In the 30's French-born Claudette Colbert was the highest-paid movie actress. Her most famous role was opposite Clark Gable in It Happened One Night (1934), for which she won an Academy Award. That same year she also starred in Cecil B. DeMille's version of Cleopatra.
Continuing a very succesful decade throughout the forties, she made the switch to television and Broadway in the fifties.
An imagined imperfection made her insist the right side of her face was never filmed and disliked being filmed in colour because she believed she didn't photograph well in it.
She was the queen of screwball comedies, though she always maintained an air of elegance and didn't indulge in physical comedy. Her personal sense of style and fashion made her one of the most glamorous stars from the golden age of Hollywood.
Quotes:
"It matters more what's in a woman's face than what's on it."
"If I couldn't laugh, I'd rather die."
"I know what's best for me, after all I have been in the Claudette Colbert business longer than anybody."
with John Wayne
A scene from The Sign of the Cross (1932) as Poppea, enjoying a donkey milk bath:
Happy birthday, Miss Colbert!!
ReplyDeleteClaudette was such a classy, elegant woman. While I love "It Happened One Night," my fave of her films is "Imitation of Life." (I am a tearjerker/drama gal.)
Oh, I can't believe I didn't mention "Imitation of Life" - I meant to but then forgot! Thanks for the reminder, Patti! I think I do prefer the 1959 Douglas Sirk remake though - he was King of the tearjerker.
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