"I live by a man's code, designed to fit a man's world, yet at the same time I never forget that a woman's first job is to choose the right shade of lipstick."
We celebrate the centenary this week of the birth of the lovely Carole Lombard. A woman of supreme beauty, she was also a multi-talented actress who could turn her hand to romantic leads and comedy romps with equal vigour.
She was famed for her glamour, and was the talk of the tabloids for her marriage to screen idol Clark Gable. Indeed, he referred to her as "the love of his life".
But she was also known for her foul mouth - her language was allegedly "so bawdy it could make a sailor blush". She apparently learned this little trick from her brothers, to provide her with a defence against aggressive boys. This is how she earned her nickname "The Profane Angel".
Tragically, not long after the US entered World War II in 1941, Carole Lombard was travelling home with her mother from a war bond fundraising event when the small plane in which they were passengers crashed in the mountains close to Las Vegas. All 22 passengers were killed. A grief-stricken Clark Gable apparently wore a piece of her brooch that was recovered from the scene of the crash until the day he died.
It seems strange that we often idolise stars from the classic days of Hollywood such as Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Betty Grable or Lauren Bacall, yet Carole Lombard is little remembered today - and her centenary seems destined to pass without a mention in the media.
Carole Lombard website
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