Yet this intimacy came with a price. [1] Her beauty drew attention in The Hole in the Wall (1929), but at first she did not like film acting. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? By now Claudette's name symbolized good movies and she, along with March, pulled crowds into the theaters with the acclaimed Tonight Is Ours (1933).The next year started a little on the slow side with the release of Four Frightened People (1934), where Claudette and her co-stars were at odds with the dreaded bubonic plague on board a ship. [42] This sometimes required movie sets to be redesigned. Did she always have first choice of roles at the studio, or did she have to fight with fellow Paramountie Carole Lombard for the cream-of-the-crop projects? Claudette Colbert was the top female Paramount star for nearly a decade, from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s. Pressman passed in February, 1968. Her remains were transported to New York City for cremation and funeral services. Claudette Colbert was born in 1903, maybe there is some confusion here about her birth year being two years early because it was publicized as 1905 for decades but Claudette herself confirmed it as 1903 in the 1980s. [65], Colbert made successful Broadway appearances in The Irregular Verb to Love (1963); in The Kingfisher (1978), with co-star Rex Harrison; and in Frederick Lonsdale's Aren't We All? After a series of strokes, Claudette divided her time between New York and Barbados. '"[16] By 1925 she was having success in the comedy A Kiss in a Taxi, which ran for 103 performances over a two-month period. [9], A requiem mass was later held at Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in Manhattan. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. [13] Her father, Georges, died in 1925, and her grandmother, Marie Loew, died in New York in 1930. In 1963, Colbert sold her Lloyd Wright-designed residence in Holmby Hills (West Los Angeles), and Dr. Pressman and she rented a small house in Beverly Hills. Claudette Colberts whole career was a surprise. Tabloids soon reignited the rumors that Colbert was having a Sapphic affair with Hull, even though both women vehemently denied their involvement. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Colbert the 12th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema. While many urged the teenaged Colbert to pursue a career on the stage, she had other ideas in mind. Did I get this right?? Now believed to be lost,[19] the film did not fare well at the box office. Very interesting article on Claudette Colbert. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. After attending a party with writer Anne Morrison, Colbert was offered a bit part in Morrison's play, [12] and appeared on the Broadway stage in a small role in The Wild Westcotts (1923). Lastly, links found in submitted comments will generally be deleted. And, on her way walking back past me after leaving the grocery store, she called out my name. However, Colbert was considered so distinctive and versatile that Paramount usually built vehicles expressly for her. She was 92. She was broken, yes. His career took off from there, turning him into a household name and injecting his biting-yet-joyful sense of humor into the mainstream. Ultimately, one must go by the available evidence (or lack thereof) and reach ones own as unbiased as possible conclusions. If you continue browsing, that means you've accepted our Terms of Use/use of cookies. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. But , for some reason, the limo was held up from leaving the theater. [44] Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) with Henry Fonda was her first color film, and one of the year's top-20 grossing pictures. Weeknights at 11:35/10:35c. Now, there werent any stories about, say, Ramon Novarro being gay until after his death. Colbert, however, could get her way without having to resort to displaying her ankle to helpless oncoming drivers. As Claudette grew up, she wanted nothing more than to play to Broadway audiences (in those days, any actress or actor worth their salt went for Broadway, not Hollywood). [34] Gary Cooper was terrified at the prospect of working with Colbert in his first comedy, Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938), considering Colbert an expert in the genre. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Now, that is what I call a true STAR! Paired with Clark Gable, the madcap comedy was a mega-hit all across the country. Later the same year she was paired with Jimmy Durante in The Phantom President (1932). [60] It was screened in the United States in 1957.[61]. The relocation to Manhattan (while her husband Dr. Joel Pressman remained in Los Angeles) suited her strong desire to participate in the chic New York social scene, and to enjoy life in the metropolis where she had grown up. In 1934, Colbert worked with Frank Capra again in the now classic It Happened One Night, playing spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews. When Colbert was an art student, she experienced a lucky twist of fate. It Happened One Night is now a classic; the disaster film somehow turned into a miracle. [12] During the filming of Tovarich (1937), director Anatole Litvak dismissed one of her favored cameramen. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Los Angeles-based film historian Jimmie Hicks was working on a Claudette Colbert biography in the 1990s, does anyone know if he is still pursuing that project or completed it? Youve raised a valid point, even though there have been stories about Claudette Colberts sexual orientation since at least the 1970s. [35] At the peak of her popularity in the late 1930s, she earned $150,000 per film. [38] Biographer A. Scott Berg wrote that Colbert "helped define femininity for her generation with her chic manner". She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for It Happened One Night (1934), and received two other Academy Award nominations during her career. But her moment was tainted from the very beginning. [43], Colbert learnt about lighting and cinematography, and refused to begin filming until she was satisfied that she would be shown to her best advantage. "[36], In 1949, Colbert was selected to play Margo Channing in All About Eve, because producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz felt that she best represented the style he envisioned for the part. My friend believes he has an Er Coupe Airplane that once was bought by Cladette for her husband Dr presman. It seems strange that she is no longer with us. Claudette herself loved the South and had many friends in New Orleans (she had her Barbados home built to resemble a New Orleans mansion) and was a big enough fan of the book GWTW to attend the films world premiere in Atlanta - the only major star there not involved with the production other than, of course, Mrs. Clark Gable, Carole Lombard. [3] Her leading roles were down-to-earth and diverse, highlighting her versatility. But (at least in her films) Colbert couldnt be one thing: phony. Her musical voice, a contralto that footnotes list as being coached by Bing Crosby, was also featured in Torch Singer (1933),[25] co-starring Ricardo Cortez and David Manners. While clearly smart, he was a terrible student, uninterested in studying or doing his homework. This was her first appearance on film in over twenty years. If only shed been born a few decades later, when stars having fashion lines became a totally common thing! She used her new-found time to return to acting, even taking an award-winning part in the 1987 miniseries The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. [Colbert went on to receive two other Academy Award nominations: In 1935 for Private Worlds and in 1944 for Since You Went Away.]. Colbert then took her man to see a hunky surgeon named Jack Pressman. [32], She achieved great success opposite Fred MacMurray in the comedy The Egg and I (1947), which was the year's second-highest grossing picture, and later acknowledged as the 12th-most profitable American film of the 1940s. Not necessarily a fun thing to do take after take, even if the end result is legendary. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Occupation: N/A. As she famously said about her word being final in matters concerning her professional activities: Ive been in the Claudette Colbert business a long time.. However, the next two films were real gems for this young actress. Colbert and husband Norman Fosters Seven Year Itch marriage ended predictablybut no less tragicallyin a bitter split. with a pre-Medical bachelors degree in Biology and Psychology; a Masters degre in English, and a PhD in English, with a concentration in Shakespeare, Milton, and Tragic Drama; and was a potential Olympic Swimming contender in the 1000 meter Freestyle event, working the summer at Fire island Pines as the head Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor. Advertisement Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. A Perfect Star. Apart from the fact that she was then in her early 50s, that the studios contract players were being let go, and that female moviegoers were staying home to watch. The overbearing and overprotective Jeanne doted on her famous daughter and coddled her well into adulthood. Which, to be fair, she probably would. She told an interviewer, "Audiences always sound like they're glad to see me, and I'm damned glad to see them. It fared well at the box-office, probably only because it was the kind of film that catered to women who enjoyed magazine fiction romantic stories. She made a brief return to the screen, opposite Troy Donahue in Parrish (1961). Director Cecil B. DeMille approached her and asked, How would you like to play the wickedest person in the world? Colbert replied Id love it. Yet shed soon regret those words. His main duty in their childless marriage was to be her social companion at industry/social events. You get awareness of other peoples loss, which allows you to connect with that other person, which allows you to love more deeply and to understand what its like to be a human being if its true that all humans suffer., .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}The Cocaine Bear Drug Smuggler Was a Real Person, Meet The Last of Us Creator Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Cast Guide: Actors and Characters, Biography: Jon Stewart (Community Heroes), Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Arzner. In the late 60s, Hull and Colberts scandalous friendship came to a sinister end. I was floating on air, and any subsequent time she passed me on one of her early morning walks, she never failed to call me by name to say good morning. Instead, Colbert chose to live with her domineering mother in Los Angeles. [34] Boom Town, released in August 1940, was the highest-grossing picture of the year in the United States. [1] In 1930, she starred opposite Maurice Chevalier in The Big Pond, which was filmed in both English and French. [62], In the show's 1960 episode "So Young the Savage Land", she played Beth Brayden, who becomes disillusioned with her rancher-husband Jim (John Dehner) when he turns to violence to protect their property.[63]. Bette Davis was cast, instead, and received an Oscar nomination for the film. I had watched Claudette Colberts movies on TV for years, and my parents and I loved her in everything we saw her in. He then gave it to me. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Growing up Catholic, Colbert found himself turning to religion in an effort to understand such a senseless, painful tragedy. [Right: Stephen Collins and Claudette Colbert in the 1987 TV movie The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, for which Colbert won a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination. She had used the name Claudette, instead of Lily, since high school; for her stage name, she added her maternal grandmother's maiden name, Colbert. In 1955 she filmed the western Texas Lady (1955) and wasn't seen on the screen again until Parrish (1961). However, her drawing power was fading somewhat as new stars replaced the older ones. In the grand Old Hollywood tradition, the two desperate actors got a quickie divorce in Mexico in 1935. In one of the best-remembered scenes of her film career, she bathes nude in a marble pool filled with asses' milk. Colbert's ability to "hold her man" (Maurice Chevalier again) surpassed "Queen" Miriam Hopkins, according to David Shipman. "Stars' Box-Office Ratings for Past Season Given: Survey Shows Sophisticates Slipping Fast. 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