Editing Clark Gable (section)

=== 1945–1953: After World War II ===
Immediately after his discharge from the service, Gable returned to his ranch and rested. Personally, he resumed a pre-war relationship with [[Virginia Grey]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/06/arts/virginia-grey-a-veteran-of-100-films-dies-at-87.html|title=Virginia Grey, a Veteran Of 100 Films, Dies at 87|last=Gussow|first=Mel|date=August 6, 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 20, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> a co-star from ''Test Pilot'' and ''Idiot's Delight'', that newspapers reported might be the next Mrs. Gable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/virginia-grey-8689059.html|title=Virginia Grey|date=August 7, 2004|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=November 26, 2019}}</ref> Professionally, Gable's first movie after World War II was ''[[Adventure (1945 film)|Adventure]]'' (1946), with [[Greer Garson]], by then the leading female star at MGM. Given the famous teaser tagline "Gable's back, and Garson's got him", the film was a commercial hit, earning over $6&nbsp;million, but a critical failure.<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}.</ref>

[[File:Lana Turner and Clark Gable in Homecoming, 1948.png|thumb|right|Turner and Gable in ''Homecoming'' (1948)]]
Gable was acclaimed for his performance in ''[[The Hucksters]]'' (1947), a satire of post-war Madison Avenue corruption and immorality, which co-starred [[Deborah Kerr]] and [[Ava Gardner]]. The film was popular with audiences, placing 11th at the box office,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_32CDwAAQBAJ&q=the+hucksters+motion+picture+herald&pg=PA181-IA67|title=In Theaters Everywhere: A History of the Hollywood Wide Release, 1913–2017|last=Hannan|first=Brian|date=December 20, 2018|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-7414-8|language=en}}</ref> but both ''Variety'' and ''The New York Times'' reviewed it as a sanitized version of the novel with script issues, that was heavy on Gable screentime, who struggled in the role.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/07/18/archives/the-screen-the-hucksters-starring-gable-and-kerr-opens-at-capitol.html|title=THE SCREEN; ' The Hucksters', Starring Gable and Kerr, Opens at Capitol – 'Slave Girl', Take-Off on Film Adventures, Has Twin Debut|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|date=July 18, 1947|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 20, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/the-hucksters-2-1200414978/|title=The Hucksters|date=January 1, 1947|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=May 20, 2019}}</ref> Gable followed this up with ''[[Homecoming (1948 film)|Homecoming]]'' (1948), where he played a married doctor enlisting in World War II and meeting Lana Turner's army surgical nurse character with a romance unfolding in flashbacks.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfomDwAAQBAJ&q=mervyn+leroy+homecoming&pg=PA292|title=Clark Gable: A Biography|last=Harris|first=Warren G.|date=September 1, 2010|publisher=Crown/Archetype|isbn=978-0-307-55517-5|language=en}}</ref> After that he made the war film ''[[Command Decision (film)|Command Decision]]'' (1948), a psychological drama with [[Walter Pidgeon]], [[Van Johnson]], [[Brian Donlevy]], and [[John Hodiak]]. It was a hit with audiences, but it lost MGM money due to the high cost of the all-star cast.<ref name="Mannix"/><ref name=":5" /> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' said, "[Gable's] is a believable delivery, interpreting the brigadier-general who must send his men out to almost certain death with an understanding that bespeaks his sympathy with the soldier... ".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1947/film/reviews/command-decision-1200415875/|title=Command Decision|date=January 1, 1948|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref>

A very public and brief romance with [[Paulette Goddard]] occurred after that.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5EzBBAAAQBAJ&q=paulette+goddard+affair+clark+gable&pg=PT113|title=The Last Romantic: A life of Eric Maria Remarque|last=Tims|first=Hilton|date=September 19, 2013|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4721-1335-1|language=en}}</ref> In 1949, Gable married [[Sylvia Ashley]], a British model and actress previously married to [[Douglas Fairbanks|Douglas Fairbanks Sr]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/23149576/gable_marries_sylvia_more_details_with/|title=Gable marries Sylvia, more details with Muir|newspaper=Daily News|date=December 21, 1949|page=99|language=en|access-date=May 20, 2019}}</ref> The relationship was profoundly unsuccessful; they divorced in 1952.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hjvqp_Y2VL4C&q=clark+gable+sylvia+ashley&pg=PA175|title=Clark Gable, in Pictures: Candid Images of the Actor's Life|last=Spicer|first=Chrystopher J.|date=October 14, 2011|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-8714-1}}</ref> Gable did a series of films with female co-stars: ''[[Any Number Can Play]]'' (1950) with [[Alexis Smith]], ''[[Key to the City (film)|Key to the City]]'' (1950) with [[Loretta Young]], and ''[[To Please a Lady]]'' (1950) with [[Barbara Stanwyck]]. They were reasonably popular, but he had more success with two Westerns: ''[[Across the Wide Missouri (film)|Across the Wide Missouri]]'' (1951), and ''[[Lone Star (1952 film)|Lone Star]]'' (1952).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The movie makers|last=Chaneles, Sol.|date=1974|publisher=Derbibooks|others=Wolsky, Albert|isbn=0-89009-002-5|location=Secaucus, N.J.|oclc=940571}}</ref> He then made ''[[Never Let Me Go (1953 film)|Never Let Me Go]]'' (1953) opposite [[Gene Tierney]]. Tierney was a favorite of Gable's, and he was very disappointed when her mental health problems caused her to be replaced in ''[[Mogambo]]'' by [[Grace Kelly]].<ref name="THW" />

[[File:Mogambo2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Gable and Grace Kelly in ''Mogambo'' (1953)]][[File:Plb-stewart-gable.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Two men, actor James Stewart and Gable are in their dress uniforms and are seated comfortably on a couch, smiling happily at each other.|[[James Stewart]] and Gable, 1943]]
''Mogambo'' (1953), directed by [[John Ford]], was a somewhat sanitized and more action-oriented remake of Gable's hit [[Pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]] film ''Red Dust'', with Jean Harlow and Mary Astor. Ava Gardner, in her third and final pairing with Gable, was well received in Harlow's leading lady role, as was Kelly in Astor's role, with both receiving Academy Award nominations, Gardner for Lead Actress and Kelly for Supporting Actress.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/10/02/archives/the-screen-in-review-mogambo-with-ava-gardner-and-clark-gable.html|title=THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Mogambo', With Ava Gardner and Clark Gable, Presented at Radio City Music Hall|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|date=October 2, 1953|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 20, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> While on location in Africa, reports of an affair between Gable and Kelly began to surface (the result of private dinners the stars were having), but their relationship was an intense friendship according to costar Gardner,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Spoto|first=Donald|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_09VcLrGoAIC&q=clark+gable+affair|title=High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly|date=2010|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=978-0-307-39562-7|language=en}}</ref> with Kelly herself later commenting on the lack of any sexual aspect, "maybe because of the age difference".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/letters-show-another-side-to-grace-kelly-1428119.html|title=Letters show another side to Grace Kelly|date=March 10, 1994|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=May 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=csMDnRXe4vMC&q=clark+gable+sex+life&pg=PA148|title=Clark Gable: Biography, Filmography, Bibliography|last=Spicer|first=Chrystopher J.|date=January 15, 2002|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1124-5|language=en}}</ref> The publicity only helped ticket sales as the film finished No. 7 at the box office, grossing 8.2&nbsp;million for the year, easily his most popular hit since he returned to MGM after the war.<ref name="Michael Gebert 1996, pg. 305">Michael Gebert, ''The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards'', St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York, 1996, pg. 305.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/mogambo-1200417451/|title=Mogambo|date=January 1, 1953|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=May 20, 2019}}</ref>