Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was a well-known film actress known particularly for her comedic roles. She was born Jane Alice Peters on the 6th of October 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One day while playing baseball in the street she was spotted by director Allan Dwan who cast her in her first film.
She played a little girl who was a tomboy in the film A Perfect Crime in 1921 and continued to play small roles in small films for several years. At this time she changed her name to Carole Lombard and later signed a deal with Fox to work in several films. In 1930 she signed with Paramount and began starring their films. That same year she met William Powell whom she married in 1931.
Powell was 16 years her senior and the marriage was short-lived. The couple divorced in 1933 but continued to work together and remained friends.
Lombard was incredibly beautiful, but instead of playing a vixen she usually played comedic roles that made her an audience favorite. Some of her most well known films include Nothing Sacred and a dramatic role in Vigil in the Night.
Other films that she appeared in and which were also recreated for radio by Lux Radio Theater are Twentieth Century's My Man Godfrey broadcast on radio on 9th May 1938, In Name Only broadcast 11th December 1939, Made For Each Other broadcast in February 1940 in which Carole Lombard plays the role of Jane the same part as she did in the 1939 David O. Selznick picture written by Jo Swerling, and Mr & Mrs Smith broadcast on 9th June 1941. Another Lux Radio Theater presentation she appeared was The Moon's Our Home broadcast on the 10th February 1941.
In the 1930s, after her divorce, Lombard had a romantic relationship with Clark Gable while he was still married. After Gable’s divorce, the couple married in 1939. They were known to have a very happy marriage.
Lombard died at the young age of 33 when her plane crashed near Las Vegas on the 16th January 1942 as she was returning from her home state where she sold war bonds. President Franklin D. Roosevelt honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after her death.
Her death was a major shock to Hollywood. Two films that she had worked on were edited in order to pay more respect to her death. Jack Benny, in the show that aired two days after her death, made it an all-music format out of respect.
After her death, Clark Gable, still a young 40, was devastated. He joined the war effort by joining the military. Though he remarried, he was buried next to Carole Lombard after his death at the age of 60.
If Lombard had lived past her young age of 31, who knows what other major film roles she would have played and what a glorious career she would have had. Still, she lives on in her films, which remain popular to this day.
On RUSC you can hear a profile of Carole Lombard on the Bill Stern Sports Newsreel and you can also hear her in the five episodes of Lux Radio Theater by clicking on the links above or by typing Carole Lombard in the Starring at this link.
Happy listening my friends,
