-
Gossip Friday: Carole Live on the Air
From February 1940: At the Silver Theatre radio rehearsal, Carole Lombard and Conrad Nagel were deep in a discussion while waiting their turns for rehearsal. Eavesdropping resulted in the discovery that the conversation was about citrus fruit culture. Both Carole and Conrad had definite ideas on the best ways to cultivate crops of oranges and lemons. The discussion finally got so heated that Carole said, “Well, before we get into a fight over this, I’ll admit that maybe you’re right. After all, we have only four acres of citrus trees at our place.” Nagel looked shame-faced. “That’s decent of you,” he said, “because I’ll have to confess that on my…
-
At Separate Tables…
About a year before Cupid struck, Clark and Carole were having a grand time one night at the Trocadero Club—just at different tables. Carole seemed to only have eyes for her date, screenwriter Robert Riskin (he penned It Happened One Night). Meanwhile Clark and Ria were double-dating with Constance Bennett and her beau, Gilbert Roland. One wonders if they stopped by each other’s tables to say hello! While Clark left Ria very soon after this picture was taken, Connie and Gilbert were married in 1941, after being called out for “acting married while being unmarried” in the infamous article that called out Clark and Carole for the same offense: “Hollywood’s Unmarried Husbands and…
-
{New Article} 1940: Two Happy People Part 3
In May 1940, the weekly magazine Movie and Radio Guide featured a new Clark and Carole article every week. I’m posting part 3 of 4, only because the articles came from a scrapbook and Part 3 seems to be the only complete one. While I try to put the pieces of the other parts together, here is Part 3, which is all about life on the ranch. I was rather surprised to learn that the Gables had no swimming pool. A private swimming pool is as much a part of Hollywood existence as ballyhoo, bread and bourgeois. In the South, to judge your social status, they might ask you who…
-
Carole Goes Bang! Bang!
“Skeet shooting is Hollywood’s new rage and Carole Lombard is a consistent high scorer. Here she is in action, after a morning of work on the Made for Each Other set.” Click to enlarge:
-
{New Article} 1938: Happiness Ahead for Clark and Carole
Here’s another article with the all-too-common theme of “Will Ria ever give Clark a divorce? Will Clark and Carole ever marry?” Today Carole and Clark have put their love to the test of companionship, deep sympathy and understanding and they have found it stronger than either of them. Their heads no longer in the clouds, Clark and Carole know now. In a quiet, deeply happy, strong knowledge they are aware that they have revolutionized each other’s lives to the extent that nothing else matters, not even their careers of the white blinding light of stardom. Their intimates know that serenely and calmly, in the face of all obstacles and gossip,…
-
Gossip Friday: Something’s Missing
From December 1940: I knew something had been wrong with Hollywood these past few months. But I couldn’t put my finger on it. There didn’t seem to be any snap and pep in the place. Why there were days when everythings was as silent as the tomb. And just about as cheery. Now I know what was the matter and I am delighted to report that everything is inder control again. It was Missy Lombard–that charming screwball who has more humor in her little finger than an executive has in his entire writing department. Carole, the dope, went serious on us. No squeals and screams, no “simply out of this…
-
Ahoy to the USS Carole Lombard
Two years after the death of his wife, Clark joined Irene Dunne to launch the USS Carole Lombard, in honor of Carole and her dedication to her country. It is noted that the event was the first time in public that Clark visibly showed emotion over Carole. You can see the tears in his eyes, even in these newspaper photos. He had just come home from serving overseas and I am sure as he watched the ship back out of the harbor, it was with a heavy heart. Associated Press account: The mist that reddens a man’s eyes and passes for tears was plainly discernable in the eyes of Captain Clark Gable…
-
{New Article} 1941: She Knew What She Wanted
From 1941, this article, taking its title from her recent film, boasts the triumphs of Carole Lombard, a gal who knows what she wants and goes out and gets it! What makes Carole Lombard different from Ye Average Woman is that she knows what she wants. What removes her to another planet entirely is that she goes after it—and gets it. Most women lead lives of noisy desperation. They ask everyone, including the corner cop, just which man to marry, what dress to wear today, what car to buy, which recipes to use, and in the end what cemetery to choose for the final collapse. They haven’t the faintest idea of…
-
Gossip Friday: “What’s that you say?” and some Carole pics
From December 1939: If you want to drive Carole Lombard crazy, just pretend to talk merrily while she is under a dryer. She is certain that you are telling a juicy tidbit and that she’s missing out on something. She’ll never believe that you were simply saying that it’s hot for this time of year. ______ Coming up this weekend–rare pics of Clark and Carole in the gallery! Until then, here are some of my personal favorite shots of candid Carole. One of the reasons I adore her so is that her candids actually LOOK candid. She didn’t care if she came across as a total goofball or not. …
-
Carole as Her Own Critic
A brief photo-essay from Life Magazine, September 1940: This episode in the making of a movie is a dramatic moment rarely, if ever, photographed before. The movie is RKO’s version of They Knew What They Wanted, from the play that won Sidney Howard a Pulitzer Prize in 1925. The characters are director Garson Kanin, Actors Carole Lombard and Charles Laughton. For two months they have worked like beavers on what they beleive is to be a great movie script. They have had the usual quarrels. On location at Napa, Calif., 550 miles from home, they have run into the usual location troubles: bad weather, delays, throngs of bothersome autograph hounds.…