Carole Lombard, Gable’s third wife, was the love of his life.
What no one knew was that Clark Gable did father a child outside of his marriage. His affair with actress Loretta Young produced a daughter, who Gable visited just once. With no father or husband in the picture, Loretta Young traveled to San Francisco and put the child up for adoption. Young would later adopt her own child, hiding the truth from everyone. When the child grew older and asked where her father was, Young told her he was dead.
Clark Gable was a man’s man.
The love triangle between Ria Gable, Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard was in full swing. Gable would have divorced Ria Gable earlier to make Lombard his wife but he detested the idea of losing money in a divorce settlement. Then, while Gone With the Wind was in preproduction, a tabloid ran an article on all three of them. MGM was once again stuck in the middle of a Clark Gable love affair, but this time religious groups were writing complaint letters in response to the article. Carole Lombard was a free agent in the studio system. Gable, on the other hand, was bound by his contract. He was given the option to divorce Ria Gable and marry Lombard or end his relationship with the young actress.
In the early part of 1939 the divorce between Ria and Clark Gable was finalized. He would pay half his current pension, and she would agree to not slow down the process—though the idea of causing her now ex-husband unnecessary complications pleased her. During a brief break in filming Gone With the Wind, Gable and Lombard eloped, telling no one until after the fact. The two were ecstatic. They truly seemed to be soul mates.
Even though the two loved each other deeply, Clark Gable would again be unfaithful. Lombard was aware Gable still carried on sexual relations with other women. She acknowledged she couldn’t stop him if she wanted to. So as long as his extramarital affairs were only physical, she allowed it.
In the midst of all the marriage drama, Gone With the Wind began preproduction in 1938. The Civil War period novel, written by Margaret Mitchell, was a smash hit and stayed on the best-seller lists for three-and-a-half years. The studios wanted Gable to play Rhett Butler. The fans wanted to see Gable play Rhett Butler. Gable had no interest in playing Rhett Butler. He almost passed on the movie entirely—the movie that continued to make him a movie star for generations after his death. What made Gable decide to act in Gone With the Wind was simple: money. He was given a bonus of $50,000 on top of his going contract rate.
During the early stages of filming, Gable was having a hard time on the set. He felt the character of Rhett Butler did not fit the mold of characters he was used to playing. Characters that made him famous. Clark Gable was a man’s man. Women pursued him. He didn’t pursue women. Clark Gable didn’t cry, but Rhett Butler did. Tensions were also high between Gable and director George Cukor. The studio intervened and removed Cukor from the job, replacing him with Wizard of Oz director Victor Fleming. Gossip began to circulate Gable was a homophobe and had the homosexual director fired. Later the gossip mutated into Clark Gable being a homosexual. After a brief regrouping, production on Gone With the Wind resumed. The tension eased, and Gable became more comfortable with his part.
Come Oscar time, Gable was nominated for best actor but would lose to Robert Donat for his role in Goodbye, Mr. Chips. Hattie McDaniel who played Mammy was nominated and won best supporting actress. McDaniel was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award. Gone With the Wind would also take home best picture, beating out The Wizard of Oz. Victor Fleming, who was also a director on The Wizard of Oz, won best director. By the end of the night, Gone With the Wind won a record of eight awards.
Though Gable did not walk away with a second golden statue, Gone With the Wind broke all box office records. As a result Gable’s contract was renegotiated for an additional three years. His pay went up to $7,500 a week and would rise to $10,000 a week in the contract’s final year.
Gable was crushed.
Earning more than ever, Gable went on to star in Boom Town and Comrade X (both 1940). Both films would feature Hedy Lamarr as Gable’s love interest. Lamarr was a rising sexpot, and Carole Lombard was known to stop by the set to supervise shoots. Clark Gable had become so famous, and his pay so high, that he no longer needed to make movies back to back. In 1941 Gable appeared in only two films, They Met in Bombay and Honky Tonk.
The Gables had it all. They were famous, wealthy, and, for the most part, made their own work schedule. The couple had bought a small ranch and were enjoying the life of luxury. While not working, the biggest disturbance the husband and wife faced was the occasional fan who overstepped their boundaries. Then news arrived of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S. would be entering World War II, and Lombard encouraged Gable to enlist. Gable, while patriotic in spirit, had no intention of leaving his plush lifestyle. While Clark did not volunteer to fight in the war, the Gables did contribute in other ways: They entertained troops during their R&R breaks, donated money and even the use of their horses from the ranch. Lombard toured the United States selling war bonds. Her spirit energized audiences, and she sold more than double the amount of bonds anticipated.
On January 16, 1942, Clark Gable was preparing a glamorous welcome-home party for his wife, who would soon be back to the ranch from her tour of selling war bonds. Gable received a call: The plane in which Carole Lombard was traveling had collided with Double Up Peak just outside of Las Vegas. At first there was hope of finding survivors, but in the end, all the passengers had perished. After an investigation, the cause of the crash would be attributed to pilot error.
Gable was crushed. Friends said he never fully recovered, becoming more of a quiet and serious man. For her dedication and achievements for the war effort, a naval ship was named after Carole Lombard.
Gable took time off from shooting Somewhere I’ll Find You to mourn. He lost weight. He spent most of his time on the ranch he shared his wife, reflecting on their life together. He ordered her belongings in the bedroom to remain the way she left them. He’d return to the set February 23. Until then they’d have to shoot around his scenes. Co-star Lana Turner later called Gable a “consummate professional” in reference to his ability and dedication during this tragic time.
The loneliness and loss became too much for the widower. He thought of his wife’s words encouraging him to enlist. The United States Air Force would be getting a new recruit. The King of Hollywood was enlisting. While he believed in defending his country, it was clear he made the personal sacrifice in memory of his wife.
The media was buzzing with the news of Clark Gable entering the fight. MGM was worried about losing their biggest male star. Fans couldn’t stop talking about it, including the leader of the German Nazi party, Adolph Hitler. When Hitler had heard Clark Gable was changing careers, he got his autograph book ready. Hitler was a huge film buff and a fan of Gone With the Wind. Gable was one of his favorite actors. A Nazi radio broadcast even sent out a message, “We’ll be seeing you soon in Germany, Clark. You will be welcome there too.” A German journalist went so far as to attempt to make a connection between Clark Gable and Joseph Goebbels. (Supposedly, the name “Gable” had previously been anglicized from “Goebel.”)
While in the service, Clark Gable was an aerial gunner and also helped produce a combat film for the Office of War Information. Gable walked away from gunning and back to MGM a decorated war hero in 944. His contract was extended another seven years, obligating him to make two films a year. His return to the studio was celebrated but Gable played down the hero angle. To him the real