“Clark Gable is a man de-classed. You can’t guess in any way where he came from or what he was.” Frank Taylor, producer of Gable’s last film, The Misfits (1961), said this of the man who, to many people, will forever be Southern gentleman Rhett Butler of Gone with the Wind. This work tells Gable’s life story, from his birth in 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio, to his death in 1960 in Hollywood. It chronicles his stage career, and of course gives information on every one of his films. His family background, his development as a person, the many romances including five marriages, and his relationships with friends and co-workers are all explored in detail. The sources used and the bibliography are fully annotated.

Chrystopher J. Spicer has written extensively about Australian and American film and history. He teaches writing and communication at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

Chrystopher J. Spicer

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 360
Bibliographic Info: 87 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1124-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
1. Billy the Kid 3
2. Growing Up 12
3. The Player 23
4. Franz Dorfler 32
5. The Apprentice 41
6. Becoming Clark Gable 44
7. Clark and Ria 55
8. New Man, New World 68
9. Possessed 80
10. Quiet Interlude 92
11. It Happened One Year 101
12. Call of the Wild 112
13. Uncharted Seas 117
14. Lift Up Your Golden Gate 126
15. Who Do You Think You Are, Clark Gable? 140
16. The King 158
17. Frankly My Dear… 162
18. The House of the Two Gables 184
19. As Good As It Gets 199
20. After the Dance 208
21. Captain Gable 213
22. Somewhere I’ll Find You 225
23. Lady Sylvia 237
24. A Lone Star 252
25. Kathleen 265
26. The Misfits 285
27. In Death, Life 297
Clark Gable Filmography 305
Notes 311
Bibliography 337
Index 339

• “Recommended”—Library Journal
• “More enjoyable and better researched than (the competition)”—Classic Images
• “Highly entertaining…good…may well be the best [biography on Gable]”—The Weekend Australian
• “Well illustrated”—Reference & Research Book News.