Clark Gable unedited, 8th Air Force film stock

[SatchmoSings]

Gable didn't have to join the military; he was forty when Pearl Harbor was bombed.

Part of it was grief over the death of Carole Lombard, part of it was also the sense of duty that the country felt at the time; we could use some of that now; Gable made a good record for himself and he was popular with those he served with.

[MansWatchTop10]

Your videos are very unique and interesting

[liljgoneman]

You sure as hell won't see any celebrities putting themselves in harms way nowadays!

[SatchmoSings]

@liljgoneman Nor will you see politicians nor their children; Bush's daughters never went to do volunteer work in Iraq nor Afghanistan.

In WWI, former Pres. Theodore Roosevelt's sons all fought; one was killed and another badly wounded.

FDR's sons all fought in WWII.

Kaiser Wilhelm's sons fought in WWI and a grandson was killed invading France in 1940.

[ostrich67]

LT Gable has removed the stiffener from his cap to make it look like that; not strictly regulation but it looks so stylish! The Hollywood servicemen, Gable included, had their uniforms custom-made and tailored and they looked so great in them that the Army questioned their better than regulation appearance, but their tailors used the proper materials and specifications so they really couldn't say anything.

[SatchmoSings]

@ostrich67 What you're saying is true enough; officers, and even enlisted men who could afford it, would have tailors go over their regulation uniforms.

[martian76smiley]

oops!-please disreguard my last statement. I didn't know that Clarke Gable was a veteran.U.S.A U.S.A!

[martian76smiley]

Clarke Gable then is the equalivant of TMZ now. parasites looking to steal glory from those who actually earned it.

[SatchmoSings]

@martian76smiley Gable served out of a genuine sense of duty and he flew in real combat; he was over 40 and didn't have to do it.

Gable was genuinely popular with the other officers and men; his peers said it best, not someone like you.

[mbabist01]

No one could call Gable a coward after his service. How many other "stars" served? Not many, but they were in war films, weren't they?

[radreader01]

Not like these douchebag anti military movie stars of today, except of course, Gary Sinese. The real men are gone from Hollywood

[radreader01]

Not like these douchebag anti military movie stars of today, except of course, Gary Sinese

[idle44]

He got a haircut in the town I was brought up in! No idea why he was at RAF Alconbury though.

[bradyirishguy]

Kenneth, he's from my hometown! Perkins, Oklahoma. Oh, the odds! 3,000 people live here now. I'm glad to know we had at least one hero overseas back then.

[peterm3964]

What a professional ! Easy manner great control ..

[BCboy65]

@retard5100 Stewart was right in many respects.  The firebombing raids of places like Dresden are questionable and would quality as "crimes against humanity" in a war crimes trial.

[Abbeysums]

I wonder, was this before or after the death of Gable's wife, Carol Lombard? I know she died in a plane crash while touring and promoting the sale of War Bonds.

[BCboy65]

@Abbeysums This was a couple years after. He was truly devastated by her death.

[Abbeysums]

@BCboy65 Thank you for answering my question. I see that she died shortly after Pearl Harbor was bombed, so it would have been early in the war as far as the Americans were concerned.

[Lagerfeld2008]

Clark Gable is a traitor, he is German decent and bombing out his real Fatherland and killed many of his relatives. How sick is that?

[BCboy65]

@Lagerfeld2008 Sick are your comments. Millions of Americans of German descent, like my Dad, fought against Germany. Gable's real "homeland" was America, not Germany!

[Abbeysums]

@Lagerfeld2008 Gable was fighting the NAZIs, not the German people as individuals. My uncles were both medics in Europe and they were first generation Americans and spoke German fluently. There is a difference between conquering Hitler and wanting to see the German people killed. The Nazis had to be stopped.

[JudgeJulieLit]

@Lagerfeld2008 As an American of Anglo-German descent, I ask you, when the Nazis bombed England, did they forget that they were bombing Angle-Saxon-Jute-Dane land, and thus their distant cousins? England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was ruled mostly by Germans -- the Georges Hanover and then the Battenburgs and Saxe-Coburg-Gothas; Queen Victoria herself was grandmother to Kaiser Wilhelm 2nd. And when Nazis invaded France, they warred on their kin Franks, Burgundians and Normans.

[McLarenMercedes]

@JudgeJulieLit

Newsflash. In wars who is related to who is pretty much irrelevant and has been so in the hundreds of wars that were raged on European soil after the fall or Rome (and even during and before Rome).

WW2 was a war between systems and since nazism saw democracy as decadent system for the common man, they had to defeat it, regardless of any distant relationship of the people.

As a matter of fact many more non-German people were allies with nazi Germany.

Join reality for once.

[McLarenMercedes]

@JudgeJulieLit

Here's also the thing in nazi ideology. Even within a race of people they see some as better than others and hence the Germans saw themselves as the ideal nation and they were willing to replace Great Britain's Empire with a better German version of it. Like sibling rivalry.

The nazis made sure the disabled and "weak" of their own were gassed even before the jews. What makes you think they would feel sympathy for other people supporting what they called "jew-capitalism"?

[angrysamoan666]

@JudgeJulieLit All those you named are mainly enemies. The North Sea was a place of germanic war for too long for people to bother about such things as 'Anglo-German descent'. It's a nice concept when you're 3,500 miles away, but everything is close together in northern Europe.

[joeparkson]

I wonder how many current hollwood stars have seen service in Afganistan or Iraq?

[chevick]

This is good stuff !

[Zacatown]

The moments where Gable breaks character are fascinating. I've never seen the REAL Gable before. Seems like a genuinely nice man. Thanks for this.

[verbusen]

@retard5100 @retard5100 Stewart was active in the Air Force Reserve until the 1968,making the rank of one star general. I don't think an active Air Force Officer during the Cold War would disparage an Allie like that on television. Nothing is noted on his bio on Wiki mentioning it and if he had said that on a recorded medium chances are good it would have been noted. I don't doubt that an incident like that happened but I do doubt Jimmy Stewart said it.

[MrGrowser]

Why don't you edit the film to make a sensible result?

[CaptainAndrew1991]

3:08 "What's your Navajo name?"... "I kill you"

[silverbird58]

where is the clip showing him cursing screeming as he exits the gently used b17?

[DessinhaJackson]

Clark, a true war hero. ♥

[DEP717]

When Carole Lombard, Gable's wife, died in a War Bonds tour plane crash, Mr. Gable was devastated. So he wanted to do something and joined the Bomber Corps.

[1926Donal]

Wakey wakey Schwuppa! Bombing was very inaccurate prior to guided munitions. One needed to take out an area to get a rail yard or factory - which you will note under international law is legal because civilians were not the primary target. And so it was for Nazi Germany. After all they taught the western powers the efficacy of HE and incendiaries in Coventry. Come on no crocodile tears for reaping what was sown. Dresden ha! remember Spain, Warsaw, Russia, the Blitz, Rotterdam etc.

[boggando]

My Grandfather once took one of these murder-machines out of the sky, noone survived. I'm still proud of that ;-)

[anthonythirteen]

Was your Grandpa Scottish?

[teller121]

Is the writer of this piece, Andrew A. Rooney, the same Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame?

[Bomberguy]

yes

[BattleOfBritainTV]

How did Angus Hislop get a part in this ? (5:43)

[schwupppa]

@CHANNELOMD check out Wikipedia: "Air warfare, must comply with laws and customs of war, including international humanitarian law by protecting the victims of the conflict and refraining from attacks on protected persons."

Nothing justifies mass bombardements of civilians.

Also read about: Area bombing directive - google for it.

[CHANNELOMD]

Got to laugh at all the fucking Herman the Germans moaning about being bombed to fuck ,ha ha bad enough to start the war but then to moan when countries hit back is cheek beyond belief!

I love looking at pictures of the firestorms in Dresden

[CaroleLombardArchive]

LOVED seeing this unpolished, unedited footage. Gable was like most film actors - he did better when dialogue was written for him! He really did just want to be one of the guys (although his uniforms were custom-tailored!). Great video - thanks for posting.

[mig25pd]

When you think about it Gable didn't have to be there. He was into his 40s and more than old enough to quite honourably sit on the ground. A few other famous and younger names were quite happy to stay back in Hollywood. All credit to him for going over there and trying to do his bit.

[dustyndirk]

Considering he was supposed to be a "Great" actor ! He makes a few balls up in this bit of film ! By the way my Grandad was based at Polbrook where this Film was shot ! Although the RAF left when the USAF arrived.

[markrskinner]

Polebrook or Grafton Underwood?

[dustyndirk]

Hi , Polebrook !

[UrbanTenant]

Compare that to Sean Penn and Brad Pitt actions, didn't they visit Iraq under Saddam Hussein? how patriotic!

[Nazgul001]

Gable would have thrown their asses out of his bombay!

[UrbanTenant]

At least Sean Penn did visit for sure, not sure about Brad Pitt.

[redbaroniii]

So where in hell is our movie stars now? .... Not in Afghanistan, not fighting terrorists, just being assess

[medicatedsaint]

Amen! Actors on both sides of the political sphere need to shut up and put up in my opinion.

[frio109]

Amen brother.....

[DEP717]

After his wife died on a War Bonds tour Gable signed up, he was willing to take any mission.

[xXMxExGxAxDxExTxHXx]

er....i meant the planes did hundreds not the pilots =/

[Z1Z2Z5Z4]

Piffle! The Germans flew so many missions, because they had to. After all they were subjects of a fascist state. 20 missions is tough by any standard. My uncle flew 30 missions and was shot down over Germany on a volunteer Pathfinder mission. Voluntary was at the time of WW2, not in the German vocabulary.

[Scharfschutzen1]

20 missions and that's a big deal?? Germans flew hundreds of missions. Pat on the back Americans, typical.

[xXMxExGxAxDxExTxHXx]

typical? haha but we still won, germans ran hundreds cause they kept dying

[Scharfschutzen1]

Begone untermensch, 20 missions, LOL!!!!!!!!

[valentinian2003]

Der Krieg is schon lange vorbei und du solltest etwas vorsichtiger sein mit solch sinnlosen Worten wie Untermensch. Grow-up, "Sharp-Shooter", steht dir besser zu Gesicht!

[Scharfschutzen1]

Nein, for iam a child at heart but not a hipocrit like the mass of Allied trained minds of post WWII. The whip of truth has yet struck another......YOU!!! PROST!!!!!

[NottheFacePlease]

@Scharfschutzen1 Germany lost. It does not matter how many times they took to the sky, they lost.

[Scharfschutzen1]

@NottheFacePlease Yourr post in pointless, go wave a flag in Iraq.

[NottheFacePlease]

@Scharfschutzen1 And yours has no merit. Go choke on Hitler's ashes.

[Scharfschutzen1]

@NottheFacePlease Think of that all by yourself??

[NottheFacePlease]

@Scharfschutzen1 Yes? I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings/spirit/pride/dick/wha­tever. Please take your pro-Nazi attitude where it would be best suited (That is, anywhere but here). I came here for footage of Clark Gable during his time of service, not to bitch to some skinhead about what is and what isn't. And please, have a nice day. ;)

[Scharfschutzen1]

@NottheFacePlease Dumkopf, no one put a gun to your pea brin and made u respond to my comments. Can't take the heat, get the F%@* out. Hypocrite. Deutschland Uber Alles.

[NottheFacePlease]

@Scharfschutzen1 Fair enough.

[Scharfschutzen1]

@NottheFacePlease K.

[Scharfschutzen1]

@NottheFacePlease Dumkopf, no one put a gun to your pea brain and made u respond to my comments. Can't take the heat, get the F%@* out. Hypocrite. Deutschland Uber Alles.

[nescon40]

Fact is that being a crew members on a B-17 or B-24 in the European Theater had the highest casualty rate of ANY allied service. Odds were that you would not survive your tour of 25 missions. As the war progressed the number was raised to 30 then 35. My friend Tom Brown was a ball turret gunner on a B-17. The aircraft he was on didn't make the field on 2 occasions (he was in 2 crash landings due to aircraft damage). A few years ago he still wanted to parachute because he never had the chance.

[Rooter480]

No, Nescon, the submarine forces had a higher casualty rate. But the 8th Air Force casualties exceeded that of the entire U.S. Marine Corps in World War II.

[andreher]

good for him, its never a good idea to parachute on a city that u just bombed, people down there wont be nice :)

[SatchmoSings]

@nescon40 The US had 250,000 men dead in combat in WWII (400,000 overall; many in The Pacific Theatre died of malaria and yellow fever, in Europe pneumonia was the big killer).

80,000 men died just as bomber crewmen in Europe alone which is nearly 1/3 of all US combat deaths; the British too, had big losses this way; nearly 60,000.

Also, combined, Great Britain and The US lost TWENTY-ONE THOUSAND BOMBERS SHOT DOWN in missions over Europe; that's a lot of hardware.

[Manongjojo]

This was the generation this country needs back. The baby boomers really screwed things up especially in Hollywood. Nothing there now but a bunch of anti-american socialists.

[judgedredd123]

I wonder how many "socialists" flew in the USAAF. Shame on you using these brave men as an excuse to promote your politics

[NottheFacePlease]

@judgedredd123 Lots. Politics do not have much meaning at 25,000ft in Flak and fighters

[judgedredd123]

@NottheFacePlease My point exactly, these were brave men, but there is always some idiot trying to make a political point at there expense

[SatchmoSings]

@judgedredd123 Actually, there were many leftists in the US military in WWII; they were motivated to help Russia, not their own country; look at the John Garfield character in the movie "Air Force."

The US military, for ideological reasons, tried to put as many men of this kind as they could into the China Burma India Theater so this would not come into play as they served.

@NottheFacePlease

[mefp43]

tumpak sinabi mo manong, saludo ako sa sinabi mo.

[shooterwall]

he was nowing as dog breath

[82abnoff]

Today, I would never get into a gunfight.

[82abnoff]

We old men do have some honor.

[jhassig45]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but Gable didn't just make training films for the AAF - his job was Arial Gunnery Instructor.

[hoadmaback]

Gable in this clip is just some guy looking for publicity.

Yeah OK he might have sat onboard for a mission - But c"mon why was he doing it? Publicity!!!

He was a god damn Actor for Christ's sake!!

[blownglasslide]

Actually, if you had bothered to do your research before you shot your mouth off, you would have noticed that he flew five missions to Germany, and the only reason he didn't fly more was that he came very close to death on one of them and MGM badgered the AAF into getting him out of combat. He wanted to stay with his unit and keep fighting, but MGM was scared they'd lose him, so he didn't get any more combat missions and eventually asked for a discharge, after being promoted to Major.

[hoadmaback]

Yeah whatever - Here have a thumbs too ya twat.

[blownglasslide]

Oh good, yeah.  Y'know there's nothing quite as satisfying as totally pwning someone so much they resort to Grade school name calling. Down in flames. Oh, and by the way, I'm not the one who thumbs downed you.

[PCJediofmemphis]

Also, the plane he flew in was the famed "Memphis Belle". You forgot to say that bub.

[NKS969]

PCJediofmemphis, I'm guessing you never heard of Capt. Robert K. Morgan? I'm betting you never heard of his girlfriend Margaret Polk either....That's just a lil' point of intrest since Capt. Morgan flew 25 missions in the 'Belle and Miss Polk was whom it was named after. 'Ole Rhett Butler (aka Clark Gable), never stepped foot in that particular B-17...........BUB.

[floatiekingmem]

i actually met him with my now deceased grandfather. I have also seen every documentary, too.

[hitide286]

...good reply "glasslide"..and Gable did enlist after his beloved wife Carol Lombard died in a plane crash while on a 'war bond drive., he climbed the mountain with the "rescue crew' to bring her body back, by himself, he had faults, but what a class act..i don't think he fully recovered from her dealt..

[Earthlinked]

Gables 5th wife - buried him in Forest Lawn - next to Carol Lombard with the statement: "It is as it should be." He never got over Lombard's death - he was the one that scheduled her to do the war bonds drive in her home state of Indiana. She generated $2 million (a great sum at the time). Her plane crashed when returning from this trip!

Gable was officially discharged from the Army by his Captain - Ronald Reagan!

[zipper179]

@Earthlinked Reagan was a captain, true, but, Gable was discharged with the rank of major..

[2020skip]

@blownglasslide Actually, if YOU had bothered to do YOUR research before YOU shot YOUR mouth off, you would have found that it's not polite to begin a comment with: Actually, if you bothered to do your research before you shot your mouth off.

[2020skip]

@blownglasslide

[Impowers]

Amazing that Gable left the biggest movie career in the sound era to go into combat at his age. Meanwhile, John Wayne, who eventually inherited Gable's mantle, avoided service his whole life, including WW2. Gable never really recovered from this and Lombard's death, eating speed to control his weight when he returned from the war, with devastating consequences. He kicked the bucket on a high note, though, with the masterpiece "The Misfits" opposite Marilyn Monroe.

[SpotterOz]

Wayne actually wanted to enlist. The studios felt Wayne, a hard core right winger, could do more good on the home front, than in the trenches. Lot of debate over his reason not to enlist.

Not sure, but I think there was something about his arches making him 4F.

[hoadmaback]

You can see the look's on the faces of the air crew as if to say 'WTF are we doing this BS news film with an actor for?'

These guys would have been needing to chill out and shut out all the stuff Clark Gable is blithering about.

[dickdona]

...and here's where our real job begins ... learning our lines...Eh!. learning our lines... oh! give him the idiot boards. And how many missions were you on Clarke.. Eh... none... that's not a lot of...sorry...missions.

[Rikki0]

He flew on five combat missions.....dick. Then was ordered back to the states. He continued to seek new combat missions until the war ended, but they only wanted him to do films, so he finally resigned his commission, because they would not allow him back in combat.

[PotatoGunsRule]

That was when actors LOVED America and would fight FOR it.

[hunnefelddebra71]

Yes! I agree! Where are any men like this now?I love him so much! Clark,you were what I compare all men to. Even though I am not of your era,I was lucky enough to be alive and see you in film.I felt your presence at Hearst Castle in the room where you stayed with Carol before the guide had a chance to tell us! I miss you! Thanks for sharing all.

[daphnecy1]

AF Jackets!! Just

search "kokotrade" via "google" or "yahoo"

[julianosantos6685]

the best. (Brasil)

[espada9]

At what samba dancing?

Contracting AIDS?

[tsangtang2001]

Gentlemen; We Salute You! Salute from Poland!

[skyraider200]

Hero's all A debt of gratitude that I shall alway's have for these guys , I salute you !

[RepublicCommando29]

If you are into the 8th Air force like me check out "B-17 Flying Fortresses the Mighty Eighth" it is a great game and helps you understand what they had to go through

[swiftshaw]

Clark Gable joined the US Army Airforce shortly after the death of his wife carol Lombard in 1942 and flew several bomber missions over Germany with the eight air force. Jimmy Stewart (James Stewart) was also in the 8th airforce flying bombing Missions.

So I hope that clears up any misunderstandings about Clarke Gable.

[cdfe3388]

Jimmy Stewart commanded a B-24 squadron in England from 1944 on. After the war, he stayed in the active reserves, shifting his movie contracts around his reserve obligations. He flew a B-29 in combat in Korea, and later flew B-52s on heavy strikes in Vietnam. By the time he retired, he held the rank of Brigadier General. In movies like "Strategic Air Command" & "Flight of the Phoenix" he did his own stunt flying.

[swiftshaw]

Jimmy Stewart ( James Stewart ) did his bit in the 8th airforce thats for sure.....

[Wingdoss]

Gable certainly did his bit. Part of my USAAF exhibition each year at "Flying Legends", Imperial War Museum, Duxford is dedicated to the likes of him and the folks love to see it. You can still visit what's left of the base where this clip was almost certainly made (but correct me if I'm wrong?), Polebrook.

[BruceK10032]

There's nothing wrong with making training films. The majority of the people in the service never even saw combat. That doesn't mean they didn't do their part in the war. There could be no sustained combat without all the support functions. Training is one of those functions. If you were the Army Air Corps, and you had Clark Gable, and you needed to make training films, . . .

[gyshalom]

see.gable could have gotten a cushioned bullshit jpb making war films in hollywood,but being real man he went and did his bid.good for you clark! you think fucking brad pitt/matt daymon whoever the fuck nowaday would have went to iraq? think again!!!

[Backin65]

LOL Clark Gable was'nt fighting he was making a News clip-Advert for the American public back home...He never saw any combat at all only in the Movies... LOL Think before you Comment.

[dougalmac54]

YOU think before YOU comment. Gable was 43 years old when he enlisted, far past the time when most men are considered fit for combat. He still had enough sense of patriotism and duty for his company that he enlisted at that age and tried to make a contribution. Disrespecting ANY veteran is the act of an idiot!

[skot66]

He actually did see combat.... He flew on missions over Europe to make the film COMBAT AMERICA...

[mctalks]

I appreciate you confirming that Backin65 is just another uninformed dumbass. Thanks so much for clearing that up.

[skot66]

Anytime, mctalks.

[panhead55]

actually he did fly several missions with the 91st BG. i have the books and facts to prove otherwise. now George Bush is the one you should be looking into if your looking for a false hero....

[skot66]

This is right after he lost Carole

[dougalmac54]

Gable showed a lot of moxie for enlisting, especially at 43 years old. Air combat was exhausting for guys half his age. The fact he stood up to it shows he had balls of brass. What the guys in the 8th USAAF endured fighting the Luftwaffe was beyond belief. They deserve our unqualified respect and admiration.

[Cavelson]

Wow! Where did you find it!!!

[coolpilot007]

Awesome!!!!

[usmctanks1]

Supposedly Bob Hope came out the field that Gable was on to see him,and quoted gable (he was returning from a mission, grey faced, tired) as saying " This F***ing S*** is for real", and went to his tent.

[Gazzara5]

According to what I read, he told Hope, "That's not for me. Not that s***!" Perfectly understandable if you've ever been in combat. Even Stewart flew only 20 missions instead of the usual 25. Reportedly Goering offered a fortune to any Luftwaffe pilot who could shot either of them down, and more if they were taken alive. When they identified Stwart's squadron, he was relieved through no fault of his own and against his will. He wanted to finish the last five missions.

[lorkamm]

geez, can't you take a joke? what was he supposed to say? some pompous "i'm so proud uncle sam let me fly?". he had great sense of humour. and i heard bob hope forced some poor girl to perform oral *** altough he had rash on his ****, and so what?

[usmctanks1]

No I think Bob Hope was expecting a Rah Rah speech from Gable, but saw how difficult it was on him, and how much it took out of him to fly in combat. I think Hope was expecting what you said, the canned " I'm so proud etc".. and got a quite realistic, human response. Bob hope was the biggest Womanizer in history, but funny!

[Bullettube]

I just reread Clark Gable's story about how he tried to be a gunner. Unlike Stewart who was college educated and already a pilot, Gable enlisted as a private. But Hollywood and the Army didn't want him to fly! They let him go on a few "safe" sorties then grounded him, he was considered too valuable as a spokesperson.

Notice how he doesn't get angry when someone makes a mistake? He really was a decent person.

[WNM52]

Based on what I've read about the air war over Europe there were no "safe" missions. Crew members were killed and planes were lost forming up over their bases in England even before getting over enemy territory. If you were in the air you were in danger. Clark Gable "seen his duty and he done it".

[vettester84]

I live less that 40 miles where this was taken! Tyndal Field Fl.

[angelamaryh]

As well as a little experience in flying I have a lot of experience in film & TV interviews. It isn't always the subject who has fluffed, frequently the director wants cutaways, 'Noddies'(where you appear to nod to a question,) and the whole thing drifts out of hand. Suddenly Clark Gable seems very human and deserving of a lot of sympathy. I think he'd have rather gone off on another operational mission. I'm glad that such a high profile figure was identified with the often neglected gunners.

[grahamkeithtodd]

thank you for up loading this one bomberguy mate... people seem to forget that Clark Gable did his part in world war 2 and EARNED his officers bars... a decent man and all round good guy..( like yourself)

[SmiertSpionem]

Bomb with the wind!

[whizbang47]

More correct poop from Bomberguy. More thanks from me to him.

[Gruntol5]

When you see the "final product" of these multi-takes, it explains why some of the reactions of the participants often seem a bit strange. They may have been asked the the same question over and over. Consequently the "final" answer is far from spontaneous as they anticipate their reply.

[twinten]

There was a lot of propaganda during WWII, I remember it well. No program of any kind was without a message on winning the war. Some of it was staged of course, it looks awkward now.

[FREAK9364]

thanks for uploading a great video