Lombard， a party girl25 who favored low-cut26 silk dresses，\"bent herself around sideways to conform to27 him，\" says actor Robert Stack， who was a good friend of the actress's， \"She went duck hunting and dressed like a ragamuffin. She'd stand around in the rain for the guy.\" Her friend Margaret Tallichet， wife of the director William Wyler，watched her reel Gable in. \"Carole was madly in love with him，\" she said， \"When she would zero in on28 something， that was it， and she wanted this relationship.\"

She was also smart enough to know how to keep it going. After one quarrel， Lombard sent Gable a pair of live doves as a peace offering， a heart-melting gesture she would repeat over the years. Yet this king wouldn't have loved an obsequious subject， and Carole was no pushover. At one point during their courtship， disturbed by rumors that Gable's current costar had designs on29 him， she stormed onto the film set and screamed at the director， \"Get her out of your picture or I'll take Gable out of it!\" The offending ingenue disappeared， and Gable， long known for his womanizing， bragged afterward about his beloved's pluck30. \"He absolutely adored her，\" says Stack.

By 1937， the duo were inseparable enough to be cited as one of Hollywood's Unmarried Husbands and Wives in an article in the movie magazine Photoplay31. The exposure hastened Gable's divorce from the reluctant Ria， who walked off32 with a sizable settlement. Free at last，Clark and Carole wed in a tiny ceremony on March 29， 1939--the first day Gable had off from his job playing Rhett in Gone With The Wind.

Their careers had never been in higher gear， but Gable hated the Hollywood partying that went with fame，so the couple made their home in an elaborately restored farmhouse in then-rural Encino， Calif. There， among horses， dogs， chickens and Gable's expanding gun collection， the newly weds--who called each other Ma and Pa--lived simply，giving occasional small dinner parties for friends and even attempting to sell eggs(until their chickens proved unreliable). It was by all accounts33 an idyllic life， even without the babies their best efforts never managed to bring forth.

On Jan. 16， 1942， the idyll ended. Lombard， who had just wrapped her 57th film， To Be or Not To Be， was on a tour to sell war bonds when the twin-engine DC-3 she was traveling in crashed into a mountain near Las Vegas. Upon hearing the news， Gable flew to the scene and had to be forcibly restrained from climbing the snowcapped mountain himself in an effort to rescue her. After Carole's body， along with the bodies of her mother and 19 others， was discovered， he reportedly sobbed， \"Oh， God!I don't want to go back to an empty house...\"

Lombard's death，the first war-related female casualty the U. S. suffered during WWII， was the worst loss her husband ever endured. Gable lived out his life at the couple's Encino home， made 27 more movies and ever remarried twice. \"But he was never the same，\" says Esther Williams， \"His heart sank a bit.\"

In 1960，Gable was signed for the introspective\"modern western\" The Misfits. The troubled and tragic history of this film has been well-documented， but despite the on-set tension， Gable took on the task uncomplainingly， going so far as to perform several grueling stunt scenes involving wild horses. The strain of filming， however， coupled with his ever-robust lifestyle， proved too much for the actor. Clark Gable suffered a heart attack two days after the completion of The Misfits and died at age 59， a scant few months before the birth of his first son. Most of the nation's newspaper announced the death of Clark Gable with a four-word headline: \"The King is Dead.\"

\"You know，\" he said shortly before he died，\"This King stuff is pure bullshit. I eat and sleep and go to bathroom just like everyone else. There's no special light that shines inside me and makes a star. I'm just a lucky lob from Ohio. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I had a lot of smart guys helping me--that's all.\"

The following is excepted from Long Live the King by Lyn Tornabene:

...July 1960，...Clark Gable is in central Nevada on location for a film called The Misfits...

For his part in The Misfits， Clark Gable is being paid the highest advance salary anyone has earned to date in the industry: three quarters of a million dollars against a percentage of the gross， plus $48 000 a week for overtime. Right now he is sweating it out， literally and figuratively. The desert heat on the current site aggressively mounts to 1 000 degrees after noon， and the workday， which too often begins hours late to accommodate Miss Monroe's psychoses， is as tedious as it is distressing for an old-line professional like Gable. In Clark Gable's lexicon，a nine A.M. shooting call means you are ready to work at three minutes to nine; he is congenitally prompt. In his contract， workdays end at five P. M.， and that means he walks out at five P. M.，willy-nilly34.

Clark Gable，at fifty-nine， is the consummate professional film actor， and he knows it. His passion for professionalism begins in his soul.

Here he stands: 6 feet， 1 inch tall， a husky man， whose girth and look of controlled power make him appear even bigger than he is. An average man wears a size 40 suit; Gable's suits are 44 long. He measures 45 around the chest， 36 around the waist; average male proportions are 44~39. he fills a doorway，seems squashed in a wing chair.

He looks robust. His hair is thick for a man his age， widow's peaked35 ，and graying appropriately(touched up for the film). His eyebrows are heavy and have to be plucked a bit. His complexion is ruddy， tanned， and he has blemishes on both his cheeks: warts， perhaps， or moles. A plain movie star would have them removed，but kings can sport warts. His skin is weather-beaten; the complexion of a man with his love of the outdoors could not be otherwise36.

His hands are weathered， too. They are ham-hockhands: tough， used. He wears a wedding band on his pinky because an old breaks misshapen his third finger， left hand. His hands are so big he wears his shirtsleeves uncommonly long to hide their size. He does the same thing with shirt collars， wear them high or turned up to disguise the thickness of his neck. He has done this in all his films，which probably explains the fashion in men's clothing for showing a lot of linen above the collar and beneath the cuffs of a jacket. His huge hands are noticeable no matter， and so are the yellow nicotine stains on his fingers. He's a heavy smoker，sometimes he switches to custom-made37 Cuban cigars (four to a box labeled\"Clark Gable\") and consumes fifteen or more a day，inhaling them. Once his friend Z (for Zachariah) Wayne Griffin tried to get him to stop smoking. Gable told him， \"Griff old boy， you paddle your canoe38 and I'll paddle mine.\"

The same line was also intended to cover Wayne's nagging about39 his drinking， which he does a lot， but not publicly， and not offensively to anything except his own innards. Like the man's man he is， Gable can really put it away， drink 'em under the table40，store it in a hollow leg. Scotch or vodka，champagne or brandy，or all at one sitting--he never shows the effects. When he's had enough to put an average man in the hospital，he just goes to sleep.

注 釋

(25)party girl：交際花。

(26)low-cut：領(lǐng)口開(kāi)得很低的。

(27)conform to：適應(yīng)，順應(yīng)。

(28)zero in on：把注意力集中在某處。

(29)have designs on：對(duì)……抱不良企圖，圖謀加害于某人，此處指對(duì)蓋博心存愛(ài)戀。

(30)pluck：勇氣，膽量，毅力。

(31)Photoplay：motion picture的舊名，電影。

(32)walk off：拿，輕易贏得。

(33)by all accounts：根據(jù)大家(或各方)所說(shuō)，人人都這樣說(shuō)，根據(jù)報(bào)界的報(bào)道。

(34)willy-nilly：不管愿意不愿意。

（35）widow's peaked：垂在前額中間的“V”字形頭發(fā)。

(36)could not be otherwise：只能是這樣。

(37)custom-made:(按顧客所需規(guī)格)定做的，定制的。

(38)paddle ones own canoe：專(zhuān)靠自己，自立；獨(dú)立謀生，獨(dú)立進(jìn)行，獨(dú)立支撐。

(39)nag about:嘮叨。

（40）drink someone under the table：(比酒量)使某人醉倒而自己不醉。

朗伯德，這個(gè)喜歡穿領(lǐng)口開(kāi)得很低的絲綢服裝的交際花，“百依百順地適應(yīng)他，”朗伯德的好友男演員羅伯特·斯特克說(shuō)?！八ゴ蝤喿?，穿得像一個(gè)衣衫襤褸而又骯臟的人。她會(huì)無(wú)所事事地站在雨中等待他的到來(lái)?！彼呐笥熏敻覃愄亍に锲嫣兀瑢?dǎo)演威廉·惠勒的妻子面說(shuō)，看到她終于得到了蓋博的愛(ài)?！翱鍫柉偪竦貝?ài)上了他，”她說(shuō)，“當(dāng)她集中精力在某件事上的時(shí)候，就這么定了，而她也需要這種關(guān)系?！?/p>

她也非常精明，知道如何讓這一切發(fā)展下去。在一次爭(zhēng)吵后，朗伯德送給蓋博一對(duì)活鴿子，這個(gè)令人心動(dòng)的姿態(tài)，她多年內(nèi)反復(fù)做過(guò)。但是這個(gè)國(guó)王是不會(huì)喜歡奉承的，而卡洛爾也不是一個(gè)輕易言輸?shù)呐印Ｔ趹賽?ài)時(shí)期，他們一度受到流言蜚語(yǔ)的干擾。聽(tīng)說(shuō)與蓋博合作的影星對(duì)他心存愛(ài)戀，她怒氣沖沖地沖入電影制片廠，對(duì)導(dǎo)演大聲尖叫著：“把她給我趕出去，否則，我叫蓋博退出!”憤怒的天真少女離開(kāi)后，因喜歡追女人而出名的蓋博，后來(lái)對(duì)他愛(ài)侶的勇氣大加夸耀。“他對(duì)她十分敬仰?！彼固乜苏f(shuō)。

這對(duì)演藝人員如此密不可分，因此在1937年被寫(xiě)入電影雜志《電影》，被稱(chēng)為《好萊塢的未婚夫婦》之一。這次曝光加速了蓋博與不愿離婚的瑞亞的分手，后者輕易地得到了一大筆財(cái)產(chǎn)。終于獲得了自由，克拉克和卡洛爾在1939年3月29日舉辦了一個(gè)小型的婚禮，這是他在扮演《飄》中的瑞特時(shí)第一次請(qǐng)的一天假。

他們的事業(yè)已達(dá)到前所未有的高峰，但蓋博討厭好萊塢那些與名氣有關(guān)的一些聚會(huì)，因此這對(duì)夫妻在加利福尼亞當(dāng)時(shí)還是個(gè)農(nóng)村的恩塞洛一個(gè)經(jīng)過(guò)精心修復(fù)的農(nóng)舍里住了下來(lái)。在那兒，他們養(yǎng)了馬、狗、雞，蓋博的槍支收藏也日益擴(kuò)大。這對(duì)新婚夫婦——彼此稱(chēng)呼為“媽”和“爸”——生活儉樸，偶爾同朋友們一起舉辦一些小型晚宴，他們甚至準(zhǔn)備去賣(mài)雞蛋(直到他們的雞不下蛋了)。根據(jù)報(bào)界的報(bào)道，這是一段田園生活，即使沒(méi)有小孩——他們費(fèi)盡精力也沒(méi)能養(yǎng)出一個(gè)小孩。

1942年1月16日，田園生活破滅了。朗伯德，剛剛演完她的第57部影片《是或不是》，在巡回演出售賣(mài)戰(zhàn)時(shí)公債時(shí)，她所乘坐的雙引擎的DC—3在拉斯維加斯附近的山上墜毀。一聽(tīng)到這個(gè)消息，蓋博馬上飛往現(xiàn)場(chǎng)，人們強(qiáng)行拉住他，不讓他親自爬上冰雪覆蓋的山頂去搶救她。當(dāng)卡洛爾連同她的母親和其他19名人員的尸體被發(fā)現(xiàn)時(shí)，據(jù)報(bào)道，他當(dāng)時(shí)啜泣著說(shuō)：“噢，天啊!我不愿回到那空蕩蕩的房子里去……”

朗伯德的死，是美國(guó)在二戰(zhàn)中第一例和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)有關(guān)的女性傷亡事件，是她丈夫所忍受的最大的損失。蓋博從他們倆生活過(guò)的恩斯洛的家里搬了出來(lái)，后來(lái)又演過(guò)27部影片，結(jié)過(guò)兩次婚?！暗僖膊皇且郧澳莻€(gè)樣子了?！卑Ｈ麪枴ね匪拐f(shuō)，“他的心已經(jīng)有點(diǎn)消沉了。”

1960年，蓋博簽約出演反省的“現(xiàn)代西部片”《不適應(yīng)環(huán)境的人》。這部影片混亂、悲慘的歷史已有大量文獻(xiàn)證實(shí)，盡管拍攝現(xiàn)場(chǎng)很緊張，蓋博毫無(wú)怨言地接受了這個(gè)角色，拍了一些與野馬有關(guān)的、累人的、令人吃驚的場(chǎng)景。然而，拍片的強(qiáng)節(jié)奏，以及他一貫粗魯?shù)纳罘绞剑瑢?duì)這位演員來(lái)說(shuō)，任務(wù)實(shí)在是太重了。在拍完《不適應(yīng)環(huán)境的人》兩天后，蓋博心臟病發(fā)作，就在他兒子出生幾個(gè)月前，去世了，時(shí)年59歲。國(guó)內(nèi)的大多數(shù)報(bào)紙用四個(gè)字的標(biāo)題宣布了蓋博的死亡：“國(guó)王死了!”

“你知道，”他在死前不久這樣說(shuō)：“這種國(guó)王的說(shuō)法純粹是胡說(shuō)八道。同其他每個(gè)人一樣，我吃飯，睡覺(jué)，洗澡。在我身上，沒(méi)有特殊的光芒照射而使我成為明星。我只是一個(gè)從俄亥俄州來(lái)的幸運(yùn)的笨蛋。我只是在恰當(dāng)?shù)臅r(shí)候出現(xiàn)在恰當(dāng)?shù)牡胤?，而且有很多出色的朋友幫助我……——就是這些?！?/p>

以下的內(nèi)容選自于林恩·托拉奔尼的《國(guó)王萬(wàn)歲》：

……1960年7月……克拉克·蓋博在一部片名叫《不適應(yīng)環(huán)境的人》的拍攝場(chǎng)地——內(nèi)華達(dá)州中部。

因他在《不適應(yīng)環(huán)境的人》中的角色，克拉克·蓋博所得的片酬超過(guò)任何其他人的片酬，是當(dāng)時(shí)電影業(yè)中最高的：75萬(wàn)美元，加毛利百分比提成，外加每周4萬(wàn)8千美元的加班費(fèi)。目前他正用“汗水澆灌它”——無(wú)論是從字面上還是從喻義上都是如此。拍攝場(chǎng)地在沙漠，中午過(guò)后，溫度直線上升，達(dá)到了1千華氏度，而一天的工作日，為遷就夢(mèng)露小姐的精神病經(jīng)常很晚才開(kāi)工，這對(duì)像克拉克·蓋博這樣的老牌職業(yè)演員來(lái)說(shuō)真令人痛苦，讓人受不了。在克拉克·蓋博的詞典里，九點(diǎn)鐘開(kāi)拍鈴響，那么你在九點(diǎn)差三分時(shí)就該做好準(zhǔn)備工作。他生來(lái)就很果斷。在他的合同中，工作時(shí)間在下午五點(diǎn)鐘結(jié)束，那么他會(huì)在下午五點(diǎn)鐘走出攝影棚，決不含糊。

克拉克·蓋博，當(dāng)時(shí)59歲，是演技高超的職業(yè)電影演員。對(duì)此他很清楚。他對(duì)職業(yè)的酷愛(ài)始于他的靈魂。

他就站在這兒：6英尺1英寸高，很強(qiáng)壯，其腰圍以及控制力量的神色使他看起來(lái)比他實(shí)際上要高大得多。一般的人穿40號(hào)衣服，蓋博要穿44號(hào)的。他胸圍45英寸，腰圍36英寸，而一般人的比例是44~39。他站在門(mén)口，就像在安樂(lè)椅里被壓扁了一樣。

看上去他很健壯。就處于他這個(gè)年齡的人來(lái)說(shuō)，他的頭發(fā)很多，前額頭發(fā)呈“V”字形，被恰如其分地染成了灰色(為了片中角色而染的)。眉毛很濃，不得不拔掉一些。他面色紅潤(rùn)，不過(guò)已曬黑了。臉上也有了一些斑點(diǎn)：疣，也可能是色素痣。一般的電影明星會(huì)將他們除掉，而“國(guó)王們”卻可以借此炫耀。他的皮膚也是飽經(jīng)風(fēng)霜。一個(gè)喜愛(ài)戶(hù)外活動(dòng)的人的面容就是這樣的。

他的雙手也是歷盡磨練，一雙粗壯的手：有力，熟練。左手小指上戴著婚戒，因其無(wú)名指由于早先的傷勢(shì)已經(jīng)畸形。他的雙手很大，因此他穿著特長(zhǎng)袖衣服來(lái)遮掩。同樣他穿高領(lǐng)的襯衫，把衣領(lǐng)高高豎起，或把衣領(lǐng)向上翻來(lái)遮住他粗短的脖子。他在所有他演的影片中都是這種打扮。這也許能解釋為什么男士服裝在領(lǐng)子以上和在夾克衫的袖口以下都選用亞麻成了時(shí)尚。他的雙手無(wú)疑是很大，同樣他手指上的黃色尼古丁印痕也很重。他抽煙很兇。有時(shí)，他抽定制的古巴煙(一盒4支，盒蓋上貼著“克拉克·蓋博”式樣的標(biāo)簽)，一天抽15支或更多。一次他的朋友Z(扎卡賴(lài)亞的縮寫(xiě))·韋恩·格里芬試圖勸他戒煙，蓋博對(duì)他說(shuō)：“格里芬老友，你劃你的獨(dú)木舟，我劃我的獨(dú)木舟?！?/p>

韋恩嘮嘮叨叨說(shuō)起蓋博喝酒時(shí)也是同樣的話。蓋博能喝很多酒，但不公開(kāi)，除了對(duì)他自己的身體構(gòu)成危害外，對(duì)其他無(wú)什么危害。但正如他是人上人，蓋博也真能喝，他把其他人都灌醉后，將酒藏于空褲管里。他可以喝蘇格蘭產(chǎn)威士忌酒、伏特加酒、香檳、白蘭地，或同時(shí)一起喝，他從未醉過(guò)。一般人喝得要進(jìn)醫(yī)院的時(shí)候，他睡一覺(jué)就好了。