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Gossip Friday: A Silly Business
From January 1935: Clark Gable shoves his hands into his pockets at every oppurtunity. Close-ups frequently prevent the audience from noticing this, but it is quite apparent in long shots. Clark always gives the impression that acting is a silly business for a man and that he never feels quite at ease when engaged in it. And when a man is ill at ease it’s the most natural thing in the world for him to stick his hands in his pockets.
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Gone with the Wednesday: The Wind is Here Again!
Magazine ad for the re-release of Gone with the Wind in 1941. This was met with great fanfare, as there were many people who didn’t get to see it the first time around due to high ticket prices and long lines.
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In a Nutshell: The Misfits (1961)
In a Nutshell: The Misfits (1961) Directed by: John Huston Co-stars: Marilyn Monroe, Eli Wallach, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter Synopsis: The last film of two icons of the screen, The Misfits is a poetic end to the careers of both Gable and Monroe. Gable is Gay Langland, an aging cowboy in Reno who avoids responsibility and anything tying him down. He and his buddy Guido (Wallach) run into Roslyn (Monroe), a depressed ex-dancer who is in Reno getting a divorce. She’s been staying with Isabelle (Ritter) to establish her residency requirement for the divorce. They all have nowhere to be and no one to answer to, so they decide to head…
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Nutshell Reviews: But Not For Me (1959) and It Started in Naples (1960)
In a Nutshell: But Not For Me (1959) Directed by: Walter Lang Co-starring: Carroll Baker, Lilli Palmer Synopsis: Gable is Russ Ward, an aging Broadway producer deep in debt and losing his touch. When he finally decides to throw in the towel, his much younger secretary, Ellie Brown (Baker), admits to being in love with him. Her speech to him gives him the idea for a great play and he sets to work on it, reviving his career, leading Ellie on in the process. She proves she can play the lead role and becomes a success. Russ starts to have feelings for Ellie but his ever-present meddling ex-wife, Kathryn (Palmer) interferes. Best Gable Quote: “That’s…
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Happy 75th Anniversary, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard
75 years ago today, on March 29, 1939, Clark Gable married Carole Lombard in Kingman, Arizona. Clark’s description of the day himself: It has been written since then that Carole and I had that wedding day planned out for months in advance, but that’s not true. It happened this way. On the afternoon of March 28, I was finished with my scenes [in “Gone with the Wind”] about three in the afternoon. While I was taking off my make-up, the assistant director came over and said I didn’t need to work the next day. I called Carole at once and with the aid of a close friend, we headed out that…
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{New Article} Two Happy People: Part 1
Let’s kick off the weekend of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard’s 75th wedding anniversary with a new article, shall we? There were a LOT of articles written about Clark and Carole from the second they started flirting in 1936 through 1942 and even beyond. But my favorites, by far, are the series of articles written by James Street for Movie and Radio Guide magazine in May 1940. They are straightforward, laid back, non-fluffy and make you think you are sitting there chatting with Clark and Carole yourself. The series was four parts, with one focusing on Carole, one on Clark, one on their ranch home, and the final on their…
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Gossip Friday: Clark Gable? No Such Person
From April 1937: The screen’s most forward sophisticate has evidently learned that yesteryear’s reticence is best for a fine romance. At Paramount there is just no such person as Clark Gable. Carole Lombard is aghast at any suggestion that she be linked in print with Clark. However, at MGM he admits his fondness for her. Carole’s friends say that she’s too much in love to risk any blunders, and silence is her best bet.
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Nutshell Reviews: Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) and Teacher’s Pet (1958)
In a Nutshell: Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) Directed by: Robert Wise Co-stars: Burt Lancaster, Don Rickles, Jack Warden Synopsis: Gable is Commander Richardson, a steel-willed Navy captain whose submarine is sunk by the Japanese early in World War II. After a year strapped behind a desk, he jumps at the opportunity to command another submarine–much to the chagrin of Lieutenant Bledsoe (Lancaster), who was set to take over the sub. The crew all sides with Bledsoe and resists Richardson’s authority. There is much uproar when the crew of the sub discovers that Richardson has gone off of their planned path to seek revenge on the Japanese sub that blew…
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Nutshell Reviews: The King and Four Queens (1956) and Band of Angels (1957)
In a Nutshell: The King and Four Queens (1956) Directed by: Raoul Walsh Co-stars: Eleanor Powell, Jo Van Fleet, Barbara Nichols, Sara Shane, Jean Wiles Synopsis: In this Cinemascope Western, Gable is Dan Kehoe, a fugitive outlaw on the hunt for gold. In one town, he hears the story of the bandit McDade brothers, who were blown up in an explosion after stealing a huge pot of gold. Of the four, one escaped but no one knows which one. The gold was hidden by their mother, who is guarding it and the sons’ four wives in the deserted town of Wagon Mound. Kehoe makes up a story and hides out…
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Nutshell Reviews: Betrayed (1954), Soldier of Fortune (1955) and The Tall Men (1955)
In an Nutshell: Betrayed (1954) Directed by: Gottfried Reinhardt Co-stars: Lana Turner, Victor Mature Synopsis: Gable is Colonel Pieter Deventer of Dutch Intelligence during World War II. He trains Carla Van Oven (Turner) to be the liaison between the British and the local resistance movement, led by a spunky rogue called “The Scarf” (Mature). Before she is put into position Pieter and Carla begin a romance. The team starts to suffer heavy losses after she joins them and Pieter begins to suspect she is a Nazi spy, while at the same time Carla begins to suspect The Scarf. Best Gable Quote: “You stupid, whimpering fool. No, I’m the fool.…