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Clark Gable: Tormented Star
Clark Gable was the archetypal Hollywood gentleman, the kind of man red-blooded women lusted after, and who their envious husbands yearned to be. Yet as David Bret reveals, Gable was also bisexual, a facet of his complex persona that was airbrushed out in an age when such men were invariably mocked as effete and lily-livered. Bret recounts Gable's two failed marriages to women who turned a blind eye towards his affairs with men, such as the actors Earl Larimore, Johnny Mack Brown, William Haines, and Rod LaRocque — men whom Gable outed to the press to prevent himself from being outed. Bret also reveals exclusively that Gable's wartime "heroics," which saw him promoted through the ranks from private to major in less than a year, were no more than an elaborate publicity stunt, which subsequently embarrassed the U.S. government. Bret draws on a wealth of unpublished material to examine every aspect of Clark Gable's career and personal life, telling his story as it has never been told before — wholly uncensored, with accuracy and passion.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
22 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
David Bret
182 books14 followersDavid Bret is a French-born British author of showbiz biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 28, 2015
David Bret is one of those authors whose careers rely on a single legal fact -- when someone has died, you can't be sued for raking muck about them.
And nowhere is this more obvious than "Clark Gable: Tormented Star," a sleazy little tell-all whose ambition is to confidently declare that Clark Gable was a closeted, miserable loser and that every single gay rumor in Hollywood was absolutely true. More than that... it's just an ugly, dull book, with a focus on the revolting (body odor, farting, dismembered bodies) and a style drained of any dynamism or even excitement.
Gable's formative years are skimmed over rapidly, and only long enough to notify us that his father was a neglectful homophobe. After a friend gets him to join an acting troupe, Gable married the much-older Josephine Dillon and was sculpted into the rough diamond that we remember him as, after getting some vocal lessons, dental care and nice new clothes.
And of course, having lots of affairs. According to Bret, he slept both with women (including Joan Crawford and Loretta Young) and with male stars (William Haines, Rod La Rocque). He also racked up a string of wives as well, including his beloved Carole Lombard. And while he became the "King" of Hollywood and attained an enviable career, Bret alleges that he was haunted by the fear that people would learn of his same-sex relationships.
Books "telling all" about actors' lives can be very illuminating, especially since during the "Golden Age" of Hollywood, the press slavishly did whatever the studios demanded. And yes, that includes their sex lives, especially since most actors are bisexual. If backed up by plausible testimonies rather than rumors and hearsay, I am totally okay with biographies revealing same-sex affairs for Hollywood stars, no matter what their public image.
However, David Bret seems to believe that every single person in Hollywood was secretly gay. Men are particularly suspect in Bret's mind -- almost every single man in this book is regarded as being secretly and shamefully gay, hiding behind a macho-man exterior that he believed kept him from being genuinely gay. Every rumor about a star's sexuality is taken as gospel truth, and Bret produces a few more about minor stars of yesteryear that seem to be supported by... uh... Bret's own declarations. He spends less time witch-hunting women then men, but still depicts the women either as sexually rapacious vamps or as lesbians.
If more proof is needed... Bret cites Darwin Porter, who notoriously claims that every star in Hollywood was a gay sex addict, as a reliable source. I rest my case.
In fact, Bret's whole view of sexuality is rather creaky and outdated. He seems to believe that bisexuality is the same as homosexuality -- while he often calls Gable "bisexual," it's with a grudging air, as if he hates the idea of NOT referring to him as gay because of all those pesky love affairs with women. It feels like talking to a crusty, bitter old man who believes that any same-sex experience for men means they are completely gay, especially if they are involved in the arts.
And Bret produces many massive lapses in logic. For instance, he declares that Josephine Dillon was a lesbian who just wanted a "lavender marriage"... and immediately forgets this. Just a few pages later, he talks about how Gable would "rub salt into his wife's wounds" with his extramarital liaisons. If she only wanted a guy to cover her affairs with women, why would she care?
And furthermore, the book is simply... not good. Bret writes in a clunky, dry way that -- despite the sleaze -- seems strangely bored and bloodless. Despite the colorful life Gable led, Bret often makes it seem downright boring. And he crams in a lot of filler, such as summarizing "Gone with the Wind" in torturous detail, explaining symbolism (the scarlet dress) that anyone older than six years old could easily figure out for themselves.
And despite the potential for plenty of juicy gossip here, a lot of Bret's foci are simply UGLY. For instance, he gives nasty details about Gable's genital hygiene, and his summary of Marilyn Monroe is entirely devoted to how disgusting and unsanitary she was. Yes, we needed to know about her B.O., her menstrual habits, belching, farting and pubic hair color -- that's much more important than her LIFE or CAREER.
"Clark Gable: Tormented Star" is a painful read -- not just because Bret rakes muck like a stablehand, but because the book is so dull, disgusting and dated in its view of sexuality. It's an ugly, ugly book.
And nowhere is this more obvious than "Clark Gable: Tormented Star," a sleazy little tell-all whose ambition is to confidently declare that Clark Gable was a closeted, miserable loser and that every single gay rumor in Hollywood was absolutely true. More than that... it's just an ugly, dull book, with a focus on the revolting (body odor, farting, dismembered bodies) and a style drained of any dynamism or even excitement.
Gable's formative years are skimmed over rapidly, and only long enough to notify us that his father was a neglectful homophobe. After a friend gets him to join an acting troupe, Gable married the much-older Josephine Dillon and was sculpted into the rough diamond that we remember him as, after getting some vocal lessons, dental care and nice new clothes.
And of course, having lots of affairs. According to Bret, he slept both with women (including Joan Crawford and Loretta Young) and with male stars (William Haines, Rod La Rocque). He also racked up a string of wives as well, including his beloved Carole Lombard. And while he became the "King" of Hollywood and attained an enviable career, Bret alleges that he was haunted by the fear that people would learn of his same-sex relationships.
Books "telling all" about actors' lives can be very illuminating, especially since during the "Golden Age" of Hollywood, the press slavishly did whatever the studios demanded. And yes, that includes their sex lives, especially since most actors are bisexual. If backed up by plausible testimonies rather than rumors and hearsay, I am totally okay with biographies revealing same-sex affairs for Hollywood stars, no matter what their public image.
However, David Bret seems to believe that every single person in Hollywood was secretly gay. Men are particularly suspect in Bret's mind -- almost every single man in this book is regarded as being secretly and shamefully gay, hiding behind a macho-man exterior that he believed kept him from being genuinely gay. Every rumor about a star's sexuality is taken as gospel truth, and Bret produces a few more about minor stars of yesteryear that seem to be supported by... uh... Bret's own declarations. He spends less time witch-hunting women then men, but still depicts the women either as sexually rapacious vamps or as lesbians.
If more proof is needed... Bret cites Darwin Porter, who notoriously claims that every star in Hollywood was a gay sex addict, as a reliable source. I rest my case.
In fact, Bret's whole view of sexuality is rather creaky and outdated. He seems to believe that bisexuality is the same as homosexuality -- while he often calls Gable "bisexual," it's with a grudging air, as if he hates the idea of NOT referring to him as gay because of all those pesky love affairs with women. It feels like talking to a crusty, bitter old man who believes that any same-sex experience for men means they are completely gay, especially if they are involved in the arts.
And Bret produces many massive lapses in logic. For instance, he declares that Josephine Dillon was a lesbian who just wanted a "lavender marriage"... and immediately forgets this. Just a few pages later, he talks about how Gable would "rub salt into his wife's wounds" with his extramarital liaisons. If she only wanted a guy to cover her affairs with women, why would she care?
And furthermore, the book is simply... not good. Bret writes in a clunky, dry way that -- despite the sleaze -- seems strangely bored and bloodless. Despite the colorful life Gable led, Bret often makes it seem downright boring. And he crams in a lot of filler, such as summarizing "Gone with the Wind" in torturous detail, explaining symbolism (the scarlet dress) that anyone older than six years old could easily figure out for themselves.
And despite the potential for plenty of juicy gossip here, a lot of Bret's foci are simply UGLY. For instance, he gives nasty details about Gable's genital hygiene, and his summary of Marilyn Monroe is entirely devoted to how disgusting and unsanitary she was. Yes, we needed to know about her B.O., her menstrual habits, belching, farting and pubic hair color -- that's much more important than her LIFE or CAREER.
"Clark Gable: Tormented Star" is a painful read -- not just because Bret rakes muck like a stablehand, but because the book is so dull, disgusting and dated in its view of sexuality. It's an ugly, ugly book.
January 10, 2011
Remember that icky, half-incredulous feeling you had the first time you realized that mom and dad were doing it? That’s the feeling I had reading David Bret’s book on Clark Gable. It’s possible that what I was reacting to comes out a buried sense of ageism. Clark Gable, in my lifetime, was old enough to be my grandfather.
I wasn’t shocked by the revelation of his bi-sexuality. Seventy-five percent of actors, at any given time, have tried same-sex encounters. From my experience in the world, I would venture to say that percentage includes all males in the arts. Artists have a heightened emotional awareness that makes them more open to experimentation of any kind. This may be equally true of female artists, but I have a limited experience with this.
I wasn’t bothered by the suggestion that he traded sex, with both males and females, to advance his career. When you are limited by the circumstances of your life, you use whatever tools you need to use. If sex is one of those tools, then let it be. I would only suggest that you don’t rent cheap.
I was bothered, however, by Gable’s revealed public homophobia (yes, gay people can be homophobic). Some of it came out of a perceived need to protect his image, but more, I think, came out of a self-loathing. Gable bought into the then and still current in some circles, communal fiction of what real men looked like and how real men acted.
Bret has tendency to analyze Clark’s careful nurturing of his masculine image. While the analyses seem plausible, he makes them seem expert opinions. Nowhere does he offer a rationale for his expertise.
Of course, no biography of Clark Gable could ignore his great love, Carole Lombard. Lombard could be one of the boys. She cursed, smoked, and could tell a vulgar joke with the best of them. She was a prankster, and could put aside her interests for Clark’s. Her death in an airplane crash while on a World War II bond drive, devastated Gable.
Saying that Clark Gable was Rhett Butler, in his most famous movie, Gone with the Wind is not the same thing as saying that he was an actor. Bret seems to agree with that assessment.
Taken as a whole, Clark Gable- Tormented star, is just an ok read. It’s the perfect book to read while waiting in a doctor’s waiting room or waiting for a haircut. Should you happen to leave it behind without finishing it, there won’t be much regret.
I wasn’t shocked by the revelation of his bi-sexuality. Seventy-five percent of actors, at any given time, have tried same-sex encounters. From my experience in the world, I would venture to say that percentage includes all males in the arts. Artists have a heightened emotional awareness that makes them more open to experimentation of any kind. This may be equally true of female artists, but I have a limited experience with this.
I wasn’t bothered by the suggestion that he traded sex, with both males and females, to advance his career. When you are limited by the circumstances of your life, you use whatever tools you need to use. If sex is one of those tools, then let it be. I would only suggest that you don’t rent cheap.
I was bothered, however, by Gable’s revealed public homophobia (yes, gay people can be homophobic). Some of it came out of a perceived need to protect his image, but more, I think, came out of a self-loathing. Gable bought into the then and still current in some circles, communal fiction of what real men looked like and how real men acted.
Bret has tendency to analyze Clark’s careful nurturing of his masculine image. While the analyses seem plausible, he makes them seem expert opinions. Nowhere does he offer a rationale for his expertise.
Of course, no biography of Clark Gable could ignore his great love, Carole Lombard. Lombard could be one of the boys. She cursed, smoked, and could tell a vulgar joke with the best of them. She was a prankster, and could put aside her interests for Clark’s. Her death in an airplane crash while on a World War II bond drive, devastated Gable.
Saying that Clark Gable was Rhett Butler, in his most famous movie, Gone with the Wind is not the same thing as saying that he was an actor. Bret seems to agree with that assessment.
Taken as a whole, Clark Gable- Tormented star, is just an ok read. It’s the perfect book to read while waiting in a doctor’s waiting room or waiting for a haircut. Should you happen to leave it behind without finishing it, there won’t be much regret.
April 16, 2009
Avoid Avoid Avoid
Page after page of rumour concerning Gable's sexuality.
Avoid Avoid Avoid
Page after page of rumour concerning Gable's sexuality.
Avoid Avoid Avoid
May 21, 2012
Bore, bore, bore. I love Gable, hate this book.
June 18, 2013
Well, one certainly can't complain that this isn't a tell-all. I'm not at all sure who David Bret is. From his acknowledgements and the jacket blurb and other clues he seems to be an Englishman of a certain age who was the flamboyant gay (despite references to a "wife" in the acknowledgements) confidante of Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich (whom he has both also written biographies of) and many others. He has a penchant for pop-your-curlers bluntness about sexuality and rather comical reactions to various components of the King's conflicted bisexual secret life: Bret oohs and aahs over Tab Hunter and Johnny Weissmuller but finds Clark (did he ever meet him? one wonders) repulsive and seems unwilling to grant him a bisexual identity (which would make him more sympathetic), leaving it implicit that he was heteroflexible--a hetero man who used gay sex to relieve boredom and to advance his career, which can't really be the whole story. Bret is also fiercely loyal to Crawford and Dietrich and the grand generation they represent, going so far as to describe Marilyn Monroe's decaying flatulent physique in the most contemptuous terms and to hurl ninja throwing stars at Christina Crawford, of course, and, cattiest of all. A very very bitchy book, and very entertaining, the more so because Bret has not completely sorted out his feelings toward his subject.
October 16, 2011
If you love Clark Gable, then don't read this book,it just breaks your heart.
He was the most charming man on screen. Thousands of girls dreamed about him; thousands of wives wish their hushands were exactly like him. But he lived in a most miserable life off screen, like the subtitle says -- a tormented star.
He lost his mother when he was a baby; he lost his wife when he just climbed on the summit of his career; and then he died before his first child was born.
He spent very tough rough time at an early age. He was shamed of never having much of a formal education. He sacrificed himself to get further chances. He did succeed, after the legendary movie Gone With The Wind(GWTW), he's salary was immensely high, he was immensely famous, but he was not happy. He destruct himself by heavy drinking and long term smoking.
He was the finest man, courteous and humble. He threatened to boycott GWTW Atlanta premiere unless his black co-star was allowed to attend. To sum up his life as an actor, Gable says: 'I'm just a lucky slob from Ohio who happened to be in the right place at the right time.' He died too early, it always grasped my heart. I really feel sorry for him.
He was the most charming man on screen. Thousands of girls dreamed about him; thousands of wives wish their hushands were exactly like him. But he lived in a most miserable life off screen, like the subtitle says -- a tormented star.
He lost his mother when he was a baby; he lost his wife when he just climbed on the summit of his career; and then he died before his first child was born.
He spent very tough rough time at an early age. He was shamed of never having much of a formal education. He sacrificed himself to get further chances. He did succeed, after the legendary movie Gone With The Wind(GWTW), he's salary was immensely high, he was immensely famous, but he was not happy. He destruct himself by heavy drinking and long term smoking.
He was the finest man, courteous and humble. He threatened to boycott GWTW Atlanta premiere unless his black co-star was allowed to attend. To sum up his life as an actor, Gable says: 'I'm just a lucky slob from Ohio who happened to be in the right place at the right time.' He died too early, it always grasped my heart. I really feel sorry for him.
December 24, 2013
This is a book of gossip and rumors that never really give any insight into the man or his work. Some of it is amazingly fun (especially his relationship with Lombard) but the author gets so many detail wrong about specific films and timelines that ultimately it is hard to believe his more outlandish claims (such as the assertion that Gable was a gay rent boy in his younger days). Still, the secret daughter thing is worth the price of admission.
If you can find it at a used book store pick it up for fun, but don't put too much stock in it.
If you can find it at a used book store pick it up for fun, but don't put too much stock in it.
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February 1, 2015This isn't a biography of Clark Gable. This is a fantasy of the author. A black book of who was having sex with who. That's all it is. And if the author is to be believed (which he isn't by me), Everyone was having sex with Everyone. AND... Everyone was GAY!!! And not only is everyone gay, but they were all whoring for profit. If I had a hard copy of this book, I'd burn it. I didn't even finish it. I only got 80 pages into this sexual score card of garbage. I will NEVER read another book by this author. He owes ME stars for wasting my time and money on this piece of crap.
October 31, 2014
not one of the best books on someone who is one of the best. I found some errors, but mostly sex exploits that may or may not be true. The film discography is detailed and worth a read for Gable fans.
December 11, 2017
Not a great book. a great actor yes, but the writer spends way to much time describing his movies as opposed to his eventful life
February 15, 2019
David Bret, like Darwin Porter, writes trash. If you want to read a book that presents stars as homosexual, bisexual or lesbian without evidence than this is the book for you. Bret is equally good at misspellings, contradictions, and just terribly bad research. He cannot even quote dialogue from Gable's most popular film right.
Years ago, Bret admitted his work was fiction and also sent death threats to those who opposed his "work." Complete waste of time.
Years ago, Bret admitted his work was fiction and also sent death threats to those who opposed his "work." Complete waste of time.
July 10, 2023
Not sure if this is really nonfiction. Seemed surreal. Claims that much of Hollywood was gay or bisexual seems far fetched at that time. STI’s must have been rampant. Gave one star for the filmography.
October 21, 2025
This is complete trash, and I don’t believe most of it. But that being said, it was a highly entertaining gossipy fantasy. If you want a real well researched biography of Gable, this isn’t it. If you want to hear all the salacious gossip and rumors, it’s all here.
March 8, 2022
Awful book, full of unsubstantiated, salacious gossip about every Hollywood star of Gable’s era. Utter trash.
July 23, 2011
1930 Hollywood exposed. Entertaining for sure.
July 7, 2015
A whirlwind of a book, makes me wish I was in Hollywood back in the day....crikey a lot of people swapping, high octane stuff...
June 5, 2015
Terrible book. I wouldn't recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews