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{{Short description|American actress (1908–1942)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Carole_Lombard_1930.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Lombard in 1930
| birth_name = Jane Alice Peters
| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|10|6}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1942|1|16|1908|10|6}}
| death_place = [[Potosi Mountain (Nevada)|Mount Potosi, Nevada]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], [[Glendale, California]], U.S.
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[William Powell]]|1931|1933|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Clark Gable]]|1939}}
}}
| children =
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1921–1942
| other_names =
}}
'''Carole Lombard''' (born '''Jane Alice Peters'''; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in [[Screwball comedy|screwball comedies]]. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] ranked Lombard 23rd on its list of the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema]].
Lombard was born into a wealthy family in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], but was raised in Los Angeles by her single mother. At 12, she was recruited by director [[Allan Dwan]] and made her screen debut in ''[[A Perfect Crime (film)|A Perfect Crime]]'' (1921). She signed a contract with the [[Fox Film Corporation]] at age 16, but mainly played bit parts and was dropped after a year. Her career came close to ending shortly before her 19th birthday when a shattered windshield from a car accident left a scar on her face,<ref>{{cite web |title=How Carole Lombard's career was almost over before it began |url=https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/how-carole-lombard-s-career-was-almost-over-before-it-began/ |publisher=The History Press}}</ref> but she overcame this challenge and appeared in 15 short comedies for [[Mack Sennett]] from 1927 to 1929, and then began appearing in feature films such as ''[[High Voltage (1929 film)|High Voltage]]'' (1929) and ''[[The Racketeer]]'' (1929). After a successful appearance in ''[[The Arizona Kid (1930 film)|The Arizona Kid]]'' (1930), she was signed to a contract by [[Paramount Pictures]].
Paramount quickly began casting Lombard as a leading lady, primarily in drama films. Her profile increased when she married [[William Powell]] in 1931, but the couple divorced amicably after two years. A turning point in Lombard's career came when she starred in [[Howard Hawks]]'s pioneering screwball comedy ''[[Twentieth Century (film)|Twentieth Century]]'' (1934). The actress found her niche in this genre, and continued to appear in films such as ''[[Hands Across the Table]]'' (1935, forming a popular partnership with [[Fred MacMurray]]); ''[[My Man Godfrey]]'' (1936), for which she was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and co-starring with Powell; and ''[[Nothing Sacred (film)|Nothing Sacred]]'' (1937). At this time, Lombard married [[Clark Gable]], and the [[supercouple]] gained much attention from the media. Keen to win an Oscar, Lombard began to move toward serious roles at the end of the decade. Unsuccessful in this aim, she returned to comedy in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941 film)|Mr. & Mrs. Smith]]'' (1941) and [[Ernst Lubitsch]]'s ''[[To Be or Not to Be (1942 film)|To Be or Not to Be]]'' (1942), her final film role.
Lombard died at the age of 33 in the crash of [[TWA Flight 3]] on [[Potosi Mountain (Nevada)|Mount Potosi, Nevada]], while returning from a [[Liberty bond|war bond]] tour. She was one of the definitive actresses of the screwball comedy genre and American comedy and as an icon of [[Classical Hollywood cinema|American cinema]].
==Life and career==
===Early life and education (1908–1920)===
Lombard was born in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], on October 6, 1908, at 704 Rockhill Street.<ref>Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907–1940.</ref> Christened Jane Alice Peters, she was the third child and only daughter of Frederic Christian Peters and Elizabeth Jayne "Bessie" (Knight) Peters. Her two older brothers, with whom she was close all her life, were Frederic Charles and John Stuart.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=19}} Lombard's parents both came from wealthy families, and biographer Robert Matzen called her early years her "[[silver spoon]] period".{{sfnm|1a1=Matzen 1988|1p=1|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=19}} Her parents' marriage was strained,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=23}} and in October 1914, her mother took the children and moved to Los Angeles.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=16}} Although the couple did not divorce, the separation was permanent.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=23}} Her father's continued financial support allowed the family to live comfortably, and they settled into an apartment near Venice Boulevard.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=25}}
[[File:A perfect crime 1921.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Lombard, aged 12, with [[Monte Blue]] in her film debut, ''A Perfect Crime'' (1921)]]
At [[Virgil Middle School|Virgil Junior High School]], Lombard participated in tennis, volleyball, and swimming, and won trophies in athletics.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=16}} At the age of 12, her passion for sports landed Lombard her first screen role. While playing baseball, she caught the attention of film director [[Allan Dwan]], who later recalled seeing "a cute-looking little tomboy... out there knocking the hell out of the other kids, playing better baseball than they were. And I needed someone of her type for this picture."{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=27–28}} With the encouragement of her mother, Lombard took a small role in the melodrama ''[[A Perfect Crime (film)|A Perfect Crime]]'' (1921). She was on set for two days,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=27–28}} playing the sister of [[Monte Blue]].{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=17}} Dwan later said "She ate it up."{{sfn|Matzen 1988|p=5}}
===Career beginnings and Fox contract (1921–1926)===
Though ''A Perfect Crime'' was not widely distributed, the experience spurred Lombard and her mother to audition for more film work, but she was unsuccessful.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=29}} While appearing as the queen of [[Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)|Fairfax High School]]'s [[May Day]] Carnival at the age of 15, Lombard was scouted by an employee of [[Charlie Chaplin]] and offered a screen test to appear in ''[[The Gold Rush]]'' (1925). Lombard did not win the role, but her test was seen by the [[Vitagraph Film Company]], which expressed interest in signing her.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=39–41}} Although this did not materialize, their condition that she adopt a new first name led to her selecting the name "Carole" after a girl with whom she played tennis at [[Virgil Middle School|Virgil Jr. High School]].{{sfn|Matzen 1988|p=6}}
In October 1924, 16-year-old Lombard signed a contract with the [[Fox Film Corporation]]. Lombard's mother contacted gossip columnist [[Louella Parsons]], who arranged a screen test.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=44–45}} According to biographer Larry Swindell, Lombard's beauty convinced studio head [[Winfield Sheehan]] to sign her to a $75-per-week contract,{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=40}} and she abandoned her schooling to pursue the new career.{{sfn|Matzen 1988|p=6}} Fox disliked her surname and she was renamed Carole Lombard, the surname of a family friend.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=46}}
Most of Lombard's appearances with Fox were bit parts{{sfn|Matzen 1988|p=6}} in low-budget Westerns and adventure films. She later said, "All I had to do was simper prettily at the hero and scream with terror when he battled with the villain."{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=46}} However, she enjoyed other aspects of film work such as photo shoots, costume fittings, and socializing with actors on the studio set. Lombard embraced the [[flapper]] lifestyle and became a regular at the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Cocoanut Grove]] nightclub, where she won several [[Charleston (dance)|Charleston]] dance competitions.{{sfnm|1a1=Matzen 1988|1p=6|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=47}}
In March 1925, Lombard landed a leading role in the drama ''[[Marriage in Transit]]'' with [[Edmund Lowe]]. A reviewer for ''[[Motion Picture News]]'' wrote that Lombard displayed "good poise and considerable charm".{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=18, 49}} However, the studio heads were unconvinced that Lombard was leading-lady material, and her contract was not renewed.{{sfnm|1a1=Matzen 1988|1p=6|2a1=Ott 1972|2p=19}} Gehring{{clarify|date=January 2025}} has suggested a facial scar resulting from a [[car crash]] was a factor in this decision, but that incident occurred nearly two years later on September 9, 1927.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kiriakou |first1=Olympia |title=Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9781501350733 |pages=18 }}</ref> According to historian Olympia Kiriakou, on the night of the crash, Lombard was on a date with a man named Harry Cooper. On [[Santa Monica Boulevard]], Cooper hit another car; the windshield shattered and shards of glass cut "Lombard's face from her nose and across her left cheek to her eye."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kiriakou |first1=Olympia |title=Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9781501350733 |pages=18}}</ref> Lombard underwent reconstructive surgery and faced a long recovery period. For the remainder of her career, Lombard learned to hide the mark with makeup and careful lighting.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=48–50}} At the time of the crash, Lombard was already under contract with Mack Sennett. In October 1927, Lombard and her mother Bess sued Cooper for $35,000 in damages, citing in the lawsuit that "where she formerly was able to earn a salary of $300 monthly as a Sennett girl, she is now unable to obtain employment of any kind." The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Lombard received $3,000.<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic">{{cite book |last1=Kiriakou |first1=Olympia |title=Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9781501350733 |pages=19}}</ref> Although Lombard feared that the incident would end her career, Sennett pledged to help her recover. He afforded her "lucrative film roles and ample publicity", including the nickname "Carole of the Curves". Kiriakou explains, "the nickname simultaneously drew audiences' focus away from her facial scars and worked harmoniously with the physicality and female sensuality that were emblematic of Lombard's performances" in Sennett's films.<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic" />
===Breakthrough and early success (1927–1929)===
[[File:Carole_Lombard_1927.jpg|thumb|right|Lombard in a publicity still from 1927, during her time as a "[[Mack Sennett]] girl"]]
Although Lombard initially had reservations about [[slapstick]] comedies, she became one of [[Sennett Bathing Beauties#Sennett Bathing Beauties|Sennett Bathing Beauties]]{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=53–54}} and appeared in 18 short films from September 1927 to March 1929.{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=55–60}}{{sfnm|1a1=Ott 1972|1p=20|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=53}} Lombard's first experiences in comedy provided valuable training for her future comedic work.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1pp=57–58|2a1=Ott 1972|2p=20}} In 1940, she called her Sennett years "the turning point of [my] acting career".{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=59}}
Sennett's productions were distributed by [[Pathé Exchange]], and the company began casting Lombard in feature films. She had prominent roles in ''[[Show Folks]]'' and ''[[Ned McCobb's Daughter]]'' (both 1928),{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=61}} and reviewers observed that she made a "good impression" and was "worth watching".{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=65–66}} The following year, Pathé elevated Lombard to a leading lady.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=65}} Her success in [[Raoul Walsh]]'s picture ''[[Me, Gangster]]'' (also 1928), with [[June Collyer]] and [[Don Terry]] in his film debut, finally eased the pressure that her family had been exerting for her to succeed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/silverscreen04unse_0#page/n27/mode/2up|title=Carole Gets Her Own Way|work=Silver Screen|date=May–October 1934|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref>
In [[Howard Higgin]]'s ''[[High Voltage (1929 film)|High Voltage]]'' (1929), Lombard's first sound film, she played a criminal in the custody of a deputy sheriff, both of whom are among bus passengers stranded in deep snow.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=22}} Her next film, the comedy ''[[Big News (film)|Big News]]'' (1929), cast her with [[Robert Armstrong (actor)|Robert Armstrong]] and was a critical and commercial success.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1p=65|2a1=Ott 1972|2p=22}} Lombard was reunited with Armstrong for the crime drama ''[[The Racketeer]]'', released in late 1929. The review in ''[[Film Daily]]'' wrote: "Carol Lombard proves a real surprise, and does her best work to date. In fact, this is the first opportunity she has had to prove that she has the stuff to go over."{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=72}}
===Paramount contract and first marriage (1930–1933)===
[[File:Carole_Lombard_by_William_E._Thomas_1929.jpg|thumb|Lombard in a picture taken by William E. Thomas, 1929]]
Lombard returned to Fox for a one-off role in the Western ''[[The Arizona Kid (1930 film)|The Arizona Kid]]'' (1930). It was a big release for the studio, starring the popular actor [[Warner Baxter]], in which Lombard received third billing.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=68–69}} Following the success of the film, Paramount Pictures recruited Lombard and signed her to a $350-per-week contract, gradually increasing to $3,500 per week by 1936.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=23}} They cast her in the [[Buddy Rogers (actor)|Buddy Rogers]] comedy ''[[Safety in Numbers (1930 film)|Safety in Numbers]]'' (also 1930), and one critic observed of her work, "Lombard proves [to be] an ace comedienne."{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=77}} For her second assignment, ''[[Fast and Loose (1930 film)|Fast and Loose]]'' (also 1930) with [[Miriam Hopkins]], Paramount mistakenly credited the actress as "Carole Lombard". She decided she liked this spelling and it became her permanent screen name.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=78–79}}{{refn|In her lifetime, the media reported that Lombard added the extra "e" to Carol at the advice of a [[numerologist]].{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=78–79}} She denied this to Garson Kanin, saying, "That's a lot of bunk."{{sfn|Kanin 1974|p=59}} Some of the Mack Sennett shorts had already used the spelling "Carole", but this is thought to have been an accident.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=78–79}} Her name was not consistently billed and reported with this spelling until 1930.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=46}} She legally changed her name to "Carole Lombard" in 1936.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=205}}|group=note}}
Lombard appeared in five films released during 1931, beginning with the [[Frank Tuttle]] comedy ''[[It Pays to Advertise (1931 film)|It Pays to Advertise]]''. Her next two films, ''[[Man of the World (film)|Man of the World]]'' and ''[[Ladies' Man (1931 film)|Ladies Man]]'', both featured [[William Powell]], Paramount's top male star.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=83}} Lombard had been a fan of the actor before they met{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=85}} and they were soon in a relationship.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=83}} The differences between the pair have been noted by biographers: She was 22, carefree, and famously foul-mouthed, and he was 38, intellectual, and sophisticated.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1p=83|2a1=Matzen 1988|2p=11}} Despite this, Lombard married Powell on June 26, 1931, at her Beverly Hills home.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=87}} Talking to the media, she argued for the benefits of "love between two people who are diametrically different", claiming that their relationship allowed for a "perfect see-saw love".{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=85}}
[[File:My Man Godfrey promo still 2.jpg|thumb|left|Lombard with her first husband, [[William Powell]]]]
The marriage to Powell increased Lombard's fame,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=87}} while she continued to please critics with her work in ''[[Up Pops the Devil]]'' and ''[[I Take This Woman (1931 film)|I Take this Woman]]'' (both 1931).{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=24}} In reviews for the latter film, which co-starred [[Gary Cooper]], several critics predicted that Lombard was set to become a major star.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=90–91}} She went on to appear in five films throughout 1932. ''[[No One Man]]'' and ''[[Sinners in the Sun]]'' were not successful,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=91}} but [[Edward Buzzell]]'s romantic picture ''[[Virtue (film)|Virtue]]'' was well received.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=25}} After featuring in the drama ''[[No More Orchids]]'', Lombard was cast as the wife of a con artist in ''[[No Man of Her Own (1932 film)|No Man of Her Own]]''{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=25}} with [[Clark Gable]]{{sfnm|1a1=Swindell 1975|1p=197|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=98}} The film was a critical and commercial success, and Wes Gehring writes that it was "arguably Lombard's finest film appearance" to that point.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=97–100; 102 (for quote)}} It was the only picture that Gable and Lombard made together. There was no romantic interest at this time, however, as she recounted to [[Garson Kanin]]: "[we] did all kinds of hot love scenes ... and I never got any kind of tremble out of him at all".{{sfn|Kanin 1974|p=61}}{{refn|At the time, Lombard was married to Powell (and told Kanin she was "on my ear about a different number at that time"){{sfn|Kanin 1974|p=61}} while Gable was married to Ria Langham and having an affair with [[Joan Crawford]].{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=101}}|group=note}}
In August 1933, Lombard and Powell divorced after 26 months of marriage, but they remained friends until the end of Lombard's life. At the time, she blamed it on their careers,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=92–93}} but in a 1936 interview, she admitted that this "had little to do with the divorce. We were just two completely incompatible people".{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=24}}
She appeared in five films that year, beginning with the drama ''[[From Hell to Heaven]]'' and continuing with ''[[Supernatural (film)|Supernatural]]'', her only horror vehicle. After a small role in ''[[The Eagle and the Hawk (1933 film)|The Eagle and the Hawk]]'', a war film starring [[Fredric March]] and [[Cary Grant]], she starred in two melodramas: ''[[Brief Moment]]'', which critics enjoyed, and ''[[White Woman]]'', where she was paired with [[Charles Laughton]].{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=102; 105}}
Lombard was involved romantically with [[Russ Columbo]], the famous crooner killed in a tragic accident in 1934. Lombard had been guiding Columbo's movie and radio career and told Sonia Lee of ''Mirror'' magazine in 1934 that they had been engaged. Other press outlets had reported on their relationship earlier that year; ''Screenland Magazine'' declared, "the Russ Columbo and Carole Lombard romance is one of Hollywood's most charming."
===Success in screwball comedies (1934–1935)===
{{multiple image
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|image1=20thcenturylobbycard - crop.jpg|thumb
|caption1=Lombard in the lobby card for ''[[Twentieth Century (film)|Twentieth Century]]'' (1934), considered a pioneering [[screwball comedy]]: The film made her a major star.
|image2=Hands across the table.jpg
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|caption2=Lombard made four comedies with [[Fred MacMurray]], beginning with ''[[Hands Across the Table]]'' (1935).
}}
1934 marked a high point in Lombard's career,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=110}} beginning with [[Wesley Ruggles]]'s musical drama ''[[Bolero (1934 film)|Bolero]]'', where [[George Raft]] and she showcased their dancing skills in an extravagantly staged performance to [[Maurice Ravel]]'s ''[[Boléro]]''.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=26}} She had been offered the lead female role in ''[[It Happened One Night]]'' but turned it down because of scheduling conflicts.{{sfn|MacBride 2000|p=303}}{{refn|''It Happened One Night'' became a major success and won five [[Academy Award]]s, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for [[Claudette Colbert]] in the role that Lombard would have played.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=103}}|group=note}} ''Bolero'' was favorably received, while her next film ''[[We're Not Dressing]]'' was a box-office hit with [[Bing Crosby]].{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=110}}
Lombard was then recruited by director [[Howard Hawks]]{{sfn|Hawks 2005|p=147}} to star in his screwball ''[[Twentieth Century (film)|Twentieth Century]]''{{Sfnm|1a1=Ott 1972|1p=26|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=111}} which proved a watershed in her career and made her a major star.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1pp=121, 123|2a1=Ott 1972|2p=28}} Hawks had seen her inebriated at a party, where he found her to be "hilarious and uninhibited and just what the part needed",{{sfn|Bogdanovich 2012|p=466}} and she was cast with [[John Barrymore]].{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=118}} In ''Twentieth Century'', Lombard plays an actress who is pursued by her former mentor, a flamboyant Broadway impresario. Hawks and Barrymore were unimpressed with her work in rehearsals, finding that she was "acting" too hard and giving a stiff performance. The director encouraged Lombard to relax, be herself, and act on her instincts.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=27}}{{refn|Hawks recalled, "She acted like a schoolgirl ... and she was stiff, she would try to imagine a character and then act according to her imaginings instead of being herself." He eventually felt that Lombard had overcome this in a scene, and he said to Barrymore, "you've just seen a girl that's probably going to be a big star, and if we can just keep her from acting, we'll have a hell of a picture."{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=27}}|group=note}} She responded well to this tutoring, and reviews for the film commented on her unexpectedly "fiery talent", "a Lombard like no Lombard you've ever seen".{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=120–121}} The ''Los Angeles Times''' critic felt that she was "entirely different" from her formerly cool, "calculated" persona: "she vibrates with life and passion, abandon and diablerie".{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=117}}
The next films in which Lombard appeared were [[Henry Hathaway]]'s ''[[Now and Forever (1934 film)|Now and Forever]]'' (1934), featuring Gary Cooper and the new child star [[Shirley Temple]], and ''[[Lady by Choice]]'' (1934), which was a critical and commercial success. ''[[The Gay Bride]]'' (1934) placed her with [[Chester Morris]] in a gangster comedy, but it was panned by critics.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=122–123}} She reunited with George Raft for ''[[Rumba (1935 film)|Rumba]]'' (1935) where she was given the opportunity to repeat the screwball success of ''Twentieth Century''.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=28}} In [[Mitchell Leisen]]'s ''[[Hands Across the Table]]'' (1935), she portrays a manicurist in search of a rich husband, played by [[Fred MacMurray]]. Critics praised the film, and ''Photoplay'''s reviewer stated that Lombard had reaffirmed her talent for the genre.{{sfnm|1a1=Ott 1972|1p=133|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=127}} It is remembered as one of her best films,{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=28}} and the pairing of Lombard and MacMurray proved so successful that they made three more pictures together.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=127}}
===Critical recognition (1936–1937)===
Lombard's first film of 1936 was ''[[Love Before Breakfast]]'', described by Gehring as "''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'', screwball style".{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=135}} In [[William K. Howard]]'s ''[[The Princess Comes Across]]'', her second comedy with MacMurray, she played a budding actress who wins a film contract by masquerading as a Swedish princess. The performance was considered a satire of [[Greta Garbo]] and was widely praised by critics.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=136–137}} Lombard's success continued as she was recruited by [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] to star in the screwball comedy ''[[My Man Godfrey]]'' (1936). William Powell, who was playing the eponymous Godfrey, insisted on her being cast as the female lead; despite their divorce, the pair remained friendly and Powell felt she would be perfect in the role of Irene, a zany heiress who employs a "[[forgotten man]]" as the family butler.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=93–95, 132}} The film was directed by [[Gregory LaCava]], who knew Lombard personally and advised that she draw on her "eccentric nature" for the role.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=133, 137, 139}} She worked hard on the performance, particularly with finding the appropriate facial expressions for Irene.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=140}} ''My Man Godfrey'' was released to great acclaim and was a box-office hit. It received six nominations at the [[9th Academy Awards]], including Lombard for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]].{{refn|At the Academy Awards ceremony, Lombard was announced as the nominee with the second-highest number of votes. The award went to [[Luise Rainer]] for ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]''.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=168}}|group=note}} Biographers cite it as her finest performance, and Frederick Ott says it "clearly established [her] as a comedienne of the first rank."{{sfnm|1a1=Ott 1972|1p=29|2a1=Gehring 2003|2pp=140–142}}
By 1937, Lombard was one of Hollywood's most popular actresses,{{sfnm|1a1=Haver 1980|1p=214|2a1=Swindell 1975|2p=220}} and also the highest-paid star in Hollywood following the deal which [[Myron Selznick]] negotiated with Paramount that brought her $450,000,{{Sfn|Swindell 1975|p=201}} more than five times the salary of the U.S. president.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=9}} As her salary was widely reported in the press, Lombard stated that 80% of her earnings went in taxes, but that she was happy to help improve her country.{{sfn|Haver 1980|p=214}} The comments earned her much positive publicity, and President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] sent her a personal letter of thanks.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=232}}
Her first release of the year was Leisen's ''[[Swing High, Swing Low (film)|Swing High, Swing Low]]'', a third pairing with MacMurray. The film focused on a romance between two cabaret performers, and was a critical and commercial success.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=153}} It had been primarily a drama, with occasional moments of comedy,{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=154–156}} but for her next project, ''[[Nothing Sacred (film)|Nothing Sacred]]'', Lombard returned to the screwball genre.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=158}} Producer [[David O. Selznick]], impressed by her work in ''My Man Godfrey'', was eager to make a comedy with the actress and hired [[Ben Hecht]] to write an original screenplay for her.{{sfn|Haver 1980|pp=214–215}} ''Nothing Sacred'', directed by [[William Wellman]] and co-starring Fredric March, satirized the journalism industry and "the gullible urban masses". Lombard portrayed a small-town girl who pretends to be dying and finds her story exploited by a New York reporter.{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=30, 148–149}} The film was Lombard's only Technicolor feature-length production, and she later praised it highly as one of her personal favorites.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=154, 161–162}}
Lombard continued with screwball comedies, next starring in ''[[True Confession]]'' (1937), what Swindell calls one of her "wackiest" films, .{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=226}} She played a compulsive liar who wrongly confesses to murder. Lombard loved the script and was excited about the project, which reunited her with John Barrymore and was her final appearance with MacMurray. Her prediction that it "smacked of a surefire success" proved accurate as critics responded positively, and it was popular at the box office.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1pp=163–166|2a1=Swindell 1975|2pp=225, 228}}
===Dramatic efforts and second marriage (1938–1940)===
[[File:Gable-Lombard-39.jpg|thumb|left|Lombard with her second husband, [[Clark Gable]] after their honeymoon in 1939]]
''True Confession'' was the last film Lombard made on her Paramount contract, and she remained an independent performer for the rest of her career.{{sfn|Ott 1972|p=30}} Her next film was made at [[Warner Bros.]], where she played a famous actress in [[Mervyn LeRoy]]'s ''[[Fools for Scandal]]'' (1938). The comedy met with scathing reviews and was a commercial failure, with Swindell calling it "one of the most horrendous flops of the thirties".{{sfnm|1a1=Swindell 1975|1p=237|2a1=Gehring 2003|2pp=174–175}}
''Fools for Scandal'' was the only film Lombard made in 1938. By this time, she was devoted to her relationship with Clark Gable.{{sfnm|1a1=Swindell 1975|1pp=236–237|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=173}} The pair had reunited at a Hollywood party Lombard hosted in January 1936, having met on the set of ''No Man of Her Own'' in 1932. They had initially disliked each other due to their different personalities, but that night, Gable brought Lombard to his hotel, hoping to have sex with her, to which she replied, "Who do you think you are, Clark Gable?" He brought her back to the party, then back to her house, where she insulted him about his affair with [[Loretta Young]] (which whom he had fathered a [[Judy Lewis|secret child]]). The next morning, regretting her harshness, she sent him doves as a peace offering,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Meares |first=Hadley Hall |date=2022-05-13 |title=Made for Each Other: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's Real Romance |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/clark-gable-carole-lombard-romance |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and they began a romance early in 1936.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=191–194}} The media took great interest in their partnership and frequently questioned if they would wed.{{sfnm|1a1=Swindell 1975|1pp=200, 205|2a1=Gehring 2003|2p=168}} Gable was separated from his wife, Maria, but she did not want to grant him a divorce.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=199, 213}} As his relationship with Lombard became serious, Maria eventually agreed to a settlement.{{refn|Gable had to give Maria $350,000 in cash plus additional property, leading to a total settlement worth more than half a million.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=238}} The expense of the divorce contributed to Gable's agreement to portray [[Rhett Butler]] in ''[[Gone With the Wind (film)|Gone With the Wind]]''.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=180}}|group=note}} The divorce was finalized in March 1939, and Gable and Lombard eloped in Kingman, Arizona on March 29.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|p=184}} The couple bought a {{convert|20|acre|adj=on}} ranch in Encino, California, where they kept barnyard animals and enjoyed hunting trips.{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=31–32}} Almost immediately, Lombard wanted to start a family, but her attempts failed; after two miscarriages and numerous trips to fertility specialists, she was unable to have children.<ref>{{cite book|first=E.J.|last=Flemming|title=The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine|year=2015|publisher=McFarland|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=f0usSUISUUMC&q=carole%20lombard%20miscarriage%20clark%20gable&pg=PA200 200]|isbn=9780786454952}}</ref> In addition, Gable was frequently unfaithful. Lombard once said, "My God, you know how I love Pa, but I can't say he's a helluva good lay."<ref name=":0" /> In early 1938, Lombard officially joined the [[Baháʼí Faith]], which her mother had been a member of since 1922.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Matzen|first1=Robert|title=The Weaver|date=December 25, 2014|url=http://robertmatzen.com/2014/12/25/the-weaver/|access-date=September 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Mazlum|first1=Vargha|title=Documentary: Carole Lombard|website=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFJk1liT9ls&t=247s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211109/WFJk1liT9ls| archive-date=2021-11-09 | url-status=live|access-date=December 17, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
[[File:Vigil in the Night advert.jpg|thumb|upright|Lombard in an advertisement for ''[[Vigil in the Night]]'' (1940), which she hoped would bring her an Oscar]]
While continuing with a slower work-rate, Lombard decided to move away from comedies and return to dramatic roles.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=175, 181}} She appeared in ''[[Made for Each Other (1939 film)|Made for Each Other]]'' (1939) with [[James Stewart]] playing a couple facing domestic difficulties.{{sfn|Ott 1972|pp=158–159}} Reviews for the film were highly positive, and praised Lombard's dramatic effort; financially, it was a disappointment.{{sfnm|1a1=Swindell 1975|1p=246|2a1=Gehring 2003|2pp=181–183, 189|3a1=Ott 1972|3p=160}} Lombard's next appearance came with Cary Grant in the [[John Cromwell (director)|John Cromwell]] romance ''[[In Name Only]]'' (1939), a credit she personally negotiated with [[RKO Radio Pictures]] upon hearing of the script and Grant's involvement.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=252–253}} The role reflected her recent experiences, as she played a woman in love with a married man whose wife refuses to divorce. She was paid $150,000 for the film, continuing her status as one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, and it was a moderate success.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1pp=188–189|2a1=Swindell 1975|p=253}} At the [[12th Academy Awards]] ceremony in February 1940, Lombard was quoted as comforting Gable after his loss as [[Rhett Butler]] from ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'', with the comment "Don't worry, Pappy. We'll bring one home next year". Gable replied that he felt this had been his last chance to which Lombard was said to have replied, "Not you, you self-centered bastard. I meant me."<ref>{{cite news |title=Oscars Babylon: Tales from the Academy awards |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/oscars-babylon-tales-from-the-academy-awards-1917584.html |access-date=November 17, 2023 |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pickard |first=Roy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n196HMfmI-0C&q=%22We'll+bring+one+home+next+year%22 |title=James Stewart: The Hollywood Years |date=1993 |publisher=Charnwood |isbn=978-0-7089-8725-4 |language=en}}</ref>
Lombard was eager to win an Academy Award, and selected her next project with the expectation that it would bring her the trophy.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=258, 260}} ''[[Vigil in the Night]]'' (1940), directed by [[George Stevens]], featured Lombard as a nurse who faces a series of personal difficulties. Although the performance was praised, she did not get her nomination, as the sombre mood of the picture turned audiences away and box-office returns were poor.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=261}} Despite the realization that she was best suited to comedies,{{sfnm|1a1=Gehring 2003|1pp=190, 200|2a1=Swindell 1975|2pp=261, 271}} Lombard completed the drama ''[[They Knew What They Wanted (film)|They Knew What They Wanted]]'' (1940), co-starring Charles Laughton, which was mildly successful,{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=272}} and which did receive an Oscar nomination—for her co-star, [[William Gargan]], for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]].
===Final roles (1941–1942)===
[[File:Lombard in To Be or Not to Be 1.jpg|thumb|left|Lombard in her final role in ''[[To Be or Not to Be (1942 film)|To Be or Not to Be]]'' (1942)]]
Accepting that "my name doesn't sell tickets to serious pictures",{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=274}} Lombard returned to comedy in ''[[Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941 film)|Mr. & Mrs. Smith]]'' (1941), about a couple who learns that their marriage is invalid, with [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]]. Lombard was influential in bringing [[Alfred Hitchcock]], whom she knew through David O. Selznick, to direct one of his most atypical films.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=279}} It was a commercial success, and audiences were happy with what Swindell calls "the belated happy news ... that Carole Lombard was a screwball once more."{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=280}}
It was nearly a year before Lombard committed to another film, as she focused instead on her home and marriage.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|p=283}}{{refn|Rumors at this time stated that Gable and Lombard were experiencing marital difficulties; in 1941, they put their home up for sale, but soon took it off the market, which was taken as evidence that they had separated and then reconciled. Lombard was also eager to get pregnant, but had difficulty conceiving.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=284–287}}|group=note}} Determined that her next film be "an unqualified smash hit", she was also careful in selecting a new project. Through her agent, Lombard heard of [[Ernst Lubitsch]]'s upcoming film: ''[[To Be or Not to Be (1942 film)|To Be or Not to Be]]'' (1942), a dark comedy that satirized the [[Nazi]] [[Occupation of Poland (1939–45)|takeover of Poland]].{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=290–291}} The actress had long wanted to work with Lubitsch, and felt that the material—although controversial—was a worthy subject.{{sfn|Gehring 2003|pp=215–216}} Lombard accepted the role of actress Maria Tura, despite it being a smaller part than she was used to, and was given top billing over the film's male lead [[Jack Benny]]. Filming took place in the fall of 1941, and it was reportedly one of the happier experiences of Lombard's career.{{sfn|Swindell 1975|pp=290–291}}
==Death==
{{Main|TWA Flight 3}}
{{multiple image
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| caption2 = Lombard in [[Indianapolis]] on January 15, 1942, shortly before her death in a plane crash
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When the U.S. entered World War II, Lombard traveled to her home state of Indiana for a [[Series E bond|war bond]] rally with her mother and Clark Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler. Lombard raised more than $2 million in defense bonds in a single evening. Her party had been scheduled to return to Los Angeles by train, but Lombard was eager to reach home more quickly and wanted to travel by air. Her mother and Winkler were afraid of flying and insisted that the group follow their original travel plans.
In the early morning hours of January 16, 1942, Lombard, her mother and Winkler boarded a [[Trans World Airlines|Transcontinental and Western Air]] [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DST]] (Douglas Sleeper Transport) aircraft to return to California.{{refn|The Douglas DST or Douglas Sleeper Transport was an airliner with either 24 passenger seats in daytime operation or fitted out with 16 sleeper bunks in the cabin.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=QdsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23 "Sleeping Car of the Air Has Sixteen Sleeping Berths"]. ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', January 1936.</ref>|group=note}} After refueling in Las Vegas, [[TWA Flight 3]] took off at 7:07 p.m. and crashed into Double Up Peak near the {{convert|8300|ft|-1|adj=on}} level of [[Potosi Mountain (Nevada)|Potosi Mountain]], {{convert|32|smi|km}} southwest of the Las Vegas airport. All 22 aboard, including Lombard, her mother, Winkler and 15 U.S. Army soldiers, were killed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carole-lombard-killed-in-plane-crash|title=Carole Lombard killed in plane crash|author=<!--Not stated.-->s|website=History.com|language=en|access-date=June 20, 2019}}</ref> Lombard was 33 years old. The crash's cause was attributed to the flight crew's inability to properly navigate over the mountains surrounding Las Vegas. As a precaution against the possibility of enemy Japanese bomber aircraft coming into American airspace from the Pacific, safety beacons normally used to direct night flights had been turned off, leaving the pilot and crew of the TWA flight without visual warnings of the mountains in their flight path.{{sfn|Cohen 1991|p=347}}<ref name=clrkspok>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dmpWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4358%2C3608983 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |___location=Washington|agency=United Press |title=Clark Gable joins search for plane wreckage holding fate of Carole Lombard and 21 others |date=January 17, 1942 |page=1}}</ref>
===Aftermath===
When ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'' aired on January 18, Jack Benny did not attend the live radio broadcast. At its opening, announcer [[Don Wilson (announcer)|Don Wilson]] stated Benny would not appear that night, but did not explain why. The show that night did not feature any comedy, just musical numbers. Lombard had been scheduled to appear on the following Sunday's broadcast.<ref name="Reading Eagle">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yqEhAAAAIBAJ&pg=2170%2C320684&q=No+announcement+reason+Jack+Benny+Benny's+Carole+Lombard |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Radio Day by Day |page=17 |newspaper=The Reading Eagle (Pennsylvania) |date=1942-01-20 |access-date=2021-07-17 }}</ref>
Lombard's funeral was January 21 at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Glendale, California. She was interred beside her mother under the name of Carole Lombard Gable. Despite remarrying twice following her death, Gable was interred beside Lombard when he died in 1960.
''[[To Be or Not to Be (1942 film)|To Be or Not to Be]]'', Lombard's final film, was in post-production at the time of her death. Allegedly, the film's producers decided to cut a line in which Lombard's character asks "What can happen on a plane?" out of respect for the circumstances surrounding her death.{{Sfn|Brooks Brooks 2006|p=104}} Although, there is no indication that this line existed and was removed posthumously, the film's script as filed with the Production Code Administration included the addendum:<ref>{{Cite web|title=CONTENTdm|url=https://digitalcollections.oscars.org/digital/collection/p15759coll30/id/15874/rec/3|access-date=April 25, 2021|website=digitalcollections.oscars.org}}</ref>
{{blockquote|This certificate is issued with the understanding that Anna's speech: "No, not at all..." down to and including: "She might hit an air pocket." has been replaced; also that Sigorsky's speech "-- maybe you'll want to take care of her after my departure." has been omitted.}}
At the time of her death, Lombard had been scheduled to star in the film ''[[They All Kissed the Bride]]''; when production started, she was replaced by [[Joan Crawford]].{{Sfn|Ford 2011|p=41}} Crawford donated all of her salary for the film to the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]], which had helped extensively in the recovery of bodies from the air crash.
Shortly after Lombard's death, Gable, who was inconsolable and devastated by his loss, joined the United States Army Air Forces. Lombard had asked him to do that numerous times after the United States had entered World War II.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} After officer training, Gable headed a six-man motion picture unit attached to a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] [[USAAF bombardment group|bomb group]] in England to film aerial gunners in combat, flying five missions himself. In December 1943, the United States Maritime Commission announced that a [[Liberty ship]] named in her honor would be launched.<ref>"Tribute to Carole Lombard" (December 29, 1943).''The Stars and Stripes'', p. 4.</ref> Gable attended the launch of the [[List of Liberty ships (A–F)|SS ''Carole Lombard'']] on January 15, 1944, the second anniversary of Lombard's war bond drive. The ship was involved in rescuing hundreds of survivors from sunken ships in the Pacific and returning them to safety.
In 1962, Jill Winkler Rath, widow of publicist Otto Winkler, filed a $100,000 lawsuit against the $2 million estate of Clark Gable in connection with Winkler's death. The suit was dismissed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Rath, in her action, claimed Gable promised to provide financial aid for her if she would not bring suit against the airline involved. Rath stated she later learned that Gable settled his claim against the airline for $10. He did so because he did not want to repeat his grief in court, and subsequently he provided her no financial aid in his will.<ref>"Widow Gets Zero". ''Variety'' 226.10 (May 2, 1962): 5.</ref><ref>"Woman Suing Gable Estate For $100,000". ''The Hartford Courant''. August 18, 1961.</ref>
{{Gallery|align=center
|File:Carole Lombard 1939.JPG|Photo of Lombard, published by the ''[[New York Daily News|New York Sunday News]]'' shortly after her death
|File:Clark Gable Carole Lombard and Lombard's mother 1939.jpg|Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and Mrs. Elizabeth Peters, mother of Carole Lombard (1939)
|File:Christening of the Liberty Ship S. S. Carole Lombard 1944.jpg|[[Irene Dunne]] and [[Louis B. Mayer]] christen SS ''Carole Lombard'' while Clark Gable and Mrs. Walter Lang, who was Lombard's secretary, observe.
|File:Carole Lombard Grave.JPG|Crypt of Carole Lombard, in the Sanctuary of Trust of the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale
}}
==Legacy==
[[File:HollywoodWalkofFameCaroleLombardsStar.jpg|thumb|Lombard's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]]]
Author Robert D. Matzen has cited Lombard as "among the most commercially successful and admired film personalities in Hollywood in the 1930s",{{sfn|Matzen 1988}} and feminist writer June Sochen believes that Lombard "demonstrated great knowledge of the mechanics of film making".{{Sfn|Sochen 1999|p=95}} George Raft, her co-star in ''Bolero'', was extremely fond of the actress, remarking "I truly loved Carole Lombard. She was the greatest girl that ever lived and we were the best of pals. Completely honest and outspoken, she was liked by everyone".{{sfn|Yablonsky 2000|p=95}}
Historian Olympia Kiriakou identifies Lombard as a progressive, feminist studio-era star. She describes Lombard's politics as "proto-feminist", explaining that "many of her political and social statements pre-date the second-wave feminist movement, yet were very much in line with the second wave's focus," particularly her views about women's roles in the home and workplace.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kiriakou |first1=Olympia |title=Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9781501350733 |pages=177}}</ref> Lombard's independent star persona balanced her femininity and screen glamour with "male business sense".<ref name="Independent Stardom: Female Film St">{{cite journal |last1=Carman |first1=Emily |title=Independent Stardom: Female Film Stars and the Studio System of the 1930s |journal=Women's Studies |date=2008 |volume=37 |issue=6 |pages=585|doi=10.1080/00497870802205175 |s2cid=144459922 }}</ref> She was described by ''Photoplay'' columnist Hart Seymore as the "perfect example of a modern Career Girl", which was based on Lombard's capability to "live by the logical premise that women have equal rights with men."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carman |first1=Emily |title=Independent Stardom: Female Film Stars and the Studio System of the 1930s |journal=Women's Studies |date=2008 |volume=37 |issue=6 |pages=609|doi=10.1080/00497870802205175 |s2cid=144459922 }}</ref> In 1937, ''Photoplay'' published an article about Lombard's business acumen entitled "Carole Lombard tells: 'How I Live by a Man's Code'," in which she offers readers rules for how to be successful in business and at home such as "play fair [with men]...don't burn over criticism—stand up to it like a man."<ref name="Carole Lombard tells: How I Live B">{{cite journal |last1=Seymore |first1=Hart |title=Carole Lombard tells: "How I Live By A Man's Code |journal=Photoplay |date=June 1937 |pages=12}}</ref> Notably, in the article Lombard tells readers that she "doesn't believe in a man's world," and encourages women to "work—and like it," adding: "All women should have something worthwhile to do, and cultivate efficiency at it, whether it be housekeeping or raising chickens. Working women are interesting women."<ref name="Carole Lombard tells: How I Live B"/> But as Kiriakou explains, such an article was published in order "to elicit a specific response from the fan magazine readers—namely, to view Lombard's independent star as indistinguishable from the Lombard heroines they saw on screen."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kiriakou |first1=Olympia |title=Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9781501350733 |pages=182}}</ref>
Moreover, according to scholar Emily Carman, Lombard's independent female star persona was able to emerge only when she "attained greater professional autonomy in the mid-1930s," ultimately leading her to become one of the first stars of the studio-era to go freelance.<ref name="Independent Stardom: Female Film St"/> Freelancing gave Lombard more autonomy over her career decisions, and the types of roles she was able to play. Additionally, Lombard was the first Hollywood star to propose profit participation: in 1938, she negotiated with Selznick International Pictures to take a reduced salary of $100,000 in exchange for a 20 percent cut of the distributor's gross of $1.6 to $1.7 million, and subsequent smaller percentages as the gross increased.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carman |first1=Emily |title=Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System |date=2015 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=9781477307311 |pages=158}}</ref> Carman explains that this contract also included a "no-loan out" clause, the right to employ Travis Banton as her costume designer of choice, as well as all legal rights to her image.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carman |first1=Emily |title=Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System |date=2015 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=9781477307311 |pages=24}}</ref> Carman concludes that Lombard's strategic business sense and easy-going nature were central to her independent star persona, and the control she maintained over her career was a challenge to the "paternalistic structure" of the studio system.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carman |first1=Emily |title=Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System |date=2015 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=9781477307311 |pages=4}}</ref>
Lombard was particularly noted for the zaniness of her performances,{{sfnm|1a1=Balio 1995|1p=276|2a1=Mitchell 2001|2p=16}} described as a "natural prankster, a salty tongued straight-shooter, a feminist precursor and one of the few stars who was beloved by the technicians and studio functionaries who worked with her".<ref name="PT05">{{cite web|author=Gordon, Jim|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-109EAC379294EFBA.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611111329/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-109EAC379294EFBA.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 11, 2014|title=Fort Wayne home to 'Profane Angel'|publisher= The Post-Tribune| via =HighBeam Research|date=May 1, 2005|access-date=April 4, 2014}}</ref> ''Life'' magazine noted that her film personality transcended to real life, "her conversation, often brilliant, is punctuated by screeches, laughs, growls, gesticulations and the expletives of a sailor's parrot".<ref name="Inc1938">{{cite magazine|title=The Screwball Girl|magazine=Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60wEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50|date=October 17, 1938|page=50|issn=0024-3019}}</ref> [[Graham Greene]] praised the "heartbreaking and nostalgic melodies" of her faster-than-thought delivery, whereas ''The Independent'' wrote "Platinum blonde, with a heart-shaped face, delicate, impish features and a figure made to be swathed in silver lamé, Lombard wriggled expressively through such classics of hysteria as ''[[Twentieth Century (film)|Twentieth Century]]'' and ''[[My Man Godfrey]]''."<ref>{{cite news|author=Koenig, Rhoda|date=June 24, 2005|title=The Queen of Comedy|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-queen-of-comedy-496273.html|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=December 28, 2013}}</ref>
In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] ranked Lombard 23rd on its [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|list of the 25 greatest American female screen legends]] of classic Hollywood cinema,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100years/stars50.pdf|title=America's greatest legends|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=April 4, 2014}}</ref> and she has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6930 Hollywood Blvd. Lombard received one [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] nomination for ''My Man Godfrey''.{{sfn|Shearer 2006|p=533}} Actresses who have portrayed her in films include [[Jill Clayburgh]] in ''[[Gable and Lombard]]'' (1976),{{sfn|Erens 1988|p=361}} [[Sharon Gless]] in ''[[Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War]]'' (1980), [[Denise Crosby]] in ''[[Malice in Wonderland (TV film)|Malice in Wonderland]]'' (1985), [[Anastasia Hille]] in ''[[RKO 281]]'' (1999) and Vanessa Gray in ''[[Lucy (2003 film)|Lucy]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web|author=Gallo, Phil|url=https://variety.com/2003/tv/reviews/lucy-2-1200541922/|title=Review:'Lucy'|work=Variety|date=May 1, 2003|access-date=April 4, 2014}}</ref> Lombard's Fort Wayne childhood home has been designated a historic landmark. The city named the nearby bridge over the St. Mary's River the Carole Lombard Memorial Bridge.<ref name="PT05"/>
Lombard's star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame is shown in the movie ''[[Pretty Woman]]''.
== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Organization
!Category
!Work
!Result
!Ref.
|-
|[[9th Academy Awards|1937]]
|[[Academy Awards]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|''[[My Man Godfrey]]''
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-08 |title=The 9th Academy Awards {{!}} 1937 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1937 |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=[[Oscars]] |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|1960
|[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
|[[List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame|Star]]
|{{N/a}}
|{{Honored}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-10-25 |title=Carole Lombard |url=https://walkoffame.com/carole-lombard/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
|}
==Filmography==
{{main|Carole Lombard filmography}}
==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=note}}
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|last=Balio|first=Tino|title=Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930–1939|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_J9HTLOI08wC&pg=PA276|year=1995|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-20334-1|ref={{sfnRef|Balio 1995}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Bogdanovich|first=Peter|title=Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with ... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZBPHL2sQ3JoC&pg=PT466|date= 2012|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-81745-7|ref={{sfnRef|Bogdanovich 2012}}}}
* {{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Patricia|last2=Brooks|first2=Jonathan|title=Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous|year=2006|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|isbn=978-0-7627-4101-4|ref={{sfnRef|Brooks Brooks 2006}}}}
* {{cite book |last= Carman |first= Emily |title=Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System|year= 2015| publisher= University of Texas Press |isbn= 978-1477307816}}
* {{cite book |last= Carr |first= Larry |title= More Fabulous Faces: The Evolution and Metamorphosis of Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Dolores del Río, Carole Lombard and Myrna Loy |year= 1979 |publisher= Doubleday and Company |isbn= 0-385-12819-3 }}
* {{cite book|last=Cohen|first=Stan|title=V for victory: America's home front during World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCQhAQAAMAAJ|year= 1991|publisher=Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Incorporated|isbn=978-0-929521-51-0|ref={{sfnRef|Cohen 1991}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Erens|first=Patricia|title=The Jew in American Cinema|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-v2Di_5ShGMC&pg=PA361 361]|year=1988|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=0-253-20493-3|ref={{sfnRef|Erens 1988}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Ford|first=Peter|title=Glenn Ford: A Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ICIPWfsWt4wC&pg=PA41|date=2011|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|isbn=978-0-299-28153-3|ref={{sfnRef|Ford 2011}}}}
* {{cite book|author=Gehring, Wes D.|title=Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado|year=2003|___location=Indianapolis, Indiana|publisher=Indiana Historical Society Press|isbn=978-0-87195-167-0|ref={{sfnRef|Gehring 2003}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Haver|first=Ronald|title=David O. Selznick's Hollywood|publisher=Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd|___location=London|year=1980|isbn=0-394-42595-2|author-link=Ronald Haver|ref={{sfnRef|Haver 1980}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Hawks|first=Howard|title=Howard Hawks: Interviews|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WMxmjwp1a10C&pg=PA147|year=2005|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-57806-833-3|ref={{sfnRef|Hawks 2005}}}}
* {{cite book|author=Kanin, Garson|title=Hollywood|year=1974|___location=New York|publisher=Viking Press|isbn=978-0-670-37575-2|author-link=Garson Kanin|ref={{sfnRef|Kanin 1974}}|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodstarsst00kani}}
* {{cite book|author=Matzen, Robert D.|title=Carole Lombard: A Bio-bibliography |year=1988|___location=Westport, Connecticut|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn= 978-0-313-26286-9|ref={{sfnRef|Matzen 1988}}}}
* {{cite book|author=MacBride, Joseph|title=Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success|___location=New York|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|year=2000|isbn=978-0-312-26324-9|ref={{sfnRef| MacBride 2000}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Mitchell|first=Deborah C.|title=Diane Keaton: Artist and Icon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nxdY5abnM64C&pg=PA16|date=2001|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1082-8|ref={{sfnRef|Mitchell 2001}}}}
* {{cite book|author=Ott, Frederick W.|title=The Films of Carole Lombard|year=1972|___location=Secaucus, New Jersey|publisher=Citadel Press|isbn=978-0-8065-0278-6|ref={{sfnRef|Ott 1972}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Shearer|first=Benjamin F.|title=Home Front Heroes [Three Volumes]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IzBxCP9QUo0C&pg=PA533|date=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-04705-3|ref={{sfnRef|Shearer 2006}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Sochen|first=June|title=From Mae to Madonna: Women Entertainers in Twentieth-century America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hSzLnPZswqEC&pg=PA95|year=1999|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=0-8131-2112-4|ref={{sfnRef|Sochen 1999}}}}
* {{cite book|author=Swindell, Larry|title=Screwball: The Life of Carole Lombard|year=1975|___location=New York|publisher=William Morrow & Company|isbn=978-0-688-00287-9|ref={{sfnRef|Swindell 1975}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Yablonsky|first=Lewis|title=George Raft|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VsWnELac_BEC&pg=PA95|date=2000|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-01003-5|ref={{sfnRef|Yablonsky 2000}}}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=1|d=Q207739}}
* {{IMDb name|0001479}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/324/carole-lombard Carole Lombard] at Virtual History
* [http://blog.history.in.gov/?p=885 Carole Lombard] at [http://in.gov/history/ Indiana Historical Bureau]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lombard, Carole}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century Bahá'ís]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Nevada]]
[[Category:Actresses from Fort Wayne, Indiana]]
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[[Category:American film actresses]]
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[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
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[[Category:Fairfax High School (Los Angeles) alumni]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous actors]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1942]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
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