it became Valentine’s Day. Because waiting for him in his dressing room was his own special Valentine. It was a keg. Beautifully varnished, about five gallon size, little red felt hearts all over it and a white thumb tack pinning a large, lacy valentine to the center of the keg. “It’s from Kay,” grinned Gable, “she made it. Look—” It was filled to the top with golden yellow popcorn! Asked what the valentine said, Gable handed it around. “Hamish,…
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{In the News} The Final Years of Kay Williams 1965-1983
Here is our final installment of the Kay Williams news clippings series. The other installments: Clark Gable Marries Kay Spreckels 1955-1960 Kay Williams Divorces Adolph Spreckels, Dates Clark Gable Again 1951-1954 Kay Williams Marries Adolph Spreckels 1945-1951 Kay Williams Dates Clark Gable (For The First Time) 1944-1945 Kay Williams 1937-1943 We pick up in 1965. April 19, 1965: Los Angeles–On the flickering screen was the happiest marriage of casting and character, plot and player, in the long history of motion pictures. The handsome, muscular man who played the renegade Confederate blockage runner seemed less an actor than the real article. In short, it was hard to tell where Clark Gable…