by Tom Castaldi
Jane Alice
Peters became one of America’s
favorite movie stars in the 1930s as Carole Lombard. She was born in Fort Wayne in 1908 and spent the first six
years of her life in the shingle-style house on Rockhill Street (built in ca. 1905). Her grandfather was John Clouse Peters, one of
the founders of the Horton Washing Machine Company, and her mother, “Bess”
Knight, was a vivacious and strong actress descended from “Gentleman Jim”
Chaney, an associate of the notorious robber baron of the 1880s, Jay Gould.
Jane
Alice fondly remembered her young days in Fort
Wayne, attending the Washington Elementary
School a few blocks to the south and playing
rough games with her brothers, “Fritz” and “Tootie.” She remembered most
vividly, however, the great Flood of 1913 when, under the direction of her
mother, Bess, her house became a rescue center for flood victims, among other
reasons, because the family had one of the only telephones in the area. Jane
Alice remembered helping her mother collect supplies, run errands, and help
care for those displaced by the rising waters.
Jane Alice and
her mother left Fort Wayne
in 1914, eventually settling in Hollywood.
At age 12, she made her film debut and
by 1924 was a glamorous actress for Fox Studios.
She changed her name to Carole Lombard, in
recollection of an old family friend, Harry Lombard, a one-legged relative from
Fort Wayne
living in California.
Her dynamic Hollywood
career was highlighted by roles in Mack Sennett films, steamy romances,
marriage to William Powell, exotic parties, outstanding comedy roles in major
movies opposite the best actors in the business, and, finally, marriage to
Clark Gable.
Carole Lombard died in a plane
crash on January 16, 1942,
while promoting a war bond drive soon after the beginning of World War II.
Side Bar--Older Historical Marker Text:
CAROLE LOMBARD
In this house on October 6, 1908 was born Jane Alice Peters, daughter of
Fredrick C. and Elizabeth Knight Peters. She took the professional name of
Carole Lombard and became one of the most important figures in the motion
picture industry.
Erected by the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, under the
direction of Mayor Harry W. Baals, January 1, 1938 on the occasion of her appearance in David
O. Selznick’s Technicolor production, “Nothing Sacred.”
From Fort Wayne Magazine, “Along the Heritage Trail
with Tom Castaldi” – May June 2004 No. 6,
p. 80
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