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Carole Lombard: Twentieth-Century Star
Carole Lombard was the very opposite of the typical 1930s starlet. A no-nonsense woman, she worked hard, took no prisoners and had a great passion for life. As a result, she became Hollywood’s highest-paid star.
From the outside, Carole’s life was one of great glamour and fun, yet privately she endured much heartache. As a child, her mother moved Carole and her brothers across the country away from their beloved father. Carole then began a film career, only to have it cut short after a devastating car accident. Picking herself back up, she was rocked by the accidental shooting of her lover; a failed marriage to actor William Powell; and the sorrow of infertility during her marriage to Hollywood’s King, Clark Gable.
Lombard marched forward, promising to be positive. Sadly her life was cut short in a plane crash so catastrophic that pieces of the aircraft are still buried in the mountain today. In Carole Lombard, bestselling author Michelle Morgan accesses previously unseen documents to tell the story of a woman whose remarkable life and controversial death continues to enthral.
From the outside, Carole’s life was one of great glamour and fun, yet privately she endured much heartache. As a child, her mother moved Carole and her brothers across the country away from their beloved father. Carole then began a film career, only to have it cut short after a devastating car accident. Picking herself back up, she was rocked by the accidental shooting of her lover; a failed marriage to actor William Powell; and the sorrow of infertility during her marriage to Hollywood’s King, Clark Gable.
Lombard marched forward, promising to be positive. Sadly her life was cut short in a plane crash so catastrophic that pieces of the aircraft are still buried in the mountain today. In Carole Lombard, bestselling author Michelle Morgan accesses previously unseen documents to tell the story of a woman whose remarkable life and controversial death continues to enthral.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 5, 2016
33 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Morgan
117 books82 followersMichelle Morgan is the author of The Ice Cream Blonde, The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals, Marilyn's Addresses, and Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed. She has been interviewed on dozens of radio stations and featured on many television programs, including the BBC National News.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 3, 2021
I didn't know much about Carole Lombard before picking up this book. I knew she was married to Clark Gable and I knew she was killed in a plane crash during WWII.
I've only seen one of her movies, her best known one My Man Godfrey. I love that movie, it's so hilarious and Lombard is fantastic in the movie. And she later became the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
Michelle Morgan brings Lombard to life just like she did with Marilyn Monroe in the previous biography I read by her. Carole Lombard was a woman ahead of her time. She was described by friends as being a "radical in her individuality". She didn't take shit from anyone. When a producer told her she had to sleep with him to get a movie role, she said no and then gave an interview to a celebrity magazine and named and shamed him.The magazine removed his name but still WHAT A BOSS! She was also a proud American who believed that the rich people paying high taxes was an act of patriotism and said she'd pay even more in taxes if she could.
Carole Lombard was a fun loving and kind person who died way too early and is shamefully mostly forgotten we talk about actresses from The Golden Age of Hollywood.
The only thing that stopped this book from being a 5 star read was I thought it focused too much on describing every single movie she made and even several movies she was interested in but didn't actually appear in. Movie descriptions are just never interesting to me but other than that I truly enjoyed reading this book.
I highly recommend this book to my fellow Classic Hollywood enthusiasts!
I've only seen one of her movies, her best known one My Man Godfrey. I love that movie, it's so hilarious and Lombard is fantastic in the movie. And she later became the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
Michelle Morgan brings Lombard to life just like she did with Marilyn Monroe in the previous biography I read by her. Carole Lombard was a woman ahead of her time. She was described by friends as being a "radical in her individuality". She didn't take shit from anyone. When a producer told her she had to sleep with him to get a movie role, she said no and then gave an interview to a celebrity magazine and named and shamed him.The magazine removed his name but still WHAT A BOSS! She was also a proud American who believed that the rich people paying high taxes was an act of patriotism and said she'd pay even more in taxes if she could.
Carole Lombard was a fun loving and kind person who died way too early and is shamefully mostly forgotten we talk about actresses from The Golden Age of Hollywood.
The only thing that stopped this book from being a 5 star read was I thought it focused too much on describing every single movie she made and even several movies she was interested in but didn't actually appear in. Movie descriptions are just never interesting to me but other than that I truly enjoyed reading this book.
I highly recommend this book to my fellow Classic Hollywood enthusiasts!
October 31, 2016
I have only read a couple of books about Carole Lombard, one, Gable & Lombard, Powell & Harlow, is really a short piece of fluff, I bought for mainly the Harlow content and the other Fireball by Robert Matzen focuses mainly on the plane crash that took her life and the lives of the other passengers aboard the DC-3 and not with her life although we are given an overview of it. Michelle Morgan’s book focuses on her life and career and of course the plane crash is mentioned but she does not go into any gory details, and if that’s what you’re looking for move along.
Once again Morgan does not embellish any rumours or scandals that plagued Carole, and they are mention in a sensitive and respect manner as Morgan deals only with the facts.
And Carole comes to life because of this and wherever possible Morgan has used quotes from Carole herself and this really shows Carole as a human being, from her early days to her untimely death, I found in this book a woman I would love to have known, and perhaps called a friend, a kind and loving woman, but hard-working and tough when she needed to be and she was loyal to fault. We learn how she changed as she got older, how much her fellow actors and her crews loved working with her and no matter what the role she was given, how hard she worked to be the best that she could be.
As with all of Morgan’s work the narrative in Carole Lombard – Twentieth Century Star – flows beautifully and seamlessly through her life.
A wonderful tribute and stunning biography of a woman who had so much more to give, and left not only her husband devastated at her passing.
Once again Morgan does not embellish any rumours or scandals that plagued Carole, and they are mention in a sensitive and respect manner as Morgan deals only with the facts.
And Carole comes to life because of this and wherever possible Morgan has used quotes from Carole herself and this really shows Carole as a human being, from her early days to her untimely death, I found in this book a woman I would love to have known, and perhaps called a friend, a kind and loving woman, but hard-working and tough when she needed to be and she was loyal to fault. We learn how she changed as she got older, how much her fellow actors and her crews loved working with her and no matter what the role she was given, how hard she worked to be the best that she could be.
As with all of Morgan’s work the narrative in Carole Lombard – Twentieth Century Star – flows beautifully and seamlessly through her life.
A wonderful tribute and stunning biography of a woman who had so much more to give, and left not only her husband devastated at her passing.
August 19, 2021
I never knew too much about Carole Lombard and I am glad I read about her she was a very funny lady, kind, loving, giving and always upbeat. She didn't care that much about money and spent her time gardening and taking care of animals on her and Clark Gables Ranch. They had a wonderful marriage, until her death.
April 20, 2017
I've not read any of Michelle Morgan's other work, so I can't speak to how she writes generally, but I have to disagree in part with other reviewers; I felt this book only occasionally sparked into life, and although Lombard's stay on earth was admittedly short, this still felt a bit sketchy. I am perhaps a little spoiled by coming straight from Scott Eyman's excellent biography of John Ford - Lombard interests me a whole lot more than Ford, but I found the Eyman book much more enjoyable, and a much more intimate portrait of its subject.
Morgan's principal writing sin, in my eyes, is that she so often refers to her subject as 'the actress' when 'Carole' or 'Lombard' would do fine; it's all very well to avoid repetition, but done too often it becomes a very noticeable tic in the writing. On one occasion it was actually confusing to avoid names, when she was talking about two women in the same sentence. It was worth reading, obviously diligently researched, especially with regard to the fan publications, and as noted by others the quotations from Lombard herself are welcome, but it still feels like there's a better biography to be written. (Possibly the Larry Swindell book is the one, to judge from reviews...)
Morgan's principal writing sin, in my eyes, is that she so often refers to her subject as 'the actress' when 'Carole' or 'Lombard' would do fine; it's all very well to avoid repetition, but done too often it becomes a very noticeable tic in the writing. On one occasion it was actually confusing to avoid names, when she was talking about two women in the same sentence. It was worth reading, obviously diligently researched, especially with regard to the fan publications, and as noted by others the quotations from Lombard herself are welcome, but it still feels like there's a better biography to be written. (Possibly the Larry Swindell book is the one, to judge from reviews...)
August 29, 2017
A waste of time. I had hoped for an in-depth portrait of Carole Lombard. Basically the only thing this book holds is a collection of reporters opinions that were once printed in newspapers about the actress- which as we know, has nothing to do with who a person actually is. It is an insult to Carole Lombard.
October 25, 2020
Pros :: Really enjoyed this bio on Carole Lombard. I found that the author was very even handed, included the basic family facts, her career, her charitable nature and most importantly showing Carole as a human with personal follies, strengths and growth. Wonderful to see Morgan used Carole's own words with interviews, quotes and it is well referenced. Morgan doesn't play into the many possible rabbit hole of rumors, however they are mentioned and up to the reader to pursue. Loved learning that Carole was an animal person, a gardener and even had thoughts of having her own clothes line or became an interior designer post Hollywood. Some of Carole's fun nicknames were "the profane angel" or "the little champion of the downtrodden."
Cons :: I read it on an e-reader -- wish there could have been photos in that version.
Cover art :: 5 out of 5
Cons :: I read it on an e-reader -- wish there could have been photos in that version.
Cover art :: 5 out of 5
June 1, 2022
Really 3.5 stars. It was a reasonable biography but didn't dig much below the surface of Ms Lombard's life and career. I was also jarred by the mistake in the last chapter which mentions Ms Lombard taking a scheduled DC-3 instead of a private jet! Even the editors missed this. There were no private jets in early 1942 and were barely experimental concepts in the military at that time. Sloppy.
Overall, a decent overview of one of the most fascinating personalities of Hollywood's golden age.
Overall, a decent overview of one of the most fascinating personalities of Hollywood's golden age.
August 7, 2023
3.5 stars.
I have never seen a Carole Lombard film, but after reading this book, I can tell she was a major movie star in her time. Your heart just breaks for Gable at the end of this book.
The author uses plenty of quotes, and so Carole comes through as a vibrant and strong woman in this biography. I loved the photo section, too, as it gave a real cross-section of her life on and off camera.
A well-written and interesting biography.
I have never seen a Carole Lombard film, but after reading this book, I can tell she was a major movie star in her time. Your heart just breaks for Gable at the end of this book.
The author uses plenty of quotes, and so Carole comes through as a vibrant and strong woman in this biography. I loved the photo section, too, as it gave a real cross-section of her life on and off camera.
A well-written and interesting biography.
March 6, 2023
Unfortunately, this was a Did Not Finish. A reasonably good story consisting of a lot of excerpts from interviews of Miss Lombard and others close to her. My opinion of interviews from the thirties is that they weren't reliable windows into the lives of the subject. Just not what I was looking for right now.
January 9, 2017
Wonderfully written story on the life of actress, Carole Lombard. It shows a lady of talent, laughter, smarts, and not easily to give up. A beautiful soul who was lost too early.
February 16, 2017
A fascinating biography, extremely well-researched and written with love and respect. I learnt so much about Carole and the last couple of chapters are especially beautifully written. 9 out of 10
February 10, 2024
Biography of the life of 1930s star Carole Lombard, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1942.
December 22, 2024
This was an expertly researched and decently written biography of one of the highest regardless starlets to grace the silver screen during the Great Depression and 3leeWWII era.
While contemplating what my ultimate rating should be, I have concluded that this doesn't meet the threshold for great literature. It reads very much like a tabloid newspaper. There are better sourced that deeper pockets and storytelling ideas.
While contemplating what my ultimate rating should be, I have concluded that this doesn't meet the threshold for great literature. It reads very much like a tabloid newspaper. There are better sourced that deeper pockets and storytelling ideas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews