Sag' ja zur Liebe (1976)

Sag’ ja zur Liebe: Directed by Sidney J. Furie. With James Brolin, Jill Clayburgh, Allen Garfield, Red Buttons. A biography about the love affair between 1930s Hollywood superstars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

“GABLE AND LOMBARD is the kind of film that Hollywood history buffs hate, but fans of love stories just eat up. In other words, the truth is often distorted or ignored, but the emotional core is dead-on.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI wonu0026#39;t dwell on the many mistakes, but two are glaring, and must be pointed out. While Carole Lombard was a truly gifted actress (particularly in comedies), she was never Hollywoodu0026#39;s #1 star (Lombard never achieved the status of Shearer, Garbo, Davis, or Crawford); L.B. Mayeru0026#39;s u0026#39;orderingu0026#39; rising star Gable to u0026#39;make niceu0026#39; with her, so sheu0026#39;d agree to do a picture at Metro with him is pure hokum. Actors had virtually no say in u0026#39;loan outsu0026#39; in the 1930s; studios made all the decisions, based on maximizing their profits, and controlling their stars. A case in point was Gableu0026#39;s participation in Columbiau0026#39;s IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. Had he been given the opportunity, heu0026#39;d have refused to go (he considered it a u0026#39;step backwardu0026#39;, and it was, in fact, done as punishment against him, on MGMu0026#39;s part), and he would have never have won his only Academy Award! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe other major gaffe is showing Gable as an AAF officer at the time of Lombardu0026#39;s death. He didnu0026#39;t enlist until after sheu0026#39;d died, partially because of the guilt he felt over his lack of involvement in the war effort, a cause Lombard had died supporting. While Brolin, as Gable, looks terrific in uniform, it just wasnu0026#39;t the truth.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe effectiveness of a story like this relies heavily on the actors portraying the stars, and GABLE AND LOMBARD offers an interesting combination. Despite David Janssenu0026#39;s heavy lobbying for the role of Clark Gable (he always felt he was, actually, Gableu0026#39;s son, and he did, in fact, share many of the actoru0026#39;s physical and vocal qualities), the producers felt that, at 46, he was too old for the role, and went, instead, with 36-year-old James Brolin. Brolin, best-known for his stint in the hit TV series, u0026#39;Marcus Welby, M.D.u0026#39; (and later, in another series, u0026#39;Hotelu0026#39;), was an actor who had all the right u0026#39;toolsu0026#39;, but never quite achieved film stardom. Nearly cast as Roger Mooreu0026#39;s replacement as James Bond (despite a terrific screen test, producer Cubby Broccoli decided to stick with United Kingdom actors), Brolin, with a mustache, looked eerily like Gable during the actoru0026#39;s peak years, and could mimic the actoru0026#39;s vocal inflections and physical mannerisms very effectively. The end result of his mimicry, however, was a Gable who lacked depth, and his performance frequently seemed more a caricature than a portrayal.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJill Clayburgh, as Carole Lombard, faced a different problem. The 32-year-old actress (who would achieve stardom the following year, in SILVER STREAK), had a very well-written role, which was, in fact, quite close to the actressu0026#39; actual personality (big-hearted yet at times acerbic, Lombard was known for her salty humor and frequent use of four-letter words, in stark contrast with her classic beauty). Clayburgh, however, with her broad features, looked nothing like Carole Lombard. (If youu0026#39;re unfamiliar with Lombardu0026#39;s u0026#39;looku0026#39;, her closest contemporary counterpart is Michelle Pfeiffer.) Clayburgh plays the role very well, but, knowing this, I could never u0026#39;suspend disbeliefu0026#39; enough to accept her as Lombard.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enHowever, as I said at the beginning, if you are hooked by true love stories (and arenu0026#39;t familiar with the u0026#39;realu0026#39; Carole Lombard), GABLE AND LOMBARD has all the elements you can ask for; antagonism turning to attraction and then u0026#39;forbiddenu0026#39; passion, nearly insurmountable obstacles blocking happiness, eventual triumph, then a heartbreaking tragedy that would ultimately immortalize the lovers. Gable u0026#39;carried a torchu0026#39; for his lost love until his death, in 1960, and GABLE AND LOMBARD gives ample evidence of her impact on his life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film is a flawed, but moving testament to their love.”