Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.24 at 09:25
Current mood: curious

It’s Nov. 7, 1936, and Jane Alice Peters officially bids adieu to her birth name and hello to the moniker known to the world as Carole Lombard. The February 1937 issue of Hollywood magazine would also commemorate the legal move, showing her with Superior Court Judge Fletcher Bowron:

Bowron would become mayor in 1938, elected following the recall of corruption-ridden mayor Frank L. Shaw. He served until 1953 and helped reform city government and the police department.

The photo at the top, from the library of the now-defunct Minneapolis Journal, is among five vintage Lombard images an eBay seller is auctioning, all with an opening bid of just 99 cents. As of this writing, four of the five have received one minimum bid; here’s the only one that hasn’t — taken for Selznick International Pictures:

The seller lists the stamp as being from January 1933, not possible because Selznick International didn’t exist at the time; it’s more likely from January 1939 (probably in conjunction with the release of “Made For Each Other”), with Lombard wearing those multi-strap shoes she was seen in several times.

Two of the images show Carole with Clark Gable. Here’s the couple on Sept. 19, 1936 (with Lombard in that hat again!), attending a tennis match:

This is from the library of the Minneapolis Star, which bought the Journal in 1939.

We don’t have specifics on this one, but it’s a lovely pic nonetheless:

Finally, a Lombard portrait we’ve run before, from Robert Coburn, who took what would be Carole’s final Hollywood photo session near the end of 1941. The “Jan. 28, 1942” stamp indicates that this image probably was released posthumously:

Bidding on the five auctioned photos ends between 8:35 and 8:39 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday, and by then, expect the price of these to soar well beyond 99 cents.

For the name-change portrait, visit http://www.ebay.com/itm/1936-Original-Photo-CAROLE-LOMBARD-Candid-Portrait-/261218531823?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd1d679ef.

The Selznick photo is at http://www.ebay.com/itm/1930s-Original-Photo-CAROLE-LOMBARD-Fashion-Glamour-Portrait-/251278312246?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a815ac336

For Clark and Carole at a tennis match, go to http://www.ebay.com/itm/1936-Original-Photo-CAROLE-LOMBARD-CLARK-GABLE-Handsome-Couple-/251278312311?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a815ac377

See the other Gable-Lombard image at http://www.ebay.com/itm/1930s-Original-Photo-CAROLE-LOMBARD-CLARK-GABLE-eyes-for-her-/251278312338?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a815ac392

And the Coburn portrait can be viewed at http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERB-1930s-Original-Photo-CAROLE-LOMBARD-Beauty-/261218531994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd1d67a9a

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.23 at 01:23
Current mood: crazy

Whether or not you agree that Clark Gable was the great love of Carole Lombard’s life, it’s obvious that they enthralled the public during the nearly six years of their romance/marriage. Not only were each major stars with larger-than-life looks, but both were popular in the film community for their down-to-earth personalities.

But another thing that endeared Clark and Carole to millions of moviegoers was that each had a great sense of humor, and loved to play “can you top this” gags with each other, as if they were the leads in a real-life screwball comedy. Gladys Hall, one of the top fan magazine writers of her time, decided to review the Gables’ gags in an article for the May 1941 issue of Motion Picture:

It’s possible Hall may have embellished a few of these gags, but we do have proof of some of them. For example, here’s Carole on the “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” set, getting Gable’s vegetable-laden key to the city:

There are all sorts of fascinatingly funny anecdotes in Hall’s story — several “Parnell”-related gags, as might be expected from Carole, her “no sir, just hams” reply to a patrolman who had stopped the just-married couple after they had crossed the state line into California, the woman Gable erroneously kissed while visiting Lombard following her appendectomy. (And just to remind us the gags were a two-way street, there’s the story of the “newspaper gown” comprised of negative Lombard reviews that she received as an anniversary present.)

What a fun couple, one I’m sure many average American couples wished to emulate…in gags if not in looks.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.22 at 08:34
Current mood: nostalgic

The last of Carole Lombard’s films to be released during her lifetime was the 1941 marital comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” with Robert Montgomery, where David and Ann Smith discover that for a bizarre legal reason, they’re technically not married; hilarity ensues as David tries to woo Ann back. A rare artifact promoting that movie — directed by Alfred Hitchcock — is up for sale at eBay.

It’s from the Majestic Theater in Dallas, a jewel in what was that city’s “theatre row” on Elm Street. Opened in 1921 as a vaudeville house, the Majestic switched full-time to movies in 1932. Here’s what it looked like in 1948:

A quarter-century later, the Majestic breathed its last as a movie house, showing “Live And Let Die” in July 1973. The good news is that the city of Dallas purchased the site and converted it into a performing arts center that opened in 1983, seating 1,700 — the only survivor of “theatre row,” although it no longer shows films. This is a photo taken in 2004:

If you’d like this handbill, act quickly — it’s being sold, not auctioned, for $10. Interested? Then go to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Majestic-Theatre-Original-Handbill-1941-Mr-and-Mrs-Smith-Carole-Lombard-/281111043328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4173861d00.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.21 at 14:23
Current mood: confused

Carole Lombard and Clark Gable had just returned to California from a stay in Washington and Baltimore when they arrived to take part in a benefit for Greek war relief on Jan. 8, 1941. But a noted fan magazine was on the verge of printing an article predicting how their lives would fare that year.

We’ve noted articles making predictions in the past, such as something Hedda Hopper had run in the Los Angeles Times only days before the Gables came back west (http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/269528.html). The magazine Motion Picture decided to get into the act, predicting not only Hollywood happenings, but events in a volatile world as well; it ran in the February issue:

These predictions were made by a Mabel Walrath Smith, someone the magazine said possessed uncanny psychic abilities. And looking at the first few paragraphs, such claims seemed to be right on the money:

* U.S. being drawn into the war before the end of ’41? Check.

* Germany and the Axis defeated in 1945, led by the U.S. and Russia (aka the Soviet Union, still allied with Germany at the time this was printed)? Check.

But she whiffed on several things as well — England did not move its government to Canada, Elizabeth indeed became queen (for more than six decades), and no wartime bomb exploded “right in the heart of one of the largest studios.”

Okay…what did she foresee for Carole and Clark?

According to Lombard biographer Larry Swindell, there were some rumors concerning Lombard’s death that year. By her previous standards, however, 1941 was a relatively healthy year. Perhaps the “eleventh hour” could be construed as Carole being hired for “To Be Or Not To Be” in the latter part of the year and finally working with Ernst Lubitsch.

As for Gable, there were rumors that he and Carole were considering a new home, perhaps in Nevada to distance themselves from the Hollywood rat race. And Clark did not take a “good, long trip alone”; neither did Carole until early 1942, and it was a trip from which she never returned.

What about the rest of Hollywood? Well, James Stewart and Olivia de Havilland never married; neither did Orson Welles and Dolores Del Rio. (Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz did, but the magazine noted the article was written two months prior to their elopement.) And note that Humphrey Bogart — who vaulted to the top tier of stardom that year with “High Sierra” and “The Maltese Falcon” — was not mentioned. Neither was Barbara Stanwyck, for whom 1941 turned out to be her banner year.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.20 at 06:54
Current mood: amused

Yesterday’s entry included a Carole Lombard memorabilia item from an eBay seller known as “baseballguy1.” He’s currently selling three other Lombard pics, and here they are — beginning with this jovial shot of Carole, Clark Gable and Garson Kanin, who directed Lombard in “They Knew What They Wanted” (and lusted after her in a nice way, as he noted in his delightfully vivid memoir “Hollywood”). That film didn’t come out until the fall of 1940, and this image from RKO is listed as being from 1939, so I’m guessing this was taken early in the production process.

This vintage rarity is 8″ x 10″. The minimum bid is $9.99, and bids close at 8:14 p.m. (Eastern) Friday. To bid or find out more, go tohttp://www.ebay.com/itm/CAROLE-LOMBARD-RKO-RADIO-PICTURES-1939-VINTAGE-SEXY-RARE-CLARK-GABLE-/181142510913?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2cef5d41.

The two other baseballguy pics aren’t quite as rare, but are nonetheless stunning. Here’s Lombard with William Boyd and Owen Moore from her first all-talkie, 1929’s “High Voltage,” plus information saying it either was received or printed on July 28 of that year:

The bidding here begins at $8.99, with the auction closing at 8:12 p.m. Friday. Interested? Then visit http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAROLE-LOMBARD-HIGH-VOLTAGE-PATHE-FILM-1929-VINTAGE-SEXY-RARE-STAMPED-/181142497643?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2cef296b

Fast-forward to 1935, take Carole out of the cold and into a swimsuit, and you have this sexy, glamorous image, Paramount p1202-1235:

This measures only 7″ x 9″, but a chance to possess a photo showing off Lombard’s luscious figure makes the opening bid price big — as in $19.99. Bidding ends at 8:11 p.m. Friday. All the information for prospective bidders can be seen at http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAROLE-LOMBARD-BATHING-FASHION-P1202-1235-FILM-1935-VINTAGE-SEXY-RARE-STAMPED-/181142491883?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2cef12eb.

For all of baseballguy1’s pics, check out http://www.ebay.com/sch/baseballguy1/m.html?_ipg&_from&_nkw&_armrs=1&_sop=10.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.19 at 01:09             Current mood: impressed

Whenever a new Carole Lombard Paramount p1202 photo is uncovered, it’s cause for celebration. And today, we have three of them — including one of the most unusual shots in the collection:

It’s p1202-726, from 1934 (the outfit Lombard’s wearing ties it to “We’re Not Dressing”), but who’s that person with her? And what’s that diagram beneath them all about? We do know that’s a sound engineer alongside Carole, and the diagram has something to do with audio reception. By this time, Lombard was known throughout the industry for her uncanny knowledge of lighting and cinematography (a talent shared by studio stablemate Marlene Dietrich), but her pleasantly modulated voice helped her survive the chaotic silent-to-talkies transition in the late 1920s, so Carole probably was equally interested in the aural aspect of movies (if she’d known what Hedy Lamarr had up her sleeve, technologically speaking, who knows what might have resulted!). This is one occasion where a snipe would be extremely helpful.

It’s an 8″ x 10″ in superb condition with no marks, and a definite Lombard rarity. Bidding begins at $9.99, with bids closing at 8:15 p.m. (Eastern) Friday. To bid, or learn more, visit http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAROLE-LOMBARD-PARAMOUNT-PICTURES-1934-VINTAGE-SEXY-RARE-SOUND-WAVES/181142512160?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D7759770396204452117%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D200925588629%26. (Just how often do you see the juxtaposition of the words “sexy” and “sound waves”?) The seller has some other Lombard pix of note available, and they will be the subject of Monday’s entry.

The other two Lombard p1202 pics are a package deal — p1202-841 on top, with p1202-1379 below:

Note that p1202-841 was from the same session that produced p1202-843…

…while p1202-1379, a Eugene Robert Richee photo, came out of a session that brought us p1202-1380:

The tandem of p1202-841 and p1202-1379 are being sold straight up for $14.99, a relative bargain for vintage Lombard portraits (both are in very good condition). To snap these up, go to http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-VINTAGE-CAROLE-LOMBARD-PARAMOUNT-PICTURES-PROMOTIONAL-PHOTOGRAPHS/200925588629?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D7760436129353338408%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D181142512160%26.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.18 at 18:47 
Current mood: content

A few days before Carole Lombard and Clark Gable attended a boxing match at Los Angeles Wrigley Field on May 28, 1937, Hollywood magazine’s June 1937 issue — with mutual friend Myrna Loy on the cover — hit newsstands, and Clark and Carole were part of the cover, too:

Of course, we know it ended with an airplane crash into a Nevada mountain — in Loy’s autobiography, she writes canceling a flight she was scheduled to board helped her avoid a similar fate some years before — but in this context, “end” referred to something far less morbid. Would Gable and Lombard wind up as husband and wife, or was this a mere romantic movie star fling that ultimately would fade away? The public was curious, and this article attempted to whet its collective appetite, using Clark and Carole’s earlier film together, “No Man Of Her Own,” as a starting point:

(Incidentally, isn’t that a delightful photo of Claudette Colbert? The film’s title later was changed to “I Met Him In Paris.”)

Most of that story on Carole trods familiar turf, but I had never heard about the Russ Columbo locket. Nor had I been aware of Gable and Lombard, out for a drive, winding up in a parade in Van Nuys; that might have made for an amusing scene in the otherwise dismal “Gable And Lombard.”

That wasn’t the only place in the magazine you could find Carole. Her latest film, “Swing High, Swing Low,” drew an approving review:

Elsewhere in Hollywood, the magazine was promoting its third series of “Movieland Tours” — where the public could travel from Chicago to the West, first taking in both natural sights, then touring the film capital…including visiting a studio (Paramount in this case), something nearly never done in those days (http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/442563.html). The specifics are described below, and if I could find a time machine and make reservations (assuming I could find $5 in U.S. currency made before 1937), heck, I’d join them, too.

It would be nice to find tourists’ photographic souvenirs of being inside Paramount, but I’m guessing they were probably prohibited from taking pictures. Nevertheless, I’d love to be proven wrong, and some of them probably told their experiences to local newspapers once they returned.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.17 at 09:25
Current mood: impressed

Three more pictorial goodies from eBay are the topic of today’s entry regarding Carole Lombard memorabilia. We’ll start with a relatively demure Pathe portrait of the 20-year-old Lombard from 1929, cl-139, almost certainly taken by the studio’s William E. Thomas:

The previous autumn, Lombard had played a supporting role in Pathe’s part-talkie “Show Folks.” We’ve run this image before, but as a halftone from a book. Here’s Lombard (who I’m guessing is wearing heels) with Eddie Quillan in an original publicity still:

Now to the Paramount era, and a shot of Carole in swimwear to promote “No One Man.” The seller labels what she’s wearing as a “bikini,” which it clearly isn’t — the term, used to describe an abbreviated two-piece swimsuit, wasn’t originated until after World War II — but it certainly is an example of pre-Code cheesecake, as those long and lovely Lombard legs are on display, albeit indoors in a studio:

The Pathe portrait cl-139 is in good condition, and bidding begins at $19.99; the auction closes at 10 p.m. (Eastern) Tuesday. To bid or learn more, visit http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-Orig-Movie-Pub-Still-1930s/161026866793?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D7721336959266107432%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D4%26sd%3D271207294615%26.

The “Show Folks” shot is from the same seller, with the same minimum bid and closing time and measuring 7.5″ x 9.5″. The photo is listed in very good condition. Additional information is available at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-in-Show-Folks-1928-Orig-Movie-Pub-Still/161026866799?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D7721885708686821096%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D4%26sd%3D161026866793%26.

The Paramount swimsuit portrait measures 7.5″ x 9.75″, is linen-backed and is said to be in close to excellent condition. It’s being sold straight up for $275, or you can make an offer; if not bought, it will be available through 3:15 a.m. (Eastern) June 15. If you want this leggy Lombard pose in your collection, go to http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Original-1930s-CAROLE-LOMBARD-Sexy-BIKINI-Pre-Code-CHEESECAKE-Portrait/271207294615?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D7721920679117572054%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D3%26sd%3D161026866799%26.

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.16 at 06:11
Current mood: excited

Ernst Lubitsch played a major role in Carole Lombard’s development as an actress. As head of production for Paramount in the mid-1930s — the only director of note to wield such influence — he helped elevate Lombard to the top tier of that studio’s stars after it hadn’t known what to do with her for several years.

But it wasn’t until the latter part of 1941 that Lubitsch finally directed her, in the acerbic comedy “To Be Or Not To Be.” It would not be released until March 1942, by which time the U.S. had entered World War II and Carole became an indirect casualty of it. For those and other reasons, “To Be Or Not To Be” initially drew a cool critical and public reaction, but over the years it has earned the reputation of a masterpiece for both Lubitsch and Lombard.

“To Be Or Not To Be” has long been available on video and DVD, but now it’s getting the first-class treatment it deserves — from the same people who issued the definitive version of another Carole classic, “My Man Godfrey,” some 12 years ago.

Criterion has announced that its edition of “To Be Or Not To Be” will be released in late August, on both conventional DVD and the newer Blu-ray format.

As one would expect from Criterion, this item abounds with bonuses. There’s a restored digital transfer, an audio commentary, a trailer, a 2010 French documentary on Lubitsch. a booklet, and two radio broadcasts — a 1940 Screen Guild variety show featuring Lubitsch, Jack Benny and Claudette Colbert, and the Screen Guild January 1943 adaptation of “To Be Or Not To Be,” starring Lombard’s former husband William Powell, current wife Diana Lewis and the film’s Sig Rumann (http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/268891.html).

This isn’t the first Blu-ray go-round for “To Be Or Not To Be”; the French firm Studio Canal released a version for the Region B format in early 2012. But for those of us in North America, Criterion’s release should be yet another revelation. (List price is $29.95 for the DVD, $39.95 for Blu-ray.)

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Posted by vp19 on 2013.05.15 at 19:08
Current mood: cheerful

Yes, the title sounds ominous — might it have something to do with Carole Lombard’s out-of-character prickliness with the press pertaining to matters Clark Gable? — but actually, this is a positive piece regarding Lombard’s personality, coming off her critical and popular triumph in “My Man Godfrey,” a nationwide hit in the final few months of 1936. No sign of Gable anywhere in the story. Nevertheless, the editors of Hollywood played it up more sensationally on its cover (featuring Merle Oberon, by the way).

The angle here is that Carole “betrayed herself” by letting her natural character come through in the role of Irene Bullock, unlike previous films where she immersed herself in the part. As she’s quoted as telling friends, “I’m so much wrapped in it that there’s nothing to bring home!” (Although the article emphasizes that the real-life Lombard possessed none of Irene’s naivete.)

See for yourself:

(Oh, and to whomever was the copy editor: That director’s name you listed on the first page is “Leisen,” not “Leison.”)

A delightful article, which has many of the elements of the February 1937 Motion Picture story, “The Utterly Balmy Home Life Of Carole Lombard” (http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/595574.html). But that wasn’t the only place to find Carole; some tidbits on her (and Gable) were posted in a potpourri of Hollywood news:

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