Gossip
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Gossip Friday: Coming in Third
From December 1940: Mickey Rooney, the cigar smoking toughie of Mickey McGuire two-reelers 15 years ago, has been voted the nation’s foremost box office attraction for the second consecutive year, the Motion Picture Herald reported yesterday. The tousled, 20-year-old Rooney won the Herald theater poll by an overwhelming vote over 200 actors and actresses–the handsomest leading men and the prettiest girls of the motion picture industry. This year he carried young Judy Garland with him from relative obscurity in 1939 to the No. 10 moneymaker. The Garland parade began early in 1940, when she and Rooney were cast in “Babes in Arms.” The film was such a smash hit countrywide…
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Gossip Friday: New Aunt and Uncle
From December 1940: Proudest couple in Hollywood are Clark Gable and Carole Lombard who now answer to Uncle and Aunt. Miss Lombard’s brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Peters, have just become parents of a seven-pound baby boy. Funniest incident at the hospital, where the Gables kept vigil with Peters and another brother of Carole, Stuart Peters, was that when Stuart heard the stork had arrived, he promptly collapsed. Gable had to leave the new father to look out for himself while he carried the overcome uncle to the adjoining room for treatment.
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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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Gossip Friday: For Clark From Carole
From December 1938: How would you like to know what Carole Lombard gave Clark Gable [for Christmas?], what Claudette Colbert bought for her husband, Barbara Stanwyck’s gift to Bob Taylor, and vice versa? Well, here goes. Claudette today gave her doctor husband a magnificent new desk set and cuff links. Carole added to the handsome Cabonshon ruby we told you about with a new camera and an outboard motor for Clark. ___ Okay, it says it would tell you what Barbara Stanwyck bought Robert Taylor, and then it doesn’t say. Huh.
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Gossip Friday: A Quiet Holiday
From December 1941: The quietest Christmas celebration in its history was observed in a Hollywood accustomed in the past to tossing around presents of diamonds and minks and sables like confetti. There were some valuable presents to be sure–but most of these were United States defense bonds. Few parties were given, with most of the stars and lesser lights celebrating only with their families and intimates. Only the families with children made the usual fuss. On this score the two busiest homes were those of Mr. and Mrs. Bing Crosby and Mr. and Mrs. Don Ameche. They each have four sons. Almost as busy were Margaret Sullavan and her husband,…
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Gossip Friday: Teacher’s Pets
From December 1939: You can bet your bottom dollar that the dramatic students at Christian College, Columbia, Mo., are going to do a lot of hanging around after class to ask questions of their new coach. Because the new coach is Josephine Dillon Gable–first wife of Clark Gable. And Mrs. Gable isn’t going to answer any questions about him in class. But afterwards she’ll be glad to. And she thinks she knows just about what they will ask. “People always ask the same things about Clark,” she told me… “Are his teeth false?” “Yes.” “Are his ears pinned back?” “Yes.” “What does he like best to eat?” “Cheese and crackers…
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Gossip Friday: Runaway Race for Rhett?
From February 1937: ...I note that Joan Crawford is gaining strong support for the role of Scarlett O’Hara, that Melvyn Douglas and Franchot Tone are threatening Leslie Howard’s lead in the race for Ashley’s role and that Clark Gable’s runaway race for the part of Rhett Butler is stirring up determined opposition. Those who want Clark can see nobody else in the role–those who don’t wax pretty savage in their counterblasts. As, for instance: “All I can say is ‘Heaven forbid Gable in the role of Rhett!’ and you can tell the horde who had the stupidity to choose him that they had better read the book over again. Such…
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Gossip Friday: Scarlett O’Hepburn
From November 1938: “Idiot’s Delight” with Norma Shearer and Clark Gable, is pushing toward the finish line and Gable expects to rest over the Christmas holidays in preparation for a prospective start on “Gone with the Wind,” shortly after the first of the year. Gable and others predict that Katharine Hepburn will be announced shortly for the Scarlett O’Hara role. ___ I like Hepburn and all, but it’s hard to imagine that she was seriously considered for the part.
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Gossip Friday: What a Smash
From February 1937: When they were making “Love on the Run,” Mr. Clark Gable also had lines to learn, walked around the set uneasily, rumpling his hair and glaring at Miss Crawford, who was innocently playing her operas. He suddenly walked over to her, picked up her pile of records, flung them on the floor, smashed them to flinders and said: “There! How do you think anybody can learn lines with all that racket!” He then quietly walked away and Miss Crawford either wept or looked about to. It was one of Gable’s japeries. He had bought a lot of dime records to smash.
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Gossip Friday: Slave to Fashion
From December 1932: A month or so ago, a small item in the daily register announced that Clark Gable had more than 200 turtleneck sweaters in his wardrobe. Immediately some ingenious clothier purchased a large stock of such sweaters and advertised: “Boys, if she told you your features were like Clark Gable’s, don’t let her learn her error–wear one of his sweaters and make the resemblance even more evident.” Now most of the boys feature the special Clark Gable turtleneck sweaters and assure the girls that women are the only slaves to fashion.