She’s back with some more! Today Miss-y Tally has rummaged through her fabulous collection of Carole Lombard-ilia and decided to share the following with us:
First we have Carole’s black“lambs wool/treble clef pin hat.”
Here are just two of the many pictures featuring Carole wearing that black hat:
Next, we have“a picture of a copper flower pin, the 1920s-era locket she wore, also 2 clips (turquoise and silver, similar to certain diamond & ruby clips Mr G gave her and have since become legend). They are in very good shape, only missing 2 stones in the pair. Amazing to see something to show where perhaps he might have gotten the idea from prior to that Christmas gift!”
Here’s a close-up on those clips:
I love the locket! I wonder what the story is behind it? Tally?
You MUST click to see the full size:
That would be Carole Lombard promoting the film Nothing Sacred. She fits right in doesn’t she? Check out some more new photos submitted by all you fabulous site visitors by visiting the Photo Archives>>
If you want to donate some of your pics email info@carolelombard.org and be automatically entered in our awesome contest for the month of April.
I’d like to give a special shout out to the following individuals for being Content All-Stars This Week: BELINDA, CAROLYN, KENDRA, SANDRA, and TALLY.
Have a happy and safe Friday night everybody! Toodles!
She’s baaaack! And ready to share more of her Carole Lombard-ilia with us. Give it up for TALLY ladies and gentlemen:
“First up are the double-strand pearls,(top 2 strands) from the “dripping in pearls” shots. Helen Turpin, the makeup artist from SHOWBOAT, KISMET, KING & I etc, was given these by Carole, and it is documented in a letter Helen wrote, which is here. I love these pictures!”
Here are some photos of Carole wearing the pearls above:
“Second I have the sweater and monogram. I’d sure like to find a picture [of Carole wearing it]. I have a feeling I’ve seen one SOME PLACE, but again its ‘part of the hunt’.”
Tip for all you hunters: Since the sweater’s monogram is “CL” we know it was before March of 1939 when Carole became Carole Lombard Gable. After that everything she monogrammed was “CLG”.
I’d like to give a big THANK YOU to Tally for once again sharing her treasures with us all. I don’t know about you but I deeply appreciate it! Stay tuned for more in this series we have started with Miss-y Tally.
Here it is. From the collection of Miss-y Tally we present to you the portrait of Carole Lombard that hung in the Encino ranch home:
Aint she a beauty? I am sure the actual painting is much more rich than this scanned photo can allow but it’s still so lovely and it really captures Carole.
As for a little background information and history of the item its owner Tally says: “Immediately off the top of my head I know it was sold during one of the first sales /parting of her things likely Jean G, had in the early 40s. Apparently it could be the one from his bedroom,as from that article you sent.”
The article I sent Tally described an identical portrait that hung above Clark’s bed and the owner at the time said he had received the item from Kay Gable herself. I guess she wasn’t too comfortable looking up to the love of her husband’s life every night. Who could blame her?
Anyways, below is a Q&A love fest I had with Tally to learn more about this fascinating piece of Hollywood history. Read on.
Where did you get this portrait from?
Well, the crazy thing was that for a day it was up on ebay under “CAROL Lombard”.. That’s when I first saw it. The party was from California; I wrote to them immediately said I’d DEFINITELY buy it and they liked me I guess and took it off the same day..They let me buy it from them. . . it was amazing because during that time I was in between the radiation and chemotherapy for the second cancer, so it helped HUGELY to have something great to look forward to.
It was after I received it, and was told that it had hung at the ranch in Encino; the outer frame could use a careful cleaning, it looks like an oil painting, very delicate, even down to her fingertips and the delicate outlines of her face.
I also knew anything I had, the actual items of hers, had to be willed to just ONE PLACE and that was to FT WAYNE and the Historical society; Caroles clothes, furs, jewels I have and hats, that are here(They know too I have this painting, and are very interested indeed!)
Why did you get this portrait?
Because of her great inspiration, her “living every day to the fullest”, her sense of humor, her happiness, her kindness towards others, love of animals, it played a major part in me fighting these cancers; and its why, given also brittle diabetes for 35 years, I needed a PLAN.
SO as a later posthumous GIFT to a great Lady, I will be sending her things, including the portrait “back Home”. SO many of these artifacts, people collect, and stuff in a closet and on a shelf, or in a drawer, and I think its important to remember the history that comes with each personal object that once belonged to this famous person or that one. Ultimately that’s my hope for everything that’s out there, that hopefully are being well taken care of, by the fans.
Anyway, It being Carole in the picture, yes I wanted it, and looking at it, esp on my “down days” of the therapy, helped me get up again.
Where do you hang this beautiful masterpiece?
I knew after I got it, and also unfortunately the ONLY place it is SAFE and protected is in my bedroom on a wall near my marble top dresser.
There are no holes or worn places on the actual portrait, again the only place that could use some attention is the outer frame, yet I ‘d not take it to just anybody, and think I’ll leave that to the experts in Indiana.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Have been free of Cancer 5 years now, and so I HOPE I can continue to do some significant GOOD things for another year and make some people proud.Yes Its been a FIGHT, and I feel “inspired” to have had “help” getting through with Carole’s “inspiration” through that portrait.
Thank you so much Tally for sharing your love and Lombardilia with us. A gallant lady indeed.
So there you go. That’s all we know. How about you? Have any FYI’s to share? Probably lots of questions!
In 1937 Carole Lombard posed for a painting by the wife of director Rouben Mamoulian, Azadia Newman. The painting was to be one of a series of color inserts for a new magazine called “Cinema Arts”. However, at fifty-cents an issue, the magazine was just too expensive and only lasted three issues. For some reason or another, this particular painting was never published and years later its whereabouts became unknown. The photo above is from Larry Carr’s More Fabulous Faces and at that time, 1979, the painting was still missing.
Now I haven’t really dug into this matter much myself, though I definitely plan to, but in the mean time I thought I’d ask you all.
Anybody got this stuffed in their attic? Holler!
So I was sick, I went to the E.R. and got a bit better, and now I am back. Moving on.
I love the world wide web.
I wanted to share with you all some of the goodies I just got . . .
Both are bombastic covers but Carole looks so badass in this one:
EXCELSIOR- November 8, 1933
EXCELSIOR- October 18, 1933
Lots of updates to make, photos to scan, and e-mails to send. *off to catch-up*
Thanks to Lisa Burks and her blog Lisa Burks Online, CaroleLombard.org has won its first award: Premio Dardos.
What is Premio Dardos? The official proclamation states:
“The Dardos Award is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”
The best part of this award is you get to pass it on to another five blogs that are worthy of the acknowledgment.
As the webmistress of CaroleLombard.org here are my picks:
Beth Kanter: Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media
Christian Del Moral: Cine Latino en Nueva York
Gary Sweeney: The Midnight Palace
Kendra What’s-Your-Last- Name?: VivAndLarry.com
Tony Curtis: Tony’s Blog
Very cool and as Lisa Burks says, “there’s no website connected to the award image, so it’s not some commercial promotional gimmick.”
Thank you. xoxo
John Engstead (1912–1984) was an amazing American photographer who began his career in 1926 as an office boy at Paramount Pictures. Within a year he was arranging photo sessions with Clara Bow and was promoted to studio portrait photographer.
Over the years he would photograph them all -the legends that is; Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Louise Brooks, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Marlene Dietrich, and the list goes on.
But there was one star who shined brighter than the rest in Engstead’s eyes.
“I think the best person I ever photographed was Carole Lombard,” Engstead once said, “a very intelligent woman, very glamorous, very exciting- and she loved to make still pictures. She understood it.”
“She knew how to think in front of the camera and she taught me innumerable things about photography.”
“Carole could sink her lips in, her cheeks in. She could raise her eyebrows without wrinkling her forehead. All these things came on her face. She could make her face look like steel when she wanted to. She could make herself look soft and lovely. She could smile. She could laugh.”
“She could be photographed from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. It’s exciting to have a person give you this much.”
Of all the natural color shots taken of Carole Lombard this one is perhaps my favorite. She looks, well, natural. She looks real. (Clark looks swell too sitting in the corner).
When the black/white films soon gave way to color Marlene Dietrich remarked “There’s no more mystery.” The same can be said about photography. Color makes the goddesses of Hollywood’s Golden Age seem more like people. Really, really, really ridiculously good looking people that is.
I scanned some portraits that Engstead took of Lombard to add to the Photo Archives but sadly none of them came out as well as this color shot. I’ll be adding them today so be sure to check in.
Have a beautiful day. xoxo
These are big ones so chose the Full Size option if you like them large ; )
The gorgeous and talented Carole Lombard as she appeared in the 1940-1941 RKO Exhibitor Book to promote Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And here’s a pretty pin-up for the boudoir:
True Confessions magazine chose this lovely Lombard still for their December 1932 Portrait of the Month.
P.S. I’ve added some more photos to the Photo Archives — mostly Gable and Lombard with some great GWTW premiere pics courtesy of Kendra. So if you haven’t already, go check them out!
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