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Gossip Friday: The Gift of Blueprints
From February 1937: Carole Lombard’s birthday present to Clark Gable was an automobile trailer to carry his saddle horse. Being practical, Carole sent the blueprints first for Clark to okay. The trailer will be constructed along deluxe lines and will hook onto the back of the star’s new station wagon.
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Gossip Friday: Mystery Cake
From March 1938: Clark Gable celebrated a birthday on February 2. He still wants to know who presented him with a birthday cake inscribed, “Long Live the King.” He was recently declared “King of the Movies” in a national poll. He thinks the cake was sent by Spencer Tracy. Carole Lombard presented him with furniture for his new ranch house and many books. Clothes designers of America have announced that Clark is the best-dressed man in movies. Clark has thanked them for the honor, but declares that he does not want to be known as a clothes dummy. “I wear good clothes because pictures demand them,” he said, “but off-screen…
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Happy Birthday, Clark Gable
Clark Gable would be a spritely 116 years old if he was alive today. Born in a simple duplex on a snowy morning in Cadiz, Ohio, it is hard to imagine that the dark haired boy would one day be the King of Hollywood. William “Bill” Gable and his new wife Adeline “Addie” Hershelman Gable left their home in their native Meadville, Pennsylvania and traveled by train to Cadiz in early 1900. Cadiz at that time was quickly drawing new residents because of a new oil field erected there. Bill Gable always went where the oil was, and so on to Cadiz it was. Booming with oilmen, rental space was…
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{75th Anniversary of Carole Lombard’s Death} January 23, 1942
Now that Carole had been properly laid to rest, the focused shifted to the grieving widower. Gable To Seek Solace in Work Clark Gable, turned from a swashbuckling, carefree prankster into a depressed, grief-stricken recluse by the tragic death of Carole Lombard, will seek solace in work. The fun-loving screen star was so anguished by loss of his wife that he wanted only to be alone. Shielded by studio executives, Gable has been so alone that friends became alarmed at his depressed brooding. Gable hasn’t yet gone to his Encino ranch where he and Carole lived so fully and joyously. He’s in seclusion at a friend’s home. He has left…
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{75th Anniversary of Carole Lombard’s Death} January 22, 1942
The morning of January 22 brought details from Carole and her mother’s brief funeral, held the day before. Simple Funeral Rites Held for Carole Lombard Actress is Buried With Other Movie Immortals in Memorial Park Carole Lombard was with the other movie immortals in Forest Lawn Memorial Park today. After a brief, simple service–in accordance with the wish expressed in her will–the bodies of Miss Lombard and her mother, Elizabeth K. Peters, were interred in the green acres where are buried Marie Dressler, Will Rogers, Jean Harlow, Douglas Fairbanks, Lon Chaney, Tom Mix and many another movie star. The sealed coffins of Miss Lombard and her mother, killed in last…
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{75th Anniversary of Carole Lombard’s Death} January 21, 2016
January 21 brought news of Carole’s funeral to be held later that day at Forest Lawn. Carole Lombard Funeral at Forest Lawn Private funeral services, with only intimate friends present, were arranged for 4:00pm today, in the Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, for screen star Carole Lombard and her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth K. Peters. The bodies, recovered from the Nevada mountain top where a commercial airliner carried 22 persons to their deaths last Friday night, were taken from a train at Pomona this morning and transported by hearse to the cemetery. Carole Lombard’s husband, Clark Gable, issued a statement, saying: “Miss Lombard and her mother,…
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Gossip Friday: Scouting a Star
From July 1941: Because Clark Gable and Carole Lombard interested themselves in his career, tall handsome Reed Hadley, who hails from Texas via New York theatre and radio acting stopovers, appears to be safely launched in Hollywood. Young Hadley first attracted Miss Lombard’s attention when he appeared with her on a national radio broadcast. Gable met him at that time also. Both were impressed with young Hadley’s appearance and talents. Gable subsequently suggested to Director Clarence Brown that Hadley be tested for the role of a young British officer in “They Met in Bombay” at MGM. Gable and Rosalind Russell are co-starring in the picture and a requirement of the…
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{75th Anniversary of Carole Lombard’s Death} January 20, 2016
On January 20, grieving Clark Gable took his wife and mother-in-law’s broken bodies back to California. Gable Plans to Take Carole’s Body Back to Hollywood Today Clark Gable planned to return to Hollywood with the crushed body of his wife, Carole Lombard, today after identification of the body of the film actress’ mother. Gable’s film studio associates said a double funeral would be held tomorrow or Thursday for Miss Lombard and her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Peters, both victims of an airline crash in which 22 were killed. Only a few personal friends will be invited to the services at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, it said. Miss Lombard’s body will…
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{75th Anniversary of Carole Lombard’s Death} January 19, 1942
By Monday, the reports were grim indeed. Dental Records Needed to Identify Remains of Carole Lombard Gable Grim But Brave During Long Ordeal Tentative arrangements were made today to return the shattered body of Film Star Carole Lombard, killed with her mother and 20 others in an airliner crash Friday night, to Hollywood tonight in custody of her grieving husband, Clark Gable Plans called for the body to be placed on the Union Pacific, Los Angeles Limited leaving Las Vegas at 9:20pm and arriving Los Angeles at 8:30am tomorrow. Definite arrangements were delayed pending positive identification of the body of Miss Lombard’s mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Peters. Studio associates of Gable…
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{75th Anniversary of Carole Lombard’s Death} January 18, 1942
By the time Americans received their Sunday morning papers on January 18, the headlines changed from Carole Lombard being “feared” dead to being a confirmed casualty. Carole Lombard Among 22 Killed in Air Crash Blonde, carefree screen actress Carole Lombard, her mother and 20 other occupants of a luxurious TWA skysleeper crashed to flaming death last night on 8,5000-foot Table mountain. Searchers on horseback reached the scene today, nearly 18 hours later, and found the shattered wreckage, with bodies scattered for hundreds of yards up the mountain’s face/ Because 15 army ferry pilots were aboard, army guards were sent to the scene to take charge. A patrol also barred the…