Clark Gable: Biography, Filmography, Bibliography

by Chrystopher J. Spicer

"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.

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2002

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spicer's book on Gable is everything a biography should be. It is a well researched and well rounded look at both Gable's career and personal life and the author is able to be objective in presenting the actor's strengths and weaknesses. The author gets a little bit too plot-heavy in describing Gable's later films, but otherwise this is one of the better Hollywood bios I have read recently. It's too bad that it was put out by a publisher who does not distribute to bookstores and prices their products a bit high which has probably turned off readers.