-
Gossip Friday: Splitsville for Mr. and Mrs. G?
From May 1932: An air gossiper recently started the rumor that the Clark Gables were about to get a divorce. Immediately the studio publicity department was overwhelmed with phone calls. Whether true or not immediately after the rumor started Mr. and Mrs. Gable were seen together conspiciously at a restaurant popular with movie stars and at the opening of the musical show. It is said that their apartment in a fashionable apartment house is the object of so much curiousity, and with so many peering eyes and listening ears that the Gables have decided to move out and into a house of their own to prevent surveillance.
-
82 Years Ago, Clark Marries His Second Wife…For the Second Time?
It was 82 years ago today that 30-year-old Clark Gable married 47-year-old Maria “Ria” Franklin. According to the press at the time, it was a repeat ceremony because the one that had been performed months earlier in New York was suddenly discovered to be invalid in California. Well at least, that’s the way it was spun to the public… In many ways, it was easier to be a star back then. The studio assigned you your films, your co-stars, dictated your schedule; they covered up your affairs, paid off columnists to shoo away divorce rumors and personal scandals, and made sure the pictures of you that were published were…
-
Gossip Friday: Buzzing about Mr. and Mrs. Clark Gable
From May 1932: The Monday following a recently notable Sunday, Hollywood was fairly buzzing with reports that the Clrk Gables had had a really serious disagreement–so serious, in fact, that the only ultimate outcome could be divorce. Some of us believed..and others didn’t, because ever since Clark has become so popular as a screen hero there have been rumors that all was not well in the Gable establishment. The Tuesday, after the Monday, after the Sunday, Gene Dennis, the girl-psychic wonder who’s been appearing on a local stage in Hollywood, was being interviewed by one of the magazine writers. The interviewer thought this a particularly good time to find out…
-
{New Article} 1932: Would You Like to Be Mrs. Gable?
Does that seem like an easy question to answer? Surely not! This is mostly just a fluffy article detailing how hard it is to be Mrs. Gable since you are constantly haunted by feelings of self-doubt and jealousy while thousands of women pine after your man. It really could have been written about any of the married male stars of that era. Imagine the glowing sense of possession you would feel when you said “I want you to meet my husband…” and the thrill of pleasure that would go through you as some woman looked up into the face of Clark Gable. Imagine sharing a home with Clark Gable. Let…
-
New in the Gallery Today
New today in the gallery are: Several pictures of Clark and Ria… and various candids… Many more in the gallery.
-
Snowed in with Clark
Clark Gable never made a Christmas movie. Not even a movie with a legitimate Christmas scene! Surprising but true. So, we’ll have to settle for some shots of Clark in the snow to make things festive around here…
-
Gossip Friday: Ria’s Ready for her Closeup
From February 1939: One of the most attractive and popular matrons in Hollywood is Ria Gable. Even though she separated from Clark Gable, all their old friends clung to Ria as a tribute to her. Recently Ria returned from a trip to New York. Hollywood was happy to have her back. And Ria says the highlight of her trip was an afternoon spent in Gloria Swanson’s New York apartment. The decorating scheme and all the furnishings of her Hollywood home have been transferred East by Gloria. The same charm, the same individuality that made Gloria Swanson’s home a showplace in Hollywood, makes her new residence of the really outstanding places…
-
{New Article & Recipe} 1934: The Modern Hostess
Clark liked to eat. He was never a fussy, prissy eater. His widow Kay recalled his fondness for steak, baked beans, sauerkraut, potato salad and chocolate cake. And of course the onion sandwiches–a big slice of onion between two pieces of bread with a smear of mustard! It seems Clark’s tastes didn’t change over the years, as I stumbled across this article from 1934 that details Clark’s favorite foods while he lived with Ria. The article starts out saying how particular food items would fly off the shelves if people knew they were Clark’s favorites and so that led the author to find out what his favorites were. Which is…
-
Gossip Friday: Splitsville for the Gables
Ria and Clark Gable Since July 19 marks 80 years since Clark married Ria Franklin, here is a gossip column’s statement on their break-up, from February 1936: There is heartbreak in Hollywood over the official separation of the Clark Gables. The whispers have been flying for months, but the whole town hoped that these two grand people would never definitely part. Everyone is so fond of both of them. In one of the most difficult spots in the world, Ria Gable has presided with dignity and humor. She seemed the perfect wife for a famous man and no one out here is more charming. The separation will inevitably be blamed…