Spine Tingling Tuesdays : Love Beyond The Grave

 *all information collected from various sources on the web as well as books, and the TV series above. Photos from google searches. OH! and I have no idea why there is underlining of some of the text. In the writing of all these stories this past three weeks, I have had computer glitches, problems with loading images, and other odd occurances happen while putting the blog together....just a bit spooky! Also...this is a long one. So grab a cup of hot cider turn down the lights to a soft glow and settle in. For more stories about Hollywood stars and starletts that goes bump in the night.


Does love transcend the grave? Is the pull to be together stronger, than resting in peace? Does it wipe out any ill wills, leaving only fondness? The answers to these questions would seem to be a resounding yes, at least for a pair of Hollywood "royal" couples. 

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford

 The Fairbanks were one such couple. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks wed on March 28, 1920, causing quite a chatter throughout Hollywood, becoming the most famous couple of the “golden age” of film. Mary, was “America’s Sweetheart,” Douglas was among the leading actors of the era. Though the marriage ultimately failed, Pickford and Fairbanks that even to this day to be connected to each other from beyond the grave. 

The happy wedding day, March 28th 1920

 Douglas was the first to pass on, in 1939, of a heart attack . He was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery...

Fairbanks Monument

 ...but his death was not the last we hear or see of him. Many have encounters with the dashing star...He may be interned at the cemetery, but it would seem he is not content there......

1883 - 1939

 When the couple were married Fairbanks had a mansion, Hollywood's first, built for them to live in. Pickfair, a combination of their last names. Mary and Doug were as mentioned Hollywood royalty, Pickfair was their Camelot. The couple were married for 16 years, separating after 13, after an affair Fairbanks had with Lady Silvia Ashley. When the divorce happened Mary kept Pickfair and lived there till her new husband built her another, smaller version. Pickfair was later torn down and a new home stands in it's place. But the ghosts remain.

1143 Summit Dr Beverly Hills, CA 90210 before it was torn down and a new mansion built on its spot.

I will get back to Douglas shortly. First however is the other half of this "royal" couple. Mary Pickford. America's Sweetheart. There are many interesting facts about Mary's life that can be found on the internet,she is quite impressive in her accomplishments. She lived a long life, not passing until 1979 of a cerebral hemorrhage. But if you have been reading all month, you know I am not doing posts about the life and times.....

 There are many ghostly tales of Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Pickfair, is one place the couple are most often thought to be seen. Said to be Douglas Fairbanks himself, has been frequently spotted in the gorgeous entrance near the hand-painted murals. Mary Pickford. After her death in 1979, she was seen by many witnesses, including Buddy Rogers,a former husband, in a ruffled white dress in the den. At Pickford,Over the course of several years, several people have had the experience of seeing the ghost of a maid who was accidentally shot in the maids quarters.  According to the previous owners, there were at least two other ghosts who haunted the place as well.  In the beautiful entry way with it's hand painted murals on the wall was often visited by a ghost who was thought to be Douglas Fairbanks.  When the place was sold, the new owner tore much of the original home down and rebuilt on a different site on the property.

Fairbanks and Pickford are also reportedly seen and or felt at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.People have reported catching a glimpse of the couple as well as a feeling of not being alone.

The entrance to the Garden of Memory, a private, locked area at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California. Mary lays beyond these walls.

Mary Pickfords memorial

Their love always to keep them connected.

 

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Another "Royal" couple of Hollywood that seem as intertwined in their afterlives as in their deaths. Carole was the great love of Clark's life. Gable met Lombard when he co-starred with her at Paramount in "No Man of Her Own" in 1932 (see poster above). At the time, neither star liked each other.They happened to cross paths with each other again in 1936 at the Mayfair Ball in Hollywood. The love blossomed at that meeting and grew for the next three years, they were the most talked about couple in the film industry. Eventually, they married on March 29, 1939 in Kingman, Arizona.

  A private, and very quiet ceremony was held. They used terms of endearment towards each other, he called her Ma and she called him Pa. Gable was low key, very reserved, and seemingly laid back to those that knew him. Lombard, on the other hand, was boisterous,a tad wacky and always funny; she brought joy and happiness out in him. As a married woman she learned to do everything he did~ fishing, hunting and even swearing. They were yin and yang, but it worked . They lived happily on a small ranch in Encino, California, then the worst imagined happened on January 16, 1942 when Lombard was killed in a plane crash while returning home from a war bond tour in Indianapolis. She was only 33.

Carole's Plane...what was left.

The plaque was stolen in 2007.It has never been recovered.

 Devastated, Gable was never the same again, even after joining the army, and being married a few times more. Carole remained the true love of his life.

On his way to the funeral.

 

 Happier times.....

The ranch they shared in life.

 

Gable went on to live until a fatal heart attack took his life, quietly, and at home, in 1960....

Clark requested a simple funeral with no eulogies and that his casket be closed, saying, "I don't want a lot of strangers looking down at my wrinkles and my big fat belly when I'm dead." 

His wife at the time, Kay leaving Clark's funeral.

Although Gable and Lombard’s relationship was cut off in life, it has been said they are together in death. Not only is Clark’s body interred next to Carole’s....

Both funerals were small, quiet affairs, both agreeing they did not wish to have the same circus that Jean Harlows had become.They are both interred in the Sanctuary of Trust at Forrest Lawn Memorial Park, located in Glendale Ca.

As I brought up, just like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, they haunt the same places together as well. It is said that they haunt the Gable and Lombard suite in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. During their affair, they would go up to that room for $5 a night and well, I am sure you can take it from there. Reports Lombard’s ghost is seen wandering the twelfth floor of the hotel. Her ghost was also seen in her former home on Hollywood Boulevard. When seen, her ghost wears a bright red dress, and searches for the spirit of her former boyfriend, Russ Columbo ; you may remember he died an untimely death after coming in contact with Rudolph Valentino's ring.Apparently she had more than one love she wishes to remain in touch with in the after life. Stories are also reported that Gable and Lombard haunt the Pioneer Saloon in Nevada; located near by Mt. Potosi, it is where Gable waited for Lombard’s body to be taken out of the wreckage. Sometimes Carole haunts the saloon alone, searching for Clark. Her spirit also wanders among the trees on Mt. Potosi.  

The hotel Oatman, in Oatman Az., where Clark and Carole honeymooned.

The old hotel is haunted by many ghosts, the most famous however are the ghosts of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who apparently had so many fine memories of the old hotel that they simply refuse to leave. Continuing to celebrate, guests and staff have often heard the pair whispering and laughing from the room when it is empty. In one report, a professional photographer took a picture of the empty room,a ghostly figure of a man appeared on the developed print.

I do hope one day they find each other and can finally rest in peace.

A short clip with more Gable & Lombard ghostly stories...part one of five. You can see the rest by going to YouTube.