Claudett Colbert: An Illustrated Biography

Claudette Colbert is one of the greatest stars in motion picture history, an Academy award winner, top ten box office star and she was voted the number 12 woman star of all-time by the American Film Institute yet astonishingly she has only had two books written about her awesome career. The reason for this perhaps is the same reason Claudette gave for never writing her autobiography, she had an amazingly calm and ordinary private life for a movie queen and was in love only twice (once to an actor in a brief romance that only lasted a few years and then to the reknowned physican Joel Pressman, a union that lasted from 1935 until Mr. Pressman's death in the early 1970's). This book concentrates on her film career and what an awesome career it was. The author is a well-known film historian/critic and interviewed Claudette and her associates many times through the years. It's interesting despite the legend of Claudette's vanity and generally only wanting to be photographed from a certain angle it appears everybody adored this warm-hearted and loving woman, qualities very much on display in her flawless film performances. Can you tell Miss Colbert is my number one favorite? Well she is but I do think I have a sharp critical eye and she got there not from glamour and beauty (both of which she had in abundance) but from her fascinating performances that hold up superbly today well over a half-century after they were first recorded. Yes this book could have been a little better but I'm very happy with it and the beautiful pictures of the eighty-plus Claudette and her warm wisdom on life and aging will fill you with as much good cheer as her movies. Just thinking about this lovely lady makes me happy and puts a smile on my face and that is a gift from not only the screen actress but also the flesh and blood woman. Rest in peace, dear lady.