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{New Article} 1934: Clark Gable Replies
As a followup to this article posted this week, “An Open Letter to Clark Gable,” here’s Clark’s response to claims that he’s gone “high hat.” Anyhow, thanks for the kick in the pants. Perhaps I needed it. I just finished rereading your open letter to me in the August issue of HOLLYWOOD and if talk like that is going around, you can tell the world I want to answer it. You ask if I’m going high-hat. My answer is No! You ask if I’m going social, if I’ve traded my turtleneck sweaters for a tuxedo. No again! I’d rather climb into a leather jacket and a pair of hiking boots…
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{New Article} 1934: An Open Letter to Clark Gable
This article is one of these “Open Letters” that often appeared in fan magazines of the period; they would be written by fan magazine writer “friends” of the star and then the following month the star would “respond.” When Laurette Taylor became a big star in Peg O’ My Heart, she noticed that the audiences were not as friendly to her as they had been at the beginning of the play. She complained to her husband, Hartley Manners, author of the play, and asked him why. “Because,” said Manners, “when you were on the way up you asked your audience to love you. Now that you are on top, you…
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{New Article} 1934: Gable-Crazy!
This article from June 1934 details some of the outlandish experiences Clark Gable had with crazy fans on his public appearance tour to the east coast. It’s not easy being a film star, folks: A toll of Gable’s losses on his short trip includes the following articles: 27 silk handkerchiefs 33 buttons torn from his clothes 1 complete sleeve of a dress shirt 1 lapel from the coat of a business suit 1 pair of bedroom slippers 1 top half of a pair of silk pajamas 1 wrist watch Anybody find that their grandmother or great-grandmother had one of Clark Gable’s buttons or shirt sleeves? Many and strange were the…
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Gossip Friday: Not So Hot
From February 1934: Baltimore–Clark Gable, the movie star, who is supposed to send the female heart a-fluttering, may not be so hot. Two hundred and fifty Washington misses were invited to have tea with the one and only Gable, appearing here in a theatrical tour, and 13 came. ___ Poor Clark. Any volunteers?
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{New Article} 1934: Why I Like To Be Alone
Here is another article from 1934. This one is a typical “Clark Gable isn’t into the glamour and glitz of Hollywood! He is an outdoorsy, simple man just like you!” piece. “Hollywood is over-civilized! A man could go soft in this place in a month. I had to fight like the devil during the first year or so to keep my perspective. Too much chatter. Too many parties. Too much bunk! That’s why I took to going off the backwoods by myself. I had to do that or go crazy…” This was Clark Gable—the last of Hollywood’s Great Untamed—speaking. “The Last of Hollywood’s Great Untamed”—oh brother. He looks you…
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{New Article} 1934: Clark Gable’s Real Family Life!
Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing new-to-the-site articles from the year 1934. We’ll start out with this one, which proclaims with an exclamation point that it’s about Clark Gable’s Real Family Life! A rather deceptive title. Clark at this time was a superstar; 1934 saw him win national acclaim for his performance in It Happened One Night, and his films with Joan Crawford that year had been hits. His studio, MGM, was not too pleased that their manly man star that had women falling at his feet came with a much older, matronly wife with two kids in tow. But that’s what they had to work with, so…
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Gossip Friday: Update on Clark
From January 1945: The delay in Clark Gable’s return to the screen is due to his refusal to do service pictures. “I turned down several scripts,” Clark tells me, “because they can’t help from making a hero out of you and I wouldn’t feel good about that considering the people who really are doing something about the war.” Clark wants to come back in something that is straight entertainment. Either “Strange Adventure” or “Lucky Baldwin” is okay with him. And now about those persistent rumors that Gable will wed Dolly O’Brien, widow of Jay O’Brien. Clark is close-mouthed about this sort of thing but I don’t believe these two good…
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Gossip Friday: No Castles
From August 1936 (Jimmy Fidler): I laughed myself ill over Clark Gable’s attempts to rent a modest five-room bungalow. After his separation from Mrs. Rhea Gable, Clark headquartered at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, much to the delight of autograph hunters who greeted his every appearance in so central a spot. For weeks he sought a small house with sufficient grounds to accommodate his dogs, but real estate agents had other ideas; they insisted on leading Clark to country estates and town castles. So one morning he said, “T’hell with hit” and turned the house-hunting job over to a friend who proved successful.
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Gossip Friday: Gable Oranges
From April 1939: If Clark Gable wants to rubber-stamp his oranges with a likeness of himself he can make a fortune from them, he was informed recently. On the Encino ranch which Gable recently purchased there are between 800 and 900 Valencia orange trees, now loaded with fruit. A Valley packing house made him an offer to buy the crop at a figure far above the market price, if Gable will allow his picture to be used on the boxes and on the individual oranges, which will be sold as the “Gable Oranges.” __ Well that never came to fruition. Haha, see what I did there….
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Gossip Friday: April Fool!
From April 1, 1939: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard today denied any marriage plans and said that they are “just good friends.” “It was merely a publicity stunt from the beginning,” chuckled Miss Lombard. “Why, I am young enough to be Mr. Gable’s sister! He is really engaged to May Robson, and I have consented to marry Mr. Jasper Jitterwhisk, a tap drummer. Mr. Gable is returning all my presents except Bessie, the mule, which he needs for his spring plowing.” APRIL FOOL! ___ That was really printed in the paper as an April Fools joke, along with other gems like “After changing his director, scene artist, cameraman and several…
