Clark Gable

Portrait of a Misfit

By: Jane Ellen Wayne

Narrated by: S. Patricia Bailey

To his fans, he was the king of Hollywood. To others, he was the embittered and alcoholic king of tragedy. In all shades of life, his character was epic.

Gable's rise to idol stature was swift. He made close to one hundred films in his lifetime and achieved immortalization in the timeless epic, Gone with the Wind. Off-screen, the man who finally won the indomitable Scarlett O’Hara was even more of a lady’s man than his character. He seduced, and, in several cases, married women of immense wealth to sustain his extravagant lifestyle and further his career. Among his most famous lovers were Hollywood stars Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, and Joan Crawford. But only Carole Lombard, with her stunning blonde looks and bawdy sense of humor, captured his heart and taught him how to love.

©1993 Jane Ellen Wayne (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A Fresh Take on Gable's Bio

Being a hardcore Gable fan, I was familiar with the general trajectory of his life and career.

But it's been a few years since I had read anything that went from the beginning to the end of his life.

The narrator is really good and at times the author, Jane Ellen Wayne, writes particular passages in the style of a novel, with dialogue. The narrator, S. Patricia Bailey, does a great job with nuance of tone and emotion, especially in these segments.

All-in-all, an enjoyable and well written biography, with some slices of Hollywood gossip about Gable and other stars with whom he shared the Silver Screen.

Wow, who knew?!

I was thoroughly enthralled with the story of Clark Gable’s life. Definitely worth the listen.

Very interesting

I remember growing up with his movies. It was very interesting to see the other side of the man that seemed larger than life.

Who knew?

Some celebrities you hear a lot about. Not so with Clark. Very interesting to learn he was rather rough and not kind. But I was also surprised the ladies of the era were also not as polished and refined. Interesting history…

Reality is hard

He was always my dream so the reality is hard to resulve with the reality but he was basically a good man well told and probably not far from truth but as we all do. I still will always see him as Rhett Butler. Ha Ha we are all faced with a lot of reality no

Will have you enthralled

If you love biographies then make sure you check out this one about Clark Gable. I’ve always had a fascination with the golden era of Hollywood and the stories of the studio contract players, and what Hollywood was like before it all started to change in the 50s. This is a long book but there was never a dull moment. The story will have you gripped the whole way through. It has a fast pace which is just as well because Clark Gable fit a lot into his life. The narration was excellent too can’t fault this book at all. Highly recommend it.

Excellent reading

S Patricia Bailey hit the ball out of the park. She kept me waiting for more the story brought this true legend to life

One the the great celebrities

It isn’t clear how he was so popular with the public but never described as a great actor. He is described as a self indulgent and immature and impulsive individual. Many of the great actors appear to be driven, self centered, and very flawed but still rose to an amazing level.

This audible made Clark Gable come to life!

An excellent audible on the life of an icon. Clark Gable comes to life in this audible, that includes his time and era when, Hollywood, was Hollywood!

What a sometimes charming, but terrible Scoundrel

I didn't like how he treated women, and yet some of them were okay with it. I am a fan of Carole Lombard, and a fan of Gable in so far of his place in her life, as well as an actor.. and his very good looks too. I think that I liked him best when he had good friendships with the women that told him "No" when he went after them, or the ones that didn't chase him either. It was interesting though. And at the times when he could be very kind and thoughtful to people without gaining something from it was nice to know.
On a side note, I was disappointed to hear that the area around the Ranch in Encino that he and Carole Lombard bought was named Clark Gable Estates..I feel that it should have been named Gable/Lombard Estates because my understanding was that she is the one that bought it at the time because he didn't have the money for it due to the cost of his divorce from Ria. However, that was not his doing in the naming.