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Gossip Friday: Grand Marshal
From March 1947: While we were there [on the set of “Song of Love”], Clark Gable came over to pay his respects to Katharine [Hepburn]. He had just started shooting on “The Hucksters” with Deborah Kerr, Metro’s new English star. If you haven’t already seen Deborah in the English picture “Vacation from Marriage” you have a treat in store for you when “The Hucksters” is released. In person, she has the same charm that we’ve noted in so many of the English actresses who have come over to this country recently–warmth, sincerity, and poise. Deborah told me, when I went over to her set, that Clark has been most gracious…
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Gossip Friday: Nice to Meet You
From 1948: Deborah Kerr: “It’s been told before, but I think it bears repeating–how I got to meet Clark Gable, with whom I starred in my first American picture, THE HUCKSTERS. I was introduced to him at the studio, but not by any of its officials; instead, by my own husband! Imagine Tony not ever telling me that he and Clark were old friends, having worked together when Clark was a member of the US Army Air Force in England! We were in Mr. Mayer’s office when Clark strode in. I took a quick breath and prepared to be my most charming self, but before anyone could say anything, Clark…
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Gossip Friday: Intelligent and Sensitive
From June 1948: On “The Hucksters” set, Clark Gable and Deborah Kerr were going through a scene in the rear of a taxi. Clark looked exceedingly well…. Producer Arthur Hornblow strolled over and [said] what a pleasure it was to work with Clark. “He knows the script inside out weeks in advance and if there is a complaint to be made, he makes it before the picture starts instead of waiting until the day of the scene. And intelligent, sensitive actor,” Mr. Hornblow pronounced him.
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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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Nutshell Reviews: Adventure (1945), The Hucksters (1947) and Homecoming (1948)
In a Nutshell: Adventure (1945) Directed by: Victor Fleming Co-stars: Greer Garson, Thomas Mitchell Synopsis: Gable is Harry Patterson, a hard-boiled, womanizing sailor. When his ship is destroyed by a Japanese sub and he and his crew–including best pal Mudgin (Mitchell) –are stuck in San Francisco, he meets a stoic spinster librarian, Emily (Garson) and her bubbly roommate, Helen (Blondell). Despite their differences, Harry and Emily fall in love and impulsively decide to get married. They soon realize they made a mistake and Harry heads back out to sea. But he discovers maybe Emily has changed him and the life of a sailor isn’t as appealing as it was before.…
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{Photos} Kiss Me, Clark
I’m sure you’ve heard the song by the Postal Service, which is titled “Clark Gable.” The line that features his name is “I’ll kiss you in a way Clark Gable would have admired.” Say what you want about Clark and his acting limitations, but that man was a born onscreen lover! Rosalind Russell recalled: “The only man who could make a love scene comfortable was Clark Gable. He was born graceful, he knew what to do with his feet and when he took hold of you, there was no fooling around.” Let’s get a lesson in the fine art of onscreen lip locking from Mr. Gable himself…
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February Movie of the Month: The Hucksters (1947)
Voted on by you Gable fans…The Hucksters is the Movie of the Month for February! And the winner of The Hucksters on DVD is Debbie Moore, who voted via Facebook! The Hucksters is my personal favorite of Clark’s films after he returned from the war. The script is good and with a cast that includes Deborak Kerr, Ava Gardner, Sydney Greenstreet and Adolphe Menjou, Clark is surrounded by talent. It was the first script offered to him after the war that he actually liked. The film is considered a drama, but it has some comedic moments and is really more of a satire, ridiculing the advertising industry. Clark’s character, Victor “Vic” Norman…
