Carole Lombard (Part 1)

[Music] early 20th century was a time of progress change and hope for Americans there was a deep sense of pride and unwavering belief that their future was bright that nothing can hinder the steady improvement of their lives but unexpectedly this confidence was shuttered with the crash of 1929 while millions of Americans struggled to survive under the crushing weight of the Great Depression movies were a favorite escape from life's trials and tribulations issues of money and class were at the forefront of American consciousness and screwball comedies played with class differences bringing the poor up and the rich down and letting them mix in ways that they rarely did in reality the queen of the genre was Carole Lombard [Music] in 1999 the American Film Institute named her as one of the greatest female screen legends she was and is adored by her fans and even after so many years their love for her is not vanished currently her fans celebrate her and hundreds of videos websites and books not only for her movies but also because they recognize in her the small-town girl who had made good despite the odds a girl with indomitable spirit and admirable character this is her untold story the story of a remarkable woman who touched the hearts of all who met her the story of a woman who at every step thought about how to help those who cross her path this is the story of Carole Lombard [Music] Carole Lombards mother Elizabeth Knight Peters nicknamed Bess was among three sisters from the affluent knight family of Fort Wayne Indiana her grandfather was one of the finance years of the first transatlantic cable Bess had appeared in some of the minor theatrical productions and a caught the eye of the son of a local hardware company owner frederick peters frederick courted Bess and they eventually married children followed Frederick jr. in 1902 Stewart in 1905 and finally a girl Jane Alice on October 6 1908 Jane Alice who later in life would take the stage name Carole Lombard was born at this house at 7:04 Rock Hill streets Bess was active in the Fort Wayne community during the flood of 1913 Bess's fortitude made a permanent impression on her daughter amid chaos Bess was a leader masterminding the logistics of evacuating and hosting refugees who had to evacuate their homes helping others became an integral part of Carole's philosophy of life in the meantime Bess's husband Frederick had been a victim of a workplace injury and it had caused him chronic headaches and irritation so in the fall of 1914 Bess an agreement with her husband moved to California with her children a move that was initially planned as a temporary one during the same years an emerging religion had reached America the Baha'i faith abdu l-bahá the son of baha'u'llah had visited the United States in 1912 to share the message of peace and unity brought by his father newspapers all over the country including newspapers in Bess's hometown reported on the visit bhai is believed that throughout history God has sent to humanity a series of divine educators Moses Buddha Jesus Muhammad and so on whose teachings have provided the basis for the advancement of civilization so for bajas the different world religions are not in conflict with each other but are essentially the manifestation of the same eternal truth the highs believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the future and believe that such a vision unfolds in the writings of bahá'u'lláh the latest of these divine educators in 1916 Bess and her children moved to a new home in Southern California among their new neighbors were the plats after abdu l-bahá visit to Los Angeles mrs. oral Platt daughter of Senator James Arkell had accepted the emerging faith mrs. Platt had the honor of receiving four personal letters from abdu l-bahá in April 1914 she wrote him about the gatherings she was holding in her home for studying the Baha'i faith he replied her Oh thou seeker of the kingdom of God it is my hope that all of you will be united together raise the melody of the kingdom of God and become the means of the manifestation of the oneness of the world of humanity conveyed to that dear husband the greetings of the kingdom and the heavenly love abdu l-bahá [Music] mrs. Platt was to be very involved in financing the tarbiyyat school for girls that had been set up in Tehran Iran in 1911 by the Baha'i community it was the very first girls school in the country in 1925 mrs. Platt and her husband will embark on a world trip that will bring them to meet shoghi effendi who was the appointed head of the Baha'i faith after the passing of abdu l-bahá in 1921 shoghi effendi wrote her many letters commending her for her generosity Bess and Carole regularly attended the meetings in the Platts home and expressed keen interest in the bahá'í teachings mrs. Platt recalls how Carol loved meetings and helped serving refreshments to the attendees not long after in 1922 Bess accepted the Baha'i faith the bahá'í faith with its absence of dogmas and its principles of independence search of truth the oneness of humanity the abolition of all forms of prejudice the abolition of extremes of wealth and poverty and the Equality of men and women appealed to her greatly the latter concept sunk particularly deeply into her heart at a time when women had yet to gain the right to vote in much of the United States best became a feminist in her own right and so did her daughter who was encouraged to believe that she could do anything a man could at age 12 while playing baseball with friends Carroll caught the attention of film director Allan Dwan who later recalled seeing a really cute little tomboy playing better baseball than all the other kids Carroll was signed to a one picture contract [Music] after the movie Carroll returned to a normal life and to her studies best preferred her finishing school before starting her career the bahá'í teachings of unity and diversity will have a profound effect on Carroll the belief that we all belong to one human family which is like unto a Rose Garden and the various races tongues and people's are like unto contrasting flowers that add to the charm and the beauty of the world Sunday dinner at Bess's home became a custom for the large informal guest list and Bess's home was open to people from all backgrounds at 14 she wrote to abdu l-bahá of her love for him as well as her ambitions and longing to become an actress and she said if only he approves I shall not fail mrs. Platt remembers how happy carol was when abdu l-bahá letter came saying he would pray for her to be an actress and a successful one by age 15 she had had enough of school she joined a theater troupe and played in several stage shows and while appearing as the queen of the Fairfax High School's May Day carnival she was scouted by an employee of Charlie Chaplin and offered a screen test to appear in his film the gold rush carol was not given the role but it raised hollywood's awareness of the aspirant actress a few months later she passed a screen test and signed a contract with Fox films later to be known as 20th Century Fox Fox asked her to change her name and that's when she chose to become Carole Lombard her first leading role with Fox was hearts and spurs but she had various smaller parts and movies she later commented on her dissatisfaction with these roles all I had to do was smile prettily at the hero and scream with terror when he battled the villain later that year John Barrymore the famous Broadway star called her for a screen test Carole was cast in his new production called Tempest and it was a very lucky break but one evening while Carole was in the car with a friend they got into a bad accident they had stopped at a red light when the car in front of them skidded backwards and hit their car and caused the windshield to shatter sending shards of glass everywhere blood started pouring down from Carol's face and they rushed her to the hospital when Beth arrived she had one look at her daughter's face and realized that there would be no more roles for Carole in the future and perhaps no more acting at all unless she would act swiftly she had heard of a doctor who performed an experimental surgery method she reached the doctor who arrived to the hospital and explained that there was only a slim hope to save Carol's face from permanent disfigurement and that it involved sewing her skin together with tiny stitches and the sewing had to be done without using anesthesia in order to keep the facial muscles in place during the procedure Carol endured four hours of surgery without anesthetic stitch after stitch Barrymore was forced to drop her from his movie and Fox cancelled her contract after six months on a liquid diet she was finally out of the hospital a four centimeter scar would always be with her as a reminder of that ordeal the accident restructured Carol's personality bringing her to thinking more deeply about life and her actions and when she returned home she told a concerned friend isn't it better to have a scar on your face than on your soul the tragic experience bonded mother and daughter even more and from then on they were always side by side I have a most satisfactory parent Carol once said of best her idea on bringing me up was that I should be permitted to have and to do the things that would make me happy so many girls had to fight their families in order to follow stage and screen careers but my mother never made it difficult for me she was always there to cheer me on when I won we respect one another other than that my mother is the most interesting lady I know and the most generous and the most considerate and sometimes when I forget that I'm not still a little girl I find myself saying I want to be just like her when I grow up in early 1927 Carol tested with Mack Sennett who was looking for a leading girl for his Senate bathing beauties and he put her under contract she appeared in 15 short films and greatly enjoyed her time at the studio in one of the short films there were a few color scenes a glimpse of how movies in the future would be made working with Senate gave Carol her first experience in comedy and provided valuable training for her future work in the genre Carole Lombard the actress was born path they exchanged who was owned by Joseph P Kennedy the father of John F Kennedy distributed senate's productions in 1928 path they exchanged began casting Carol and future films she had mainly minor roles but reviewers noted that she made a good impression and was worth watching in the last movies with paths a carol was elevated from supporting player to leading role by now the film industry was moving from the silent era to talkies while some stars careers ended because of heavy accents poor dictation or voices just unsuitable to sound Carol's light breezy lovely voice enabled her to transition smoothly during this period in high voltage her first talking picture she played a sheriff's daughter stranded with a group during a snowstorm her next films of 1929 were critical and commercial successes in 1930 Carol returned to Fox for a one-off role in a Western it was a big release for the studio starring the most popular actor Warner Baxter following the success of this film Paramount Pictures recruited her and signed her to a 350 dollar a week contract movies like safety in numbers and fast and loose followed another aspiring actress at Senate comedies was Madeleine field or fields II as Carol called her the two girls had become friends during high school after the Mack Sennett comedies Carol's career picked up but fields East didn't but carol was not gonna let her bestfriend down and she asked fields II to be her business manager but fields he flatly refused to accept any money because she couldn't type or take dictation Carol solved that problem in her own way she arranged for typing classes hired a dressmaker and refused to let fields II leave until a new wardrobe had been completed the two would live and work together for many years to come in 1931 after starring in a comedy Carroll worked with paramount top male star William Powell in to movies what you're talking about used to be didn't it it's part of a past which I'll never return then what difference does it make you know so much more than I do you've seen so much more of the world than I have Carol had been a fan of the actor even before they met and during filming they got to know each other even better so it was no surprise when they announced their wedding which took place on June 6th 1931 at Carol's Beverly Hills home Carol was 23 and William 39 [Music] the marriage to Powell increased Carol's fame while she continued to please the critics with her work she received glowing reviews for I take this woman which co-starred Gary Cooper several critics predicted that carol was set to become a major star [Music] and her next film featured her opposite Clark Gable whose star was also on the rise and it was a critical and commercial success well would you like Shakespeare Shakespeare's alright but you know some night you just don't feel like Shakespeare do your eyes bother you know why they bother me 1933 was another great year for Carol she appeared in five films Carol and William Powell were actively present in the jet-set and Hollywood Life here we see the couple at Carol's brother Frederick's wedding the marriage with Powell didn't last very long though Carol and William divorced after 26 months but they remained very good friends for the rest of their lives at the time she blamed it on their careers but in an interview in 1936 she admitted that this had very little to do with the divorce we were just two very completely incompatible people 1934 was to also be a memorable year for Carol and not merely on a professional level one evening in September while having dinner at Coconut Grove she met Russ Columbo who was performing there Russ Columbo was a popular Italian American singer musician composer and film actor it was love at first sight Russ who was deeply in love with Carol composed for her the song too beautiful for words you like a sweet refrain never my strength at the Angels preferred all I can do [Music] one evening while visiting a friend to celebrate the sneak preview of his first movie as a leading role he was the victim of a very strange accident they were examining his friends collection of firearms when one of them discharged the bullet traveling an extremely low velocity struck a piece of furniture and ricocheted into Russ's right eye lodging into his brain and that was that he was 26 years old Carol was grief stricken and hounded by reporters his death shocks me beyond words she said nevertheless she was able to compose herself enough to take charge of Colombo's funeral arrangements and over 3,000 fans paid their respects and Carol ensured that everyone wore a white gardenia Colombo's favorite flower Russ's blind mother was never told about her son's death on the account that she would not have been able to cope with the shock instead a subterfuge was created and mrs. Columbo was told that her son was in London and for the next year's Carol would visit her weekly at her bedside and read her letters supposedly written by Russ in London that she had written herself abdu l-bahá wrote if you are so depressed and so sore that your spirit could not find deliverance and peace even in prayer then quickly go and give some pleasure to someone lowly or sorrowful or to a guilty or innocent sufferer sacrifice yourself your talent your time your rest to another to one who has to bear a heavier load than you and your unhappy mood will dissolve into a blessed contented submission to God Carol was a sport lover and she started spending her mornings on the tennis courts Carol's tennis coach was Eleanor Tennant Elinor whom Carol nicknamed teach was the first female tennis player to turn professional in her career as a player she was a US Open finalist and in the 1920s was ranked the number three of American players once she retired from active play she moved to Los Angeles to become a coach and there she met the Baha'i faith and accepted it during one of her tennis practices Elinor talked to Carol about one of the young students that she had taken to heart Alice marble her commitment to practice had caught Tennant's eye but Alice couldn't afford to pay for her lessons so teman provided lessons in exchange for secretarial work in 1934 while playing in France exhausted Alice fainted during a match when she returned to the United States she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a sanitarium for treatment but she was not getting any better and her energy had gone she despaired that she would never compete again Carol started to call her every day and after some months alice marble got enough strength to move to teach his sister's home in Los Angeles Carol insisted that she seek a second opinion about her diagnosis a visit with a Los Angeles physician was scheduled and after various exams he told her she was wrongly diagnosed that she had had severe pleurisy and anemia not tuberculosis and with the right regime she would not only be able to restore her health but she would be able to play tennis as well Alice recalls teach came home one afternoon looking mischievious get dressed she said we're going to Carol's house for dinner at last I was going to be meeting the star I was the world but I was nervous hating the way I looked what would she think of me teach rang the bell at the small house where Carol lived with her mother's and brother the door opened and there she stood absolutely gorgeous in white slacks and a pale blue sweater the next moment her arms were around me her perfume light and pleasant I am so happy for you she said holding me at arm's length it's like a dream isn't it having a chance at what you want to do yes I'm headed to say lost in the blue of her eyes Carol was so guileless so completely unaffected that being with her was as natural as if we'd been friends for years through the years Carol and Alice would develop a sister like bond an intuitive understanding of each other Carroll would also introduce the Baha'i faith to Alice and take an intense interest in everything that Alice did she would pay for her studies and for her clothes and slowly Alice would be able to return to tennis with Carol courtside at every opportunity even when she just recovered from Odyssey but hit the ball as hard as most men in the following 4 years Alice marble would win 18 Grand Slam titles including 1 Wimbledon and 4 US Championship singles she set records in 1939 when she became the first woman to sweep the singles doubles and mixed events at both Wimbledon and the US Championships in the same year Carroll became a very close friend of Laurel shot-blocker nicknamed kitty Laurel accepted the Baha'i faith in Montreal around 1915 and in 1919 she married Siegfried shot plucker while her husband traveled and served the Baha'i faith Laura was blazing her own amazing path of service by 1934 she had undertaken nine world tours visiting 86 countries taking active part in the emancipation and education of women in Asia she had traveled on the Hindenburg twice but her passage on the ill-fated voyage of the Hindenburg had been canceled she had the honor to meet shoghi effendi 11 times and in 1934 she embarked with a young british man david hoffman as a chauffeur on a trip around various US states during that trip Laurel and David visited and met Carole in an autographed photo Carole wrote her for my angel kitty God was so good and sending you to me and I thank him every day all my love Carole the year 1934 marked a high point in Carole's career she was to appear in many films which were commercially successful and for which she received great praise her co-stars that year were among box-office elite including Bing Crosby Shirley Temple George Raft and Gary Cooper we're on an island in the middle of Pacific Ocean there's nobody here to fetch and carry for you well what do you expect us to do the last thing that you'd ever think of work so things come I've been standing on my head almost let me do it thank you you certainly did some fast walking hi haven't walked since I was 16 I was brought here by gentleman in a Duesenberg mmm nice work as a matter of fact I went back to look for you but you're gone would you mind handing me the telephone book I'm gonna call the justice of the peace I've got 200 guests coming here tonight for a wedding reception and I'm saving for Europe tomorrow on my honeymoon 20th century proved to the world what a fine actress she really was was I all right was I what you wanted I came to pay my respects to a great actress in 1935 after another movie with raft she starred in hands across the table where she portrays a manicurist in search of a rich husband played by Fred MacMurray it's remembered as one of her best films and the pairing of carol and MacMurray proved so successful that they made three more pictures together what position do you play as a matter of fact I was reading an article on pillow in a magazine when you came in oh really what a coincidence isn't it thrilling when they come galloping down the diamond on those dear little ponies with the mallets flying in the checkers oh I just love the chicken radio was popular time and Carols starred in many radio plays and was a guest on many popular radio shows Carol's first film of 1936 was love before breakfast what do you see you going to party to party dots of people who takes me who my with lots of people many people his Bruce next to me hey Dee may be fat ready but what gentleman no gentlemen or ladies card party oh you loose money isn't there one man in that cup no no see no man oh you get present yes from whom present Judy present who gives it to me what does he like it is he a big man I not the can say for sure what does it say my secret yes I sure didn't come from you Martha in her next film the princess comes across she played a budding actress who wins a film contract by masquerading as a Swedish princess the performance was considered satire of Greta Garbo and was widely praised by critics by the way Frances where are you going we go to Hollywood to see the stars no to be the stars we go to make a picture you're going to act in the picture they have a contract the contract says we act we say not to have you a favorite movie star Frances Oh would it be a male star oh sure if the question isn't too personal his name Vito Mickey moosie Carole success continued when she was recruited by Universal Studios to star in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey the plot revolves around the life of an upper-class family during the Depression in New York City Irene her character employs Godfrey as a butler one of the many people whose lives were ruined by the crash of 1929 humorous yet poignant the movie explores the complex relationship of Irene and Godfrey William Powell who was hired to play Godfrey insisted on Carol being cast as Irene because he felt she would be the perfect person for the role My Man Godfrey was released to great acclaim and was a box-office hit it received six Academy Award nominations and became the first movie in history to be nominated in all for acting categories Carroll was nominated as Best Actress [Music] telogen conversation for just a moment that's fine do you mind telling me just what a scavenger hunt is well a scavenger hunt is exactly like a treasure hunt except in a treasure hunt you try to find something you want in a scavenger hunt you try to find something that nobody wants like a forgotten man that's right and the one that wins get surprised only there really isn't a prize it's just the honor of winning because all the money goes to charity that is if there's any money left over but then the never is by 1937 Carroll was one of Hollywood's most popular actresses and a fashion icon Carroll was also the highest-paid star in Hollywood with a salary of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year from paramount her salary was widely reported in the press I get 13 cents on the dollar and I know it so I don't figure that I've earned a dollar I figured that I've earned 13 cents and that's all right with me - we still don't starve in the picture business after we've divided it with the government taxes go to build schools to maintain public utilities that we all use so why not her comments earned her much positive publicity and President Franklin D Roosevelt sent her a personal letter of commendation for her stand which he said would serve as an example and inspiration for millions of taxpaying Americans in an interview she said I live well because I can afford to but I don't think that I'm the happier for the money I have if I were making seventy five dollars a week I could live on it and be happy my mother has never had a lot of money and she knows what it means to sacrifice but I don't know a happier person than my mother another venue of income for carol was advertisement and as her fame rose she participated in many advertising campaigns once she was asked how she felt about being named hollywood's queen of style i can't imagine a duller fate than being the best dressed woman in reality when i want to do something i don't pause to contemplate whether i'm exquisitely gound i want to live not pose her first release of 1937 was swing high swing low a third pairing with MacMurray producer David O Selznick was eager to work with Carol and his hope became reality in nothing sacred the film satirized the journalism industry and the gullible urban masses with Carol playing a small-town girl who is thought to be dying and finds her story exploited by a New York reporter marking her only appearance in Technicolor the film was highly praised and was one of Carol's personal favorites [Music] kara was very loved by colleagues and people in the film industry because of her love for life and for her joyous attitude one of Carol's many admirable qualities was her desire to help others amongst her many projects was rehabilitating the career of John Barrymore John Barrymore had been let go by MGM so he went over to Paramount to do a series of B pictures everyone felt sorry for him except Carol to her he wasn't through all he needed was a chance she saw a spot for him in true confession it wasn't a typical Barrymore role though Barrymore was a very risky hire at that point Carol did not back down and Paramount agreed he gave a performance that demonstrated that he had had a great talent for comedy another quality that made Carol so beloved amongst her cast and crew alike was that she always looked out for the other guy regardless of status she insisted that all her co-workers be treated fairly and wasn't afraid at all to use her stature to protect them from being bullied by directors and studio executives who misused their power during her years of stardom she never had a dressing room and preferred to spend breaks and lunches with the film crew she also used a scooter to move from one studio to another in an interview in the November 38 issue of motion picture magazine Carol said I do walk off sets but not for the reasons you might suppose I'm not temperamental about myself I can take care of myself all right but I do get temperamental when I hear some little would-be Napoleon of a director some little killer-diller of a petty czar cursing out extras grips electricians I've walked out on sets when things like that happen and will do again if they happen again I've said to those peda fogging nappies why don't you bawl me out if that's the way you feel about it you don't bawl the stars out do you they could bark right back at you couldn't they so you have to light on the little fellows the ones who can't talk back don't you it's an obsession with me Carol said the bullying of men who can't defend themselves by men who are not necessarily stronger they're just in stronger positions I've tweaked more than one nose and twisted more than one ear until it rasped for that sort of thing through the years many articles have shared a glimpse of the spirit of care Carroll is one of the few of the movie greats who continues to live in a modest house in old Hollywood with no tennis corridor swimming pool and she drives a Ford she is economical in every way she buys fewer clothes than any other star in Hollywood if she buys something she especially likes she tells her friends where she got it and she says go and see if it looks well on you and I'll have it copied there's nothing remotely snobbish about lombard a secretary in one of the departments at paramount became ill long before her meager savings ran so low as to friend carol quietly paid her rent sent unexpected little gifts and money brought her clothes and small luxuries then an eye injury developed and it was feared that the girl would go blind immediately Carol consulted her own doctor about possible treatment and as always throughout the long weeks she snatched every minute that she could during those days four cheery phone calls don't worry she would say together we can lick this thing and together they did the Carol generosity is legendary but is always tempered with wisdom and a distinctive sense of the real need of the moment if anyone she knew was sick she didn't take the easy way she didn't just call up her florist and send a basket of flowers and consider her duty done she would send flowers yes but then she would also rack her brain to think of some present that would be really useful something that would last Travis Banton the designer of all of Carol's clothes can tell you when he was in the hospital she took the trouble to find out what was the most annoying thing about his slow convalescence it was the fact that he couldn't seem to get warm therefore Carol sent him a warm blanket there was a hairdresser who was struck in the eye in an accident and her eyeball was punctured Carol heard about it and whether or not she helped with the hospital bills no one will ever know but we happen to know that she went downtown herself to get a bed jacket for her there was a bit player a man who had one line to deliver on take after take he muffed it the director saw about six spoiled takes and finally he said he was going to get someone else for that bit Carol took the director off to one side and persuaded him to keep this player give him six more tries if necessary carol knew what the loss of that bit would do to that man he would have found it hard to get another job Carol thought of that angle a picture crew was flying East for location work when their plane crashed some were killed one electrician who almost died was in the hospital for months and finally recovered with an amputated leg the studio had paid for his medical expenses and they went further by promising him that once he was up and about again he could have his job back he learned how to walk again with an artificial leg then for some reason no one remembered the promise of work Carol heard about it and at that time she in the studio were in contract talks she went to the studio and said I want that man kept on the payroll and I want him given work I won't sign if he isn't the studio put him right back to work and the new contract that Carol signed stipulated that the electrician had to work on every one of her future pictures Carol is generous with her money but what is far more important as she is generous with her time there are for instance the three girls who Carol is now sending through the University of Southern California and the others whose college education has been financed previously two of these girls can wear Carol's clothes and fall heir to most of her wardrobe regularly she often went shopping but to buy clothes for them she probably makes more hospital visits than anyone in Hollywood she always finds time to comfort those whose lives are not lived among the stars this by the way is a matter Carol never discusses she has the quaint and lovable idea that if you do good you negate it by talking about it for it is a fact that Carol does a great deal good not by the simple customary star formula of writing out checks she takes bowls of soup made in her own kitchen to the poor to tubercular x' to places and persons that endanger her health yes Carol has a big heart Abdul the ha wrote what profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good and talking of solidarity of the human race as a grand idea unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action they are useless when you meet a stranger speak to him as to a friend if he seems to be lonely try to help him give him your willing service if he be sad consoled him if poor succour him if oppressed rescue him if in misery comfort him in doing so you will manifest that not in words only but in deed and in truth that you think of all men as your brothers Carol was at the top of her career and her interviews appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines across the globe [Music] [Music] [Music] in an interview on screenplay she shared more about her belief on gender roles and marriage women changed easily and quickly men on the contrary are averse to change they fight it they resent it they consider it an encroachment and an attack on what they intrinsically are so it is destined that the woman who embraces emotional and artistic and spiritual growth inevitably finds herself out of step with the man that she married in this modern age women to fulfill their destiny if they are to contribute something constructive or worthwhile to the general scheme of things leave behind them a series of selves which are very much like cocoons from which butterflies emerge they're the guideposts to the new personality that they've achieved the only woman who can possibly be happy is the woman who grows with the person she loves that is the ideal marriage that is the only marriage which can make a woman happy for today every woman must grow to keep alive if she doesn't she becomes a martyr to a marriage and is unhappy because her growth is stunted I personally could never be happy if everything I have today had been served to me on a silver platter whatever success I have had is the sweeter for the many hours of discouragement and heartache I've had to bear to attain it I have gained knowledge because I have worked definitely I'm a very happy person inside I accept life as it is I am neither distracted nor bitter because things have not happened to me I'm glad that they have because in their happening they have molded me I have learned to take every moment of happiness as it comes and to savor it to the fullest true confession was the last film Carol made on her paramount contract she remained an independent performer for the rest of her career her next film was made at Warner Brothers where she played a famous actress in fool's for scandal fools for scandal was the only film that Carol made in 1938 because by this time she was devoted to a new relationship Clark Gable an oscar-winning actor was the top actor in Hollywood and often called the king of Hollywood gable had had a difficult childhood his mother had died when he was just 10 months old after a long way to start him he was known for his macho roles and personality a facade that he had put on to protect himself from being hurt Carole had first met Clark Gable in 1924 while they were working as extras on the set of Ben Hur A Tale of the Christ about four years after their teaming on no man of her own the pair had reunited at a Hollywood party and begun a romance Carole could see Clark and love him for what he was with all his vulnerabilities and finally Clark could just be himself with a woman and not have to pretend Clark had not known anyone like her someone with so much energy who laughed all the time and somebody who was able to love him as an equal he felt that maybe he had found the only woman who managed to stay real in Hollywood gable thrived being around Carole's youthful charming personality he boasted to his friends that she was one woman in a billion and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her Carole confided to friends I thought I was in love before but I never knew what love really meant until I met Clark the media took great interest in their relationship and treated them as a celebrity super couple it's during that happy year in March 1938 that Carole Lombard officially declared to be a bhai a close behind of carol was Beulah stores Lois Beulah was born of a well-known Mormon family in Springville Utah Beulah was acting on the set of a silent movie when she had an accident and was taken for recuperation to the home of mrs. Platt and that's where she learned about the Baha'i faith and met Carol and her mother Beulah would become a very close friend of Carol as well as her elocution teacher Beulah who Carol nicknamed bewdley joined the Baha'i faith in 1919 her husband one of her brothers and her mother also joined the Baha'i faith she was active in the los angeles society and she was the president of the women's breakfast club and a member of the Friday morning Club she was honored with two personal letters from abdu l-bahá in his first letter to her in 1919 he wrote Oh daughter of the kingdom I beseech God and that thou mayst become the spreader of the light of reality and be the means of illumination of that nation mrs. Lewis who recalls having shared about the bahá'í teachings to many persons in Carol's home states that both Carol and her mother came into the faith because of their great love for abdu l-bahá Beulah recalls saying to Carol who was already a Baha'i at heart the time has come for you to stand up on this earth openly and declare your faith Carol answered well Beulah I am ready will you take me to the baha'i Center and stay with me while I signed my declaration card mrs. Sarah Kenny then a member of the Los Angeles spiritual assembly which is the local governing body of the behind describes that night in 1938 when carol appeared before the assembly to declare her belief she looked very young in a simple tailored suit usually so vital now she was subdued and reverent like a bride Beulah traveled the nation extensively lecturing on her faith in a letter to her in 1940 Carol wrote Beulah darling write me about your lecture tour I'm dying to know how it's going can't tell you how much we miss you so don't be away too long all my love always Carol Beulah reports that Carol had an extensive correspondence with shoghi effendi in one of her letters to shoghi effendi carroll relates that abdu l-bahá taught her the true meaning of love which evolves always giving of oneself and asking for nothing she also learned from him the value of humility and tolerance as well as worldly knowledge she then goes on to write of her dear husband and their affection for each other she concludes by stating that she will make any sacrifice and affirms that if one loves God all as well and she signs it your devoted servant Carole Lombard Gable laurel would visit california again in 1938 but this time she would not be able to meet Carole my dear Kitty sorry to have missed you by I'm delighted to hear that you're coming back really soon I can't tell you how I treasure my book of notes I only hope I am worthy of all the trouble you went to I cannot thank you enough for your help and sweetness looking forward to seeing you really soon devotedly Carole that summer Carole would also visit the green acre Baha'i school in Maine accompanied by Clark who would go fishing in the nearby Pisco Taku River

Channel: Vargha

Views: 135,757

Rating: 4.7317367 out of 5

Keywords: carole, lombard, carol, bahai, baha'i, vargha, mazlum, clark, gable, carole lombard, documentary, eva larue

Id: WFJk1liT9ls

Length: 46min 48sec (2808 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 17 2019