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Gossip Friday: New Ranch
From December 1937: We don’t know just how near Mrs. Ria Gable is to suing her famous husband for divorce, but to all appearances Clark and Carole Lombard are preparing for the eventuality. Carole has bought fifty acres in San Fernando Valley; fifteen of the acres are under cultivation and the rest will be left for Clark’s horses to wander over. It’s our understanding that when and if he is ever free to marry Carole, they’ll put up a ranch house there. Interesting that this was December 1937. This is the earliest I have heard of Carole buying the ranch. That would mean she owned it 15 months before they…
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Gossip Friday: Holiday Greetings
This is a magazine ad from 1931 wishing the stars a happy holiday. It reads: There are 769 motion picture players in Hollywood to whom we send Christmas greetings. We particularly wish for: Greta Garbo More seculsion for our solitary star. Against our selfish inclinations, we would wish that solitude so dear to your heart. May the brightest star continue to gleam in splendor. Skoal! Clark Gable A pleasant year on the heights so recently won. May the parts pack a wallop and give play to the “love and menace” method that you have found and and revealed to us. Ann Harding Happy landings on ten thousand screens. May your golden…
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Gossip Friday: The Fourth Mrs. Gable
Since December 20 marks the 60th anniversary of Clark’s marriage to his fourth wife, Lady Sylvia Ashley (for more on her, read here), we’ll devote this week’s Gossip Friday to her and her previous marriage to another man of Hollywood royalty: Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (Anyone else find it a bit twisted that before she married Clark Sylvia was married to the father of Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who was married to Joan Crawford when Joan was having an affair with Clark? That’s a sick little circle…) From June 1935: An eye witness to the arrival of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. , Lady Ashley and party at Miami Beach, reports that Doug had more…
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70 years ago today…
Gone with the Wind premiered in Atlanta, the biggest event the town had ever seen. Clark and Carole were front and center for the festivities. Although Carole shyly told reporters that she was only there to support Clark, Clark told everyone back in Hollywood proudly, “Ma was the star of the show! Nobody could take their eyes off her!” Here’s their itinerary: Thursday, December 14: 3:30pm–Arrive Sky-Sleeper from Hollywood with Howard Strickland and Nelson Milikan 3:45pm–Depart for parade through downtown Atlanta Clark and Carole ride with William Hartsfield, mayor of Atlanta 4:30pm–Arrive at the Georgian Terrace Hotel Clark gives a speech, receives a box of Atlanta china as a gift…
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Gossip Friday: Crowd around Mickey
From February 1937: Outside the commissary at MGm we saw Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and about forty other big stars and directors huddled in a group around something, so interested and awed by what they saw that their mouths were practically hanging open down to their knees. After forcing our way through to the center of the group to see wgar so fascinated these sophisticates, we discovered that Mickey Rooney was keeping them all agog with his skill at hi-li, that little game where you hit a ball against a paddle. All were clamoring for the first chance to try it after Mickey got through! Mickey and Clark had a sort-of…
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Gossip Friday: A Public Tiff
From May 1940: They do say that Carole Lombard and Clark Gable had their first little tiff in public the other day, and Carole walked out of a party in a huff! Seems all was forgiven a few days later, as they appeared arm in arm at Bob Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck’s table at Ciro’s, with Carole sporting a new sapphire clip.
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Gossip Friday: Cookin’ with Clark
Since yesterday was Thanksgiving, here’s a recipe Clark gave to a fan magazine when asked what was his favorite dish to cook. I personally do not eat pork so I haven’t tried it, but if anyone is up to it, let me know how it turns out! BAKED STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN 3 pork tenderloins Melted butter 2 cups crumbled toasted bread 1/3 cup boiling water 1 egg, beaten lightly ¼ cup butter ½ small onion, minced ½ teaspoon minced parsley ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon celery salt 1/8 teaspoon powdered sage Sprinkling of salt Split the tenderloins so they will lie flat. Brush with melted butter. Then…
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Gossip Friday: Where’s the fire?
From January 1940: And now we have firemen Gable and Taylor, proud proprietors of their own fire-fighting apparactus, by cracky! While posing for publicity recently with the swanky MGM fire truck, Gable and Taylor were struck with the idea–and inrtigues, too, so to speak–that a fire company of their own to protect their property in the Valley wouldn’t be such a bad notion. So, upon recommendation of the fire chief, they purchased a neat secondhand job in the way of a chemical truck and are now offering their services to all their friends and neighbors. And to make the thing official Greer Garson, who is now appearing with Robert…
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Rest in Peace
Clark died 49 years ago today, on November 16, 1960. Myrna Loy once said of their film flop Parnell, “I suppose its failure was because nobody believed that strong, virile Clark would die, weak and sick, of a heart attack. But that is how he did end up going, the poor soul.” To commemerate this anniversary, I have added a section under the Info tab detailing his death and funeral that you can find here. I have a copy of his will that I will be posting soon in its entirety in that section as well. Pictures and audio from the Gone with the Wind 70th Anniversary event over the…
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Gossip Friday: Reviews on Gone with the Wind
Today starts the festivities in Marietta, GA celebrating the 70th anniversary of “Gone with the Wind”. I will be there all day and all day on Saturday as well and you know I will report back next week with details and pictures! Keeping with “Gone with the Wind” as a theme, here are two letters from June 1940 to the editor of a fan magazine: I have just seen “Gone with the Wind” and like thousands of others I thought it was grand entertainment. But unlike thousands of others, I think the picture, like the book, should have never been created. Why? Because the picture revives the Civil War, a…