Editing Clark Gable (section)

=== 1920–1923: Early career ===
Gable was inspired to become an actor after seeing the play ''[[The Bird of Paradise (play)|The Bird of Paradise]]'' at age 17, but he was unable to make a start in acting until he turned 21 and received his $300 inheritance ({{Inflation|US|300|1922|fmt=eq}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) from a Hershelman trust.<ref name="Spicer2">{{cite book|author1=Chrystopher J. Spicer|title=Clark Gable, in Pictures: Candid Images of the Actor's Life|isbn=978-0-7864-8714-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hjvqp_Y2VL4C&q=clark%20gable%2021%20money&pg=PA25|access-date=June 2, 2017|date=October 14, 2011|publisher=McFarland }}</ref><ref name=":6" /> After his stepmother died in 1920, his father moved to [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], going back into the oil business. He worked with his father for some time [[Wildcatter|wildcatting]] and sludge removing in the oil fields of Oklahoma before traveling to the Pacific Northwest.<ref name="harris" />{{Rp|15–16}}

Gable toured in second-class stock companies, finding work with [[Tent show|traveling tent shows]], lumber mills, and other odd jobs. He made his way across the Midwest to [[Portland, Oregon]], where he worked as a necktie salesman in the [[Meier & Frank]] department store.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jeff Dwyer|title=Ghost Hunter's Guide to Portland and the Oregon Coast|isbn=978-1-4556-2117-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WexODgAAQBAJ&q=clark%20gable%20necktie%20salesman&pg=PT70|access-date=June 2, 2017|date=January 19, 2016|publisher=Pelican Publishing Company }}</ref> Also working there was local stage actor [[Earle Larrimore|Earle Larimore]], (the nephew of [[Laura Hope Crews]] who portrayed Aunt Pittypat alongside Gable in ''Gone with the Wind'') who encouraged Gable to return to acting.<ref name="Spicer2"/> Though Larimore didn't invite him to join his theater group The Red Lantern Players, he did introduce Gable to one of its members, Franz Dorfler, and they started dating.<ref name= "harris"/>{{Rp|18}} After the couple's audition for The Astoria Players, Gable's lack of training was evident, but the theater group accepted him after cajoling from Larimore. Gable and Dorfler moved to [[Astoria, Oregon]], touring with the group until its bankruptcy, and then moved back to Portland where Gable obtained a day job with Pacific Telephone and started receiving dramatic lessons in the evening.<ref name= "harris"/>{{Rp|19–21}}<ref name="spicer" />{{Rp|31–40}}

Gable's acting coach, [[Josephine Dillon]], was a theater manager in Portland. She paid to have his teeth fixed and his hair styled. She guided him in building up his chronically undernourished body, and taught him better body control and posture. He slowly managed to lower his naturally high-pitched voice, his speech habits improved, and his facial expressions became more natural and convincing. After a long period of her training, Dillon considered Gable ready to attempt a film career.<ref name="harris"/>{{Rp|24}}