Clark Gable and his Cream Colored Duesenberg SJ

Being somewhat of a Harlow historian, I have never found a record of her owning the car or any other Auburn or Cord. She certainly did not buy it for Paul Bern. Their tragicallly short marriage (July-September 1932) lasted only two months before he was either murdered by his former common law wife or he committed suicide (there is still debate on that). Some think he owned an L29, but there are no shots that I have seen of Jean with the car.

Jean loved cars, but owned and drove mainly Packards and Caddys. She also owned a 37 Dodge when she died. She had endorsement deal with the company. There are photos of Jean with a 32 boattail on this website, but the car was not owned by Harlow.

See CMHSDuesy above for more information on Paul Bern's (Jean's husband for two months) connection with ACD.

...beautiful it is, but it's not the "Harlow Speedster." That car--which was actually NEVER owned by the actress, although her husband, Paul Bern, did have an L-29 Phaeton among his effects at the time of his suicide--disappeared long ago.

However, the one at Al Wiseman's in Tarpon Springs IS a true-blue Walker-LaGrande Boattail and it is a sight to behold.

Is it not true that Jean Harlow bought her husband the Paris/New York L-29 boat tailed speedster??? I've seen this car as it is currently owned by a well known collector here in Tarpon Springs FL. I believe this car is shown in one of the major works on the ACD cars.

By the way, this car is the most beautiful L-29 I've ever seen.

I see what you are saying. Yes, under the original disc covers were drop center wires, although these would not be visible with the discs installed. The current wires on the car are earlier and are not drop center. They are also chromed, I believe the original drop centers are painted ... at least the one under the spare disc is.

solidaxle wrote:

West Peterson wrote:

solidaxle wrote: The car did not have wire wheels when Gable possessed it either!

I'll bet it did.

West,

The disc wheel cover that is currently on the SSJ's spare is what originally was on the car. Al has the remainder of the set but preferred wires to discs. He says the discs made the car look too "modern". The disc is on the spare because the wires on the car will not fit the spare tire carrier. They are too large of a size. Personally I like the discs better.

Karen,
The discs only cover the wires. From what you say, though, it sounds like Al has replaced the smaller-sized drop-center wire wheel rims and put on the earlier-version, larger-sized wire wheels (older-style split rims), but it has always had wire wheels on it.

West Peterson wrote:

solidaxle wrote: The car did not have wire wheels when Gable possessed it either!

I'll bet it did.

West,

The disc wheel cover that is currently on the SSJ's spare is what originally was on the car. Al has the remainder of the set but preferred wires to discs. He says the discs made the car look too "modern". The disc is on the spare because the wires on the car will not fit the spare tire carrier. They are too large of a size. Personally I like the discs better.

...and if you look closely, the wire wheel cover is still on the spare tire of the SSJ.

Ah, West, now I see what you mean.

CMHSDuesy wrote: I seem to recall seeing a photo of the car back in the 1940s in an old ACD NL and it had disc wheels at the time.

What you probably saw were the wire wheel covers as seen on
Clark Gables car at the top of this Post.

I seem to recall seeing a photo of the car back in the 1940s in an old ACD NL and it had disc wheels at the time.

solidaxle wrote: The car did not have wire wheels when Gable possessed it either!

I'll bet it did.

Yikes. Not exactly the first color that pops into your head when you think "sporty," is it? Although it would be interesting to see.

Also, Barbara Stanwyck owned a Cord 812 Supercharged Phaeton (still exists). Paul Whiteman, the famous bandleader, was a rabid ACD fan and had two Duesenbergs, at least one Cord, and I THINK an Auburn, too. (Both Duesies exist.) Comedian Ben Blue also had a Duesenberg. Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz) and Jimmy Cagney were both pictured with Duesies but there's some doubt as to whether they owned them or not.

Coffee brown.

What color scheme WAS the "Gable" SSJ originally?

I knew that the Harlow rumor was just that. In her brief life she was far too busy making films to travel. She was a car lover though and owned several cars during her life. Except for a Packard which has been restored, I wonder what happen to the rest of her cars.

Thanks for the update Josh, let's keep things coming.

You're right. Harlow never owned that Cord. After Paul Bern's (her husband) suicide, his effects included a "Cord touring car". That term was in vogue at the time, and they certainly would not have mistaken it for a speedster. The car is often pictured with "Harlow" in France, but that wasn't her --- in her brief 26 years she never left the US of A.

Johnny Weismuller (Tarzan) owned a Cord. Olson and Johnson had Auburns. The four Marx brothers each owned an L-29, and Al Jolson drove an 812. Sonja Henie had both an L-29 and an 810. Amelia Earhart's 810 is famous.

I'm sure others can add to this list.

Josh Malks wrote: Important to say it again, so the history is set straight. Clark Gable NEVER owned that short-wheelbase roadster, often called "SSJ". He asked a dealer to lend it to him, to keep up with his rival Gary Cooper who actually did own the other one. After six months the dealer wanted it back. Gable refused, and the dealer had to have it repossessed.

I did not know that story. How interesting. Josh, can you give us a run down of which major stars owned ACD products? I know Dick Powell has a Cord 810, and most of us know about the Tom Mix Cord, but I have always heard that Jean Harlow didn't really own the missing Cord that is now known as the Harlow Cord. Thanks to your post I have found out Gable didn't own the SSJ, yet it is obvious he owned another Duesenberg. So who did drive ACD products during Hollywood's Art Deco Era?

The car did not have wire wheels or this paint scheme when Gable possessed it either!

Important to say it again, so the history is set straight. Clark Gable NEVER owned that short-wheelbase roadster, often called "SSJ". He asked a dealer to lend it to him, to keep up with his rival Gary Cooper who actually did own the other one. After six months the dealer wanted it back. Gable refused, and the dealer had to have it repossessed.

SSJ

ckautollc.photosite.com/Detailin ... larkGable/

No wonder the women LOVE him look at the car's that he drove. What is the questions that a woman asks you on the first date. What do you do, what do you drive and so on. Well Clark had them going nuts after the first two questions and that was it. Actor, and I drive a DUESENBERG!! WOW only if I could have said that kind of thing to my wife when we dated.

These pictures are MGM publicity pictures.