# Claudette Colbert on stage, screen, radio and television

Claudette Colbert (1903–1996) was an American actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in It Happened One Night (1934). Born Émilie (aka Lily) Claudette Chauchoin, she had early passions for a career in fashion design. Although she is more generally remembered for her film work, Colbert's show business career began on stage, and theatrical work remained part of her professional life for six decades. It was her friend, Anne Morrison, an aspiring playwright, who nudged her towards the acting profession. She chose the professional name of Claudette Colbert, using a family name three generations removed on her father's side.
From 1923, Colbert began acting in small plays, she continued as a stage performer for six decades, appearing both on Broadway and in other venues around the United States. In 1985, she appeared with Rex Harrison in the Frederick Lonsdale play Aren't We All? at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway.
She made 65 films during her career. Colbert began picking up main parts in early movies, beginning silent film For the Love of Mike in 1927. Colbert was nominated twice more for an Academy Award − in 1935's Private Worlds and 1944's Since You Went Away − but won neither. Her final theatrical film was in 1961, as Troy Donahue's mother in Parrish.
Colbert made numerous appearances on radio, most notably in the Lux Radio Theater, and sporadically on other radio programs. Over the decades, she appeared on several television shows, with her final appearance being The Two Mrs. Grenvilles miniseries in 1985, in which she played the wealthy mother-in-law of Ann-Margret.
Colbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960.

## Stage

Broadway stage credits :
| Title | Date | Role | Notes |
| The Wild Westcotts | Dec 24, 1923 – Jan 1924 | Sybil Blake | 24 performances |
| A Kiss in a Taxi | Aug 25 – Oct 1925 | Ginette | 103 performances |
| The Ghost Train | Aug 25 – Oct 1926 | Peggy Murdock | 61 performances |
| The Pearl of Great Price | Nov 01 – 30, 1926 | Pilgrim | 32 performances |
| The Barker | Jan 18 – Jul 1927 | Lou | 221 performances |
| The Mulberry Bush | Oct 26 – Nov 1927 | Sylvia Bainbridge | 29 performances |
| La Gringa | Feb 1928 | Carlota D'Astradente | 13 performances |
| Within the Law | Mar 1928 | Agnes Lynch | 16 performances |
| Fast Life | Sep 26 – Oct 1928 | Patricia Mason | 21 performances |
| Tin Pan Alley | Nov 1 – Dec 1928 | Jill O'Dare | 69 performances |
| Dynamo | Feb 11 – Mar 1929 | Ada Fife | 50 performances |
| See Naples and Die | Sep 24 – Nov 1929 | Nanette Dodge Kosoff | 62 performances |
| Janus | Nov 24, 1955 – Jun 30, 1956 | Jessica (replacement) | Unknown |
| The Marriage-Go-Round | Oct 29, 1958 – Feb 13, 1960 | Content Lowell, Ph.D.,D.Litt.,M.F.A., Soc.Sc., Dean of Women, Mrs. Paul Delville | 431 performances |
| Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe | Jan 28, 1961 | Julia Ryan | |
| The Irregular Verb to Love | Sep 17 – Dec 28, 1963 | Hedda Rankin | 115 performances |
| The Kingfisher | Dec 6, 1978 – May 13, 1979 | Evelyn | 118 performances |
| A Talent for Murder | Oct 1 – Dec 6, 1981 | Anne Royce McClain | 77 performances |
| Aren't We All? | Apr 29 – Jul 21, 1985 | Lady Frinton | 93 performances |

### Other theater

* Island Fling (1951) in Westport, Connecticut
* Diplomatic Relations (1965) in Miami, Florida
* A Community of Two (1974) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

## Screen
### Feature length credits

Feature films :
| Title | Year | Role | Production company | Ref(s) |
| For the Love of Mike | 1927 | Mary | Robert Kane Productions | [3] [28] |
| The Hole in the Wall | 1929 | Jean Oliver | Paramount Pictures Famous Players–Lasky | |
| The Lady Lies | 1929 | Joyce Roamer | Paramount Pictures Famous Players–Lasky | |
| The Big Pond (aka La Grande Mare) | 1930 | Barbara Billings | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| Young Man of Manhattan | 1930 | Ann Vaughn | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| Manslaughter | 1930 | Lydia Thorne | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| Mysterious Mr. Parkes (aka L'Énigmatique Monsieur Parkes) | 1930 | Lucy Stavrin | Paramount Pictures | |
| Honor Among Lovers | 1931 | Julia Traynor | Paramount Publix Corp. Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| The Smiling Lieutenant | 1931 | Franzi | Paramount Publix Corp. Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| Secrets of a Secretary | 1931 | Helen Blake | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| His Woman | 1931 | Sally Clark | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| The Wiser Sex | 1932 | Margaret Hughes (aka Ruby Kennedy) | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| The Misleading Lady | 1932 | Helen Steele | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| The Man from Yesterday | 1932 | Sylvia Suffolk | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| The Phantom President | 1932 | Felicia Hammond | Paramount Publix Corp. | |
| The Sign of the Cross | 1932 | Empress Poppaea | Paramount Publix Corp. Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| Tonight Is Ours | 1933 | Princess/Queen Nadya | Paramount Productions Inc. | |
| I Cover the Waterfront | 1933 | Julie Kirk | Reliance Pictures, Inc. | |
| Three-Cornered Moon | 1933 | Elizabeth Rimplegar | Paramount Productions Inc. | |
| Torch Singer | 1933 | Sally Trent, aka Mimi Benton | Paramount Productions Inc. | |
| Four Frightened People | 1934 | Judy Jones | Paramount Pictures Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| It Happened One Night | 1934 | Ellie Andrews | Columbia Pictures | |
| Cleopatra | 1934 | Cleopatra | Paramount Pictures Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| Imitation of Life | 1934 | Beatrice 'Bea' Pullman | Universal Pictures | |
| The Gilded Lily | 1935 | Marilyn David | Paramount Pictures | |
| Private Worlds | 1935 | Dr. Jane Everest | Walter Wanger Productions | |
| She Married Her Boss | 1935 | Julia Scott | Columbia Pictures | |
| The Bride Comes Home | 1935 | Jeannette Desmereau | Paramount Pictures | |
| Under Two Flags | 1936 | Cigarette | 20th Century Fox Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| Tovarich | 1937 | Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna Romanov | Warner Bros. | |
| I Met Him in Paris | 1937 | Kay Denham | Paramount Pictures | |
| Maid of Salem | 1937 | Barbara Clarke | Paramount Pictures | |
| Bluebeard's Eighth Wife | 1938 | Nicole de Loiselle | Paramount Pictures | |
| Zaza | 1939 | Zaza | Paramount Pictures | |
| Midnight | 1939 | Eve Peabody | Paramount Pictures | |
| It's a Wonderful World | 1939 | Edwina Corday | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | |
| Drums Along the Mohawk | 1939 | Lana Martin | 20th Century Fox | |
| Boom Town | 1940 | Betsy Bartlett [McMasters] | MGM | |
| Arise, My Love | 1940 | Augusta | Paramount Pictures | |
| Skylark | 1941 | Lydia Kenyon | Paramount Pictures | |
| Remember the Day | 1941 | Nora Trinell | 20th Century Fox | |
| The Palm Beach Story | 1942 | Geraldine 'Gerry' Jeffers | Paramount Pictures | |
| So Proudly We Hail! | 1943 | Lt. Janet Davy Davidson | Paramount Pictures | |
| No Time for Love | 1943 | Katherine Grant | Paramount Pictures | |
| Since You Went Away | 1944 | Mrs. Anne Hilton | Selznick International Pictures | |
| Practically Yours | 1944 | Peggy Martin | Paramount Pictures | |
| Guest Wife | 1945 | Mary Price | Greentree Productions | |
| Tomorrow Is Forever | 1946 | Elizabeth Hamilton | International Pictures | |
| Without Reservations | 1946 | Christopher Kit Madden | RKO Pictures | |
| The Secret Heart | 1946 | Leola 'Lee' Addams | MGM | |
| The Egg and I | 1947 | Betty MacDonald | Universal Pictures | |
| Sleep, My Love | 1948 | Alison Courtland | Triangle Productions, Inc. Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive | |
| Family Honeymoon | 1949 | Katie Armstrong Jordan | Universal-International | |
| Bride for Sale | 1949 | Nora Shelley | RKO Radio Pictures | |
| Three Came Home | 1950 | Agnes Newton Keith | 20th Century Fox | |
| The Secret Fury | 1950 | Ellen R. Ewing | RKO Radio Pictures | |
| Thunder on the Hill | 1951 | Sister Mary Bonaventure | 20th Century Fox | |
| Let's Make It Legal | 1951 | Miriam Halsworth | 20th Century Fox | |
| The Planter's Wife | 1952 | Liz Frazer | Pinnacle Productions | |
| Daughters of Destiny (aka Destinées) | 1954 | Elizabeth Whitefield | Arlan and Cinédis | |
| Royal Affairs in Versailles (aka Si Versailles m'était conté) | 1954 | Madame de Montespan | Cocinor | |
| Texas Lady | 1955 | Prudence Webb | RKO Radio Pictures | |
| Parrish | 1961 | Ellen McLean | Warner Bros. | |

### Short subjects

Short films :
| Title | Year | Notes |
| Make Me a Star | 1932 | Unbilled cameo appearance. Paramount Publix Corp. |
| Hollywood on Parade No. 9 | 1933 | Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive |
| Academy Awards | 1935–1937 | Hearst newsreel footage – film experts pick winners for 1934. Preserved at UCLA Film and Television Archive |
| The Hollywood You Never See | 1934 | A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Cleopatra |
| The Fashion Side of Hollywood | 1935 | A behind-the-scenes short |
| Breakdowns of 1938 | 1938 | Outtakes from several films, including Tovarich (1937). |
| Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 6 | 1942 | Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper covering two World War II benefit affairs |

## Radio appearances
### Lux Radio Theater

Between the years 1935 and 1954, Colbert made numerous appearances on the Lux Radio Theatre.
* "Holiday" (03/10/1935)
* "The Barker" (07/20/1936)
* "The Gilded Lily" (01/11/1937)
* "Hands Across the Table" (05/03/1937)
* "Alice Adams (1935 film)" (01/03/1938)
* "It Happened One Night" (03/20/1939)
* "The Ex-Mrs. Bradford" (06/19/1939)
* "The Awful Truth" (09/11/1939)
* "Midnight" (05/20/1940)
* "His Girl Friday" (09/30/1940)
* "The Shop Around the Corner" (06/23/1941)
* "Skylark" (02/02/1942)
* "Once Upon a Honeymoon" (04/12/1943)
* "So Proudly We Hail!" (11/01/1943)
* "Magnificent Obsession" (11/13/1944)
* "Practically Yours" (08/27/1945)
* "Tomorrow is Forever" (05/06/1946)
* "Without Reservations" (08/26/1946)
* "The Egg and I" (05/05/1947)
* "Family Honeymoon" (04/04/1949, 04/23/1951)
* "Bride for Sale" (06/05/1950)
* "Thunder on the Hill" (11/09/1953)
* "The Corn Is Green" (05/17/1954)

### The Screen Guild Theater

She also participated in 13 episodes of radio's The Screen Guild Theater, between 1939 and 1952.

### NBC radio show

* "The Old Gold Comedy Theatre: The Palm Beach Story" (10/29/1944)
* "Bob Hope Show: Guest Star Claudette Colbert" (04/01/1952)
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
| 1947 | "This Is Hollywood" | "The Egg and I" |
| 1950 | "Hallmark Playhouse" | "The Egg and I" |

## Television

Television credits :
| Title | Year/Date | Role | Notes |
| The Jack Benny Program | April 5, 1951 | Herself | Co-starred with Basil Rathbone and Robert Montgomery |
| The Best of Broadway | 1954–1955 | Julie Cavendish / Actress | September 15, 1954 "The Royal Family" May 2, 1955 "The Guardsman" |
| The Ford Television Theatre | 1955 | Lorna Gilbert / Elizabeth Hopkins | January 5, 1955 "Magic Formula April 28, 1955 "While We're Young" |
| Climax! | 1955 | Sister Cecilia Dr. Jane Everest | April 7, 1955 "Private Worlds" as Dr. Jane Everest, based on the 1935 film May 5, 1955 "The Deliverance of Sister Cecilia" |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | November 27, 1955 | Herself | "Special Awards Presentation" at the Cocoanut Grove in Hollywood |
| Letter to Loretta | December 4, 1955 | Herself – Guest Hostess | "A Pattern of Deceit" |
| Ford Star Jubilee | January 14, 1956 | Ruth Condomine | "Blithe Spirit" |
| Robert Montgomery Presents | September 24, 1956 | Unknown | "After All These Years" |
| General Motors 50th Anniversary Show | 1957 | Herself | |
| Playhouse 90 | February 14, 1957 | Betsy Gregg | The Emcee |
| Zane Grey Theatre | 1957, 1960 | Lucy Horncuff Beth Brayden | October 11, 1957 "Blood in the Dust" November 10, 1960 "So Young the Savage Land" |
| Telephone Time | December 3, 1957 | Mary Roberts Rinehart | "Novel appeal" |
| The Steve Allen Show | 1958 (April 27 and November 23) | Herself | |
| Colgate Theatre | September 30, 1958 | Elizabeth Harper | "Welcome to Washington" |
| What's My Line? | September 30, 1958 | Herself | the Mystery Guest |
| Suspicion | 1958 | Mrs. Edith Miller | "The Last Town Car" |
| General Electric Theater | 1958 | Edith Miller | 2 episodes |
| Frontier Justice | 1959 | Lucy Horncuff | "Blood in the Dust" (originally aired on Zane Grey Theater) |
| The Bells of St. Mary's | 1959 | Sister Benedict | TV movie |
| The Outer limits | 16 September 1963 | | ABC, "The Galaxy Being" |
| The American Film Institute Salute to Frank Capra | 1982 | Herself | |
| The Two Mrs. Grenvilles | 1987 | Alice Grenville | |

## Audio cassette

* Gift from the Sea (1986)