By Jessica Pickens
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio was considered to have “more stars than in the heavens,” and Clark Gable was dubbed the king. To be exact, in 1938 Gable was crowned “King of Hollywood” by Ed Sullivan alongside Myrna Loy, who was crowned “Queen of Hollywood,” thanks to a popularity poll.
The title carried stayed with Gable throughout his career, which ended with his death in 1960.
Clark Gable is one of those larger than life characters in Hollywood. And his film roles were versatile — he could play lovers, cowboys, bad guys, and even Judy Garland sang “Dear Mr. Gable” to photos of him.
Most people know Gable for his most famous roles in It Happened One Night (1934), Gone with the Wind (1939) and The Misfits (1960). Here are a few other titles to make sure you see:
China Seas (1935)
Starring: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Rosalind Russell, C. Aubrey Smith
Alan Gaskell (Gable) is the captain of the Kin Lung, which departs from Hong Kong for Singapore with several American and European passengers. Capt. Gaskell’s former girlfriend Dolly Portland (Harlow) is on the ship, and she is unhappy when she sees Capt. Gaskell wooing wealthy socialite Sybil Barclay (Rosalind). To get back at Capt. Gaskell, Dolly partners with corrupt Jamesy MacArdle (Beery), who is responsible for the ship being overtaken by pirates looking for gold and money.
Boom Town (1940)
Starring: Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr
Two pals, Big John McMasters (Gable) and Square John Sand (Tracy), are wildcat oil well drillers and join forces in business to strike it rich. The two men meet Betsy Bartlett (Colbert), and McMasters marries her, even though Sand loves her too. The two business partners become successful, but eventually quarrel, because Sand sees that McMasters is unfaithful to Betsy. Separated, they both experience victories and defeats in the oil business.
Command Decision (1948)
Starring: Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Brian Donlevy, Charles Bickford, Edward Arnold, Marshall Thompson, Cameron Mitchell
Set during 1943 in the thick of World War II, this film with an ensemble cast is based on a Broadway play written by William Wister Haines. The film all takes place in a central headquarters while military leaders send pilots of bombing missions in the European Theater of the war. The Eighth Air Force experiences great losses with each mission, who are led by U.S. 5th Bomb Division commander, Brig. Gen. "Casey" Dennis (Gable). War correspondent Elmer Brockhurst (Bickford) is angry about the losses from the bombing mission and demands answers. Other leaders within the headquarters battle about what is best politically and what is best for the war. The film is interesting, particularly because Gable and Cameron Mitchell both fought in World War II.
Soldier of Fortune (1955)
Starring: Clark Gable, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Gene Barry
Jane Hoyt (Hayward) travels to Hong Kong to search for her missing photojournalist husband Louis (Barry). Shipping magnate Hank Lee (Gable) helps Jane look for her husband. They discover that Louis traveled into Communist Chinese where he is held prisoner and considered a spy. Jane wants to travel to China to free her husband, but Hank warns her that it is dangerous and goes instead.
Jessica Pickens is a North Carolina-based writer. She has a degree in print journalism and now works in public relations. Outside of work, she writes about pre-1968 films at CometOverHollywood.com with a special interest in musicals, films released in 1939, and World War II-era films. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.