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Gossip Friday: Hats off to you!
From September 1938: “Where did you get that hat?” The old cry is ringing around the MGM lot these days louder than ever since an assistant director, a wardroble lad, a sound man, an electrician and a bit player all appeared one morning in bright straw hats with flaming hatbands. “Gable’s cupboard,” came a simulatenous answer from the five. There was an immediate stampede from all directions to the famous Gable clothes closet. You see, Clark is a collector of hats. Can’t resist buying a half-dozen every time he hits a shop. One look in his studio mirror, however, convinces Clark the hats were never made for him and up…
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Gossip Friday: Out on the Town
From August 1941: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard made one of their rare Hollywood appearances at Ciro’s one night during the brief engagement there of Danny Kaye—who, incidentally, is just about the funniest guy to come out of the East. Clark and his Missus were dressed fit to kill. “I have so few opportunities to dress now,” says Carole, who lives quietly on a big ranch in the valley with the idol of American womanhood, “that I have to take advantage of them.”
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Spotlight on: Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon, a British/Indian actress probably best known for her portrayal of Cathy in Wuthering Heights (1939), is an interesting person in Gable history. No, they were never paired together onscreen; they did have a brief romance offscreen. But what’s interesting is that Merle, who at first glance is only a flicker on Clark’s romantic radar, was present at many of the defining moments in Clark’s life. In 1936, Clark had officially been declared “fair game” after moving into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel after separating from Ria, and Merle was one of the first to announce her intentions. She was a relative Hollywood newcomer and her romance with fellow British import…
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{New Article} 1936: What are Clark Gable’s Plans for the Future?
This article from 1936 is a bit of a fluff piece, but I always find it interesting to see what the predictions are for Clark’s future, considering we all know the future. The most colorful chapter in Clark Gable’s life is just ahead of him. Until now, everything has been a prelude. All the struggle, the handicaps, the good fortune and the bad—they have each played a part in shaping the story of a fellow from Cadiz, Ohio, who has become one of the most famous men in the world. And the main part of his life story has only started! That’s true. Gone with the Wind, Carole Lombard and…
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Gossip Friday: Food Fit for a Man
From December 1940: Clark Gable is so afraid of even having it suggested that he is a softie that every day on the set of “Comrade X” when tea time rolled around and he was offered tiny cakes and tea he bellowed, “Gimme some food fit for a man to eat!” However, he was kidded out of being too disdainful of tea. The day I visited the set his director arranged a gag. As a total surprise a “sandwich” arrived for Clark at tea time. It was made of a loaf of bread cut in half with a two-inch steak between, and a quart of coffee as a chaser. The…
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August Movie of the Month: Homecoming (1948)
For August, I had a different film in mind but I decided to highlight Homecoming after a chat with my dear friend Debbie. Homecoming is truly one of those films that is easy to dismiss at first glance, but it really is a little-known gem. Clark’s 1940’s post-World War II films are truly hit or miss and in most you can see his heart isn’t in it. He was different; the carefree man of Boom Town and Honky Tonk was no more. In just a few short years, he had seemed to age ten; his voice had even deepened and developed a more gravely texture that would remain. I…
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{New Article} 1932: Will Clark Gable Last?
It’s interesting to read what public opinion was when Clark Gable was just a newcomer. This article from raises the question if Clark has staying power as a star or not, based only on his weak resume at the time. Clark, like Garbo, introduced a new vogue in screen personality. He became the pattern from which screen idols who followed him were moulded. He is the epitome of the ruthless, handsome, knock-‘em-down, treat-‘em-rough he-man, the strong, virile, modern cave man. And not only women in Keokuk and Medicine Hat went crazy about Clark, but the actresses of Hollywood as well. Once he had become a sensation, Hollywood backed up the…
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Gossip Friday: Happy Centennial, Mr. Taylor
Today marks the 100th birthday of one of Clark’s close friends, Robert Taylor. Taylor started gaining fame on the MGM lot in 1936, after appearing in the classic romance Camille with queen of the crop Greta Garbo. His romance with and subsequent marriage to Barbara Stanwyck paralleled Clark and Carole in hype. After adopting a mustache in 1940, he was dubbed “The new King of Hollywood” and “The Next Clark Gable” by the press. There was no rivalry between the two men, despite what fan magazines said. Their ranches were near each other in Encino and they shared the same desire of a simple life. Clark and Carole and Bob and Barbara were fast…
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{New Article & Recipe} 1934: The Modern Hostess
Clark liked to eat. He was never a fussy, prissy eater. His widow Kay recalled his fondness for steak, baked beans, sauerkraut, potato salad and chocolate cake. And of course the onion sandwiches–a big slice of onion between two pieces of bread with a smear of mustard! It seems Clark’s tastes didn’t change over the years, as I stumbled across this article from 1934 that details Clark’s favorite foods while he lived with Ria. The article starts out saying how particular food items would fly off the shelves if people knew they were Clark’s favorites and so that led the author to find out what his favorites were. Which is…
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Gossip Friday: Just that Swell!
A letter to a movie magazine, January 1941: Clark Gable is a very natural, homespun sort of actor that never seems to go high-hat or stale. I like him. All his pictures, including the much-critised “Parnell”, have been good in my estimation. The nicest, most pleasant things I’ve ever read in Photoplay or any other motion picture magazine in regard to any actor are the things written about the Gable farm. Not that I feel Clark could enjoy ploughing through the fields of mud and slop I’ve witnessed in the country…but with his money, the up-to-date paraphernalia and what-not, his farm is a wonderland and it is a credit to…