Robert Matzen Examines the Life and Perplexing Death of Actress Carole Lombard in Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, October 5, 2014, one day prior to the 104^th birthday of Hollywood comedy actress Carole Lombard, biographer Robert Matzen will appear at the Fort Wayne History Center to discuss Lombard's Fort Wayne roots, the influence of the city on her life, and the events leading up to the plane crash that took her life. His 2014 book, published by Pittsburgh-based GoodKnight Books, is Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3. Fireball has been recommended by the Smithsonian for its examination of Lombard's life as Hollywood's "Queen of Screwball" and the circumstances surrounding the mysterious crash of TWA Flight 3 near Las Vegas on the evening of January 16, 1942. The Fort Wayne History Center, located at 302 East Berry Street, is featuring Matzen to kick off its new season of the George R. Mather Lecture Series.

Five weeks after Pearl Harbor, Carole Lombard was traveling on behalf of the U.S. government after selling $2M in war bonds in Indianapolis. The native-born Hoosier was eager to rush home because her husband, actor Clark Gable, was having an affair with actress Lana Turner. Against government orders, Lombard boarded a DC-3, which then crashed. Also killed were Carole's mother, Elizabeth Peters, a Fort Wayne native, and Clark Gable's publicist at MGM, along with 19 others.

Based on 2,000 pages of government records, the gripping page-turner Fireball includes the following facts:

• Carole Lombard was a highly influential actress in Hollywood with one of the most unique personalities of the 20^th century.
• Lombard's Fort Wayne roots and Midwestern sensibilities helped to make her a shrewd businesswoman and generous, down-to-earth friend.
• All 19 passengers on TWA Flight 3 were traveling on official government business related to the war.
• The reason for the crash was never uncovered, but Fireball solves the mystery.
• Wreckage from the crash still covers the inaccessible Nevada mountainside.
• Lombard's fate was decided on the flip of a coin.
• Lombard's death greatly changed Gable. Says Matzen, "Ironically, she would have loved the guy he became after she died."

The October 5 event runs from 2 to 4 P.M. and features a lecture by the author, video presentations, a display of Lombard-owned items, and Q&A. Tours of the 704 Rockhill Street house in which she was born will also be conducted that day.

Robert Matzen spent 10 years with NASA and is the author of six books. He has been interviewed about Fireball on national radio and regional radio and television, and Fireball has been featured on PBS. Matzen's work as an award-winning director and screenwriter lends authenticity to his discussions of classic Hollywood.

Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook editions at Amazon.com. For more information, visit www.goodknightbooks.com.
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SOURCE Robert Matzen