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Gossip Friday: Slave to Fashion
From December 1932: A month or so ago, a small item in the daily register announced that Clark Gable had more than 200 turtleneck sweaters in his wardrobe. Immediately some ingenious clothier purchased a large stock of such sweaters and advertised: “Boys, if she told you your features were like Clark Gable’s, don’t let her learn her error–wear one of his sweaters and make the resemblance even more evident.” Now most of the boys feature the special Clark Gable turtleneck sweaters and assure the girls that women are the only slaves to fashion.
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{New Article} 1955: Let’s Just Say She’s a Friend of Mine (And Then They Eloped)
After Clark Gable’s fourth marriage to Sylvia Ashley imploded after less than two years, Clark’s stance on marriage was firm: “NO THANK YOU.” He echoed time and time again that he wasn’t cut out for marriage anymore, didn’t need it, didn’t want it, and was content to wander the planet alone. But then in July 1955, after years of stating plainly that he would not get married again, he up and married Kathleen “Kay” Williams Spreckels to the surprise of everyone. So was Clark just really good at throwing the press off the track, thought he had them fooled with years of deflection? Not really. The truth is Kay got…
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Movie of the Week: After Office Hours (1935)
Clark Gable is a fast talking newspaperman and Constance Bennett is the snotty society girl he inexplicably falls for amidst a murder case in After Office Hours. Clark is 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. Constance is at the bottom of the…
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{New Article} 1947: The Gable I Know
Okay, this article is terrible. I said that right off the bat so you don’t have to read the whole thing and then come back and leave me comments about what a waste of time it is. I know it is a waste of time. I can think of a thousand things I would have rather done than spend my time typing, scanning and uploading this ridiculous article. But this website is “Everything Clark Gable.” So here you go anyway. You’re so welcome. This complete fluff is written by Hedda Hopper, so I suppose we should not be surprised it is utterly pointless. Her autobiography is the epitome of false…
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Gossip Friday: Waiting It Out
From November 1938: Clark Gable, rumored to be building a mansion in the valley, denies this with “I’m not building anything until I know exactly what’s happening.” He can be referring only to his long held-up divorce from Mrs. Rhea Gable.
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Movie of the Week: Honky Tonk (1941)
Clark Gable is a quick witted con man in the Old West and Lana Turner is the prudish judge’s daughter he’s after in Honky Tonk (1941). Gable is fugitive con artist Candy Johnson, who stumbles upon the small town of Yellow Creek while on the run. He quickly takes advantage of the town’s lack of law and order. He also steals the heart of Elizabeth (Turner), a Boston-bred girl with a crooked father (Frank Morgan). Although he insists he can’t be tied down, she manipulates him into marrying her and he becomes the most respected man in Yellow Creek. Her father doesn’t trust him, however, and sets out to destroy…
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Gossip Friday: A Flop Debut
From February 1936: The screen debut of Carole Lombard’s pekingese, “Pushface,” was a decided flop, but gave the blonde star a chance to get off one of her best wisecracks. “Pushface’s” big moment came on the “Love Before Breakfast” set at Universal. He was supposed to make an entrance in a basket of flowers, completely hidden by the blossoms. At a given signal, he was to poke his head out and wait for a closeup. But, every time, he leaped out of the basket and into Carole’s arms before the camera could get a shot. It was after the third unsuccessful take that Carole exploded: “Can you beat it! He…
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{Photos} A Ranch of Two Gables
This one-page spread appeared in Picture Show magazine in 1941: A Ranch of Two Gables Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are among the film-star ranchers in the San Fernando Valley. Like Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, they both had separate ranches in the Valley before they were married. Clark Gable has always been an “outdoor” man. Whenever his work allowed, he would go away on hunting trips, as far from the night clubs and swing music and noisy crowds as he could conveniently get, reveling in the silence of the mountains and lakes. Eventually he gave up his hotel suite and moved out to the San Fernando Valley. Carole Lombard’s…
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{Photos} Carole Lombard Connection: Too Hot to Handle (1938)
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were very much a steady item when Clark began filming Too Hot to Handle in the summer of 1938. On his first day on the set, Carole sent her beloved a big box. Upon opening it, he found a stack of pornographic magazines, rubber gloves and a note from Carole signed “Too hot to handle!” Oh my. While Clark was filming a night scene, his gorgeous girlfriend decided to stop by for a visit. These candid photos were snapped of them snuggled under a blanket, with Carole wrapped in Clark’s coat. These were apparently taken in June, but it was uncharacteristically cold in Southern California…
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Movie of the Week: Too Hot to Handle (1938)
This week, Clark Gable is a rogue newsreel reporter and Myrna Loy is a determined aviatrix in Too Hot to Handle (1938). This film is an interesting look behind the scenes at the now-extinct-thanks-to-television-and-internet newsreel business. Gable is Chris Hunter, a newsreel cameraman who is always in the middle of the action. Walter Pidgeon is Bill Dennis, a rival newsreel cameraman who is constantly trying to out-scoop Chris. Both of them are bored in Shanghai since they can’t get anywhere near the action of the Chinese-Japanese war. When his boss (Walter Connolly) starts demanding action shots of the war, Chris obliges by making up fake shots using toy airplanes…