Carole Lombard

On June 6, 1931, twenty-two year old Carole Lombard married William Powell, then thirty-eight. Other than this age difference, they were poles apart in their temperament. Consequently, their marriage broke down and they divorced in August 1933. However, they remained friends till his death.

Very soon after the divorce, she developed a relationship with Clark Gable. As Gable’s wife refused to give divorce they could not marry. The divorce was ultimately finalized in March 7, 1939 and they got married on March 29, 1939. None of her marriages produced any children.

In 1942, Carole went to Indiana to sell War Bonds. Her mother, Bessie Peters, and her Press Assistant, Otto Winker, accompanied her in this trip. There she sold bonds worth two million dollars. While coming back on January 16, 1942, the plane crashed into "Double Up Peak" of Potosi Mountain, near Las Vegas. All the passengers including Carole Lombard died on the spot.

Carole Lombard was born as Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Both her parents, Frederick Christian Peters and Elizabeth Jayne "Bessie" (Knight) Peters, came from wealthy family. Born third of her parents’ three children she had two elder brothers; Frederick Charles and John Stuart Peters.

The relationship between her parents became strained and as a result Elizabeth Peters moved to Los Angeles in October 1914, taking her three children with her. However, her parents did not official divorce and her father continued to provide financial support, which made their life quite comfortable.

At Los Angeles, Jane Alice was admitted first to Virgil Junior High School and then to Fairfax High School. She was an avid sportsperson and very tomboyish. She regularly took part in athletics, tennis, volleyball, baseball and won many trophies. She also liked watching movies and swimming.

When she was twelve years old film director, Allan Dwan, spotted her playing baseball on the street with some neighborhood children. He immediately knew she was the one, he was looking for. Encouraged by her mother, little Jane took up the role, playing the sister of Monte Blue in ‘A Perfect Crime’ (1921).

Although the part was short and the movie was a failure, it did not really matter. She now started taking acting and dancing lessons. She also toured with a theatre tour and began auditioning for movie roles. Initially, she managed to obtain insignificant roles in a number of low budget films.

In 1924, Carole abandoned her education to start a career as a ‘bit player’ in low-budget Westerns and adventure films at $75 per week. Her first role as a Fox player was ‘Gold Heels’ (1924), after which she had un-credited appearance in two more films.

Although she enjoyed other aspects of shooting such as socializing on sets, costume fittings and photo shoots she was rather disappointed with the roles she got. Finally in March 1925, she got her first big chance in ‘Marriage in Transit’; a Fox production directed by Grace Lutz, and received good reviews.

Afterwards, she appeared in two more films, ‘Hearts and Spurs’ and ‘Durand of the Bad Lands’, both of which were released in 1925. Unfortunately in the same year, she was involved in a car accident, which left a scar on her face. As a result, Fox cancelled their contract with her.

Realizing that scar had the potential to ruin her career as an actress, she had a plastic surgery done on her face. It made the scar less noticeable; whatever was still visible, she learned to hide with makeup. However, after the incidence, she remained unemployed for a year.

In 1927, Carole was offered a contract by Mack Sennett., the Canadian born director-actor, known for his slapstick comedies. Subsequently, from September 1927 to March 1929 she appeared in fifteen short films, directed by Sennett.

’Big News’, made in 1929, was her first important movie which gave her a chance to prove her talent, which she successfully did. However, it was her 1934 film ‘Twentieth Century’, which turned her into a star.

Yet, the most significant film in her career was ‘My Man Godfrey’, made in 1936. It was not only a runaway success, but it also earned her the only Oscar nomination in her entire career.