Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3

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Overview

This fresh look at Hollywood's "Queen of Screwball," Carole Lombard, presents a first-ever examination of the events that led to the shocking flight mishap that took her life on the side of a Nevada mountain in 1942. It also provides a day-by-day account of the struggles of Lombard's husband, Clark Gable, and other family, friends, and fans to cope with the tragedy. In effect, having just completed the first sale of war bonds and stamps in the nation following its entry into World War II, Lombard became...

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Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3

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More About This Book

Overview

This fresh look at Hollywood's "Queen of Screwball," Carole Lombard, presents a first-ever examination of the events that led to the shocking flight mishap that took her life on the side of a Nevada mountain in 1942. It also provides a day-by-day account of the struggles of Lombard's husband, Clark Gable, and other family, friends, and fans to cope with the tragedy. In effect, having just completed the first sale of war bonds and stamps in the nation following its entry into World War II, Lombard became the first Hollywood start to sacrifice her life in the War. The War Department offered Gable a funeral service with full military honors, but he refused it, knowing that his wife would not approve of such spectacle. Based on extensive research rather than gossip, this investigation further explores the lives of the 21 others on the plane, including 15 members of the U.S. Army Air Corps, and addresses one of the most enduring mysteries of World War II. On a clear night full of stars, with TWA's most experienced pilot at the controls of a 10-month-old aircraft under the power of two fully functioning engines, why did the flight crash into that Nevada mountainside? This gripping page-turner presents the story of the people on the plane, the friends and families left behind, and the heroic first responders who struggled up a mountain hoping to perform a miracle rescue. It is a story of accomplishment, bravery, sacrifice, and loss.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
"Devoured Fireball in a single day while recuperating from the Toronto International Film Festival. Fantastic job of research, served up as a real page-turner. It would make a great movie."  —Lou Lumenick, chief film critic, New York Post

"Rather than dwell on the superficial or get bogged down on the sensational aspects of the story, Matzen treats the subjects like real people, getting right to the heart of the men and women the story revolves around. It all culminates in a single, horrible night on a cold dark mountain in Nevada. But that’s not the whole story. Thankfully, Matzen gets deeper into the personalities than others might, and in doing so he makes the book worth reading."  —Jamie Beckett, General Aviation News

“Fireball is a gripping, harrowing biography about Lombard and the tragic plane crash that ended her life. Robert Matzen explores the other members of Flight 3, fleshing out a story that wasn’t all Lombard’s. Fireball is an exhaustive examination rendered with all the sincerity and honor it deserves.”  —Journeys in Classic Film

Library Journal
11/15/2013
Little more than a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, actress Carole Lombard (1908–42), her mother, and 20 other passengers were killed when their plane crashed into a mountainside near Las Vegas, NV. Lombard was returning to Hollywood following a war bond rally in her native Indiana. This work alternates coverage of her film career; her much beloved image, which combined looks, style, and down-to-earth humor; her romances, culminating in her marriage to superstar Clark Gable; and her final flight, which led to an arduous recovery effort. Matzen, who has written titles about Gable, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland, depicts Gable as a "wounded narcissist" who truly loved Lombard—but that did not prevent him from having numerous affairs. Matzen shows how Lombard's bubbly personality and democratic nature provoked profound mourning in Hollywood and around the country after her death. Despite rumors that the crash was caused by Nazi saboteurs, it seems the "mystery" was nothing more than pilot error. This volume would have been better served by a conventional chronological arrangement; the results of the crash are described in graphic, excessive detail. Additionally, the author is one of many who presume to describe what a real-life person may have been thinking at a particular moment, a writerly conceit that seems questionable. VERDICT On balance, the book is recommended, with reservations, for vintage-film buffs.—Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780988502512
  • Publisher: Paladin Communications
  • Publication date: 12/2/2013
  • Pages: 400
  • Sales rank: 77282
  • Product dimensions: 6.20 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 1.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Robert Matzen is a former federal contractor for NASA who now specializes in Hollywood history. He has appeared on BBC 2 and BBC Radio 4. He is the author of Carol Lombard: A Bio-Bibliography and Errol & Olivia, and he is the coauthor of Errol Flynn Slept Here. He lives in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Tavia Gilbert is an Earphones and Parents’ Choice Award–winning producer, writer, narrator, and a multiple Audie Award nominee. School Library Journal has called the performances of this highly acclaimed actress “as close as you can get to a full-cast narration with a solo voice.” She has narrated more than two hundred multicast and solo-voice audiobooks and has appeared on stage and in film.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
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  • Anonymous

    Posted Fri Jan 17 00:00:00 EST 2014

    Fireball by Robin Matzen is a compelling and thorough examinatio

    Fireball by Robin Matzen is a compelling and thorough examination of the 1942 plane crash and its aftermath that took the life of 30’s screwball comedy queen (and wife of then Hollywood king, Clark Gable), Carole Lombard and the 21 other people onboard the plane when it crashed into a mountain. The book alternates detailed chapters of Ms. Lombard’s life up to the night of the crash with a moment by moment accounting of the night of the plane crash. Told in a straight forward yet involving manner the book not only serves as a close look at the life of Carole Lombard and her impact on the Hollywood scene. Lombard was one of the first to ask for a share of her film’s profits instead of taking a straight salary. The book also offers a fresh look into her tumultuous and passionate relationship with Gable. This account of the crash gives life (if you will) to the 21 others who were also on the plane and shows them as people, not just statistics who died in the same plane crash with Hollywood star Carole Lombard. Old myths are dispelled of the struggle to get to the crash site and interesting new facts are told. Fireball is well researched and backed up by new and old interviews and testimony of the people involved and affected by the tragedy. I was surprised by the view of commercial aviation at that time compared to now. The book takes a close and updated look into the potential causes of the crash. A surprising note was how the theory of sabotage had some plausibility at that time. Fireball also gives a follow up of the lives of the family and friends of those in the crash and the course their lives took in its aftermath. Matzen gives an insightful view (based on statements and interviews with friends and colleagues) of the dramatic change in character of Clark Gable after the loss of Lombard. Fireball is a terrific well researched read that not only examines the life and the cause of the abrupt death of a Hollywood star with a close look behind 30’s Hollywood scene but also gives recognition to all the individuals who died in the crash of TWA Flight 3 and those who struggled to live in its aftermath. I highly recommend this book.

    I received this book for free for an unbiased review from NetGalley.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Tue Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2014

    Amazing history

    I can recommend this incredible peice of work to anyone out there who can handle such feeling,outstanding sad history,and what must have been the project of love of life of americana,thank you for this gem.5 stars hands down.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2014

    Willowstar

    Sits down and licks a paw drawing it over ear

    1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Tue Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014

    A Brilliant Life ended too soon I was given a copy of this boo

    A Brilliant Life ended too soon


    I was given a copy of this book from Net Gallery in return for a fair review, but would have bought the book anyway. 


    I have always known Carole Lombard died in a plane crash while promoting war bonds, 
    and was married to Clark Gabel, but what I didn't know was that brilliant mind hid behind the ditziness. 
    I never really knew more about her then that she was married to Gabel, & died tragically.
     I have never been a fan of Gabel, but this book gave me a new respect for the man with the effect this had on him.

     Lombard was ahead of her time in the way she dealt with the studios, she took a percentage of one of her last
    pictures in place of a large salary. She could have ended up running the studio.
    She was loyal & generous to friends, had a loving relationship with her ex William Powell,
    and loved & understood Gabel in a way others didn't.

     This book gives insight into her life and death.  In it you learn why she took a flight that the studio told her not to,
    why her traveling companies go on the plane even when they had premonitions of doom.

    The book gives you a look at all the people on the plane, their names,personalities and families.
     It tells you of pre-flight check and tiny little things they may have had an effect on the final outcome.
     It tells of those near the crash site, that saw the plane and either heard the crash or saw the flash & fire.
    Some were part of the search the next day. The description of getting to the site, and what they saw
    stays with you long after the book ends.
    Gabel's reaction is heartbreaking, and the studio's reaction heartless.
    The reason for the crash is not discover, but studio and government cover ups are put forth. If only "Black Boxes" existed then, we would hopefully have much more insight on what happened during the flight. I think some government reports are still not released even after 72 years. When I get time, I want to re-read it, and check on some of the facts that I want to know more about.
    I think anyone interested in "Old Hollywood" or unsolved mysteries would enjoy this book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 EDT 2014

    Brilliantly, thoroughly researched. Captivating weave of histori

    Brilliantly, thoroughly researched. Captivating weave of historical facts with personal stories. This expertly crafted biography is both mesmerizing and haunting. Every plane crash resulting in lost lives is a tragedy, but Matzen delivers the facts in a way that draws the reader in, not just to the famous life lost, but to the others on that plane. While we know the flight's tragic path, the epilogue reminds us of those whose lives were spared, and reminds us of the risks of the early days of air travel and the randomness of accidents.

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