Classic Hollywood Haunted: A Carole Lombard Ghost?
I love the trip across the Mojave Desert: the occasional Joshua tree, the weird roadside diners, the site of the Vegas Strip lighting up the horizon.
I have my list of things I love on and off the strip. The secret pizza joint at the Cosmopolitan, the pinball museum off the Vegas strip, and of course, the vintage machines on Fremont Street.
But I would advise true adventurers to take a little jaunt out to what some call...
Mt. Petosi. the site of the plane crash that took the lives of all on board, including actress Carole Lombard.
Carole lombard’s ghost
An avid Carole Lombard fan, I feel a certain reverence visiting Las Vegas’ Pioneer Saloon. If you are wondering why I feel such a veneration for Carole Lombard, it might help to read The Beautiful Ghost Story Behind I Love Lucy.
If you aren’t familiar with Carole Lombard’s life story already, the main thing you should know is that Classic Hollywood starlet (and comedienne extraordinaire) Carole Lombard died tragically in a plane crash on nearby Mt. Petosi. Her husband, King of Hollywood Clark Gable (aka Rhett Butler) was devastated.
They say the ghosts of Carole and Clark linger here. As the nearest watering hole to Mt. Petosi, It is, after all, where the reporters waited for news of any survivors from the nearby crash.
Many fan groups would say poppycock. They argue that the legend saying the cigar burns in the bar come from a distraught Gable is just that -- a story. They scoff at the "ghost hunting" overnight adventures, where one can spend the night in the Pioneer Inn alongside a psychic.
Still, there is something palpable here -- a feeling of loss and sadness pervade the place, in spite of the loud music and traveling dune buggies.
I took a video using poor selfie-technology in the middle of the wind-swept desert. So bear with me -- watch below to hear my two-cents on the Pioneer Saloon:
In a lively Facebook debate that occurred after I posted this, the vast majority of comments expressed their belief that Clark Gable was too upset to go anywhere near a crowded bar after the TWA crash. I can see their point.
Still, location means everything -- perhaps Gable wanted to be as close to Lombard as he could, and the Pioneer Inn was as close as he could get.