Welcome to Betsy's Carole Lombard-Gable Site

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Born As: Jane Alice Peters
Date of Birth: October 6, 1908
Birth Place: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Date of Death: January 16, 1942
Death Place: Table Rock Mountain, Nevada, USA
Factoids: In June of 1942 Irene Dunne christened  The Liberty Ship  "USS Carole Lombard"

President Roosevelt awarded Carole Lombard with a medal as "The first woman to be killed in action, in defense of her country, in its war against the Axis Powers." (She was a true patriot whom Roosevelt greatly admired for her public displays of patriotism, and died on her way home to Clark Gable from a War Bond-selling engagement.)

The "Queen" of screwball comedy, Carole Lombard, was born Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She lived with her parents, Elizabeth Knight and Frederick C. Peters, and two older brothers, Frederick and Stuart, in Fort Wayne until the age of five.  In October, 1914 her parents separated. Mrs. Peters packed up the children and moved to California

After completing her education at Virgil Junior High School, Jane decided ballroom dancing at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles was more exciting than attending High School. It was there that a Fox Pictures executive noticed the energetic and attractive blonde dancing. Following a successful screen test Jane appeared opposite Edmund Lowe in Marriage in Transit, a spy story. It was prior to the release of Marriage in Transit that Jane Peters adopted the screen name of Carole Lombard, borrowing her surname from family friends Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lombard. After several small roles the studio opted to not to renew the option on Carole's contract. An automobile accident with the son of a Los Angeles banker slowed her down briefly, but after signing a contract to work with Mack Sennett, the "King of Comedy," she was back in business. Initially earning fifty dollars a week, the "madcap" Carole was praised by Sennett. " Carole Lombard will be a great star some day," he said.

Following two years of two-reel comedy shorts Lombard signed on with Pathe studios. She was making $150 per week now and, despite receiving somewhat insignificant roles, she was gaining valuable experience.  some training  A brief stint at Fox in 1930 was followed by a new contract with Paramount at $350 a week. It was following her November 1930 release of Fast and Loose that the studio finally started added the "e" to Carol in film credits. The following year saw Lombard appear twice with future husband William Powell in Man of the World and Ladies Man. Powell and Lombard were wed on June 26, 1931. The marriage was over 28 months later on August 18, 1933.  They did, however, remain friends  and co-starred in the 1936 comedy classic My Man Godfrey.                           

It was between the years 1934 and 1942 that Lombard completed her most entertaining and successful films. Comedy classics like We're Not Dressing, 20th Century and Nothing Sacred enhanced and nurtured the "screwball" icon Lombard had become, while dramatic performances in Now and Forever, Vigil in the Night and Made For Each Other helped to establish her versatility as an actress. A brief love affair with singer Russ Columbo ended in 1934 with his  accidental death while a friend was handling a gun, but it wasn't until 1936 that she embarked on the final romantic adventure of her life. Carole had starred opposite the "King" of Hollywood, Clark Gable, in the 1932 production of No Man Of Her Own, but was married to William Powell at the time and considered Gable too much of a ladies man and quite the ham. When she met Gable at the "Mayfair" ball in 1936 they saw each other in a totally different light. The two began dating and were married in a private ceremony in Kingman, Arizona on March 29, 1939. At the time, Gable was working on Gone With The Wind, but had the day off when the couple decided to elope.

This was Clark's favorite photo of his wife.

Clark and Carole settled on a 20-acre ranch in the Encino section of the San Fernando Valley outside Los Angeles and spent their final two years and ten months together in a mostly blissful "country" style setting. The Gables became homebodies and, aside from an occasional hunting or fishing trip, or hosting a few friends or family at the house, they essentially avoided the glitter and bright lights the Hollywood night life had to offer. They were more impressed with how well the other could shoot a gun or how fast they could hop in the station wagon for an outdoor excursion. "Ma could really handle a gun," Gable boasted. Lombard's final film was critically hailed as possibly her best performance. To Be Or Not To Be was a blend of comedy and drama. "I wanted to mix satire with drama," said co-writer and director Ernst Lubitsch. To Be Or Not To Be would be released in February, 1942, a month after her death.

On December 7, 1941 the United States, along with most of the free world, was thrust into World War II by the Japanese attack on U.S. Naval forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The "Day of Infamy" occurred on a peaceful Sunday morning in beautiful Hawai'i.  Carole loved her Country dearly and jumped into action to do what she could to help on the home front  A war bond tour was arranged in her home state of Indiana.  Not wanting to travel alone, Carole invited her mother, Elizabeth Knight Peters, to tag along while Clark requested his friend and MGM Press Agent, Otto Winkler, accompany her as well. The tour culminated in Indianapolis on January 15 with Carole selling a record $2,107,513 worth of government bonds. She capped off the day with a rousing speech in downtown Indianapolis and spoke publicly for the final time in her life. "Before I say goodbye to you all - come on- join me in a big cheer - V for Victory," she rejoiced over the loudspeaker.

Carole, her mother and Winkler arrived at the Indianapolis Airport at 4:00 AM and boarded TWA Flight Three. The Lockheed Skyclub was to arrive in Burbank, California, at 8:30 PM. During a stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, four passengers, including violinist Joseph Szigeti, departed the plane to make room for fifteen officers and men of the Army Ferrying Command. The flight continued on to Las Vegas, Nevada, where it stopped to refuel at 7:00 PM. At approximately 7:07 PM, the plane lifted off on the journey's final leg. Pilot Wayne Williams and Co-Pilot Morgan Gillette guided the twin engine aircraft 15 degrees off course and directly into the side of Table Rock Mountain, instantly killing everyone onboard. The entertainment world was stunned. Gable made the trip to Vegas to collect the bodies of his wife, mother-in-law and friend. Friends described Clark as a man who was "lost and never really returned." Joan Crawford described Gable as "completely crushed in spirit and walking around like a ghost." Clark would spend the remaining 18 years of his life blaming himself for Carole's death and searching for a Lombard facsimile in future wives.

The wreckage of  a TWA DC-3 at Mt. Potosi, near Las Vegas.

Actress Carole Lombard, her mother and press agent were killed along with 16 service men and the crew of three.

The captain failed to follow the prescribed course. (January 16, 1942)

She was laid to rest on January 20th, 1942 in Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks in Glendale, California.

She brought great joy to all who knew her and to millions who knew her only as a great artist.  She gave unselfishly of time and talent to serve her government in peace and war.  She loved her country.  She is and always will be a star, one we shell never forget, nor cease to be grateful to.

A tribute from My cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Trivia:  Carole and I share the same 10th Great Grandfather, Nicholas Clapp

I I live by 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.
 

Here are a few items from my "Carole" collection.

My autographed photo of Carole

HOLLYWOOD GOES TO WAR

Patriots, Pacifists and Pinups: Once Upon a Time, Tinseltown Marched Lockstep into Battle

by Tom Johnson  |  April 2, 2003

When Michael Moore delivered his now infamous anti-war, anti-Bush proclamation from the Oscars podium, it was difficult to discern the cheers from the jeers. Hollywood, like much of the nation, is divided over the war in Iraq.

But in 1942, it was a different time.

The Second World War, perhaps more than at any other time in the country's history, found Americans in perfect agreement about a war: This was a black-and-white battle between good and evil. For those who weren't sure that Hitler and his Axis minions were a problem for this country, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor convinced them. The fight was on.

And like the rest of the country, Hollywood pitched in. Stars and the rest of the Hollywood community raised money or joined the service or entertained the troops. Though known as a place of big egos and massive self-involvement, the whole of the Industry seemed to be focused on one goal: Help beat the Nazis and their Fascist buddies by doing whatever you could. And as you'll see, Hollywood could do plenty.

Still, real life isn't like a movie. Like millions across the theaters of war, some lost their lives. Others fought against the countries of their birth. Some even found themselves ostracized for holding unpopular beliefs.

It was a different time, indeed.

Bonds Away!
In one of the first acts of support, the likes of Mickey Rooney, James Cagney, Harpo Marx, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland crisscrossed the nation selling war bonds, raising millions of dollars for the war effort. It was during one such drive that the beautiful screwball comedian Carole Lombard, wife of Clark Gable, died in a plane crash. Lombard, who had just raised $2.5 million for the cause, had also starred in an anti-Nazi film, the hilarious To Be or Not to Be, with Jack Benny. When she died, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt eulogized her, saying, "She gave unselfishly of time and talent to serve her government in peace and war."

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Films of Carole Lombard-Gable

To Be or Not to Be (1942) as Maria Tura

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) as Ann Krausheimer Smith

They Knew What They Wanted (1940) as Amy Peters

Vigil in the Night (1940) as Anne Lee

In Name Only (1939) as Julie Eden

Made for Each Other (1939) as Jane Mason

Fools for Scandal (1938) as Kay Winters

Nothing Sacred (1937) as Hazel Flagg

Swing High, Swing Low (1937) as Maggie King

True Confession (1937) as Helen Bartlett

Love Before Breakfast (1936) as Kay Colby

My Man Godfrey (1936) as Irene Bullock

Princess Comes Across, The (1936) as Princess Olga

Hands Across the Table (1935) as Regi Allen

Rumba (1935) as Diana Harrison

Bolero (1934) as Helen Hathaway

Gay Bride, The (1934) as Mary Magiz

Lady by Choice (1934) as "Alabam'" Georgia Lee

Now and Forever (1934) as Toni Carstairs

Twentieth Century (1934) as Lily Garland (Mildred Plotka)

We're Not Dressing (1934) as Doris Worthington

Brief Moment (1933) as Abby Fane

Eagle and the Hawk, The (1933) as Beautiful Lady

From Hell To Heaven(1933) as Colly Tanner

Supernatural (1933) as Roma Courtney

White Woman (1933) as Judith Denning

No Man of Her Own (1932) as Connie Randall

No More Orchids (1932) as Annie Holt

No One Man (1932) as Penelope Newbold

Sinners in the Sun (1932) as Doris Blake

Virtue (1932) as Mae

I Take This Woman (1931) as Kay Dowling

It Pays to Advertise (1931) as Mary Grayson

Ladies' Man (1931) as Rachel Fendley

Man of the World (1931) as Mary Kendall

Up Pops the Devil (1931) as Anne Merrick

Arizona Kid, The (1930) as Virginia Hoyt

Fast and Loose (1930) as Alice O'Neil

Safety in Numbers (1930) as Pauline

Big News (1929) as Margaret Banks

Dynamite (1929)

High Voltage (1929) as Billie Davis

Matchmaking Mamas (1929) as Child

Ned McCobb's Daughter (1929) as Jennie

Racketeer, The (1929) as Rhoda Philbrooke

Beach Club, The (1928)

Best Man, The (1928)

Bicycle Flirt, The (1928)

Campus Carmen, The (1928)

Campus Vamp, The (1928)

Divine Sinner (1928) as Millie Claudert

Girl from Nowhere, The (1928)

His Unlucky Night (1928)

Me, Gangster (1928) as Blonde Rosie

Power (1928) as Another Dame

Run, Girl, Run (1928) as Norma

Show Folks (1928) as Cleo

Swim Princess, The (1928) as The Swim Star

Girl from Everywhere, The (1927)

Hold That Pose (1927)

Smith's Pony (1927)

Road to Glory, The (1926)

Dick Turpin (1925)

Durand of the Badlands (1925) as Ellen Boyd

Gold and the Girl (1925)

Hearts and Spurs (1925) as Sybil Estabrook

Marriage in Transit (1925) as Celia Hathaway

Perfect Crime, A (1921) as Griggs' Sister
 

Click Here to go to some of Carole's (Betsy) favorite sites   (This is still under construction)

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