• Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Signed by Carole

    From November 1937: Bank clerks used to have fifty million fits trying to figure out whether or not Carole Lombard’s checks were forgeries or the real thing. Carole, it seems, never writes her name twice in the same manner, and you can readily see how it might be a trifle confusing to the boys in the cages. But Fieldsie, her secretary manager, finally came to their rescue and devised a plan whereby every Lombard check must have a special notation on it before a bank clerk is to honor it. New this week: Hundreds of new pictures in the gallery, including new Clark and Carole candids and interior pictures of…

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Serving Carole

    Since Sunday is the 71st anniversary of Clark and Carole’s marriage, here’s some gossip on her from 1940: When the “They Knew What They Wanted” company had to go to Napa, California, for a two weeks’ location trip, most of the company lived in tents. But Carole Lombard decided that tenting was not to her liking and in as much as there wasn’t a hotel in Napa she stayed at a ranch nearby. Every night when she came back to the ranch for dinner after a day on location she noticed she was waited on by a different servant. On the fourth night, when she noticed the fourth change in…

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Clark’s Rival

    From September 1937: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard told us this one. They were coming away from the fights the other night when a newsboy–age ten–gave Carole a paper. Clark fished for a coin, but the boy stopped him. Giving the burly Gable–ordinarily a great favorite of youngsters his age–a dirty look, he said: “Keep your pennies, you big ham! I’m GIVING this paper to Miss Lombard–see?” New this week: Pictures in the gallery A rare article from 1932 in the Article Archive TV Listings have been updated through May

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Tuesday night in Hollywood

    From February 1937: This is the thing that keeps Hollywood the town of enchanting contradiction and makes it the most unexplainable spot in the world. Take one particular Tuesday evening in Hollywood, for instance. At the Cocoanut Grove: Lights, music, champagne, movie stars, a Joan Bennett surprise party, a director and a blonde actress breaking their hearts for a love they can’t have. On a Laurel Canyon hillside: A barbecue, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Sandra, his wife, hot sizzling steaks, stars overhead, old-time songs, new-time stories and mustard. In the overflow meeting for a religious lecture: Director Frank Capra, Ginger Rogers and her mother, Sid Grauman,…

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Clark’s Valentine

    From September 1940: Happy-though-married Clark Gable keeps Carole Lombard’s dressing room filled with red roses. And Gene Raymond keeps Jeanette MacDonald well supplied with pink roses, pink being Jeanette’s favorite color. Lots of new stuff this week: New rare pictures in the gallery–hundreds added! A new article in the Article Archive by Norma Shearer describing her favorite male costars A new radio show in the Multimedia section–The Buccaneer  from 1938  

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Lunch at RKO

    From September 1940: None of this light lunch on a card table in the dressing room for Clark Gable. He eats a hearty lunch in the Metro commissary every day when he is working, and his presence rarely causes a flutter, except when there are tourists lunching there. But the other day he went over to the RKO studio to have lunch with Carole and there was so much excitement in the commissary that things didn’t get normal for hours. The waitresses became completely confused and people got soup who never ordered soup, and the poor RKO stars, who aren’t appreciated on their home lot, got shoved around something awful.…

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: Flying Lessons

    From June 1940:   Clark Gable and Carole Lombard have decided to buy a plane and learn to fly. Paul Mantz, who has a fat business flying elopers to Nevada, is set to give them instructions.   This is particularly eerie. As far as I know these lessons never happened and they never bought a plane. But what if they had? Would that have changed Carole’s fate? Interesting to ponder with the 68th anniversary of her death being tomorrow.  I’ve often wondered too if Clark had accompanied Carole on the trip to Indiana, would they have taken the train together? Or would they have decided to take the plane back…

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: New Ranch

    From December 1937: We don’t know just how near Mrs. Ria Gable is to suing her famous husband for divorce, but to all appearances Clark and Carole Lombard are preparing for the eventuality. Carole has bought fifty acres in San Fernando Valley; fifteen of the acres are under cultivation and the rest will be left for Clark’s horses to wander over. It’s our understanding that when and if he is ever free to marry Carole, they’ll put up a ranch house there. Interesting that this was December 1937. This is the earliest I have heard of Carole buying the ranch. That would mean she owned it 15 months before they…

  • Anniversary

    70 years ago today…

    Gone with the Wind premiered in Atlanta, the biggest event the town had ever seen. Clark and Carole were front and center for the festivities. Although Carole shyly told reporters that she was only there to support Clark, Clark told everyone back in Hollywood proudly, “Ma was the star of the show! Nobody could take their eyes off her!” Here’s their itinerary: Thursday, December 14: 3:30pm–Arrive Sky-Sleeper from Hollywood with Howard Strickland and Nelson Milikan 3:45pm–Depart for parade through downtown Atlanta Clark and Carole ride with William Hartsfield, mayor of Atlanta 4:30pm–Arrive at the Georgian Terrace Hotel Clark gives a speech, receives a box of Atlanta china as a gift…

  • Gossip

    Gossip Friday: A Public Tiff

    From May 1940: They do say that Carole Lombard and Clark Gable had their first little tiff in public the other day, and Carole walked out of a party in a huff! Seems all was forgiven a few days later, as they appeared arm in arm at  Bob Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck’s table at Ciro’s, with Carole sporting a new sapphire clip.