Tuesday, April 14, 2015

L is for Carole Lombard



Born: October 6, 1908

Died: January 16, 1942

Aged: 33 years in a plane crash

Real Name: Jane Alice Peters

Marriages: Twice-William Powell, Clark Gable

Engaged: Russ Columbo (The greatest love of her life-she was known to say)

Bold, beautiful woman who could swear like a sailor and stand up to the powers at be like Harry Cohn(head of Columbia Pictures) who admired her style. In 1925 she suffered a horrible car accident  that left her face badly scarred and in need of extensive plastic surgery. Camera angles and make-up did the rest. She fell in love with Russ Columbo and was devastated when he died by an accidental gunshot blast(1934). His mother was blind and an invalid so the family, friends, including Lombard, decided not to tell his mom but stated he was on tour and devised ways she could listen to radio broadcasts that were previously recorded. They kept up the charade until his mom passed away in 1944! She loved parties and practical jokes. When she was filming "Mr. & Mrs. Smith for Alfred Hitchcock, she had heard him say that all actors were cattle. The following day when Hitchcock appeared on set he was greeted by a bunch of cows:) She preferred lunching with the crew rather than other actors since she enjoyed their company and could swear like them and often did! She and Clark Gable (The King of Hollywood) fell in love  and lived together since he could not get a divorce right away. Once he was free, they married and bought a farm, called each other Ma and Pa and she started to settle down. She even went hunting with him becoming a better shot. She was very patriotic and went on a War Bond tour with her mom. She wanted to see her husband so rather than take the train, she decided to take the plane despite her mother's concerns. They chartered the plane which crashed into Tablerock mountain-all perished. Gable, so grief stricken had to be held back from looking for Carole's body. He immediately joined the War but never got over her death keeping her bedroom as it was the day she left. He married 2 more times and both women looked similar to Lombard. The Queen of Screwball comedy was given the Medal of Freedom posthumously by FDR and a Liberty ship was named after her.

Oscar Nominations: "My Man Godfrey"

Films: "No Man of Her Own", "Bolero", "Twentieth Century", "Nothing Sacred", "Made For Each Other", "To Be Or Not To Be".

Quote: "I've lived a man's code designed to fit a man's world, yet at the same time I never forget that a woman's first job is to choose the right shade of lipstick".

The films in bold are films I would choose to see first, but they are all great

62 comments:

  1. A sad end indeed. Always that one choice that brings about the what if.

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    1. It does doesn't it. If she only listened to her mom

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  2. What a terrible end for a booming life, thank you for sharing.

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  3. I remember watching some of her movies and really liked her. It's amazing that she had such a terrible car accident and then ended up in a plane crash. Poor woman.

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    1. Yes she had a brush with death before and yet she was such a funny lady

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  4. What a tragic ending to such an exuberant life. Poor Clark Gable too. A lot of death and disaster appeared to surround her

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    1. Yes it did actually. She was full of fun though

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  5. Hello there.
    I didn't realize she died so young! I always liked Powell & Gable, especially in Gone With The Wind (one of my favourite movies)!
    Thanks for sharing.

    Entrepreneurial Goddess

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    1. Yes she was young and her life deserved to be a long one

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  6. All the info you bring with each of these write ups is so spectacular and just incredible! I love reading this. She was a brilliant talent who met a tragic end.

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    1. Thank you so much. She was brilliant. At least we have her films

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    1. So sorry....I guess the next 2 will still be difficult

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  8. Such a great actress, taken far too soon.

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  9. Didn't realize she died at such a young age. I did remember she and Clark were married. You've reallycome up with some interesting people for your a-z.

    Sandy at Bridge and Beyond

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    1. They were and loved each other dearly. Thanks!

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  10. What a shame she died in that plane crash. Sounds like she could have done a lot more for this country and for the world.

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    1. Yes and because she died, Gable went off to war

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  11. I've heard of her but I can't think of any of her films that I've seen. What a shame she died so young.

    Cait @ Click's Clan

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    1. Yes it was sad-you should try and see one of her films

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  12. Keeping Columbo's mom in the dark for 10 years. Amazing! I wonder if she knew but thought it best to not say anything to help those who kept up the charade.

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    1. I know! I had read about this years ago in another book I have about Russ Columbo and couldn't believe it. I always wondered if she knew deep down.

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  13. I love her. I can't believe the story of the fiance's mother. I'm not sure if that was kind of them or not. On the one hand, it saved her the grief, but on the other she thought her son never came home to visit. Which is worse?

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    1. I agree because my mom would be heartbroken if her son never visited. They thought they were doing the right thing because they thought his mom would die straight off. I don't think they realized she would live that long

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  14. She certainly had a life of tragedy. What an interesting post!

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    1. She did but she also was allot of fun. Thanks:)

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  15. She was a beauty! I'm sad that she died in a plane crash. She was really young.

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    1. She was a great beauty, great mind and full of fun

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  16. She was a beauty! I'm sad that she died in a plane crash. She was really young.

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  17. Her voice was unique, and I love to see her movies just to hear her talk.

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    1. Well she could not swear on camera but she could make a sailor blush

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  18. I'm delighted Lombard found happiness however briefly. Her terrible accident and subsequent absence dying so unexpectedly like that, wasn't enough to keep the King of Hollywood from idolizing her memory.

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    1. She did find happiness and was happy with Gable.

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  19. Wow! A lot of surprising information in this post. I guess I didn't know hardly nuttin' about Carole Lombard, except that 'MY MAN GODFREY' is a comedy classic that I'd certainly recommend.

    BIRGIT, I love these fancy, colorful letters your blog bits begin with.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Great film that I just re-watched last month. I found these letters off of Google:)

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  20. She sounded like a very live in the moment individual.

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    1. That is so true! She lived every minute of her life. Maybe the car accident made her see to live that way

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  21. If only she had taken the train...if only she had retired... she was a talented actress with a sense of humor I'd appreciate.
    Thanks for your comment on my blog!

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    1. You are welcome! I know-so many what if's. I di wish she would have listened to her mom who had a bad vibe about taking the plane. She died with her daughter

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  22. Wow, can you imagine the work it took to keep that information from the mother about the son? Neat too that she ate with the crew and was patriotic for the country, though it did cost her life.

    betty

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    1. I was stunned when I first read about this years ago about Russ Columbo and still am mystified how they all pulled it off. She was one of the first civilian casualties of the war

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  23. I didn't know she died in a plane crash, nor did I know Clark Gable never got over her death. How heartbreaking. Poor guy. I wish they could have grown old together.

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    1. He was devastated. When you see his 2 other wives they do look a little like her.

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  24. She was my grandmother's favorite actress. So much so that my mother was named after her.

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    1. Wow! That is cool:) Does your mom like her as well? How about you?

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  25. She was a delight to watch, and from your post, it sounds like she may have been a delight in person as well. So sad that she died as young as she did.

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  26. She was a delight to watch, and from your post, it sounds like she may have been a delight in person as well. So sad that she died as young as she did.

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  27. Why do so many of the good ones die so young? It's sad.

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  28. I always loved Carol Lombard. She was very talented.

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  29. Interesting...thanks for sharing!

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  30. Another actress I haven't seen on screen! I have so many movies to watch thanks to your posts! :)

    How amazing that she was able to keep her first husband's death a secret from his mom until she passed away. Carol's own passing sounds so sad. :(

    ~Jess

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    1. She was only engaged to Russ Columbo but she loved him deeply. Her passing was a shock to the nation

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  31. A fated life it would seem with all the accidents and fatalities. Did not know of her earthy personality and had heard Gable never recovered from her death. So interesting learning the back story..Sad for sure.
    Inventions by Women A-Z
    Shells–Tales–Sails

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    1. It is in some ways but I think she thought to live life to the fullest which she did

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