For long-term resonance, few lines of cinematic dialogue match, "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn." Those words have been uttered many times since 1939, the year in which Gone with the Wind was released onto the silver screen. At that time, Clark Gable, who spoke the line as Rhett Butler, was arguably at the peak of his Hollywood career.
Clark Gable - The King of Hollywood
Fellow actor Spencer Tracy would dub Gable "The King". The tag was associated with Gable for the rest of his career. "I’m just a lucky slob from Ohio. I happened to be in the right place at the right time," he said, self-deprecatingly. Yet for panache and presence, few leading actors could match or surpass Gable.
At 6’1" he was tall, and also dark and handsome. Posthumously, Gable was elected into Hollywood’s unofficial hall of fame. When the American Film Institute (AFI) created a list of the top 100 leading men, in 1999, Gable was seventh on the list of male stars. (Humphrey Bogart was elected to the top spot).
Of course, it is "Oscars" by which Hollywood movie stars are now measured. Gable received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He won it for his portrayal of Peter Warne in It Happened One Night (1934). Gable also received nominations for his roles as the mutineer Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Rhett Butler in the epic, Gone with the Wind; now regarded as one of the all time classic movies.
In 1932, shortly after making his big break, Gable said, "When you get to Hollywood, you find yourself in lots of chains of accidents. If it turns out all right, you’re a star. If you’re a gambler, move to Hollywood. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe not."
Gable and His Five Wives
Gable’s first wife, Josephine Dillon, was a professional drama teacher, who helped groom Gable for a career on the stage. His second wife, Ria Langham, from Houston, had contacts and the vision to help him achieve success on Broadway and then in Hollywood. In total Gable married five times.
The Star's Leading Ladies
He starred opposite stars such as Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Lana Turner, Jean Harlow and Norma Shearer in a number of movies. Crawford described his physical presence and charm as "sheer animal magic."
Five of Gable's Classic Movies
It Happenened One Night
- Gable played the role of the reporter Peter Warne in Frank Capra’s hit comedy It Happenened One Night, which scooped five Academy Awards (for best motion picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay). Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy both turned down the Oscar winning roles.
Mutiny on the Bounty
- Clark Gable and his famous moustache are inseparable in the minds of most fans. Almost. For his portrayal as Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty, Gable had to shave off his trademark facial hair, albeit reluctantly. This was in the name of historical accuracy. In the late eighteenth century, when the infamous mutiny took place on board the H.M.S. Bounty, sailors in the service of the Royal Navy had to be clean shaven.This movie received seven Academy Award nominations in categories other than Best Motion Picture, which it won. Since 1935 no film has had the distinction of being named Best Motion Picture without picking up an award in at least one other category.
Gone with the Wind
- Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Gone with the Wind, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1937. The historical drama follows the life of Scarlett O’Hara during and after the American Civil War. Vivien Leigh played Scarlett O’Hara opposite Clark Gable’s Rhett Butler. The classic Hollywood film of 1939, Gable’s first movie in Technicolor, won the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.
Silent Run, Deep Run
- This 1957 movie Silent Run, Deep Run was about the strains and stresses of submarine warfare during World War Two. Gable starred opposite Burt Lancaster as the submarine Commander, P.J. Richardson. Despite reported moments of tension on the set, Lancaster later praised Gable for his professionalism during filming.
Gable's Last Movie - The Misfits
- Gable starred as Gay Langland, an ageing cowboy, opposite Marilyn Monroe, who played the role of Roslyn Taber, a depressed divorcee in the 1961 drama, The Misfits. Interestingly, Gable insisted on performing his own stunts. The critically acclaimed movie has subsequently gained a cult following. This was the last film to be completed by both Monroe and Gable. Gable suffered a heart attack just three days after filming was concluded. He died a week and a half later.
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