Cadiz, Ohio, 1901. William Clark Gable is born into a modest family. His mother dies when he is only ten months old, his father is an oil field worker. A difficult childhood in the heart of rural America that would forge his character: tough, practical, determined.

“God Save the King”—because until the day of his death, Gable remained for audiences worldwide the “King of Hollywood.” A title earned in the field, not inherited. His image on screen—a man of action, practical, gruff yet gallant, admired by men and idealized by women—remains one of the greatest and most unforgettable to have come out of the studio system, the star-making industry of Hollywood.

The climb to success was long and grueling: laborer, lumberjack, tie salesman, theater extra. Then Hollywood discovers him. Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” (1934) earns him the Oscar and consecrates him a star. The scene in which he removes his shirt revealing his bare chest caused undershirt sales to plummet across America—the power of the King.

But it is “Gone with the Wind” (1939) that transforms him into immortal legend. Rhett Butler, the cynical and romantic adventurer, his definitive role. The final line—”Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”—becomes iconic. Eight Oscar nominations for the film, the greatest commercial success in cinema history until then.

This documentary was made possible thanks to the invaluable assistance of John Clark Gable, son of the actor’s last marriage, born four months after his death. We hear John, then thirty years old, remember the father he never knew. And artists such as Robert Wise, Mervyn LeRoy, Robert Schiffer, Melville Shavelson, Eli Wallach, Susan Strasberg, and Frank Capra retrace for the very first time their encounters with Gable.

His private life was marked by tragedies: five marriages, the tormented love with Carole Lombard, who died in a plane crash in 1942 while raising funds for the war effort. Gable enlisted in the Air Force, flew real combat missions over Germany, returned decorated but broken.

John Huston’s “The Misfits” (1961) was his last film, alongside Marilyn Monroe—herself also nearing the end. Clark Gable died of a heart attack a few days after the end of filming, at 59 years old. He never saw his son John born.

The King is dead. But his reign continues.