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Gossip Friday: A Fan’s Poem
A fan’s poem from 1933: Judgement Day There’s the rush and roar of many feet– Young maids, old maids, sour and sweet. They’re clamoring, they’re yammering, They are glad that they are born, For romance is resurrected When Clark Gable blows his horn. ~Dvoll Semay
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Gone with the Wednesday: Marietta Celebrates the 75th Anniversary
This past weekend, I was among the “Windies,” taking part in the Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum‘s 75th Anniversary Celebration in Marietta, Georgia. Three days of activities were planned and Gone with the Wind fans came out in droves…I met people from all over the country, from Italy, England and Russia. (Shout out to Kendra, Robbie and Marissa, who made the event so enjoyable for us!) On Friday, we attended a satire play of Gone with the Wind called “The Wind Has Left,” with Patrick Curtis (toddler Beau in GWTW) as Rhett and Morgan Brittany (Vivien Leigh in “The Scarlett O’Hara Wars” and “Gable and Lombard”) as Scarlett. It…
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Gossip Friday: Building Clark Gable
From February 1936: At a party we saw Mrs. Clark Gable chatting with the ex-wife of a famous star. “My husband didn’t play fair about alimony,” said the ex-wife. “I gave him the most dignified divorce Hollywood ever saw. I chaperoned him and his girl friend for months to avoid scandal. Now she has him when he’s on top. I worked for him during the building years.” Mrs. Gable nodded quietly. “I know a little about building myself.”
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Gone with the Wednesday: Memorable Scenes Await You!
From Screenland magazine in December 1939, a preview of some of the scenes that were awaiting audiences!
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Gossip Friday: Saving Clark’s Soul
From October 1935: Poor Clark Gable had to stand a lot of ribbing about being prayed for by members of a church in his old hometown, and everybody wanted to know how he was “serving the devil of lust.” Clark himself has some curiousity on the subject, too. Jack Oakie, who worked with Clark on “Call of the Wild,” was, at last reports, endeavoring to convert Clark by preaching to him, but without much success. Jack took on the duty because he took on such a long beard for the picture that he looked like a biblical patriarch. Anyway, it may all suggest a new religious film to some producer.
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May Movie of the Month: Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise (1931)
It took me two months to do the Nutshell Reviews for all 66 of Clark’s credited roles. Now that that is over, it’s back to Movie of the Month! This month, Clark Gable is paired with the Grande Dame of the screen in this scandalous pre-production code romance, Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise. Garbo is Susan (born Helga), an illegitimate orphan raised in shame by her aunt and her cruel husband, who treats her like a slave. He picks a man for her to marry “so you won’t be without a wedding ring like your mother”. When the man tries to rape her, she runs away in a rainstorm,…
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Gossip Friday: Take a Ride in Clark Gable’s Wheels
From November 1940: A few years back Clark Gable owned a very swanky car. The body was low-slung, with dazzling chromium from stem to stern. The gaudy paint job made the car recognizable blocks away. Clark finally had to give up his foreign-made pet because it attracted too much attention. Now the Gable stigma still clings to the machine. It’s owned by an executive of a large corporation here. He uses it, specifically, to show visiting officials about Southern California. They get a big kick out of riding in a car once owned by Clark Gable.
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Gone with the Wednesday: Repost–Spotlight on: Vivien Leigh
This week, here is a spotlight I did in 2011 on Vivien Leigh. Read what Clark really thought of Vivien and how Vivien felt about winning the most coveted role of the century. http://dearmrgable.com/?p=1783
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Gossip Friday: Mickey Rooney’s Idol
From May 1939: Clark Gable…played a very important part in Mickey Rooney’s career. No wonder Mickey wants to be just like him. It was about five years ago when Mickey was twelve, and on the verge of starvation. Vaudeville was a thing of the past, and Mickey couldn’t even get a job as an extra in Hollywood. He’d only worked about three days in three months. Then he had an idea. He called Clark Gable. “Mr. Gable,” he said, “there’s a good part for a boy in ‘Manhattan Melodrama,’ and I’d give my shirt to play it. I’ve been acting since I was a baby–and I know I can do…
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Gone with the Wednesday: Frankly My Dear, I Think I’ll Have a Drink
The Atlanta Convention and Vistors Bureau, to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the film, is promoting a contest among local restaurants to see who has the best Gone with the Wind-themed cocktail! Even if you don’t live in Atlanta and can’t make it out these fine restaurants to try the concoctions, you can make your own at home, per the recipes below. I’m not much of a drinker, but I’m enjoying the names–“Selfish and Shewd,” “A Bid for Scarlett,” “Courage or Reputation,” “Tara Tea,” “Don’t Call Me Sugar, “Sweet Melanie,” and “Don’t Drink Alone.” You can vote for your favorite here. Entries: ___ Aja Take Her to Bed After a long…