Robert Matzen is the author or co-author of 10 books. His latest is his debut historical novel, Season of the Gods (October 2023 from GoodKnight Books), which involves the only woman executive at Warner Bros., Story Editor Irene Lee, who at the end of 1941 finds an unproduced stage play and convinces the studio to buy it, then champions the property throughout the development process, serving as a de facto producer. She oversees scriptwriting and assists in casting, all the while battling headwinds from her male counterparts, including studio boss Jack Warner. The picture became Casablanca.
Previous Matzen works include his Hollywood in World War II trilogy: Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II (2019); Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe (2016), and Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 (2014). Dutch Girl provides the perspective of teenaged Audrey Hepburn as one of millions of civilians in the Netherlands who endured life under Nazi rule; Mission chronicles the air war over France and Germany as Jimmy Stewart lived it; and Fireball looks at the approach of the war as seen through the eyes of Carole Lombard in Hollywood, and examines the wartime elements that contributed to her death. Matzen has been described as “a master storyteller” and brings a highly visual, almost cinematic flavor to his narratives.
In 2021, during the pandemic, Matzen released his follow-up to Dutch Girl, entitled Warrior: Audrey Hepburn, a first-ever in-depth look at the humanitarian work of the late actress, written in cooperation with Audrey’s son Luca Dotti and many of Audrey’s closest friends and colleagues.
Matzen is also known for deep research into every subject. For Fireball he climbed Nevada’s Potosi Mountain to the Flight 3 crash site, which he documented in the introduction to the book. For Mission, he visited key sites in England, France, Holland, and Germany, and flew in B-17 and B-24 four-engine bombers like those Jimmy Stewart piloted in the war. Dutch Girl took Matzen to the Netherlands for research in Dutch archives and visits to all the sites important to Hepburn’s youth. Matzen explored former Nazi strongholds, explored the Arnhem battlefield, met many Dutch men and women who lived through the war with her, and worked with Hepburn’s son, Luca Dotti, who fact-checked the manuscript and provided information never before revealed about his mother.
Earlier in his career, Matzen worked as a filmmaker whose 2001 feature documentary When the Forest Ran Red aired on PBS and went on to earn six national awards, including a Muse Award from the American Association of Museums. When the Forest Ran Red has become the most respected documentary on young George Washington and his role in the Seven Years War in America. It was the experience of recreating colonial-era battles and shooting on location at Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, that inspired Matzen to take a more intimate approach to telling history. “I want you to feel the beating hearts of these people who once lived,” he said at the time.
For 10 years he worked as a communications specialist for NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. There he provided writing support and also used his experience as a filmmaker to write and direct a dozen films for NASA at facilities including Dryden Flight Research Center, Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center, and other NASA facilities around the nation. He calls working with and directing astronauts his “dream job.”
Matzen is a sought-after speaker who has appeared before audiences as large as 1,200. He is a veteran of national and international television appearances talking about various aspects of Hollywood history on outlets including MSNBC’s Morning Joe, FOX NEWS primetime, FOX BUSINESS, BBC News, and i24NEWS, and he has been requested for popular podcasts such as The Art of Manliness and Den of Geek as well as local, regional, national, and international radio outlets, including the BBC, Talk Radio Europe, and Radio Russia. He is a member of Biographers International and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife Mary and their cats Francois and Angelique.
Robert Matzen 
Best wishes for the new blog, Robert.
You’re off to a wonderful start with yourwonderful tribute to Shirley Temple. Im a big fan of Errol’s, so I especially look forward to your thoughts and observations regarding The Great Flynn. Having grown up on Merritt Island, with a father that worked on Redstone, Mercury, Geminii & Apollo, at the VAB, I would also love to see your work and musings regarding those glory days of the space program there.
Thanks, Robert.
P.S. Always loved that lyric aypu quote above from Mulholland Farm resident Ricky Nelson.
P.S.2 Just recently posted a photo of Alice Marble with Errol on the Errol Flynn Blog.
Well, Robert, having just devoured “Fireball,” I jumped into “Errol & Olivia” with relish. What a delightful book. Although at first I thought…oh, no…this book is HUGE, I’m now delighted that you went with the “coffee table” look. How else to capture those gorgeous photos of two beautiful people. I love your style, interlocking their lives and giving us such an informative time line. I learned so many new things about them, just as I did with Carole and Clark. Your research Is amazing…and the skill in which you take so much information and lay it out makes it such an interesting read. I loved it…
Tonight I start “Errol Flynn Slept Here.” Can’t wait!
Dear Robert, I think if you visit GWTW Showtimes Facebook and read the entries, you will see why there haven’t been GWTW events. It will answer all your questions. Thanks!
Thanks for the tip, Mark. I have liked the page so I can try to keep up on GWTW.
Love FIREBALL, know JIm Boone, too. However, you start off with an error that everyone from the Vegas Valley and who’s flown into Vegas knows. It’s MCCARRAN… not MCCARREN. It’s a jolt and bothered me each time I read it. You were so meticulous in your research and writing, this proofing error stands out..sorry.
You’re absolutely right, Mary. This was a biggie, the one people come back to. The misspelling had its origin in a couple of citations in the federal records from 1942, and I picked up on it, and it squeaked through–even though I have flown into and out of McCarran countless times. The error was corrected months ago in the Kindle and of course has been corrected in the trade paperback second edition out next spring. But thanks for loving Fireball despite its warts.
Greetings Robert and congratulations on a compelling, entertaining read. (Don’t mean to nitpick but there also appears to be a proofing error on page 318, 2nd paragraph, last sentence, regarding Fred Peters’ son: “…also named Fred, to fly on a airliners.”) That out of the way, I’ve wanted to make the climb to the crash site since learning about it several years ago. But I’m glad I didn’t before reading Fireball and acquiring a much deeper knowledge and appreciation of the people affected by the tragedy. Thank you and everyone who provided support for the book, well done. I plan to visit the site in April ’15 via the “traditional route” as described on Jim Boone’s website. I just need to experience and see it for myself.
Regards,
Rob
NYC
Yes, Rob, that proofing error was cleaned up months ago when the hardcover was converted for e-readers, but I really appreciate your care in passing the information along. You have picked one of two “perfect” times for a climb, April or October. Perfect in quotes because it won’t be an easy day, whatever the time of year. I have wanted to go up again and have plenty of motivation. My next opportunity will also be in April 2015. Maybe I’ll run into you up there.
In fact, my brother and I did a precursor hike last month via the traditional route. It took us 2 hours and we made it about 2/3 of the way before heading back down which took less than an hour. It’s easier and faster than the direct route but there are numerous steep sections that get the heart pumping (hard to believe utility workers drive vehicles on this road). We’d rather do the route you took but aren’t confident enough about finding the way, especially through the cliffs. Anyway, we’re excited about reaching the crash site and are preparing carefully for it. We don’t have a particular date yet but I’ll let you know when we do, we’d love for you to join us. My brother and I live for this type of adventure; we did a really cool hike in Blue John Canyon, Utah where Aron Ralston (127 Hours) was trapped. It’s otherworldly, so isolated and inhospitable but stunningly beautiful. Congratulations again on the success of Fireball and good luck with your upcoming projects, I’ll be “following” you!
Rob
(p.s., have you seen the youtube video of the crash scene…must’ve been shot by the CAB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8qk9k81XEQ)
Rob, the UCLA footage is raw newsreel stock–all the footage shot by one of the newsreel cameramen on the mountain. Logic would dictate that the body you see being pulled up the mountain so roughly is The Most Important Body. That’s what the cameraman was there to shoot: Carole Lombard. It’s not for him to judge whether the footage will be used or how it will be used. He’s just doing his job. At first we can’t even get a sense of what’s being dragged up on a rope by those men. Then it’s startling to realize it’s a partial human body wrapped in a blanket. I’m certain we are getting a revealing look at the remains of the movie star in the link you provided.
If I went again, I wouldn’t take the route I took–there were too many brushes with disaster going that way, on the way up and especially coming back down. My experienced guide had to stop and backtrack three or four times, kind of like going through a vertical maze. At some points it was a long way straight down. So when I go back to the site, it will be by “the traditional route.” We should keep in touch to see if it’s possible to team up next April.
I was startled by how roughly the remains were handled and I’m sure you’re right that it’s her in that blanket. But I understand what those men were up against and cannot imagine how tough and horrific the recovery was. Your description of the direct route is harrowing and I want no part of that. But despite all the difficulty, you must’ve gained a real sense of accomplishment. I look forward to the challenge and will stay in touch! (BTW, is her wedding ring still presumed to be up there somewhere?)
I have nothing but admiration for Lt. Hunt and his 20-man Army detail, the civilian volunteers, and the federal investigators on the mountain for three long days of investigation and body recovery. They did what they had to do. In two feet of snow. On a steep mountainside where there was no decent place to stand. In January.
Yes, thinking about it, there’s a feeling of accomplishment all right, and yet the mountain humbled me. A couple more wrong steps and I would have been in a bad way because those rocks don’t give an inch when you crash into them. I’m intrigued by the way you and your brother attempted to go in, which is I guess the way the bodies were brought out, roughly speaking. One consideration is the length of the days up there in April. We barely made it up and back in daylight and made the return drive down Ninety-Nine Mile Road after night had swallowed us. I figure there won’t be a minute to spare getting in and out on whatever day you go.
The wedding ring disappeared because it was on her left hand, which also disappeared. I have seen photos of a gold wedding band recovered on the mountain and I thought it was Carole’s. However, experts insist that hers was a narrow band and the one found at the site was a wide band. By process of elimination it may have belonged to Lois Mary Miller Hamilton, the young war bride and the only other married female on the plane. So in theory, Mrs. Gable’s wedding band is still up there someplace.
It’s good to remember that TWA tried to dynamite the crash site, unsuccessfully, but their work caused some disruption to the terrain. Treasure hunters have gone up there looking for 70 years but they’ve always been hampered by difficult access and the horrendous nature of the ground. Letting alone the emotional nature of the site, the practical fact is that it’s hard enough to maneuver up there in the rocks, cactus, Joshua trees, dead branches, and plane parts, let alone dig for artifacts. For many, the site is akin to a cemetery and shouldn’t be disturbed at all. Had it been locked away from day one I would agree, but given the encroachment of serious hikers, aviation buffs, Lombard fans, at least one author, and others, my position is: explore and investigate, but stay safe.
I appreciate your messages, Rob. They have reminded me of the climb, which is never far from my mind’s eye anyway.
Robert, I was describing to my wife how Carole Lombard took people under her wing and mentioned the story of Alice Marble. I was stunned when she reminded me that her mother tried to develop a film project based on Marble’s life; I’d completely forgotten. My mother-in-law, Christine H., was an athletic 18-year old when she contracted polio and lost the use of her legs in 1953 (her story is also remarkable). She grew to become a champion for women’s causes and Alice Marble’s story resonated deeply with her. Christine lived and worked in Studio City, CA and had friends in the entertainment industry. She acquired the rights to Marble’s autobiography, “Courting Danger”, in 2001 and presented the idea to various persons. My brother-in-law worked with her in the effort and tells me that Christine remained hopeful for the project until her death in 2012. My wife & I grew up in Studio City and relocated to NYC shortly before she passed away. Christine had a travel agency on Ventura Blvd. where I worked for many years. I’ve driven past Petit Ave. in Encino a thousand times and know exactly where the ranch was. I’ve flown in and out of Burbank (Bob Hope) Airport many times. Though I wasn’t yet born, it’s haunting to imagine Clark Gable driving along Ventura Bl. en route to Lockheed Air Terminal to meet his wife who would not arrive. These connections make “Fireball” all the more fascinating and meaningful for me. When you’re in NYC I’d love to meet you and hear about your Potosi hike. And I’m looking forward to your book on the Mighty Eighth as I’m also an avid WWII history buff.
Have to correct you on your Clark Gable blog. The King of Hollywood passed in 1959, not as you wrote, 1951. If that were true, The Misfits with Marilyn Monroe would never have been made!
Marji, I have no idea on what blog you saw a reference to Clark Gable dying in 1951. He died after more than a week in the hospital in November 1960 following completion of production on The Misfits.
I just read your piece about my grandmother, Madalynne Fields. I certainly inherited her body type. I am also 6ft tall and in the 250 weight range. If you have a digital copy of the interview with my father, I’d love a copy.
Thanks!
K. Lang
Hello K. Lang–
I don’t have a digital copy of the interview; to access the audiotape, you have to follow protocol with the Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. You contact Special Collections and specify that you would like to visit on such and such a day and listen to the Richard Lang interviews in the Lyn Tornabene collection. They will provide an audiocassette player and headphones. You may not make a copy; you can only take notes on paper or a laptop. As I remember it there are two audio interviews by Tornabene on the phone with your father, and what an interesting guy he seems to have been. He was a major influence on my book, Fireball, not just about your grandmother but also about Clark Gable.
In Fireball you write that Irene Dunne was miscast in My Favorite Wife. Wrong! Irene Dunne was one of the best movie actors of all time, especially in sophisticated comedy. Cary Grant stated that she had the best timing of all of the women he acted with. I doubt that any movie critic worth his/her salt would agree with your opinion about Dunne and My Favorite Wife. She was brilliant in that movie as she was in all of her movies of that genre.
Hi – I came to this page after coming across a book written by Nellie Meier, Lion’s Paws. You filled in some of the questions I had about her history. And then, of course, I spent time looking at all the other posts. Such an interesting and illuminating blog you’ve created!
Thanks for stopping by, jcrn, and for the kind words. Nellie Meier’s story is a fascinating one and I’m still not sure if Carole Lombard did or did not stop at Tuckaway in the last days of her life.
Dear Mr. Matzen: My ex-wife and I attempted to find the crash site in 1977, after hearing tales from Hughes Airwest WWII pilots I had flown with at the airline. They said you could occasionally see the sun reflecting off wreckage if the angle was right. We met a very old lady in Goodsprings who’s husband was on the recovery team. She had seen the fireball the night it happened. I’ve since retired from the airline but am currently working corporate flying and making occasional stops in LAS. I’ve become interested once again and was wondering if you would be interested in a recreation of the flight. I have access to a TWA DC-3 and am qualified to fly it as well. I believe the museam owning it would allow such a project and perhaps the mystery could be solved in present day conditions. If interested, please contact me. Thank you.
Bo, I am intrigued by your idea but wonder if you could control enough of the variables to make the simulation authentic and accurate. It would be quite a risk for a flyable vintage DC-3 to load it to 26,000 pounds and fly it after dark out of Nellis–if that’s even possible. Plus so much of the area has been developed, with light encroachment and light pollution,n that I’d worry about spillover light contaminating the test. And would it possible to replicate the atmospherics as described in the investigations, including two feet of snow atop Potosi. I was at the mountain on January 16, 2014 and there was no snow cover at all, so it wouldn’t be a given. All that said, the fact you have vast piloting experience, especially out of LAS, along with long-term interest, make me want to learn more about what you have in mind.
A recreation of this accident event, for the purposes of safety would probably be best accomplished in a flight simulator for a number of reasons. For one, the simulator can re-create the exact weather and night conditions of 1/16/1942. Locating a DC-3 full motion simulator is difficult, if not impossible to find, but a turboprop, such as a Beechcraft King-Air aircraft simulator could reflect the DC-3’s speed and performance.
Though, in this particular accident the simulator recreation, other than the flight flew an erroneous heading at night and hit an 8,500’ mountain, wouldn’t really answer the many human error questions that took place or why Williams and Gillette ignored TWA directives and decided not to fly the radio beam course of the Amber 2 Airway from Las Vegas. These questions, which ultimately resulted in the accident will never be answered in a flight recreation.
Dear Sir
Is the Lombard book available electronically?
Sincerely
Paul Dobie
Hi Paul, yes, Fireball is available as an ebook on all popular readers, and the electronic version of the Fireball trade paperback will be available on the release date of January 16, 2017.
Robert
I just finished reading “Fireball”–you did a great job bringing the story to life. I noticed a comment you made about wanting to create a book as engrossing as “The Cast of Killers.” I think you achieved your goal. I had the pleasure of reading that book many years ago and loved it. I think your book captured the same spirit. I felt a connection to the people and places you described. I also appreciated the time you spent bringing us closer to the other people on the plane.
One question—at the end of the book, you mention that Jill Winkler lost her home. Can you share some additional details about what happened to her in the years after the accident? The only thing I found on the Internet was that she sued Clark Gable’s estate unsuccessfully.
Thanks again for writing such an interesting book. BTW, I also have your book on Errol Flynn and Olivia deHaviland—also a wonderful book.
I can be reached at:
george_granger@att.net
Thanks!
George Granger
Thank you for liking Fireball, George. Any favorable comparison to Cast of Killers is music to my ears. As for poor Jill Winkler, she wasn’t the most stable person, it seems, and had a run of self-imposed bad luck later in life. She got hooked up with the wrong guy and lost all her money, but rebounded and married a man named Rath. After his death, I believe she went to Arizona and lived under the care of Nazoma Ball, who helped me tell Jill’s story.
No doubt Roberta, my spouse of several decades, will read this too – her dad, Robert Madsen (note similar spelling ), died during a training mission as navigator in a B-24.
https://www.goodknightbooks.com/
Her dad, Robert, (for whom she was named) http://www.aircraftwrecks.com/pages/idaho%20sites/B-24J.htm
The death toll on heavy bomber training missions in the west was heartbreaking. The Liberators in particular were such an unforgiving beast to fly that it’s no wonder so many guys never made it into the European fighting. I’m honored to meet 2nd Lt. Robert Madsen, although I wish it were under better circumstances. Thanks for sharing this, SARGuy, and I hope you and Roberta find Mission to be worthwhile.
Hello,
I so enjoyed your fascinating book, Fireball. As a lifeling Carole fan, it was a wealth of new information, especially about the TWA flight itself.
I was wondering if you’d be interested in reviewing my novel, Dreaming I Wake, on your blog. It features the spirits of Carole Lombard and Russ Columbo in a modern-day ghost story. I’d be happy to provide a hard copy for you to read, and we could also provide a signed copy for a giveaway if you like. Here’s the Amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Wake-Kim-Lombard-Robson/dp/1537043072
Thanks for your consideration.
Regards,
Kim Robson
me@kimkiminy.com
Loved the article on Jimmy Stewart in WSJ. I think we (US Public) give Hollywood way too much attention and credit. But this is history not hero worship.
Just finished Mission. On page 20 there is an error. Having died in 1898 Otto von Bismarck could not have appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor in 1933. Paul von Hindenburg did that.
You have a first edition of Mission! That’s a horrible error that made it through the entire editorial process and became immortalized to the publisher’s horror. Good eye, John.
Robert
Your comments on the B-24 echo what Ernest K. Gann wrote in his classic airline biography… ‘Fate is the Hunter’. See Wiki on it below here…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fate_Is_the_Hunter
He hated the B-24 as he felt it literally betrayed even the best of pilots and could never be trusted. As such it was despised by the Airline Pilots who had to ferry them overseas… including Earnst Gann. Its easily the best book ever written on aviation – and IMO, possibly the best biography ever written by anyone on any subject.
Robert
Your comments on the B-24 echo what Ernest K. Gann wrote in his classic airline biography… ‘Fate is the Hunter’. See Wiki on it below here…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fate_Is_the_Hunter
He hated the B-24 as he felt it literally betrayed even the best of pilots and could never be trusted. As such it was despised by the Airline Pilots who had to ferry them overseas… including Earnst Gann. Its easily the best book ever written on aviation – and IMO, possibly the best biography ever written by anyone on any subject.
Regards
Robert McCoy
Robert, I’m thrilled for your Mission book. I spent many days with the late Emmett Watson as a child. He often told me stories of his missions, life in the 445th BG/703rd BS, his crash landing in the B-24H Kelly, and of Jimmy Stewart, the man and commander.
Craig, every time one of the pilots in the 703 referred to Watson, it was always to “Emmett O. Watson.” Always included the O as part of his name. I got a areibf feeling he was quite a character. Did you happen to ever record his war stories?
Hi,
I don’t know what to make of the allegations of that Clark Gable raped Loretta Young during the filming of “Call of the Wild”. Linda Lewis, daughter-in-law to Young, claims that Young admitted to her that she was sexually assaulted by Gable and it was not a romantic affair. We only really have her say and she expects the world to believe her. She is very adamant about what Young told her.
Are we supposed to just believe her and accept that Gable is a monster? He is not alive to defend himself.
I really would like to know what Lewis’s real agenda is. To smear Gable’s reputation and have people who are fans turn away from him?
It would be nice if you did a book about Gable’s and Young’s supposed affair and counteract with the allegations that have been made against Gable.
Wonderwriter, I’m as sure as I can be that no “assault” took place on the Call of the Wild location shoot. Loretta Young was known around Hollywood as an ardent heterosexual and had made her reputation on a number of very racy pre-Code pictures. In other words, she knew her way around. Gable was usually the one receiving the assaults due to his status even by 1935 as the hottest sex symbol in American cinema. William A. Wellman, director of Call of the Wild, characterized what went on between Gable and Young on location as “monkey business” and 100-percent consensual.
As for writing a book about it, there’s nothing there. Nothing to expose. Anyone who wants to know about the real Gable should read Long Live the King by Lyn Tornabene. I used some of Tornabene’s extensive research on Gable, including audiocassette interviews with Loretta Young and others, in the writing of Fireball.
Dear Mr. Matzen – I just read Mission about Jimmy Stewart and I think it is a marvelous book for guys like me, who as a 20-year-old kid flew an RB-50 as a Navigator in 1955-58. I flew with a lot of the WW-2 types who were in the B-17s and B-24s. Mission puts me back in the sky, again. Unfortunately, I had no college degree, and got off active duty to get a couple of degrees in Electrical Engineering, under the Korean G.I. Bill. But, then, In 1962, i got to go to NASA-Houston and train astronauts in the radio they would be using at the Moon. I also got up to NASA Hq. in D.C. occasionally, where i saw you also spent some time. Now, 50 years later, I’m a long retired college professor, and spend a lot of time reading, really good books. And, yours ranks to be on the top of the heap. Thanks for doing it. – John P.
Wow, Professor, thank you. I sweated this one because I knew it would be getting very close scrutiny from fliers and military buffs alike, and the details had to be right. So far, so good. I did a fair amount of work at JSC roughly 45 years after you were there, long after the glory days. What a career you had!
Robert – Well, at the time I was having the career at NASA in the early 60’s, it never occurred to me that we were making history. It was working with a lot of guys who were ex-military, including the pilots, and trying to figure out how to go to the Moon, and come back alive. As an ex-USAF aviator, I had some intuition about the coming back alive part. Only in old age did I start to examine what I did over my professional life and decide it was time well spent. – John P.
Mr. Matzen,
I truely enjoyed reading MISSION. I was very interested to learn more detail of the war over Europe, and since my son in law’s grandfather is/was Leutenant General Robert Terrill. He was a Colonel during his service in England during the war. He served at East Anglin and Mr. Stewart was under him. They became good friends.
I felt I must contact you to let you know that I believe your comment on page 356 epilogue regarding Colonel Terrill is referencing the wrong Robt. Terrill. Scott’s grandfather died in 1992. He served inEurope with James Stewart. His daughter Lynn taught Mr. Stewart to water ski after the war when she was a kid, I recall she said the family was stationed in Florida at the time. But both Mrs. Terrill, the Colonel’s wife and daughter Lynn are no longer living to verify this. Lynn passed away two years ago, and was always so proud to find her dad referenced in different articles. She would have been so tickled to read this account.
Your book is an excellent piece of work, right up until literally, the last paragraph of the book. I looked up both men on the internet, and the General seems to fit the stories told by his daughter Lynn.
Again, thank you for this book. I will give a copy to my grandchildren who are also Colonel Robt. Terrill’s great grandchildren. I’ll just have to explain the last paragraph.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Louie Williams
just finished”Mission” Did you live in California, Pa.?
I did live there a very long time ago, yes. How did you know this little tidbit?
Hi Robert. Really enjoyed reading Mission, and naturally led me to Fireball. This had pretty much everything that I like to read about. History, airplanes, biographies, and a little sex thrown in. Both books were very well written and showed a tremendous amount of research. My small complaint is that when you refer to Alice Getz flying from O’Hare to LaGuardia, that is not correct. Orchard Field was built in 1942, and was renamed O’Hare in 1942, for “Butch” O’Hare. Commercial flights didn’t start until 1955.
You got me, Don. Fantastic correction and much appreciated. I will pass this on to the publisher and face the rapped knuckles.
It’s ok. I only know this because I grew up near O’hare, have been flying for 40+ years, and my dad flew DC-3’s.
Correction: Orchard was renamed O’Hare in 1949.
Hi – I am in the middle of reading “Fireball;” it is excellent. I’m curious about something (and apologies if you address this later in the book and I just haven’t gotten there yet!) – why do you think Lana Turner denied the affair with Gable in her memoirs? She fessed up to so many other nefarious things…why not this? and why deny it rather than be silent if, for instance, she was honoring some sworn promise to Gable never to admit to it? I believe they were having an affair but so many Gable die hard fans use this denial/omission of hers to defend him that it has me curious as she does not seem one to keep her mouth shut about salacious information.
Mary, I apologize for the lateness of my reply. I was out of the country researching my next book. You ask a difficult question, and I can only state what I’ve learned in extensive research. Lana liked men and rarely said no. She probably believed that her legacy would suffer if her public know about this tendency to bed-hop. The issue with Gable was particularly sensitive because of the outcome and Lana’s later statement to a friend about Lombard, basically, hey, I didn’t make her get on that plane, pretty much sums up her position on the matter. She didn’t see a cause-and-effect relationship between what she did with Gable and how Carole responded.
In Turner’s defense, she was all of 21 at the time–sexually mature but not emotionally so. She changed a great deal over the decades and I can understand it if she didn’t want to take responsibility for how she had behaved as a relative child in Hollywood.
Thank you for the reply (and thoughts on this).
So wow – I just finished “Fireball” and am still “not over it.” Thank you so much for writing this book. It was absolutely fascinating…and the most fascinating thing to ME is the question of WHY this story is so compelling (and it absolutely, positively is). The amount of angst and stress I felt reading it – having absolutely no personal knowledge of the individuals involved AND with full knowledge of pretty much how it all ended…was remarkable.
When I consider Lana’s retort (‘I didn’t make her get on that plane’), I find that I have to reluctantly somewhat agree. Gable didn’t make her get on it either. How is it possible that this smart, savvy, successful, confidant and seemingly universally loved woman was somehow reduced to changing her interests, going cross country in desperate pursuit of pregnancy, lurking around Hollywood sound stages to monitor her husband’s behavior and accepting a pattern of one sided adultery in her marriage? How did she get to a point where she was so desperate to hang onto a man that she was a wreck over an 8 day separation and the fact that he wasn’t answering the phone….to the point of defying solemn promises made to her traveling companions, ignoring military air travel demands during war time and throwing a celebrity fit in order to get her way? It’s maddening! I understand that he was “the king” and all…but she was not exactly chopped liver and absolutely nothing in her background would lead one to believe that she would not only put up with this kind of situation but literally kill herself and 2 others in her single minded desperation to retain it. I’m guessing that this wealthy high society party girl/hugely successful actress was not previously terribly interested in hunting/camping. Her prior relationships, marital opinions and career plans did not seem to have a lot of focus on motherhood. She seems to have been trying to become what she thought he wanted from the start – then obsessed with having a baby (really good idea with a straying husband) as a further means to hold him. You just want to reach through the pages and shake her — HE IS NOT WORTH IT!!!
An irony too I think is that if she hadn’t died like this, my guess would be eventual divorce when she had finally had enough. He certainly was not going to stop his behavior as her prior entreaties had not worked…it was just a matter of time before she either became too humiliated/fed up to take it any more…or he got someone pregnant (again) or found some other 20 something actress to replace his (in Hollywood) “aging” 30 something wife. I don’t think absent this tragedy the “Gable and Lombard” legendary love story would have endured.
I did not quite come away with much admiration for Gable. I felt for him and was mesmerized by the details of his attempt to climb up, time in Las Vegas waiting for the outcome/bodies and life after…but at the end of the day I couldn’t help but think that karma had kind of gotten him (with the incredibly unfortunate corresponding outcome for Winkler and Petey too). His treatment of his first wife – the ugly reality of his second marriage – the complete abdication of human/moral responsibility for Judy Lewis and of course his cavalier and hurtful behavior while with Lombard — all too much for me to erase via a few kind deeds later on.
As you so correctly pointed out, SO many people died in WW2…WHY does this one plane crash seem so compelling?! It is positively haunting to me and I’m not exactly sure why. The passage of 75 years….the fading photos of a long ago movie star who many/most today have never have even heard of….the lingering debris (including that wedding ring) still resting undisturbed on that mountain….the LONG list of reasons why this never had to happen and the various opportunities that would have changed everything are gut wrenching. I can certainly understand why Gable never recovered.
Thank you for an outstanding read. I never knew all the details…now I do and will never forget them.
I liked your article on Pete Duel. I was born after 1971 but found out about him through appearances on Gidget and Alias Smith and Jones.
Hi Robert,
I was wondering if the book ‘Errol Flynn slept here.’ is still available. Maybe you have an edition that I can buy or know any webshop? I really want to read for my interest in Flynn.
Thank you for the reply, kind regards
Stan
Hi Robert, I am very excited to read your new book about Audrey Hepburn. She was a friend of my Mothers family in Holland, here is a picture and Audrey Hepburn is the Girl on the Far left holding my Aunt, Tante Lies with the bow in her hair. I have tried to post the picture but it does not go. Do you have an email and I can send it to you.
Melinda
Dear Mr Matzen. I have spent the last 24 hours trying to find an interview that Olivia de Havilland did recounting the time when she watched “They died with their boots on” in Paris. She said it was too sad that she had to leave the movie before it was over. I was overjoyed when I found your blog as Olivia de Havilland is an icon to me, but I couldn’t find anything about that incident here. Do you have any idea of where I can get a hold of this interview?
Heidi, I remember the quote you’re talking about, but can’t put my finger on which interview captured it. I dug out the best OdeH interview–AFI from 1973–and it wasn’t in there. There were some detailed interviews done with her seven or eight years ago and I bet that’s where you’d find it. I looked through Errol & Olivia to see if I’d put the quote in the narrative, but I didn’t. I’d have to dig through my research archive to track it down and that’s not possible for a while. But if you remind me after things quiet down, I’ll do that. Anything for a reader of the blog.
Enjoyed reading Matzen’s “Dutch Girl – Audrey Hepburn and WWII.” My admiration for her film career and later humanitarian efforts are better informed by her family’s struggles during wartime in Arnhem, The Netherlands. Mr. Matzen avoided falling into the trap of featuring her celebrity and instead focused on historical events that helped shape her life and inner strength. The anecdote of how Otto Frank pleaded with Audrey to play the role of his daughter, Anne, was touching. She identified too closely with the teen who lost her life to the Nazis just months shy of War’s end. Thanks for a fine biography of Ms Hepburn.
I enjoyed reading “Fireball”. I appreciate that you wrote it in alternating chapters about the crash and Lombard’s life and career. I hope young readers will read it and want to see her films.
Just finished “Mission” and was shocked to see that six of the missions coincided with my Bombardier Dad’s missions as written on a dollar bill we found after he died. He completed his 25th mission the same mission as Jimmie’s 10th mission–Furth, Ger. He and crew had to bail out, and the pilot /co-pilot crash landed their plane on a different base. He landed on English soil in a mine field! Your book was so descriptive and illuminating–buying copies for the family. Thanks!
I love to hear stories like this, Lynnette. Thank you for letting me know about your special connection to Jim and Mission. What is your father’s name? I’m wondering if it rings a bell.
First Lieutenant Leonard C Morris # 0-738653. From citation of another Oak Leaf Cluster for mission on Feb 24th, 1944 (the 2nd Gotha mission) and one before his 25th mission as lead Bombardier. Plane was called “The Impatient Virgin” (really) He and step-Mom also went back to England and took a taxi “about 20 miles” from Norwich–found the Flying Eight Ball insignia painted inside a big barn! His dollar bill that listed each date and mission had “Short Snorter Morris” written on the other side. Ever hear of that? A nickname meaning…..? Your book brought these missions to life–sent a copy to my step-brother.
I’m sure their cab ride was eventful given the width of the roads from Norwich to Tibenham. Lt. Morris’s name doesn’t ring a bell but then it’s been several years since I dug into the mission reports. It’s an incredible achievement to live through 25 missions, especially at that point in the war. Gotha…jeez. A short snorter was a U.S. dollar bill on which everyone on a crew wrote his name along with a list of the missions. They were cherished keepsakes after the war. Thanks for sharing, Lynnette.
Thanks for letting us know what a “Short Snorter” happened to be. We did not know it was a “thing” and thought, given my “Red Skeltonish” Dad, that it was a nickname! There are so many stories from WW II! Your book will certainly help some of them from being lost.
I’m a writer and producer in Regina, Canada, and I just came across your Jimmy Stewart book. I’m a student of the air war over Europe amd the proud nephew of a fellow named Jack Scarfe, who literally had the most dangerous job in the Canadian armed forces in World War II — he was a tail gunner on an RCAF Lancaster bomber, Je was fortunate enough to have survived a full combat tour of 35 missions. And he had a Jimmy Stewart story. One of his best friends was a sergeant pilot commanding Lancaster (unlike the Americans, all of whose bomber pilots had officer rank, the Brits and the Canadians had many NCOs leading crews in the air war). After one particularly harrowing mission late in the war, during which his Lanc was shot to pieces, this guy managed to nurse his plane back across the Channel, just. But to save himself and his crew he needed to set his plane down as soon as possible. And the first airfield he saw belonged to the USAAF. He nursed his plane down to the field and although it was a crash landing, it was a brilliant one, Not a man aboard was injured. Once the dust had settled, a USAAF officer came up to him said he was wanted at the base commander’s officer right away. In the RCAF a summons to the C.O.’s office was rarely a good thing, but off he went. He soon found himself standing at attention — in front of Col. Jimmy Stewart. Stewart says,”That was a terrific landing…Hey! You’re a sergeant! How does sergeant end up commanding a four engine bomber?” “That’s just how we do it in our Air Force, sir,” was the reply. After some more compliments about his courage and skill, Stewart dismissed the Canadian. Later that day, back at his own base and preparing to unwind at the local pub, the sergeant pilot gets a message from one of his colleagues: “Hey, the C.O. wants you In his office right away!” More bad news! A few minutes later, standing at attention in front of his own commander he is told, “I’ve just been told by Col. Stewart about the tremendous job you did landing your Lanc and saving your crew. He recommends I promote you. I agree. Effectively immediately you’re a Flight Lieutenant.”
Another great, personal story to relate! Well told!
I read Fireball and I was so moved. It is a wonderful book.
Thank you for the compliment, Veronica, and for taking time to let me know.
Please note the following error in Mission. On page 20 you write that Otto von Bismarck appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor in 1933. Having died in 1898 that would have been impossible. President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor paving the way for Hitler to become dictator.
Dutch Girl. Page 19. From Nuremberg Ella traveled north to Munich… According to Wikipedia Nuremberg lies about 170 kilometers north or 110 miles north of Munich. Ella would have had to travel south, not north, from Nuremberg to reach Munich. Agree?
My father served in the Army air corps and Jimmy Stewart was in his ?group-stateside. He had such nice things to say about him. When Jimmy was to receive an award he wouldn’t accept it unless the entire ?squadron received it. My dad talked about how his bed was short sheeted and Jimmy said, “If you’d have given me a few more inches I’d have been fine”. When I’m fact he was too long for the beds.
I read Dutch Girl and suggested it for our book group. It was well received! I will read the Jimmy Stewart book next.
Thank you, Dee. As for Stewart, yes, he was by the book with his men in all regards. Truly a rare specimen.
On page 240 of Dutch girl you say the v2 was justified by the mass killings of German civilians etc I think you have to be careful saying things like this. I asked a friend of my family who lived through the war and he replied, “that’s what they did to us, they voted for him, and they started it.” Essentially, they brought it on themselves. There was no justification for any if what the Nazis did.
That paragraph was written from the German point of view. A lot of both Mission and Dutch Girl were written from the German point of view to increase an understanding of the decisions that were made and the effects of those decisions. I try to present history without editorializing. If I were to speak editorially, I would say, of course the Germans weren’t justified in anything they did.
It still sounds bad though
I do see your point, John, and I appreciate the fact you are reading Dutch Girl. So thank you for both reading the book and raising the issue.
Have you thought of turning it into a screenplay. It would work as a film.
Actually, John, I don’t think I’m allowed to say much more than, yes. So, yes, it’s in development by greater minds than mine, but the current strike has ground everything to a halt.
great! look forward to it. I never knew she went through all that.