Claudette Colbert

Claudette Colbert, who died Tuesday, brought an innate wit and self-reliance to a wide range of roles, yet in a fundamental way was always her sophisticated, resilient self, which was characteristic of the great stars of Hollywood's golden era.

What Oscar-winning actress was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin in Saint-Mandé, Seine, France? Claudette Colbert

Claudette Colbert, who had been a star for so long that almost no one could remember when--or if--she had ever been anything else, died Tuesday. She was 90. Colbert, who maintained homes in Manhattan and Barbados, died in Bridgetown, Barbados. She had been hospitalized there in March 1993 after a stroke that affected her right side had put her in a wheelchair.

Good news for fans of classic Hollywood. Two film collections -- one featuring a screen legend from the 1930s and the other offering some prime film noirs from the 1950s -- have recently been released on DVD. Claudette Colbert was one of the top female stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood, winning an Oscar for 1934's romantic comedy "It Happened One Night." But she was more than just a comic performer. Colbert also was a deft dramatic actress who earned two more best actress nominations -- 1935's "Private Worlds" and 1944's "Since You Went Away" -- for complex, serious roles.

MOVIES George C. Scott has been cast to star in the ABC drama "Mittleman's Hardware," set for broadcast during the 1990-91 season. Scott will play an aging businessman whose personal and professional life are slipping away. Hector Elizondo co-stars.

What Oscar-winning actress was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin in Saint-Mandé, Seine, France? Claudette Colbert

In regard to Outtakes (Aug. 25) and Imperfections (Sept. 8), Anna Held, the turn-of-the-century Broadway star and the wife of Florenz Ziegfeld, received loads of publicity, not to mention the admiration of dairymen from coast to coast, by taking highly touted daily baths in milk long before Claudette Colbert was even nursed with the stuff. MICHAEL A. HYNES Hollywood

I must react with some offense at Liz Smith's column wherein she campaigned for Claudette Colbert to receive a special Oscar ("Why No Oscar for Colbert?," Dec. 23). This is not because I have any problems with Colbert but because of the poor taste Smith showed in suggesting that, since Colbert is lucky enough to be in relatively good shape for a woman in her late 80s, she will make us all feel good, as opposed to giving the Oscar last year to a very ill Myrna Loy. Is this now the standard by which she suggests the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must make their selection?

Although there has been much debate concerning the colorization of old black-and-white films, the full potential of motion-picture alteration has yet to be realized. The following are examples of other computer processes which can be expected to infiltrate Hollywood in the coming months. DE-COLORIZATION: Soon you will be able to watch films like "Out of Africa" in breathtaking black-and-white, unencumbered by the bothersome hues of Eastman film. RACIALIZATION: In the soon-to-be released version of "It Happened One Night," Clark Gable is black, adding a new dimension to his romance with Claudette Colbert.

Good news for fans of classic Hollywood. Two film collections -- one featuring a screen legend from the 1930s and the other offering some prime film noirs from the 1950s -- have recently been released on DVD. Claudette Colbert was one of the top female stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood, winning an Oscar for 1934's romantic comedy "It Happened One Night." But she was more than just a comic performer. Colbert also was a deft dramatic actress who earned two more best actress nominations -- 1935's "Private Worlds" and 1944's "Since You Went Away" -- for complex, serious roles.

A few months ago, Columbia TriStar Home Video released a sumptuous DVD of the restored 1937 Frank Capra classic "Lost Horizon." Now Columbia has given the star treatment to an equally enjoyable Capra film, the Oscar-winning 1934 comedy "It Happened One Night" ($25). Beautifully restored and remastered, this romantic farce starring Claudette Colbert as a runaway heiress traveling to New York on a bus and Clark Gable as the newspaper reporter who wants her story has never looked or sounded better.

And the Oscar goes to: Nobody. For the second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can thumb its nose at Christie's after the auction house failed Saturday to sell Claudette Colbert's 1934 Oscar for the film "It Happened One Night." Last year, Christie's ignored the Academy's protests and auctioned off Clark Gable's gold-plated statuette from the same film for $607,500.

The legendary film star Claudette Colbert, who died Tuesday at age 90 in Bridgetown, Barbados, could do it all. Though the Oscar winner was best known for her comedic skills, she also more than held her own in dramatic fare. Men adored the sexy, confident, French-born actress and women envied the fact that she got to kiss such handsome leading men as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Joel McCrea and Ray Milland. Thankfully, the majority of her best work is available on video.

Claudette Colbert, who died Tuesday, brought an innate wit and self-reliance to a wide range of roles, yet in a fundamental way was always her sophisticated, resilient self, which was characteristic of the great stars of Hollywood's golden era.

Claudette Colbert, who had been a star for so long that almost no one could remember when--or if--she had ever been anything else, died Tuesday. She was 90. Colbert, who maintained homes in Manhattan and Barbados, died in Bridgetown, Barbados. She had been hospitalized there in March 1993 after a stroke that affected her right side had put her in a wheelchair.

Attention all film buffs. MCA/Universal Home Video has compiled "The Cecil B. DeMille Collection" and "The Claudette Colbert Collection." "The Cecil B. DeMille Collection" includes five vintage DeMille extravaganzas ($15 each): the previously released "Reap the Wild Wind" and the never-before-on-video "The Crusades," "Sign of the Cross," "Unconquered" and "Union Pacific." DeMille wasn't subtle.

Attention all film buffs. MCA/Universal Home Video has compiled "The Cecil B. DeMille Collection" and "The Claudette Colbert Collection." "The Cecil B. DeMille Collection" includes five vintage DeMille extravaganzas ($15 each): the previously released "Reap the Wild Wind" and the never-before-on-video "The Crusades," "Sign of the Cross," "Unconquered" and "Union Pacific." DeMille wasn't subtle.

And the Oscar goes to: Nobody. For the second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can thumb its nose at Christie's after the auction house failed Saturday to sell Claudette Colbert's 1934 Oscar for the film "It Happened One Night." Last year, Christie's ignored the Academy's protests and auctioned off Clark Gable's gold-plated statuette from the same film for $607,500.

With apologies to Mama Gump, home video is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get, particularly when it comes to the classics. It's a surprise each year to see what treasures the studios will unearth from the vaults for video release. Among the diverse offerings film buffs can look forward to early this year are new-to-video titles starring Buster Keaton, Claudette Colbert and even Ma and Pa Kettle.

I must react with some offense at Liz Smith's column wherein she campaigned for Claudette Colbert to receive a special Oscar ("Why No Oscar for Colbert?," Dec. 23). This is not because I have any problems with Colbert but because of the poor taste Smith showed in suggesting that, since Colbert is lucky enough to be in relatively good shape for a woman in her late 80s, she will make us all feel good, as opposed to giving the Oscar last year to a very ill Myrna Loy. Is this now the standard by which she suggests the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must make their selection?