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Gossip Friday: One Take, Please
From August 1951: Uncertain though their future plans may be, to watch [Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner] together is to fully realize their deep devotion for each other. Following lunch, we sat on the “Lone Star” set and watched Frankie boy’s best beautiful girl being made love to by—Clark Gable! “Any suggestions?” called out the King to the crooner. “Just do it in ONE take!” was the kidding answer.
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Gossip Friday: Most Kissed Man
From May 1947: By the time he finishes “The Hucksters,” Clark Gable will be the most-kissed man in Hollywood. His first scene called for him to kiss Connie Gilchrist, who plays a telephone operator; three times. Later the same day, he kissed Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner and five-year-old Diane Perrine! Clark has dropped 20 pounds since he made “Adventure”–and not from all that kissing, either. He didn’t like the way he looked on the screen with all that weight and went to work exercising it off. Here’s a little tip that may interest you. After seeing Gable and Ava Gardner in action, MGM is thinking about remaking some of the…
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Movie of the Week: Red Dust (1932) and Mogambo (1953)
This week, we’ve got Clark Gable in the original and the remake of the story about a man in a foreign land torn between a prim married lady and a good-times girl in Red Dust (1932) and Mogambo (1953). In both films, Clark is an American living in a foreign land with a job to do, who gets distracted when a fun-loving gal shows up. After a brief dalliance with her (she falls in love, he thinks it just a fling), a dignified couple show up to work/do research. Clark soon falls for the wife, bad girl gets jealous, love triangle ensues. Setting: RD: Set on a rubber plantation in…
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Movie of the Week: Lone Star (1952) and Never Let Me Go (1953)
This week, Clark Gable is an 1845 Texas cattle baron chasing Ava Gardner and an American war correspondent chasing Gene Tierney in the back-to-back features Lone Star (1952) and Never Let Me Go (1953). In Lone Star, a semi-factual historical western, Clark is Devereaux Burke, a cattle baron enlisted by President Andrew Jackson (Lionel Barrymore) in 1845 to help convince Texas to become part of the United States. He encounters newspaperwoman Martha Ronda (Ava Gardner) and her beau, Senator Thomas Craden (Broderick Crawford) who want Texas to become its own republic. Devereaux and Martha soon fall in love despite their differing opinions and he prepares for a final showdown with…
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Gossip Friday: An Unfortunate Shrine
From October 1947 (Louella Parsons): Say what you will, there’s nobody like Clark Gable. With his charm, it will be a long time before the King is displaced. Younger men have come along to dazzle the gals, but none has yet hit with the force of a Gable. Oh, sure–there have been times when Clark has miffed me, and long periods would go by when we didn’t see one another. But it is impossible to be in his company more than a split second, and not fall under his fascinating spell again. Not long ago, he came to see me and we had a grand time drinking coffee in the…
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{Photos} Mogambo (1953)
Let’s have a look at some of the fantastic photos from Mogambo (1953) today… Shot on location in the wilds of Africa, the film provides some pretty great on the set shots: Clark Gable and co-star Grace Kelly’s relationship became romantic during filming and the candids from the set certainly don’t hide that fact: Sure, Clark and Grace were getting friendly in their tents, but there are some great candids of pals Clark and Ava on the set together: Hey, when you are out in the middle of nowhere in Africa, everybody needs haircuts: And, naturally, some Clark closeups:
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September Movie of the Month: Lone Star (1952)
This month, Clark is a tough cattle baron and Ava Gardner is a sassy newspaperwoman in 1800’s Texas in Lone Star (1952). In this semi-factual historical western, Gable is Devereaux Burke, a cattle baron enlisted by President Andrew Jackson (Barrymore) in 1845 to help convince Texas to become part of the United States. Gable encounters newspaperwoman Martha Ronda (Gardner) and her beau, Senator Thomas Craden (Crawford) who want Texas to become its own republic. Devereaux and Martha soon fall in love despite their differing opinions and he prepares for a final showdown with Craden. This is definitely not Clark’s best Western….by a long shot. I daresay it’s his worst one.…
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Nutshell Reviews: Never Let Me Go (1953) and Mogambo (1953)
In a Nutshell: Never Let Me Go (1953) Directed by: Delmer Daves Co-stars: Gene Tierney Synopsis: Gable is Philip Sutherland, an American war correspondent stationed in Moscow. He falls in love with Marya (Tierney), a Russian ballet dancer. After they wed, Philip receives orders to ship back to the United States, but they find that the Russian government will not grant Marya a passport to leave Russia. When Philip is tricked into leaving without her, he sets about forming a plan to smuggle her out of Russia. Best Gable Quote: “When the time comes for me to go, you go with me or I don’t go at all.” Fun Fact:…
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Nutshell Reviews: Across the Wide Missouri (1951) and Lone Star (1952)
In a Nutshell: Across the Wide Missouri (1951) Directed by: William Wellman Co-stars: Ricardo Montalban, Adolphe Menjou Synopsis: Gable is Flint Mitchell, a fur trapper from Kentucky leading a group of French and Scottish trappers through the rugged West in the 1820′s. Battling Blackfoot Indians all the way, especially their chief Ironshirt (Montalban), he finds love with an Indian chief’s granddaughter (portrayed by Mexican actress Maria Elena Marques). Best Gable Quote: “You’re full of magic…the one woman in the world for me and I love you, pigeon. Maybe I didn’t know it when I found you but I know it now. You can’t understand what I’m trying to tell you…
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November Movie of the Month: Mogambo (1953)
This month’s film is the 1953 jungle romance-adventure Mogambo. The most interesting thing about this film is that it is a remake of Red Dust, with Clark reprising his role. What man could reprise the leading role of the jungle Lothario twenty years later? Only Clark Gable, of course. Gable is Victor Marswell, who earns his living in Africa by trapping wild animals for zoos and carnivals. His no-nonsense way of life is interrupted by the arrival of Eloise “Honey Bear” Kelly (Ava Gardner), a sassy showgirl from New York who is stranded there. They clash at first but soon are bedfellows. Just as Honey Bear leaves, anthropologist Donald Nordley…
