MovieChat Forums > Nothing Sacred (1937) Discussion > Carole Lombard's scarred ankles Was this...

Carole Lombard's scarred ankles Was this a suicide attempt?


At 1hr 28mins there is a close up of Carole Lombard's ankles. If they are her ankles and not a stand-in why is there a VERY big scar across her ankles? Did she attempt suicide? This method of slicing the main arteries was known in Ancient Rome as being the most painless way to suicide in a warm bath. Why hasn't a Hollywood historian seen this scar and explained it?
I hope someone investigates this and/or can explain it to the fans
Yours
Magus

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I don't know what scene you are referring to, as the film only runs 1hr 17 minutes per IMDb. The Kino Classics print I saw on TCM ran about 1hr 14min. I looked closely at her ankles in three scenes where I knew it was Lombard - the one on the sailboat, the hotel room fight scene, and the one after she jumps in the river and is laying down amoungst boxes on the wharf. In all cases, I didn't see any scars, but either straps from her shoes or shadows from the rope along the gunwale of the boat.

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I think the scene you're referring to occurs at 1hr 10mins and is a close up of her tapping her feet and only showing her shins and bare feet. The 'scar' looks like a thin anklet to me. Kind of a less sexy version of what Barbara Stanwyck wore in Double Indemnity. And from the way the scene is shot, there's no way to tell if it's really Carole or a stand-in.

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It's an ankle bracelet, you see it glistening in final scene on the ship.
It's also visible on same ankle in some scenes from My Man Godfrey.

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