Clark Gable Joined the War After Losing Carole Lombard
Hollywood's golden couple had less than three years together.
Clark Gable was the King of Hollywood. Carole Lombard was its funniest leading lady, known for her pranks and her salty language. When they fell in love in the late 1930s, fans adored them.
Married in Arizona
They slipped away to Kingman, Arizona, and married in March 1939, the same year Gone with the Wind made Gable an even bigger star. They lived on a ranch in Encino with horses, chickens and a lot of laughter.
A war bond tour
After the United States entered World War II, Lombard went on a tour to sell war bonds in her home state of Indiana, raising about $2 million in a single day. On the flight home in January 1942, her plane crashed into a mountain near Las Vegas. She was 33.
Gable goes to war
Heartbroken, Gable enlisted in the Army Air Forces later that year at 41. He flew combat missions over Europe as an observer and gunner.
When Gable died in 1960, he was buried next to Lombard at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
This story is based on the stars' own interviews and memoirs and on widely reported history. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
