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{New Article} 1948: The Gable Women
This 1948 article is one in a long list of ones from this time period after the War, after Carole, but before Sylvia, where the press was trying to guess who the next Mrs. Gable would be. This game would restart after Sylvia left the picture. At this point, in late 1948, the list of probable Mrs. Gables was narrowed down to Dolly O’Brien, Slim Hawks, Iris Bynum, Anita Colby and Virginia Grey. what of Anita Colby, Hollywood’s most glamourous executive? The fans were asking that one, because of all the Gable dates, she has received the most publicity. Anita is one of those girls everybody likes. It seems inconceivable…
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Gossip Friday: Iris, Betty, Virginia or Dolly?
From April 1949: Iris Bynum, the beautiful brunette from Dallas, Texas, was sure she had Clark Gable hooked for all of three weeks, last winter. But when Arizona socialite Mrs. Betty Chisholm came to town, Clark parked his fancy British car on her doorstep at the Beverly Hills Hotel. When Betty returned home, Clark had another date with iris at Ocean House, where she toils as hostess. But when Keenan Wynn asked Iris for a dance, Clark walked out in a huff and followed Mrs. Chisholm to Arizona. (I hope you are still following me!) Clark wants to marry–that I am told by the beautiful blonde he usually returns to,…
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{New Article} 1951: The Girl Who Won Gable Back
This article is a follow-up to the one I posted a few weeks ago, Clark Gable’s Secret Romance. That 1949 article was all about the sweet, secret romance between Clark Gable and Virginia Grey. Well, by the end of that year Clark had married his fourth wife, Sylvia, and left Virginia in the dust, despite Modern Screen magazine’s insistence that Virginia would be the next Mrs. Gable. By the time this article was published in November 1951, Sylvia had moved out and Clark was back on the market. The night she heard of Clark Gable’s marriage to Sylvia Ashley, she cried her eyes out. Later, her sister came by, took…
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{New Article} 1949: Clark Gable’s Secret Romance
Out of the many, many ladies that Clark escorted around after the death of Carole Lombard, the one with the most staying power was Virginia Grey. Attractive blonde Virginia was never an A-list star but had small roles in Clark’s films Idiot’s Delight and Test Pilot and was great as Joan Crawford’s wisecrackin’ co-worker in The Women, among other roles. Clark and Virginia were spotted together sporadically from 1943 until 1949. This article is from March 1949 and laments the end of their relationship. When Clark Gable left California for his European jaunt last summer he spent his last afternoon visiting a girl who lives not far from his house in…
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Gossip Friday: Leading the Field
From June 1954: Clark Gable and Virginia Grey have resumed their long, long romance. If there is to be a fifth Mrs. Clark Gable this year, the Grey lass seems to be leading the field. There was quite a lot of excitement around when Clark Gable sent flowers to Virginia Grey when she was in the hospital as a result of an automobile accident. Virginia was one of his more serious romances, you know. But nothing happened except that Virginia got well, thank heaven, and Mr. G. went back to his Arizona ranch.
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Hollywood Loses its King
“No one, not even Brando, has ever approached Gable. He’s the king–and he always will be.” ~Joan Crawford Clark Gable died of a heart attack 51 years ago today, at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. Clark Gable, All-Time King of Movie Stars, Dies of Heart Attack by James Bacon HOLLYWOOD–Clark Gable, the greatest movie star of them all, dropped his head back on a pillow late Wednesday and died of a heart attack. The end came so fast that his doctor said there was no pain–just a few gasps. A few seconds before he had been asleep. A nurse in his room heard the gasps and shouted across the hall to Mrs.…
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Spotlight on: Virginia Grey
To me, the saddest in the line-up is Virginia Grey. Virginia was a pretty blonde starlet who never reached her full potential as an actress. Her father worked for Mack Sennett in the early days of filmdom and little Virginia made her screen debut at age nine. Her film resume lists over 140 credits, but most are not memorable. She was always the best friend or sister of the main actress, left to play second fiddle. One of her most memorable roles is that of Joan Crawford’s smart- alecky co-worker in one scene of 1939’s The Women (You can watch it here). She had a very small role in the beginning…
