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{New Article} 1938: At Last! Mrs. Clark Gable Talks
Well now here’s a fluff piece. Clark and Carole’s romance was quite celebrated in the media, despite the fact that he was still technically married. Clark’s other dalliances over the years had been kept pretty much under wraps, save for a nightclub date here and there. But the public was enthralled by the matching of two of their most popular stars. This really ruffled the feathers of the current Mrs. Gable. Instead of being sympathisized with, she was instead the martyr, the mean estranged wife standing in the way of Clark and Carole’s true love. “The question of divorce has never arisen between us,” Mrs. Gable said. “Mr. Gable has…
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Gossip Friday: Ria Holds Out
From December 1938: And now Ria Gable comes forth with a denial of all the rumors that she has been holding up divorce proceedings between her and Clark. According to a friend of hers, Mrs. G. insists that the main reason Clark hasn’t got his divorce is that he has never asked for it. The same report states that Mrs. Gable is not interested in a settlement, since she has considerable money of her own. _____________ HOGWASH. It may be true that Clark hadn’t asked Ria for a divorce yet but only because he didn’t want to pay Ria all the money she wanted. A new article is coming…
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{New Article} 1937: Gable Fears Shirley Temple!
This is a strange little piece written for Modern Screen magazine in 1937. In the late 1930’s, Clark was certainly considered “the King of Hollywood” but his box office was exceeded by a certain little curly-topped hoofer. “Sure I’m afraid of Shirley Temple,” he agreed solemnly. “She haunts me. I can see her sitting up there, shaking her curls and twinkling her eyes at me. I can almost hear her: ‘Hey man down there, come on up and catch me.’ But I’m not playing tag with Shirley. I know my place. And mighty grateful that it’s even second.” Clark seems to be taking the whole interview very lightly. He…
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Gossip Friday: The Bride Wore Gray
Since a certain couple’s anniversary is coming up, here’s one from May 1939: And the bride wore gray. When Carole Lombard and Clark Gable announced their intentions to wed, the question of what the bride (a divorcee) should wear became important not only to Carole but to thousands of other women who were about to marry for the second time. Carole never faltered in her choice for a moment. “A gray suit,” was her decision. But the problem wasn’t solved that easily. There are grays and grays, some flattering, some hard and cold in tone, some unkind to blondes, as every woman knows. So, in order to secure exactly the…
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CONTEST: Win an Autographed Copy of “Harlow in Hollywood”!
That’s right, you can win a free copy of the fabulous new book on Jean Harlow, “Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital 1928-1937”, signed by the authors Mark A.Vieira and Darrell Rooney! This hefty coffee table book is meticulously researched and chock full of extremely rare Harlow photographs–and yes there are many of Gable that I had never seen before too! It is an absolute pleasure and is the perfect centennial birthday present for The Baby. How do you win? Simple: Post a comment below telling us what your favorite Harlow/Gable movie is! You get an extra entry if you mention this contest on your blog, fan page, or…
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Gossip Friday: On the “Saratoga” set
Since “Saratoga” is Movie of the Month and we’re celebrating Jean Harlow’s centennial… From August 1937: On the “Saratoga” set, watching Clark Gable and Jean Harlow emote, the onlookers snicker when Gable does an impromptu imitation of the Harlow walk. Sitting on the sidelines, Peggy, Jean’s hairdresser, is wearing that super-colossal star sapphire ring. The scene is shot and lunch is called. Before she leaves for the commissary Peggy slips the ring off her finger and hands it to Jean, but Jean returns it. “Wear it to lunch, Peggy,” she says. “Maybe you’ll do yourself some good.” So Peggy rushes off to startle her friends, and Jean turns to us.…
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Movie of the Month: Saratoga (1937)
As we wind up our parade of Gable and Harlow pairings, it is only natural that the last one is their last film together and, sadly, Harlow’s last film period. Gable is Duke Bradley, a bookie who acquires the deed to the Brookdale horse ranch because the owner, Mr. Clayton (Jonathan Hale) owes him a lot of money. When the Clayton dies, his daughter Carol (Harlow), who dislikes Bradley, is determined to get the horse ranch back in the family by winning horse races to pay Bradley back. Meanwhile, Bradley tries to bait Carol’s rich fiancée (Pidgeon) to place bets with him. Jean, looking bloated and tired, was struggling…
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{New Article} 1936: “The New Romance in Clark Gable’s Life”
I have a vintage magazine addiction. The first step towards getting help is admitting you have a problem, right? Well, I admit it. I now have so many magazines stacked on my desk and nightstand and scanner that I had to promise my husband I would not buy another one until I have gone through every one of them. And so I am. In the coming weeks you will find lots of new pictures in the gallery as a result, as well as many new articles. The majority of these articles are quite intriguing and so I am devoting a blog post here and there to them. Also, I would…
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Gossip Friday: Miss Harlow and Mr. Taylor
In salute of Jean Harlow, here’s some scoop about her from the set of one of her last films, “Personal Property”: The reported “romance” between Jean Harlow and Bob Taylor was a custom-built item direct from their studio. It was a perfect set-up, what with Jean and Bob typifying all that’s tremendous and colassal in sex appeal, adn what with the two fo them co-starring in “Personal Property.” We snooped around the set for several days just to make sure and we regret to report that all of the necking was right there in the script. When “Personal Property” finished shooting, Jean Harlow dragged out the festive board and tossed…
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Happy 100th, “Sis”!
“She never wanted to be famous. She wanted to be happy.” Clark said this of Jean Harlow after her untimely death at age 26, and it appears to be true. Jean Harlow was a sweet, good natured girl, someone who everybody liked. Affectionately called “The Baby” (by everyone but Clark, who called her “Sis”), she was far from the harlot she portrayed on screen in her early pictures. To understand Jean’s hectic life, her film “Bombshell” is pretty much it in a nutshell—relatives and friends hanging on like leeches, sucking away her money and fame for their own benefit; the press and studio pigeon-holing her into an image that really wasn’t…