Carole Lombard
American actress known for screwball comedy roles.
She became one of Hollywood's highest-paid stars by 1937, earning $450,000 that year, and was known for her roles in screwball comedies.[1][2] Jane Alice Peters, who later became known as Carole Lombard, first drew breath on October 6, 1908, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and following her parents' split in 1914, she grew up in Los Angeles under the care of her mother who was not married.[3][4] At the age of 33, Lombard perished in an aircraft accident on January 16, 1942, as she was heading back from a gathering that sold war bonds.[5][2]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Jane Alice Peters
- Born
- 6 October 1908
- Birthplace
- Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
- Died
- 16 January 1942
- Place of death
- Mount Potosi, Nevada, U.S.
- Resting place
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actress
- Years active
- 1921–1942
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Her breakthrough came with the screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934), directed by Howard Hawks, which made her a major star.[6][7] Lombard officially enrolled in the Baháʼí Faith in early 1938, a religion her mother had followed since 1922.[8][9] At 16, Lombard entered into an agreement with Fox Film Corporation, but her appearances were mostly minor roles, and the studio let her go after twelve months.[10][11] A crash in a car during 1926 gave Lombard a facial scar, yet she bounced back and performed in 15 short comedies for Mack Sennett between 1927 and 1929.[11][12]
What the cited sources add
A History.com account states that MGM publicity director Howard Dietz recruited Lombard for the war bond tour and advised her to avoid airplane travel.[2] The same source notes that after the crash, Gable was buried next to Lombard at Forest Lawn Cemetery when he died in 1960.[2] A Vanity Fair article by Meares reports that Lombard once broke into the home of Gable's estranged wife Ria, who refused to grant a divorce.[13] That article also states that Lombard accepted a $3,000 settlement from the driver's family in exchange for not pursuing the claim further.[12]
The Independent article reports that at the 1940 Academy Awards, Lombard consoled Gable after his loss by saying, "Don't worry, Pappy, we'll bring one home next year".[14] The same article, citing biographer Matzen, describes Lombard as a savvy businesswoman who consciously built a brand as "America's Madcap Playgirl Number 1"[13] The History Press article recounts that Lombard told reporter Dorothy Wooldridge she received twenty-five stitches after the car accident and still carried the scars.[12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swindell 1975, p. 40; Ott 1972, p. 16; Haver 1980, p. 214; Swindell 1975, p. 40 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- s, "Carole Lombard killed in plane crash", History.com, November 13, 2009. facts only, no text reused. history.com
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907–1940. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gehring 2003, p. 19; Ott 1972, p. 16; Gehring 2003, p. 19; Gehring 2003, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: s, "Carole Lombard killed in plane crash", History.com, November 13, 2009 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hawks 2005, p. 147 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bogdanovich 2012, p. 466; Gehring 2003, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Matzen, "The Weaver", December 25, 2014; Mazlum, "Documentary: Carole Lombard", YouTube, December 17, 2019; In re Arkell's Will, 22 Misc.2d 293, 203 N.Y.S.2d 683 (N.Y. Surr. Ct. 1959).; Bahá'í World 1945, p. "Carole Lombard Gable", pp. 636–637; Bahá'í World 1945, p. "Carole Lombard Gable", pp. 636–637 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Matzen, "The Weaver", December 25, 2014. facts only, no text reused. robertmatzen.com
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gehring 2003, p. 19; Swindell 1975, p. 40; Matzen 1988, p. 5; Gehring 2003, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carole Lombard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "How Carole Lombard's career was almost over before it began", The History Press (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "How Carole Lombard's career was almost over before it began", The History Press. facts only, no text reused. thehistorypress.co.uk
- Meares, "Made for Each Other: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's Real Romance", Vanity Fair, 2022-05-13. facts only, no text reused. vanityfair.com
- "Oscars Babylon: Tales from the Academy awards", The Independent. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Carole Lombard (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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