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Gossip Friday: The Toughest
From 1962: Joan Blondell says Hollywood should give her a “heart of gold” award when she celebrates her fiftieth year in show business. “I’ve given back more men to leading ladies than anybody else in the world,” laughed Joan. “The toughest was handing Clark Gable back to Greer Garson.”
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Gossip Friday: Share with Greer
From April 1945: The news that Greer Garson would play opposite Clark Gable in “The Strange Adventure” has caused a tidal wave of enthusiasm among the fans. Greer herself is so please about it she’s even offered Clark her royal dressing room suite to use while his old one is being redecorated. But you know the “old moose!” He thanked Greer and said he’d undress behind a couple of old packing boxes. He would, too.
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Gossip Friday: Misadventure
From February 1951: You can safely bet anything you have that Clark Gable and Greer Garson will never kiss each other, or anything each other, in any movie. “Gable’s Back and Garson’s Got Him!” I remember the ad excitement when Clark returned from the war, and Greer, then Queen of the Metro lot, grabbed him for “Adventure.” A better title might have been “Misadventure.” They never did hit it off. Some say it was because Greer was ready to work until 10:00am. Clark Gable stomped on the sidelines, made up and ready to go from 9:00am. But that I find hard to swallow. Greer is too conscientious an actress to…
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{New Article} 1952: The Inside Story Behind Clark Gable’s Feuds
This article, published while Clark Gable was in the midst of divorcing his fourth wife, Sylvia Ashley, promises some kind of inside information about juicy feuds involving the King of Hollywood. Not really though. These “feuds” are just between him and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, no big surprise there, and MGM, his home studio of 30+ years. Oh and he also doesn’t like Greer Garson. Not really juicy. The amount of the financial settlement Sylvia Gable is to receive, however, was not decided upon. Certainly, it will be much less than $500,000. The chances are she will settle for $50,000 and legal expenses amounting perhaps to $25,000 more. When Clark was asked…
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Gossip Friday: It’s a Wonderful Party
From March 1947 (Louella Parsons): There was something very heartwarming in the dinner given by Frank Capra, George Stevenson, Sam Briskin and William Wyler to launch their hit, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and bring Jimmy Stewart back to his fans and friends. I say “heartwarming” because the famous hosts had invited all the actors who have EVER appeared in any of their pictures to be present along with the top-notchers of today, and so the whole charming affair at the Ambassador Hotel was a sentimental reunion of old and new stars and old and new friends. At one table, I saw Viola Dana (she was the darling of her day),…
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Movie of the Week: Adventure (1945)
Gable’s Back and Garson’s Got Him in this week’s Movie of the Week, Adventure (1945). After Carole Lombard died in January 1942, the widowed King of Hollywood halfheartedly completed Somewhere I’ll Find You and retreated from public view. Gossip items popped up here and there, announcing he’d star in this film or that film, but none came to fruition. Instead the public saw their haggard-looking King being sworn into the Army Air Corps in August 1942, wearing the same suit he wore to his wife’s funeral. Clark Gable had reigned over Hollywood for eleven years at this point; in the early 1930’s he starred in several films a year. Now…
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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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{May Movie of the Month} Adventure (1945)
“Gable’s Back and Garson’s Got Him!” You couldn’t tread many places without hearing MGM’s infectious tagline for Adventure. The return of Clark Gable after a three year absence from the screen was heralded high and low. Clark, now a decorated war hero and a widower, was a bit thicker around the middle, a bit grayer around the temples, a bit sadder in the eyes…but was back in the saddle. While Clark had been overseas, British import Greer Garson had become the #1 leading lady at MGM, after such hits as Mrs. Miniver and Random Harvest. In the beginning this film has a lot in common with Teacher’s Pet, which would…
