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.
