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Gossip Friday: A Fan’s Plea to the Widower
A reader’s letter in a fan magazine, from August 1942: An Open Letter to Clark Gable Dear Clark, First of all, I want to extend to you my deepest sympathy. I can imagine, to some small degree, how much Carole meant to you, how you miss her cheery companionship, her contagious sportsmanship. We’ll all miss her—so please feel that we are eager to share your sorrow. But I want to ask you to think of us—the millions of your friends and hers—and beg you not to make that loss twofold. We can’t bring Carole back, but we can try to persuade you not to leave us. Won’t you please…
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Remembering Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard Gable died 72 years ago today, in a horrific plane crash. She was 33 years old. It’s always difficult to realize that she died such a long time ago, as she always comes across as so modern. This memorial article from Hollywood magazine sums her up quite nicely. Rather than being sappy about her death, it is rather a tribute to the person that she was. “This Was Carole,” Hollywood magazine, April 1942: Carole Lombard was a great woman. The president of the United States paid tribute to her and the service she gave her country in time of need. International press associations wrote in praise of her and named…
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Gone with the Wednesday: “I Was Afraid of Rhett Butler!”
One of the things I’ll be doing on “Gone with the Wednesdays” this year is revisiting the Gone with the Wind-themed articles in the archive. There are so many and I know that the archive is so hefty now that it is hard to find what you’re looking for sometimes. This article, “I Was Afraid of Rhett Butler!” appeared in Liberty magazine in February 1940 and is completely written by Clark Gable. It’s not very long so here it is in its entirety: Rhett Butler really put me on a spot, a hot one. Or rather Margaret Mitchell did when she created Rhett. I hope some day to have the privilege of…
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Gossip Friday: Let’s Save Clark!
Letter to the editor, February 1934: Why will movie producers insist on re-making Clark Gable into a sweet, gentle lover? Every time I see one of his pictures I grow more disappointed. The women fell in love with him because he was a big, capable, protecting he-man. The men fell for him because he’s a man’s man. Then why make the screen’s mostperfect he-man into a sissy? Let’s keep him a caveman! Mary K. Jones 709 St. Claire Ave. Grosse Pointe, Mich.
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Gone with the Wednesday: An English Girl as Scarlett?
From Hollywood magazine, April 1939: The two-year search for Gone with the Wind’s “Scarlett” is ended. You would think that all of the excitement would be over. You would think that those people who have debated passionately the relative merits of nearly every Hollywood actress for the part during these two years would welcome any decision. You would think that the hurricane of speculation and argument would due away to an exhausted sigh of relief. But arguing over Scarlett has become a habit, perhaps, because discussion still rages. “Vivien Leigh is absolutely unknown in this country!” protest those who had chosen, in their own minds, Bette Davis or Miriam Hopkins…
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{New Article} 1933: Clark Gable’s New Year Resolutions
It’s a new year! And back in 1933, new star Clark Gable was pretty much forced by this female reporter to announce his resolutions to the world. And he said to read more books, be more organized, drink less coffee and get to the gym every once in a while…oh wait, those aren’t his… This article is fluffy fluff fluff, so take his “resolutions” with a grain of salt, but who could help but swoon at the description of how he arrived to meet the reporter: Clark Gable came into his dressing room at the noon hour, dusty from the set of “Red Dust.” His shirt was open at the collar.…
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Gossip Friday: Gable for Negri?
From January 1932: We hear–unofficially–that far from deciding on Greta Garbo for “Grand Hotel,” Metro has decided to borrow Pola Negri for the chief female role and has offered, as an inducement to Pathe, to lend Clark Gable in exchange, for one picture! —- Interesting, but we all know Garbo did make “Grand Hotel” and Gable didn’t make another film for Pathe. Quite an idea, though…
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Introducing…Gone with the Wednesdays!
Happy New Year! 2014 is a special year for classic film fans, as it marks the 75th anniversary of what is considered the greatest year in film: 1939. And of course that means that we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of Gone with the Wind this year! To commemerate, every Wednesday there will be a GWTW item here on the blog–pictures, articles, audio, etc. Everything GWTW related that I have will be shared! Enjoy!
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2013 Year in Review
The following films were Movie of the Month in 2013: January: Test Pilot (1938) February: Somewhere I’ll Find You (1942) March: After Office Hours (1935) April: Polly of the Circus (1932) May: Boom Town (1940) June: Night Nurse (1931) July: Parnell (1937) August: Forsaking All Others (1934) September: Night Flight (1933) October: Comrade X (1940) November: Love on the Run (1936) December: Any Number Can Play (1949) In News this year: A three-part series on the Brown Derby Restaurant–Part One, Part Two, Part Three This website turned four! We celebrated the 100th birthday of Vivien Leigh. Audrey Totter died. Joan Fontaine died. The following articles were added to The Article Archive this…
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December Movie of the Month: Any Number Can Play (1949)
This month, Clark Gable is an unhappy gambling man, Alexis Smith his neglected wife, Mary Astor his pleading ex-flame and Wendell Corey is devious brother-in-law in Any Number Can Play. Gable is Charley Kyng, the owner of a gambling house in New York. After learning he has a heart problem, he begins to re-evaluate his life: his relationship with his wife (Smith) and teenage son (Darryl Hickman), his business and his associates. This is one of Clark’s films that I didn’t like very much initially but in subsequent viewings I have become to appreciate it more and more. It’s not a masterpiece but the script is very down to earth…