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Gossip Friday: The Perfect Man
From November 1936: Virginia Bruce, who is seen with filmland’s most eligible young men, enjoys a variety of escorts, because, she says, “No one man combines all the qualities I like.” The perfect escort, according to the Hollywood actress, would have to possess the best points of the men. She lists them: Robert Taylor to make all the other girls jealous. Jack Dempsey for protection. Clark Gable for his manly characteristics. Noel Coward for his wit. Fred Astaire as a dancing partner. George Bernard Shaw for his intelligent conversation. William Powell for his spontaneous good humor. James Stewart for his lack of affectation. Cesar Romero for his polished manners. Francis…
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{New Article} 1950: Love Walked In
Here is another article Modern Screen magazine ran just a few months after the article I posted yesterday. This one goes into more (fluffy fluffy fluffy) detail about Clark and Sylvia’s “great romance.” For the actor he is, Clark Gable put on a bad performance these past few years. Loneliness stood out on him like a neon sign. The evenings he spent at his Encino ranch home, he’d wander from room to room, pick up a book and drop it, pick up a phone and decide not to call, sink into a chair and stare at nothing. The nights he went out the newshounds followed him to parties and theaters…
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{New Article} 1950: Fit For a King
This article was published in March 1950, one in a sea of articles heralding Clark Gable’s fourth marriage to Sylvia Ashley. They sat opposite me at Amelio’s, one of those restaurants in San Francisco where the steaks are tender and titanic. I tried not to stare. Clark and Sylvia Gable had been married only 48 hours. In another two, they would head for pier 32, and board the S.S. Lurline for Honolulu and their honeymoon. As I say, I tried not to stare. But after all, I’m a woman with a woman’s curiosity, and I couldn’t help myself. There, sitting opposite me was Clark Gable, the King, the most celebrated…
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Gossip Friday: Awkward Neighbors
From December 1937: There was an awkward moment at the tennis matches the other day when Clark Gable and Carole Lombard found themselves in the next box to Mrs. Rhea Gable.
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Remembering Carole Lombard
Today marks 74 years since Carole Lombard died suddenly at age 33. She was the victim, along with her mother and one of Clark’s closest friends, of a fiery plane crash near Las Vegas. A difficult day for Clark Gable and Carole Lombard fans, as in a way it ended both of their lives. Carole’s life was over and with it went Clark’s entire way of life; he was never the same. Here is a bit of a collection of articles in her memory: From the article Goodbye, Carole: “I have seen flames around the plane and there seems to be nobody left alive.” Out of far West vastness eight…
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Gossip Friday: A Request to Regress
From January 1934: The latest report from The Merry Widow front is that Clark Gable has asked the studio to permit him to appear in the production as an extra. There are sentimental reasons behind the request. Gable was an extra in the silent version six years ago. The earlier Merry Widow won fame for Roy D’Arcy, whose name has passed from the lists of major stars now, and Clark is at the other end of the film see-saw. At the moment of writing there is very little prospect of the Metro moguls acceding to his request.
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{New Article} 1955: Clark Gable: After 25 Years in Hollywood, He’s On His Own
This article about post-MGM Clark was syndicated in newspapers in 1955. After a quarter of a century in the movie business, William Clark Gable, the acknowledged king of the actors, has decided at the ripe age of 54 to go on his own. “From here on in,” Gable confided recently in Durango, Mexico, where he was on location for The Tall Men, “I’m through working for salary. I’ve been on salary since 1930, and I’ve got less to show for that kind of security than most people think. “The thing for an actor to do nowadays is to work for a share of the picture’s profits. You’ve gotta take a…
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Gossip Friday: Happy New Year in Hawaii
From June 1950: December 31, 1949 was our last vacation day in Hawaii, and some friends and I decided to make it one we’d never forget. At 1:00am, after seeing the New Year in, we took one last spin along Waikiki Beach, hoping to meet some celebrities we could talk about back home. Suddenly a sparkling 1950 car drive up alongside ours, and a handsome person stretched out his head and yelled, “Happy New Year!” Surprised as we were, we quickly answered, “Happy New Year Clark Gable…Happy New Year, Mrs. Gable!” Winifred Chinem Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Gossip Friday: What’s Ahead for 1940
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! From January 1940, “Hollywood psychic” reveals what was in store for Clark Gable and Carole Lombard in that coming year: Both may expect a fine year. But there is someone in the background who is trying to make trouble for them. Clark faces a minor operation, and Carole must watch her health also. Toward the end of the year, a baby adoption is indicated. _____ Not so much….
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2015 Year in Review
Happy 2016! This year, I slacked in some areas (no Movie of the Month features for the majority of the year, yikes), not as many articles posted as I’d like (I still have over 80 waiting to be typed), but did a lot of things that I’ve been meaning to do for years (reviewing “Gable and Lombard” (1976), digging into old newspapers to research Mrs. Gables, the site got a new webhost and a makeover, which was a long time coming). New articles added to the Article Archive this year: 1935: This Belongs to You! This Belongs to Me! 1935: I’m No Ladies Man, Says Clark Gable 1945: Gable! 1936: Gable’s…