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March Movie of the Month: They Met in Bombay (1941)
This month, Clark Gable is a thief chasing jewelry and fellow swindler Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay. Gable is Gerald Meldrick, a jewel thief who has trailed a British duchess to India to steal her antique diamond necklace. He encounters Anya Von Duren (Russell), a rival thief out for the same score. She succeeds in stealing the necklace, but he fools her into believing he is a detective and gets the necklace from her. She figures him out and he proposes they be partners. They hop on a Chinese ship headed for Hong Kong but the crooked captain (Lorre) tries to turn them in for ransom. Paddling their…
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Gossip Friday: No Lucky Baldwin
From 1946: Clark Gable got his fill of flying during the war. He doesn’t even want to do a flying picture. His next will be “Lucky Baldwin,” and Angela Lansbury (MGM’s next big star, according to L.B. Mayer) plays the gal who wins, loses and recaptures the colorful gambler. In his spare time Clark’s been hunting in Utah and Arizona. He came to Hollywood with the limit of doves and pheasant. On the subject of “wife hunting,” Clark still isn’t interested in even taking out a license! ___ That Angela Lansbury picture didn’t happen, although from the description it sounds like it might have been a pre-production title for Any…
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Gossip Friday: Up For Sale
From September 1941: The beautiful ranch home of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard is for sale. The asking price is to be $130,000. The reason? The Gables have bought a ranch in Ventura county. They plan to build there and raise about 1200 head of cattle. They’d like to make only one picture a year, preferably both at the same time. During that period they’d rent an apartment in Beverly Hills. And once upon a time Carole was known as a party girl! ___ The ranch was on and off the market in 1941. After Carole’s death, Clark put it back up for sale, but could never bring himself to…
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Gossip Friday: Mobbed and Unshaved
From January 1936: Clark Gable’s reception committee in Lima, Peru, made his American fans look like pikers. He got away from the airport alive, which was a miracle. In his hotel, preparing to shave, a mob of girls broke down the door and entered through the window. Clark finally had to attend a large party in his honor, unshaved!
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Gossip Friday: You’re Under Arrest
From November 1935: Extra! Clark Gable Arrested! Imagine your favorite hero’s surprise when two strong arms of the law strode into the studio and slapped a firm hand on his shoulder. Seems Gable is such a stout huntsman that he makes his own shells. He borrowed a reloading machine from a friend on the Culver City police department and forgot to return it. So a John Doe warrant was issued, since the rest of the department did not know who had the machine and thought it had been stolen. Whitey Hendry, head of the MGM police, learned of the warrant, and knew who had the machine. So he tipped off…
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Gossip Friday: His Best Girl
From July 1936: And whom do you think Clark Gable took to the circus? None other than Carole Lombard. And it’s a well known fact that the boys always take their best girls to the circus.
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Oscar Night! Clark Gable and Doris Day are Proud to Present…
On March 26, 1958, Clark Gable put on a tux (complete with tails, no less) and headed to the RKO Pantages Theater for the 30th Annual Academy Awards. He attended as a presenter with his Teacher’s Pet co-star, Doris Day. This marked one of the handful of times that Clark attended the awards and is especially significant because it is one of just a few occasions that he appeared on television. Clark and Doris presented the two awards for Best Screenplay, Adapted and Written for the Screen. Clark and Doris appear at 4:40, after Bob Hope does some stand-up (lot of Russian and I’m-never-nominated jokes). Notice they play the…
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Gossip Friday: Gray and Blue Compromise
From April 1939: Clark Gable has about decided to wear a thin upper lip mustache with waxed ends for his role of Rhett Butler. His idea was to wear all black throughout the picture but he was talked out of it because the picture will be done in color—so he has compromised on grays and blues.
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{New Article} 1937: Gable and Taylor Rivals?
This 1937 is purely MGM propaganda–“We have two hot male leads! Look at how great they both are!” A bunch of hogwash to think that because they were both leading men they were instantly rivals. Clark and Bob, in fact, grew to be good friends in the years following. Bob and his wife Barbara Stanwyck had a ranch near Clark and Carole’s and the four of them were often together. Only thing worthwhile in this article is some of the quotes: “I see Mr. Taylor as a rival!” marvels Mr. Gable, spreading his four-square smile. “Never even thought of such a thing. Bob’s a fine boy, a fine-looking boy, a…
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Gossip Friday: Teaming Up
From April 1940: 1940 is going to be a great year for husband wife teams. Joan Blondell and Dick Powell start things going in April when they co-star in “I Want a Divorce” for Paramount. Then Metro will follow with a picture co-starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, and another with Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck. ___ Shame that never happened!