6 Claudette Colbert Movies

Often imitated but never equaled, It Happened One Night pairs Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in what many consider to be the first screwball comedy. Gable is a reporter sniffing out a story, and Colbert is a runaway heiress trying to get to the man she loves. This witty Frank Capra Depression comedy was the first motion picture to win the "Grand Slam" of Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The role of Ellie Andrews was the role that brought Colbert an Oscar - and true stardom.

Playing the mother of young women (Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple) was a big decision for the 41-year-old Colbert, but it's one that garnered her an Oscar nomination, her third. This sentimental wartime film stars Colbert as an intelligent, capable woman raising her children while her husband is at war. Produced by David O. Selznick and directed by John Cromwell, this movie struck a chord with audiences separated from their loved ones during World War II. Joseph Cotten and Robert Walker also star.

In this zany comedy, Colbert sparkles as an American gold-digging chorus girl in Paris posing as "Baroness Czerny." Don Ameche is the romantic lead, Mary Astor is a nasty writer, and there's a hilarious performance by John Barrymore. Colbert plays this one to the hilt. Midnight is a terrific film with great dialogue and excellent direction by Mitchell Leisen.

This wartime salute to World War II nurses focuses on those stranded in the Philippines. Colbert plays Lt. Janet Davidson, who is in command of the nurses. Directed by Mark Sandrich, this movie was ahead of its time, unsparing in its depiction of the bombings, filth, malaria, starvation, and exhaustion these women endured. Colbert's courageous, caring nurse provides the film's backbone. Also starring Veronica Lake, Paulette Goddard, Barbara Britton, George Reeves, and Sonny Tufts.

Colbert plays the widowed Bea Pullman, who becomes a successful businesswoman with the help of her black friend Delilah (Louise Beavers). Each one's daughter becomes problematic as time goes on. Based on the Fanny Hurst novel, the film is somewhat different from the 1959 version. Unusual for its time, with Colbert playing a business owner, the film deals in part with the subject matter of a black woman (Fredi Washington) passing for white. Warren William and Rochelle Hudson also star.

Claudette Colbert plays Gerry, a knockout who knows it. To get money for her husband's invention, she decides to divorce him and marry a millionaire. Broke, but desperate to reach Palm Beach for a quickie divorce, Colbert accepts the invitation of the Ale and Quail Club to ride in their private train car. Unfortunately, the emphasis in this club on the ale and not the quail. This hilarious Preston Sturges comedy is a great vehicle for Colbert and also stars Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor