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Gossip Friday: Bets on Clark and Carole
Since Clark and Carole were married 74 years ago this month, here’s one from November 1936: London, of all places, has the cutest new betting game. They’re betting, over there, on whether or not certain film couples will marry! ! ! They’ve even got a set of standard odds, like this: even bet that Bob Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck will wed; 90 to 1 against George Brent taking the leap with Garbo; 5 to 1 that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard will; 10 to 1 that Bill Powell and Jean Harlow won’t; 5 to 3 that Ann Sothern becomes Mrs. Roger Pryor; 7 to 4 against the Jackie Coogan-Betty Grable…
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{New Article} 1932: “I’m No Saint,” Says Clark Gable
This article from 1932 is mainly focused on Clark complaining about how reporters dig into his past…to a reporter. There isn’t a lot of substance here but it is interesting to hear Clark’s own voice saying what he feels about fame and it’s pitfalls. Unlike many articles of this period, it is at least filled with direct quotes and not fluffy backstory. Here are some quotes by Clark from the article: “I don’t like to have people asking me about the women I’ve fooled around with, trying to dig into my past. I’m willing to talk to people, and the press has given me some great breaks—but whose business is…
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Gossip Friday: Clark Gable’s Recipe for a Perfect Wife
From September 1937: Recipe for the Perfect Wife By Clark Gable, she must: –enjoy the things hubby does, laugh at the right time only –not complain about ashes on the floor and clothes not hung up –give him his favorite dish once a week –not complain about unexpected guests brought home by hubby –not sulk when he has bad luck financially –dress up because he wants other men to admire her All right, girls, there’s Clark’s order. Can you fill it? ___ Think Carole Lombard was up to the task?
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{The Brown Derby Restaurant} Part 3: Eating at the Brown Derby
Recently my husband and I strolled into the Vine Street Brown Derby and glanced at the hundreds of caricatures lining the walls while we were led to our u-shaped brown booth. Under the dim lighting and ambiance full of Hollywood nostalgia, we enjoyed a lovely meal, with a perfect cocktail, beautifully executed entrees and a classic dessert. The above is all true, except we were at the replica of the Vine Street Brown Derby inside of Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios park in Orlando. And the ambiance was a bit ruined by our two year old watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on my phone in between us. But alas… I must admit I was…
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Gossip Friday: Earthquake!
On March 10, 1933, “The Long Beach Earthquake” hit Los Angeles. From May 1933: Hollywood came through the earthquake practically unscathed. Long Beach and Compton business districts, only a score of miles away, were virtually demolished. But the sustained temblor, which wrecked these cities, caused Hollywood to shake up on its foundations, and people rushed panic-stricken into the streets. No one knew when the buildings, swaying like trees in a gale, would fall upon them. Hollywood was plenty scared. Broadway stage folk who had recently arrived stood with white faces and open mouths, terrifiedly wishing themselves back in New York. And those who had lived in Hollywood all their lives…
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March Movie of the Month: After Office Hours (1935)
This month, Clark Gable is a rogue newspaperman (again) and Constance Bennett is a snooty socialite in After Office Hours. Clark is fast-talking, take-no-prisoners-newspaper editor Jim Branch, who is determined to dig up a juicy story on a corrupt millionaire. He starts sucking up to the newspaper’s music reviewer, wealthy socialite Sharon Norwood (Bennett), when he discovers she is close to the impending story. After the millionaire’s wife turns up dead, Sharon and Jim disagree on the culprit. Jim becomes determined to crack the case and reunite with Sharon, whom he has now fallen in love with. The plot is silly. The rogue newspaperman falling for the snooty rich…
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Gossip Friday: Good Day for Golf
From September 1940: Living in Hollywood is more or less like renting a perpetual reserved room in a madhouse. At 8am of a Sunday this journalist drove to Fox Hills golf course for his usual weekly game, still half asleep. Approaching the first tee he saw a mob of strange creatures emerge from the morning fog, accompanied by unearthly sounds of catcalls, screeching sirens and exploding guns. Any sane person would have gone home. We hung around. Presently there appeared Clark Gable, Bob Taylor, Carole Lombard, Mickey Rooney, Spencer Tracy and other celebrities. It turned out to be the annual MGM golf tournament. When Mickey stepped up for his first…
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Gossip Friday: Tampering with his Tobacco
From June 1932: Big he-man Clark Gable, who doesn’t pull his punches, would like to know who was the dirty so-and-so who put pencil shavings with his choice tobacco in the tobacco jar. The finger of suspicion points to Buster Keaton–but yoo-hoo Buster, you know me, I never said you really did it. I just said some folks suspect you.
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{CMBA Films of the 1940’s Blogathon} February Movie of the Month: Somewhere I’ll Find You (1942)
This month, as Movie of the Month as well as my submission to the Classic Movie Blog Association’s Film of the 1940’s Blogathon, the focus is on 1942’s Somewhere I’ll Find You. Clark Gable is Jonny Walker and Robert Sterling is Kirk Walker, brothers who work together as war correspondents for a New York newspaper, and are just returning from overseas. They aren’t home for long before they are competing for the affection of Paula Lane (Lana Turner), a reporter who flip-flops between the two. When Paula is sent on assignment to Indochina and disappears, the brothers are commissioned to find her. Once they do find her, Pearl Harbor happens and…
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Gossip Friday: No Spat Between Gable and Harlow
From November 1935: Reports were published that Miss Harlow declared a dislike for Gable, and that she openly stated she would never appear in another picture with him. Other printed items vouched that Clark replied: “My pet name for Miss Harlow cannot be printed.” On the day those mis-facts appeared in print, Miss Harlow hurried to her studio publicity director to deny them. She arrived just at the moment when Gable telephoned from his sick-bed to voice and equally vehement denial. The truth is that Clark remarked that he preferred not to work with “a certain star.” Because he had just finished “Hold Your Man” with Jean, gossipers drew their…