Claudette Colbert

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Moraldo Rubini
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Claudette Colbert

Post by Moraldo Rubini »

For decades this woman has inspired me to fall in love over and over again. Time will pass and she'll remain on my list of favorites as I think of Palm Beach Story, Since You Went Away and the memory of an old favorite -- Tovarich (which has eluded me for a long time now). But then I'll rediscover my fervor for her as I did tonight at Palo Alto's Stanford Theatre, for their four-day revival of Midnight. She had a wonderful way with the biting and sophisticated lines of Brackett and Wilder. I love the tone of her voice when it sounds as if she's stifling something very amusing from deep within her throat. I always look forward to a scene where she dances, as then I can gaze at her beautiful hands set against the evening clothes of her partners (Don Ameche and Francis Lederer in this case).* This was a truly wonderful romp.

I saw her at the same theatre just a few months ago in Cleopatra. Even DeMille's pageantry and hokum couldn't overwhelm her charm.

I also love trying to sneak a peak at the elusive right side of her face. There was only one shot in Midnight that allowed this forbidden glimpse as she traversed a small bridge at the country home of Mary Astor's Helene Flammarion. The lense of the camera didn't break and her allure remained in tact.

La Colbert: you have my devotion.

__________

* Because of my fascination with her shapely hands, I noticed a discrepancy** in Midnight. She's wearing nail polish while dancing with Ameche, yet when she goes to bed soon after -- the polish is gone. When she awakens the next morning, she has a french manicure.

** And this reminds me of another oddity. Eve Peabody awakens to discover she has a car and chauffeur. She has him drive her to the milliner. Yet we can see from the view from the milliner's window that the shop is directly across the street from the Palais Garnier. This means that the hat shop is kitty-korner from the Ritz, where she's staying. The driver drove her across the street?!
patful

Post by patful »

I guess if you have a chauffeur, you musn't offend him by walking.

Marco, your eye for detail amazes me! I'm often ridiculed because I tend to notice small details and pick things apart, but you put me to shame.
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The dark side of the moon...

Post by benwhowell »

I agree, Marco. My favorites are "Cleopatra," "Imitation Of Life," "It Happened One Night" (all from 1934!,) "No Time For Love" and "The Egg And I" (great chemistry with Fred MacMurray,) "Midnight" and "The Palm Beach Story" (Although I can't imagine why she considered divorcing Joel McCrea. :wink: )
I'm hoping that TCM will show "I Cover The Waterfront." Haven't seen it. I would also love to see a DVD release of her last role-as Alice Grenville in the 1987 TV movie "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles."
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Post by feaito »

Claudette is one of my perennial favorites, especially in her wonderful comedies; even in lesser films like the drama "Thunder on the Hill" (which I saw the other day) her talent lifts the level of the production (especially since in this case, IMO, Ann Blyth wasn't at her best, because she overplayed her dramatic scenes).

"Midnight" is one of the all-time best, funniest comedies ever made and it's shame it's not on DVD (I had my Official VHS transferred to DVD-R, for preservation's sake :wink: ) It's also one of the classiest examples of Paramount's golden years, with a perfect cast. Really a top film by all standards.

Moraldo, I also watched "Tovarich" once and really fell in love with the movie. I wish I had taped it. I remember that it had a perfect balance of comedy and dramatic moments.

I must say that I'm also amazed by your attention to detail and your excellent memory. I wish I had that gift in relation to the appreciation of film.

Ben, "I Cover the Waterfront" is a good precoder and the PD DVD released by Alpha is pretty good and cheap. And I remember watching her on TV in "The Two Mrs. Glenvilles", in my long-gone University days and I recall that she stole the show from Ann-Margret and Stephen Collins.

And besides all the already mentioned films, Claudette is excellent in "The Smiling Lieutenant", "jazzing up her lingerie and Miriam Hopkins'" and in "Torch Singer". I also liked her very much in the highly enjoyable post war comedy "Without Reservations" opposite John Wayne. And she's superb opposite Jimmy Stewart in the wacky, screwballish "It's a Wonderful World!".

And although I prefer her in comedic roles, her dramatic talent is undeniable and such films as "Three Came Home", "Outpost in Malaya/The Planter's Wife", and even "Parrish", come to my mind.
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MissGoddess
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Post by MissGoddess »

I love Claudette in Midnight, Drums Along the Mohawk, Boom Town, Under Two Flags, The Palm Beach Story, Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, No Time for Love (when will TCM air this????) and her earlier work: Torch Song, The Smiling Lieutenant , Imitation of Life and, of course, It Happened One Night.

Of her dramas I like Three Came Back the best.
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

I'm a long time fan of Claudette Colbert. I enjoy many of the same movies each of you have mentioned.

I got to see her on stage once. She was in The Fisher King with Rex Harrison. Frankly, I couldn't tell you anything about the play because I was just in awe to see her in person. (I was impressed with Rex too.)

I'm not sure anyone mentioned Tovarich with Charles Boyer but she is fun there too.
Chris

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Post by pktrekgirl »

I love alot of Claudette Colbert films. My favorite would be IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. But one that I don't think has been mentioned yet is TOMORROW IS FOREVER. What a great film!
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Sue Sue Applegate
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Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

I loved her precodes like Torch Singer and The Smiling Lieutenant , and I'll never forget the first time I saw her in Cleopatra when I was six years old, and my family and I were staying at my grandparents' motel and we were up watching tv. It was late at night and my mom kept telling me how wonderful Claudette Colbert was, and she was right!

But that business about the asp at the end of the film still scares me...
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Moraldo Rubini
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All the world's a stage

Post by Moraldo Rubini »

movieman1957 wrote:I got to see her on stage once. She was in The Fisher King with Rex Harrison. Frankly, I couldn't tell you anything about the play because I was just in awe to see her in person. (I was impressed with Rex too.)
I too made sure to see Colbert and Harrison when they were touring in The Fisher King. I'd actually forgotten that that was the title, and I also remember nothing of the play itself. But I revelled in the voice. Mlle. Colbert -- though much older -- still sounded like the young lady I'd grown to love in the cinema; that rich, full-throated voice. And I can still picture in my mind the stage and the two of them working together. It was a thrill.
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Post by mrsl »

I was happy she went the Barbara Stanwyck way and continued to play mothers of grown people, and grandmothers. So many of the great stars didn't do this, and instead left the screen. To play a corporate mogul was fine, but there seemed to be a stigma to being a grandmother. I have to laugh at how vital the phrase 'Life begins at 40' used to be. 40 is barely teen age now.

Anne
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MikeBSG
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Post by MikeBSG »

I found it interesting while reading about Capra and Sturges that they both found Claudette Colbert very difficult to work with.

Still, it was worth the trouble. "It Happened One Night" deserves all the attention it got, and "Palm Beach Story" is wonderful. Her scenes with Rudy Vallee are terrific.

"Midnight" is another one of her best films. I like her when she has crashed the concert and gets invited to join the card game. She makes me believe all the coincidences in that film.
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Post by pktrekgirl »

^ Interesting. I haven't read much of anything about Claudette personally...but from all the comedy roles she was in, you'd think she'd be alot of fun to work with.

Guess it goes to show - you can't judge a book by it's cover.

Still, I do love her films. :)
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Post by sandykaypax »

Chris and Marco, your stories about seeing Colbert and Harrison in The Fisher King reminded me of something that I meant to post here months ago--

When playwright John Patrick was trying to cast his play Legends, he went to San Francisco to see Colbert where she was appearing with Harrison in a play (I don't remember if it was The Fisher King, but I'm assuming that it was). Apparently, Harrison had referred to Colbert as the "French dwarf" one day when he THOUGHT that Colbert wasn't around. Colbert, of course, had heard him and from then on only spoke in French during rehearsals! The director could speak French, Harrison could not. :lol:

Sandy K
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traceyk
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Post by traceyk »

Claudette is amazing. Several people have mentioned that wonderful, throaty voice of hers--I read a quote somewhere that said she always sounded as though it were midnight and someone's just opened the champagne.
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Post by nightwalker »

I'd also like to put in a mention of IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD, starring Claudette and James Stewart. She's hilarious in that. "I SWEAR BY MY EYES!"
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