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{New Article} 1936: I’ve Lived a Lifetime in Five Years
Clark Gable was humble. This isn’t news to any fan of his, but this was new to those in the 1930’s used to worshipping screen gods put high up on unreachable pedestals. Clark’s “aw shucks” attitude was very different and at first MGM didn’t know how to publicize this kind of guy. Then they decided to go with it, and followed him around, posing him hunting and fishing and looking rugged. When Clark first touched the fringes of fame, he avoided parties and admitted that he was uncomfortable in dress clothes. He appeared only at the important places where the studio requested him to go. I well remember seeing him…
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{New Article} 1939: Will Carole Lombard’s Marriage End Her Career?
This 1939 article, written soon after Clark Gable and Carole Lombard’s marriage, is very sexist. Okay, extremely sexist. But it was 1939 after all and so one has to quiet their inner feminist as they read things like… Carole Lombard, who was born Jane Peters, decided early in life that she had to do things to get places. She has devoted herself, through every working minute, to that aim. She has always wanted to be a star. She worked at it, and became a star. She built up the most amazing make-believe personality Hollywood has ever known, but she did it because she wanted something and that was her analysis…
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Gossip Friday: A Swell Pair
From July 1936: Now what’s all this between Carole Lombard and Clark Gable anyway? It’s getting so that you can’t read or hear about one without hearing about the other one at the same time, too. They guffaw loudly at romance-whisperers and they deny there’s anything to it–and yet they’re about as inseparable as a couple of newlyweds! (and incidentally wouldn’t they make a swell pair of brand new Mr and Mrs?) Last double appearance was ar the circus when it played Hollywood–and Clark and Carole were as much eyed, if not more, than the rest of the show, the night they hand-in-handed it in the big top! Marry? Heck,…
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Clark Gable and Carole Lombard–Married, Married At Last
On March 29, 1939, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were finally married, after three years of will-they-or-won’t-they by the press and their fans. Clark, who emerged on the Hollywood scene just eight years earlier, had been saddled down with an older wife nobody could quite figure out and some secret lovers the press helped him keep hidden. Carole, around Hollywood since her teens, had long been America’s beloved screwball and everyone was breathlessly anticipating her next chapter. Here is Photoplay magazine wishing Carole best wishes on her new role as Mrs. Gable: The little guy who spills the moonlight Over every garden trail, Who plugs our hearts with silver…
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1939 Newlyweds
Since Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were married 74 years ago this week, here is a vintage article I found that lists the celebrity couples that were newlyweds in 1939. So let’s see who else would be celebrating 74 years together this year… Ronald Colman and Benita Hume They were included in this article, but apparently they were married in September 1938, so not sure why they were included but… Benita was Ronald’s second wife. They were married until his death in 1958, and had one daughter, Juliet. Nelson Eddy and Ann Denitz Married in January 1939, celebrated singer Nelson and Ann were married until his death in 1967. They had no…
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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…