WasAnnon
Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
LouHomey
From my favorite movies..
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
JasparLamarCrabb
A sloppy piece of filmmaking from the usually dependable Sidney J. Furie. It's poorly put together, factually flawed, and has bad sound. All of which might have been excusable had the leads not been played by James Brolin and Jill Clayburgh. Brolin & Clayburgh are fine actors, but they're clearly from another generation and have none of the presence possessed by the real Gable & Lombard. Brolin looks a lot like Gable (complete with Dumboesque ears), but Clayburgh is a so far from Carole Lombard, it's disastrous. Lombard was effervescence personified, while Clayburgh comes across as acting like an immature schoolgirl. There is very little chemistry between the two leads and there's zero sense of how famous they were in the 1930s. Furie may have struck gold with LADY SINGS THE BLUES, his dynamite biopic of Billie Holliday, but here he mines nothing but coal. Not even the presence of Red Buttons, Melanie Mayron and Allen Garfield (as LB Mayer) add much to the proceedings.
BooBoo516
This movie was quite maligned when it came out. Since I had been a big fan of both vivacious Jill Clayburgh and the manly James Brolin at the time I went to see it. Since I was a teen, I took a lot of what was portrayed as quite accurate. True it is a mostly fictionalized account of the two stars, but it has got some redeeming qualities. Namely, Brolin's dead on Gable. He is indeed very good, and I kept forgetting that it was not really Clark Gable. Clayburgh, as attractive as she is does not have Lombard's classic beauty or figure, but she's so gosh darn likable as Lombard one can overlook her shortcomings. Seeing it again recently, Jill Clayburgh as Lombard is a stretch, but I felt she put so much into the character, and a better script couldn't have hurt. Physical aspects aside, the two actors have great chemistry, and one gets the impression they are really crazy about each other. It's ashame that neither Brolin or Clayburgh got more to do...the story does meander at times and the film is a tad too long. Although it's not a great film, it's definitely worth checking out. Be on the lookout for Melanie Mayron as Dixie, before she went from frump to vixen.
ptb-8
In the 70s after MGM compiled their wonderful THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT docos highlighting their musical treasure trove, other equally stocked companies decided not to do the same but actually make feature films about the same Hollywood history. So, instead of getting That's Fox or That's Paramount or Universal or Columbia (like the pubic actually wanted...and still do...) we were served new movies about old Hollywood. Enter GABLE AND LOMBARD (and WC Fields and Me, and Day Of The Locust...and Won Ton Ton The Dog That Saved Hollywood...and Hearts Of the West...and The Last Tycoon etc). Not as ominous as the proposed remake of Casablanca starring Tom Selleck and Jane Seymour, and nowhere near as 'bad' or 'wrong' as critics of the time cruelly labeled it, GABLE AND LOMBARD is a lush valentine to a fan mag style and memory of a period in time...rather like the production design of The Talented Mr Ripley is actually reflective of what Hollywood thought the jet set Mediterranean 50s were like as opposed to its fishing boat reality. As with At long Last Love, GABLE AND LOMBARD was slammed by crits and left to drown when without the bile and guffaw, there is a very entertaining biography with quite good casting and sensational visuals. Unfortunately for the producers, it was made when most everyone from the 30s were still alive and could spew on this film. Had it been made today, it would play 3000 multiplexes to a docile audience who struggle to know anything about 'the past' and be a $50million hit in week one by default of the TV ads and shopping center cinema location. I am sad not to see Jill Clayburg in films much past the 70s, like the superb Lee Grant she too can make an ordinary film watchable. In this case we have a great actress in a lavish (slavish) biography with sturdy James Brolin doing his damnedest not to be a dumb-Clark. As with WC Fields And Me this film deserves a better reception and a lush DVD transfer to be re discovered and appreciated. It's quite good.
jamie-81
Great film. This movie did not do as well as expected at the box office. But it was one helluva smash on Cable - back in the late 70's/early 80's. I hope to see a re-release of this film on video. Hopefully there will be a special edition DVD in the works soon. The chemistry between Brolin and Clayburgh is absolutely astounding.
