I was browsing through the TWITTER-verse yesterday and stumpled upon a tweet from the original Playboy Mr. Hugh Hefner.
On June 26, 2009 he tweeted:
Friends will be here tonight for a screening of the John Barrymore/Carole Lombard comedy classic “20th Century.”
That made me smile.
For those of you who don’t know, Mr. Hefner is also a big film buff and has funded many restorations and documentaries including “Pandora’s Box” and the documentary “Louise Brooks: Looking For Lulu”.
Look what Carolyn sent! “This is the framed photo of Clark as a toddler that Carole kept on her dressing table,” she says. “Apparently it was the only photo of Clark she kept in her room.”
Take a peek:
Too cute. Thanks Carolyn!
Drew Barrymore! For her latest role as “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale, a relative of Jackie O, in HBO’s Grey Gardens, Drew says she was “inspired by Jean Harlow and Clara Bow and Carole Lombard.”
In another interview she added how she “observed stars like Carole Lombard, Joan Crawford, Leslie Caron and other female actors, how they walked and talked. I did that steadily for three months. I really needed to get the feel of the era.” It’s always nice when the stars of today shed a little light on Hollywood’s legends. Especially if it’s Lombard getting a shout out! Plus, I’m sure her granddaddy John, aka Jack, would be very proud. (He frequently cited Carole Lombard as “the greatest actress”). As for Grey Gardens, it airs on HBO this Saturday at 8 pm. I’m tuning in! 
Drew Barrymore! For her latest role as “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale, a relative of Jackie O, in HBO’s Grey Gardens, Drew says she was “inspired by Jean Harlow and Clara Bow and Carole Lombard.”
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!
This painting by Anna Wilson was sold in 2004 describing it as: Portrait of Carol Lombard and her dog, 1935.
So they obviously got the name spelled wrong, (for that time period anyways). Maybe it’s just me but that doesn’t really look like her. Eh maybe it does. A little. The outfit is definitely familiar but honestly, if I hadn’t seen the caption I don’t think I would have known. What do you think?
P.S. This isn’t the one from the ranch Rose. I’ll get to that one. Promise!
P.P.S. Check out the Photo Archives for some more Lombard candids submitted by fabulous site visitors like you! If you’d like to donate some of your Lombard photos e-mail info@carolelombard.org. Especially since we’ve got that awesome contest going on . . .
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!
70 years ago today, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable officially became known as “The Gables”.
On March 2, 1939 the two lovebirds eloped (with Otto Winkler chaperoning) to Kingman, Ariz., to be married without informing friends. The two remained married nearly three years until death did them part. Even then Clark continued to love and cherish Carole until his own death when the two would be re-united. (He is buried beside her). But let’s not get sad here . . .
In celebration of this momentous occasion, the Queen of Lombard Tributes, Carolyn, also known as the other Profane Angel, has made another one of her fantabulous videos for you all to enjoy. It is AMAZING! Check it out:
John Wesley Harding (yes, like the Bob Dylan song) is a folk/pop singer-songwriter. He is also the recent author of two bestselling novels under his real name, Wesley Stace.
Anyways, he recently did 20 Questions with PopMatters about some of the art and the artists that he appreciates. Personally, I think he gave the best response to Question #14:
Your dinner guest at the Ritz would be?
Jack Weston and Rita Moreno, of course. It would be nice to take Carole Lombard to the Ritz, but I don’t know what she was really like and she’s dead, so a) it would have to be as she is on film back then and b) she would have to have the very best screwball scriptwriters.
Hello Irene Bullock!
If you ever wondered what Carole Lombard’s bed looked like, here is a crummy copy (sorry) of Carole on her bed in 1936:
William Haines, designer and former actor at the time, bordered Lombard’s sleigh-shaped Directoire bed of rich velvet with mirror screens explaining, “Motion picture people like to see how they look even when they are sleeping.”
Touché.
FYI: William Haines was a star of the silent era but his career came to a halt in the 1930s when he refused to deny his homosexuality. Along with his partner Jimmie Shields, Haines began a successful career as interior designer and antique dealer. In addition to Carole Lombard, his clients included Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Marion Davies and George Cukor. To learn more about William Haines and his fabulous designs check out WilliamHaines.com
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