In her 10th book about cinema celebrities, Wayne ( Marilyn's Men ) makes judgmental and often unverified statements apparently intended to refute Joan Crawford and other interviewees who praise the actor's professionalism and remember him with devotion. Dubbed "King of Hollywood" 23 years before his death in 1960 at age 59, Gable, who was raised in a small town in Ohio, landed in the movie capital during the 1920s. A big, rough, unhandsome youth who seemed an unlikely prospect for stardom, he had a magnetism that soon made him an unrivalled favorite of both male and female film fans. Whether performing in It Happened One Night , Mutiny on the Bounty , Gone with the Wind or less epic fare, the star drew SRO crowds. To the author, however, Gable was a drunken lecher whose recklessness cost the lives of Americans who served with him in the Air Force during WW II after his wife, Carole Lombard, was killed in a plane crash. This accusation is as unsupported as most of the gossip served up in this biography-by-indictment, which gives small credit to the hardworking actor mourned by many when his life ended almost simultaneously with the completion of The Misfits.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From AudioFile
Clark Gable, King of Hollywood, was a charismatic character who was in real life very much like Rhett Butler. Wayne delves into every aspect of Gable's life and career, bringing his successes, failures and escapades to the listener. Bailey's narration is superb. She captures the speech mannerisms, personalities and swaggers of the men and the sophistication and sexuality of the women. Portrait of a Misfit includes descriptions of Gable's hundred-plus films and num-erous affairs. This biography revives the image of Gable as a magnetic personality in the days when "men were men." M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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