I know I was surprised when I first found this plaque a number of years ago. It didn't compute. Why here? Actually, there's been some question about whether the Clark Gable story is really true, but I looked up the answer on this web site, and they give some of their fascinating research. The building itself is a replacement for the Astoria Theatre that burned down in the big city fire of 1922; it's now a small one-story hospice connected with Columbia Memorial Hospital.The plaque, located at the corner of 12th Street and Exchange, reads:
CLARK GABLE
1901-1960
BEGAN HIS ACTING CAREER
IN THE SUMMER of 1922 AT THE
ASTORIA THEATRE
Located on this site, the building was
destroyed by fire in December, 1922
