Glam Facts About Carole Lombard, The Profane Angel Of Old Hollywood
Fans knew Carole Lombard as the “screwball queen” and the “profane angel,”
but when she wasn’t providing the laughs on screen she was living the glamorous high life, engaging in behind-the-scenes scandals as racy as any of her contemporaries.
Sadly, a tragic accident took her far too soon—but even though she lived to just 33, her story is as jaw-dropping as it gets.
1. She Had A Stroke Of Luck
The woman we came to know as Carole Lombard was actually born Alice Jane Peters, to wealthy parents. Her mother took her to Los Angeles when she was just six years old—but this isn’t what you’d think. Lombard wasn’t a spoiled prima donna whose stage mom bought her way into Hollywood. She never intended to end up on the silver screen…so her entry into the film industry was pretty unconventional.
2. She Was “Discovered”
As a kid, Lombard was a total tomboy. She excelled at pretty much every sport that her school offered. In just one day, that talent changed the course of her whole life.
Lombard was playing baseball with friends when film director Allan Dwan noticed her. She was plucky, outgoing, and most importantly, she was kicking everyone’s butts on the field.
So, he gave Lombard her first film role at just 12 years old—but she wasn’t exactly an overnight success.
3. It Didn’t Work Out As She Planned
Lombard relished working on the set of Dwan’s 1921 film A Perfect Crime, and rode high off of her own unexpected success—but she was in for a heartbreaking disappointment. The film didn’t get very far. When she decided to use it as a springboard to audition for other parts, she found only more disappointment and rejection. For three years—quite a long time for a girl her age—she had no luck.
Then, just as she was about to give up, a brush with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars turned things around.
4. Everyone Wanted Her—But No One Would Sign Her
Charlie Chaplin was preparing to make his magnum opus, The Gold Rush, and had an entire team out in Hollywood scouting for co-stars. One of his men spotted Lombard and sent her for a screen test. Although she didn’t end up in the film, the screen test changed hands a number of times before landing at the Vitagraph Film Company. They compelled her to take the stage name Carole, but they didn’t offer her a film contract.
Still, all the hubbub surrounding her screen test meant that she was the talk of the town. Finally, film execs were taking note.
