A few years ago, my friend Tom gave me a fantastic biography of actress Carole Lombard called Fireball (see Trivia below). Author Robert Matzen shares the fascinating story of Lombard's rise to fame, her marriage to the legendary Clark Gable, and the horrific plane crash that took her life while serving her country. It offers much more than this blog post will ever convey, and I highly recommend it.
Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 6, 1908. She was born into a lap of luxury, and by the time she was 12, the family had relocated to Los Angeles, where she made her debut in the 1921 film A Perfect Crime. Her career was almost cut short, however. When she was just 19, she was involved in a horrible car accident, a precursor for tragedies to come. Her face was severely scarred, threatening any hopes for a Hollywood career. She'd spend more than a year in physical therapy and would often wear her hair so as to cover the scar.
In 1927, she began her comeback by appearing in a series of short sketch comedies. They caught the eye of Paramount Pictures, who signed her on as its next leading lady. During this time, she married Hollywood hearthrob William Powell, but the marriage was doomed from the start. By 1937, they were divorced, at which time she married Clark Gable. They were Hollywood's first power couple.
Hollywood stars of the day tended to be quite patriotic, and Gable and Lombard were no different. When America entered World War 2, they wrote to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, asking how they could help serve their country. As a result, Lombard became the public face of America's war bond campaign. In early January 1942, she traveled by train to her native Indiana, where she kicked off the campaign by raising more than $2 million (in 1942 dollars).
After the event, Lombard was in a hurry to return to Los Angeles, having recently fought with her husband. Against the wishes of both Gable and the studio, Lombard and her party, which included her mother, opted to fly home. While that may seem like an everyday occurrence now, air travel in 1942 was not the refined operation that exists today. The Lombard Party boarded TWA Flight #3. Although bound for Boulder City, it would reroute to Las Vegas, where it would meet with tragedy.
On Friday, January 16, shortly after 7:00 p.m., Flight #3 took off from Vegas bound for Los Angeles. A few minutes into the flight, it disappeared from radar. In the nearby town of Goodsprings, locals heard a fiery explosion atop Mount Potosi. A command center was established at the Pioneer Saloon (see Trivia below), where a team of volunteers launched their search and rescue operation. Upon hearing of the crash, Gable immediately traveled to Goodsprings, though his exact mode of travel is still a subject of great debate.
It took the rescue team more than a day to locate the wreckage, which ended all doubt of any possible survivors. Lombard and 21 others, including members of the Army Air Corps, all perished in the crash, which was later attributed to pilot error. Fireball describes the exact condition of Lombard's charred remains, which were missing the head and left arm.
In accordance with his wife's wishes, Gable conducted a fairly low-key service at Forest Lawn Glendale, a dual ceremony for both Carole and her mother. Lombard was interred in the Great Mausoleum. Despite remarrying twice in the years that followed, Gable would claim his final resting place next to her when he ultimately passed away himself in 1960.
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| Location: Memorial Terrace, Sanctuary of Trust, Crypt #5874 |
Rest in peace.
Trivia
- For more information on Lombard's life, the accident, and the aftermath, this blogger recommends Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3, by author Robert Matzen.
- Two months after Lombard's death, her final film, To Be or Not to Be, a satirical look at the rising Nazi threat, was released in theatres. It was a box office success, in part due to morbid curiosity. Out of respect for Lombard, producers deleted a sequence in which her character asks the question "what can happen in a plane?"
- Lombard's childhood home in Fort Wayne is a recognized historical site. There is also a memorial bridge named in her honor.
- Lombard and Gable honeymooned at Palm Spring's historic Willows Inn, which is still in service today. The couple shared what's known as the Library Room, which you and your party can custom reserve.
- Following her death, the Navy christened the S.S. Carole Lombard, a cargo ship that saw great service during World War 2 and beyond. It has since been decommissioned and scrapped.
- Wanna see the crash site for yourself? Plan your hike today!
- As noted above, much of the rescue effort was headquartered in Goodsprings, Nevada. Today, the Pioneer Saloon, which first opened its doors in 1913, maintains a Clark Gable Room which tells the story. This blogger first visited the saloon in 2008.
