Editing Claudette Colbert (section)

== Career ==

=== The beginnings, 1924–1927 ===
Colbert worked in a string of mostly short-lived shows in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston and Connecticut, which enabled her to gain experience in different genres. In 1924 the actor [[Leslie Howard]] met her, was impressed by her ability to speak with both Mid-Atlantic and British accents, and contacted the producer [[Albert H. Woods|Al Woods]] to cast her in [[Frederick Lonsdale]]'s ''[[The Fake (play)|The Fake]]'', but she was replaced by [[Frieda Inescort]] before it opened.<ref name="Tom Vallance">{{cite web |last=Vallance |first=Tom |title=Obituary:Claudette Colbert |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-claudette-colbert-1307640.html |work=The Independent |access-date=2023-08-21 |date=1996-08-01}}</ref><ref name="becoming">Dick, Bernard F. ''Claudette Colbert: She Walked in Beauty''. pp. 24–25</ref> After signing a five-year contract with Woods, Colbert played ''ingenue'' roles on Broadway from 1925 to 1929. During this period she rejected being typecast as a French maid.<ref name="richardson">{{cite web |title=Claudette Colbert |author=Jan Richardson |work=The Movie Profiles & Premiums Newsletter – Immortal Ephemera |url=http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/profiles/claudette-colbert.html |access-date=March 25, 2013}}</ref> By 1925 she was having success in the comedy ''A Kiss in a Taxi'', which ran for 103 performances over a two-month period.<ref name="Kiss">{{cite web |title=A Kiss in a Taxi |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-kiss-in-a-taxi-7842#OpeningNightCast |website=IBDB |access-date=November 16, 2020}}</ref> Columnists sang the praises of her unconventional beauty and her power to enrapture an audience.<ref name="netflix"/> Colbert was again acclaimed as a carnival snake charmer in the Broadway production of ''The Barker'' (1927), and she reprised the role in [[West End theatre|London's West End]].<ref name="Basinger">{{cite web |last=Basinger |first=Jeanine |author2=Audrey E. Kupferberg |url=http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Colbert-Claudette.html |title=Claudette Colbert&nbsp;– Films as actress |access-date=December 3, 2007}}</ref> She was noticed by theatrical producer [[Leland Hayward]], who suggested her for the heroine role in the silent film ''[[For the Love of Mike (1927 film)|For the Love of Mike]]'' (1927). Now believed to be [[Lost film|lost]],<ref>[http://www.classicfilmguide.com/index.php?s=essays&item=26 Classic Film Guide].</ref> the film did not fare well at the box office.<ref name="Pace1996" /><ref name="ultimate">{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/claudette-colbert-movies|title=Claudette Colbert Movies|work=Ultimate Movie Rankings|date=January 29, 2016|access-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref>

=== The early films, 1928–1934 ===
[[File:Claudette Colbert, La Gringa.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Colbert in the Broadway production ''La Gringa'', 1928]]
In 1928, Colbert signed a contract with [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref name="tcmdb" /> A demand existed for stage actors who could handle dialogue in the new "talkies", and Colbert's elegance and musical voice were among her best assets.<ref name="Pace1996" /> Her distinctive high-cheekboned
beauty drew attention in ''[[The Hole in the Wall (1929 film)|The Hole in the Wall]]'' (1929), but at first she did not like film acting.<ref name="All Movie Guide">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/p14003 |work=All Movie Guide |author=Hal Erickson |access-date=November 16, 2016 |title=Claudette Colbert biography}}</ref> Her earliest films were produced in New York. During the filming of ''[[The Lady Lies (film)|The Lady Lies]]'' (also 1929), she was also appearing nightly in the play ''See Naples and Die''. ''The Lady Lies'' was a box-office success.<ref name="Pace1996" /> At this period, many film critics wrote her having potential to be the screen's next big star.<ref name="netflix">[http://blog.dvd.netflix.com/new-dvd-releases/claudette-colbert-french-lady-of-hollywood Claudette Colbert The French Lady of Hollywood] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914035628/http://blog.dvd.netflix.com/new-dvd-releases/claudette-colbert-french-lady-of-hollywood |date=2021-09-14}}, Netflix, James David Patrick, access-date=May 9, 2023</ref> In 1930, she starred opposite [[Maurice Chevalier]] in ''[[The Big Pond]]'', which was filmed in both English and French for release in their respective markets as was common during the early sound era. With her first husband [[Norman Foster (director)|Norman Foster]] she co-starred in the film ''[[Young Man of Manhattan]]'' (1930), for which he received negative reviews as one of her weakest leading men.<ref name="Shipman114" />

Colbert co-starred with Fredric March in ''[[Manslaughter (1930 film)|Manslaughter]]'' (1930), acclaimed again by critics<ref>Quirk, p. 64, citing ''The New York Times''.</ref> for her performance as a woman charged with [[vehicular manslaughter]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v101560 |work=All Movie Guide |title=Manslaughter |author=Hal Erickson |access-date=February 11, 2013}}</ref> She was paired with March again in ''[[Honor Among Lovers]]'' (1931), which was popular at that time;<ref>Quirk, p. 36.</ref> he was also originally cast as her co-star in ''[[His Woman]]'' (1931), but was replaced by [[Gary Cooper]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=6979 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328174443/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=6979 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |title=His Woman |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=November 20, 2015}}</ref> Colbert also starred in ''Mysterious Mr. Parkes'' (1931), a French-language version of ''[[Slightly Scarlet (1930 film)|Slightly Scarlet]]'' for the European market, although her French was tinged with an English accent after American life. It was also screened in the United States. She sang and played piano/violin in the [[Ernst Lubitsch]] musical ''[[The Smiling Lieutenant]]'' (1931), which was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] as well as being a box-office hit and critical success.<ref name="Pace1996" /><ref>Quirk, p. 37.</ref> 

[[File:The smiling lieutenant.jpg|thumb|With Maurice Chevalier in ''[[The Smiling Lieutenant]]'' (1931)]]

Colbert's career got a further boost when she played the supporting role as ''[[femme fatale]]'' Poppaea in [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s historical epic ''[[The Sign of the Cross (1932 film)|The Sign of the Cross]]'' (1932), opposite Fredric March and [[Charles Laughton]]. In one of the best-remembered scenes of her film career, she bathes nude in a marble pool filled with [[asses' milk]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Claudette Colbert (1903–1996) |work=Hollywood's Golden Age|url=http://www.hollywoodsgoldenage.com/actors/claudette_colbert.html|access-date=July 24, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Springer|first=John|year=1978|title=They Had Faces Then, Annabella to Zorina, the Superstars, Stars and Starlets of the 1930s |isbn=0-8065-0657-1|page=62|publisher=Citadel Press}}</ref> The film was [[1932 in film|the highest-grossing picture of the year]] in the United States.<ref name="Birchard">{{cite book|last=Birchard|first=Robert S.|date=2004|title=Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=9780813123240}}</ref> 

In 1933, Colbert renegotiated her contract with Paramount to allow her to appear in films for other studios. The pioneering screwball comedy film<ref>[https://www.allmovie.com/movie/three-cornered-moon-vm1070978 ''Three-Cornered Moon''] AllMovie review by Craig Butler, accessed October 28, 2023</ref> ''[[Three-Cornered Moon]]''&nbsp;reached No. 9 in the [[National Board of Review Awards 1933|National Board of Review Awards]] in 1933.<ref>[http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1933 ''Three-Cornered Moon'' profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083700/http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1933 |date=2007-09-29}}, nbrmp.org; accessed August 4, 2015.</ref> Her musical voice, a [[contralto]] that footnotes list as being coached by [[Bing Crosby]], was also featured in ''[[Torch Singer]]'' (1933),<ref>{{cite book|last=Bradley|first=Edwin M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zXatCwAAQBAJ&q=colbert++torch+singer+1933&pg=PA201|title=Unsung Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Era: 50 Overlooked Films and Their Stars, 1929–1939|year=2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-9833-8}}</ref> co-starring [[Ricardo Cortez]] and [[David Manners]]. Partly as results, she was ranked as the year's 13th box-office star.<ref>Schallert, Edwin. "Stars' Box-Office Ratings for Past Season Given: Survey Shows Sophisticates Slipping Fast. Will Rogers Tops All; Shirley Temple and Crosby Shoot Up", ''Los Angeles Times'', December 9, 1934, p. A1.</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher117unse#page/n389/mode/2up ''Motion Picture Herald''], December 1, 1934; accessed October 13, 2016</ref> By 1933, she had appeared in 21 films, averaging four per year. Many of her early films were dramatics, and her performances were admired.<ref name="Britannica" /> Colbert's leading roles were down-to-earth and diverse, highlighting her versatility.<ref name="richardson" />

Colbert was initially reluctant to appear in the [[screwball comedy]] ''[[It Happened One Night]]'' (1934). The studio agreed to pay her $50,000 for the role and guaranteed filming would be done within four weeks so she could take a planned vacation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hirschnor |first=Joel |year=1983 |title=Rating the Movie Stars for Home Video, TV and Cable |publisher=Publications International Limited |isbn=0-88176-152-4 |page=87}}</ref> She won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for the film.<ref name="Oscars7" />

In ''[[Cleopatra (1934 film)|Cleopatra]]'' (1934), Colbert played the title role opposite [[Warren William]] and [[Henry Wilcoxon]]. It was [[1934 in film|the second highest-grossing picture]] of that year in the United States.<ref name="Birchard"/><ref name="Pace1996" /><ref name=ultimate/> Thereafter, Colbert did not wish to be portrayed as overtly sexual and later refused such roles.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chaneles|first=Sol|year=1974|title=The Movie Makers|publisher=Octopus Books|isbn=0-7064-0387-8|page=97}}</ref> She was loaned to [[Universal Pictures]] for ''[[Imitation of Life (1934 film)|Imitation of Life]]'' (1934), which was another box-office success.<ref name="Shipman114" /><ref name="ultimate" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Early Years|access-date=October 9, 2016|work=University of Virginia|url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/rodriguez/thesis/34show.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021001071740/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA02/rodriguez/thesis/34show.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2002|year=2002}}</ref> Those three films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in the next year; Colbert is the only actress to date to star in three films nominated for Best Motion Picture in the same year.

[[File:Cleopatra publicity photo.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Screen capture of Colbert|Colbert in the title role of ''[[Cleopatra (1934 film)|Cleopatra]]'', 1934]]

===Mid-career, 1935–1944===
Colbert's rising profile internationally allowed her to renegotiate her contract, which raised her salary. For 1935 and 1936, she was listed sixth and eighth in Quigley's annual "[[Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll|Top-Ten Money-Making Stars Poll]]".<ref name="Quigley">{{cite web|url=http://www.quigleypublishing.com/MPalmanac/Top10/Top10_lists.html|title=The 2006 Motion Picture Almanac, Top Ten Money-Making Stars|work=Quigley Publishing Company|access-date=August 18, 2006|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114130743/http://www.quigleypublishing.com/MPalmanac/Top10/Top10_lists.html|archive-date=January 14, 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Gilded Lily (1935 film)|The Gilded Lily]]'' (1935) was popular at that time,<ref name="Pace1996" /><ref name="tcmdb" /> but she received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the hospital drama ''[[Private Worlds]]'' (1935).<ref name="Oscars8" />

In 1936, Colbert signed a new contract with Paramount, making her Hollywood's highest-paid actress.<ref name="Shipman117">Shipman, ''The Great Movie Stars'', p. 117.</ref> When the studio renewed her contract in 1938, she was again reported to be Hollywood's top-paid actress, with a salary of $426,924.<ref>{{cite book|year=1984|title=The Movie Stars Story, An Illustrated Guide to 500 of the World's Most Famous Stars of the Cinema|publisher=Octopus Books|isbn=0-7064-2092-6|page=53}}</ref> At the peak of her popularity in the late 1930s, she earned $150,000 per film.<ref name="Obituary" /> In 1937 and 1938, she was listed as the fourteenth and sixth (respectively) top money-making woman in the U.S.<ref name="tcmdb" />

Colbert spent the rest of the 1930s deftly alternating between romantic comedies and dramas: ''[[She Married Her Boss]]'' (1935) with [[Melvyn Douglas]]; ''[[The Bride Comes Home]]'' (1935), with [[Fred MacMurray]]; ''[[Under Two Flags (1936 film)|Under Two Flags]]'' (1936) with [[Ronald Colman]]; ''[[Zaza (1939 film)|Zaza]]'' (1939) with [[Herbert Marshall]]; and ''[[It's a Wonderful World (1939 film)|It's a Wonderful World]]'' (1939) with [[James Stewart]].

Colbert was {{convert|5|ft|5|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} tall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.listal.com/claudette-colbert|work=listal.com|title=Claudette Colbert Biography|access-date=October 9, 2016}}</ref> One columnist wrote that Colbert placed her career "ahead of everything, save possibly her marriage", and that she had a strong sense of what was best for her, and a "deep-rooted desire to be in shape, efficient, and under control".<ref name="ShipmanMovieTalk"/> A biographer wrote that Colbert "helped define femininity for her generation with her chic manner".<ref name="Berg_p190">{{cite book|last=Berg|first=A. Scott|year=1989|title=Goldwyn|publisher=Sphere Books|isbn=0-7474-0593-X|page=190}}</ref> Colbert once said, "I know what's best for me—after all."<ref name="The Claudette Colbert Business"/><ref name="Legends">{{cite book |title=Legends of Hollywood: The Life Claudette Colbert |year=2014 |publisher=CreateSpace}}{{ISBN?}}{{Page needed|date=July 2022}}</ref>

Colbert was very particular about how she appeared on-screen, and believed her face was difficult to light and photograph. She insisted on having the right side of her face away from the camera when shooting close-up, because of a small bump from a broken nose as a child.<ref>Helen Dudar, "Claudette Colbert Revels in a Happy, Starry Past", ''The New York Times'', October 27, 1991, p. A-1</ref> This sometimes required movie sets to be redesigned.<ref name="All Movie Guide"/> During the filming of ''[[Tovarich (film)|Tovarich]]'' (1937), director [[Anatole Litvak]] favored co-starring Charles Boyer over her in the camera angles, so she got very frustrated.<ref>Quirk, p. 100-101.</ref>

[[File:Claudette-colbert-plays-tennis.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=|Early 1940s]]
[[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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Niven |first=David |year=1976 |title=Bring on the Empty Horses |publisher=Putnam |isbn=0-399-11542-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bringonemptyhors00nive/page/286 286] |url=https://archive.org/details/bringonemptyhors00nive/page/286 }}</ref>

''[[Midnight (1939 film)|Midnight]]'' (1939) with [[Don Ameche]], directed by [[Mitchell Leisen]] and written by 
[[Billy Wilder]] and [[Charles Brackett]], was one of her best comedy films.<ref name="Tom Vallance"/> Ernst Lubitsch and Mitchell Leisen were her particularly favorite film directors working with.<ref>Quirk, p. 102, 107.</ref>

Colbert learnt about lighting and cinematography, and refused to begin filming until she was satisfied that she would be shown to her best advantage.<ref name="KDL_p119">{{cite book |author=Kotsilibas-Davis and Loy, Myrna |year=1988 |title=Being and Becoming |publisher=Donald I. Fine Inc. |isbn=1-55611-101-0 |page=119}}</ref> ''[[Drums Along the Mohawk]]'' (1939) with [[Henry Fonda]] was her first color film, and was [[1939 in film|the 10th-grossing picture]] of the year in the United States.<ref name=AllTime>{{cite news|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=All-time Film Rental Champs|date=October 15, 1990|page=M162 to 166}}</ref> However, she mistrusted the relatively new [[Technicolor]] process, and fearing she would not photograph well, preferred thereafter to be filmed in black-and-white.<ref>Finler, p. 24.</ref>

During this time, she began performing on [[CBS]]'s popular radio program ''[[Lux Radio Theater]]'', and was heard in 22 episodes between 1935 and 1954.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audio-classics.com/lluxradio.html|title=Audio Classics Archive Radio Logs: 'Lux Radio Theater'|access-date=November 23, 2007}}</ref> She also participated in 13 episodes of radio's ''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]'', between 1939 and 1952.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/dd2jb-Screen-Guild.html|work=Radio Program Logs – The Digital Deli Online|title=The Screen Guild Radio Programs|access-date=February 15, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511172837/http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/dd2jb-Screen-Guild.html|archive-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref>

In 1940, Colbert was offered a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures that would have paid her $200,000 a year; she declined the offer after learning she could command $150,000 per film as a freelance artist. She secured roles in several prestigious films and this period marked the height of her earning power.<ref name="Shipman117" /> As a supporting role, Colbert co-starred with [[Clark Gable]] and [[Spencer Tracy]] in ''[[Boom Town (film)|Boom Town]]'', released by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] in 1940 and was [[1940 in film|the highest-grossing picture]] of the year in the United States. However, Colbert once often said that ''[[Arise, My Love]]'' (1940) was her favorite of all her movies.
<ref>Quirk, p. 115.</ref><ref name="Tom Vallance"/> It won the [[Academy Award for Best Story]].

[[Preston Sturges]]' mature ''[[The Palm Beach Story]]'' (1942) had been accepted some re-evaluation over the years as a comedic classic,<ref>[https://screenrant.com/palm-beach-story-1940s-movie-vfx-explained/ ''An 80-Year-Old Romantic Comedy Leaves VFX Artists Baffled By Mystery Of One Key Shot''] SCREEN RANT, by RACHEL ULATOWSKI,&nbsp;published JUN 11, 2023, accessed October 31, 2023</ref> where she did one of the best performances of her film career,<ref>[https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-palm-beach-story-vm423072 ''The Palm Beach Story''] AllMovie review by [[Richard Gilliam]], accessed October 31, 2023</ref> which featured&nbsp;such a thing as beauty that speaks of intelligence.<ref>[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3438-the-palm-beach-story-love-in-a-warm-climate ''The Palm Beach Story: Love in a Warm Climate''] The Criterion Collection, by film critic Stephanie Zacharek, published JAN 21, 2015, accessed October 31, 2023</ref> She again became the industry's highest-paid  star in 1942.<ref name="Pace1996" />  In the next year, ''[[No Time for Love (1943 film)|No Time for Love]]'' (1943) was popular.<ref name="Pace1996" /><ref name="tcmdb" />

During filming of ''[[So Proudly We Hail!]]'' (1943), her co-star [[Paulette Goddard]] preferred working with the other co-star [[Veronica Lake]], over Colbert; Colbert felt that the younger actress had treated her like an "old lady". Goddard said that Colbert "was at [my] eyes at every moment". Goddard insisted that portions of the script be rewritten so that her role was as large as Colbert's.<ref name="ShipmanMovieTalk" /> This was unusual for Colbert, who was otherwise known for maintaining high standards of professionalism.<ref name="The Claudette Colbert Business"/><ref name="Britannica" /> For example, from her early film career, she offered acting advice to her less experienced co-stars.
<ref>Quirk, p. 180.</ref>

Impressed by Colbert's role in ''So Proudly We Hail!'', [[David O. Selznick]] approached her to play the lead in ''[[Since You Went Away]]'' (1944). Colbert was initially reluctant to appear as a mother of teenaged children, but Selznick eventually convinced her to take the role.<ref>Haver, pp. 338–340.</ref> Released in June 1944, the film made almost $5&nbsp;million at the US box office and was [[1944 in film|the year's third highest-grossing picture]]. One critic praised aspects of the film, but particularly Colbert's work.<ref>Haver, p. 342.</ref> Partly as a result, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.<ref name="Oscars17" />

During the World War II, she also volunteered with the Red Cross.<ref name="netflix" />

===Middle years, 1945–1961===
[[File:CLAUDETTE COLBERT Screenland.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Colbert on ''[[Screenland]]'' cover before release of ''[[Guest Wife]]'' (1945)]]

In 1945, Colbert ended her association with Paramount and continued to freelance in such films as ''[[Guest Wife]]'' (1945) with Don Ameche. She starred opposite [[John Wayne]] in [[RKO Pictures|RKO's]] ''[[Without Reservations]]'' (1946), which grossed $3&nbsp;million in the U.S. While working on it, director [[Mervyn LeRoy]] described Colbert as an "interesting" lady to work with, recalling her habit of not watching where she was going and constantly bumping into things.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/96061/without-reservations#articles-reviews|title=Without Reservations (1946)|author=Stephanie Thames|work=TCM|access-date=January 31, 2013}}</ref> Praised for her sense of style and fashion, Colbert ensured throughout her career that she was impeccably groomed and costumed. For the melodrama ''[[Tomorrow Is Forever]]'' (1946), [[Jean Louis]] was hired to create 18 changes of wardrobe for her.<ref>Jewell and Harbin, p. 209.</ref> ''Tomorrow is Forever'' and ''[[The Secret Heart]]'' (also 1946) were also substantial commercial successes,<ref name="ultimate" /> and Colbert's popularity during 1947 led her to place 9th in Quigley's "''Top Ten Money-Making Stars Poll''".<ref name="Quigley" />

She achieved great success opposite Fred MacMurray in the comedy ''[[The Egg and I (film)|The Egg and I]]'' (1947), which was [[1947 in film|the year's second-highest grossing picture]], and later acknowledged as the 12th-most profitable American film of the 1940s.<ref>Finler, p. 216.</ref> The suspense film ''[[Sleep, My Love]]'' (1948) with [[Robert Cummings]] was a modest commercial success. By 1949, she still ranked as the 22nd-highest box-office star.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18154454|title=Filmdom Ranks Its Money-Spinning Stars Best At Box-Office|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=March 30, 1950|access-date=October 13, 2016|page=12|publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The romantic comedy ''[[Bride for Sale]]'' (1949), wherein Colbert played part of a love triangle that included [[George Brent]] and [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]], was well-reviewed.<ref name="Jewell and Harbin, p. 248">Jewell and Harbin, p. 248.</ref> Her performance in the Pacific war film ''[[Three Came Home]]'' (1950) was also praised by critics.<ref name="Pace1996" /> However, the mystery melodrama ''[[The Secret Fury]]'' (1950), distributed by RKO Studios, received mixed reviews.<ref name="Jewell and Harbin, p. 248" /> During this period, Colbert was unable to work beyond 5 p.m. each day due to orders from her doctor.<ref name="Anderson">{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Christopher|year=1997|title=An Affair to Remember, The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy|publisher=William Morrow and Co. Inc.|isbn=0-688-15311-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/affairtoremember00ande/page/191 191–192]|url=https://archive.org/details/affairtoremember00ande/page/191}}</ref> While Colbert still looked like a young woman,<ref name="A Perfect Star"/> she found it difficult making the transition to playing more mature characters as she entered middle age.<ref name="ShipmanMovieTalk">{{cite book |last=Shipman|first=David|year=1988|title=Movie Talk|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=0-312-03403-2|page=126}}</ref> She said, "I'm a very good comedienne, but I was always fighting that image, too."<ref name="Obituary" />

In 1949, Colbert was asked to play the lead role in ''[[All About Eve]]'', because the producer felt that she best represented the style he envisioned for the part. However, Colbert severely injured her back, forcing her to abandon the picture shortly before filming began. [[Bette Davis]] was cast, instead. In later life, Colbert said, "I just never had the luck to play bitches."<ref name="Obituary" />
[[File:Claudette Colbert-Patric Knowles in Three Came Home.jpg|thumb|Patric Knowles and Colbert in ''Three Came Home'', 1950]]
In the early 1950s, Colbert traveled to Europe for tax purposes<ref name="A Perfect Star" /> and joined fewer films. ''[[The Planter's Wife (1952 film)|The Planter's Wife]]'' (1952) was a success in British market.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23230346 |title=Phillip to see 'Cruel Sea' premiere |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=33,225 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=February 27, 1953 |access-date=September 5, 2020 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She played a small role in ''[[Royal Affairs in Versailles]]'' (1954), her only film with a French director ([[Sacha Guitry]]). Colbert had found the directorial method disappointing, which was on the heavy-handed and ponderous.<ref>Quirk, p. 36.</ref> It was screened in the United States in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/03/09/archives/screen-royal-affairs-in-versailles-french-import-aims-at-palace.html |title=Screen: 'Royal Affairs in Versailles'; French Import Aims at Palace Pageantry Guitry, the Director, Stars as Louis XIV The Cast |author= Bosley Crowther |date=March 9, 1957
|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In 1954, Colbert turned down a million-dollar broadcast deal with [[NBC|NBC-TV]],<ref name="A Perfect Star">{{cite magazine|title=A Perfect Star|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=January 1998|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/classic/features/a-perfect-star-199801|access-date=May 13, 2018}}</ref> but made a pact with [[CBS|CBS-TV]] to star in several [[teleplay]]s. After a successful appearance in a television version of ''[[The Royal Family (play)|The Royal Family]]'' (a parody of the [[Barrymore family]] in ''[[The Best of Broadway]]'' series),<ref name="tcmdb" /> she took on more than 20 television works. She starred in [[television movie|television adaptations]] of ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' in 1956 and ''[[The Bells of St. Mary's]]'' in 1959, and guest-starred on ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]'' and ''[[Playhouse 90]]''.

In 1956, Colbert hosted the [[28th Academy Awards]] ceremony.

In 1957, she was cast as Lucy Bradford, wife of schoolteacher Jim Bradford ([[Jeff Morrow]]), in the "Blood in the Dust" episode of [[CBS]]'s ''[[Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre]]''. In the story, Jim refuses to back down when a gunman orders him to leave town, and Lucy is distressed because Jim hasn't fired a weapon since he was in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0754221/|title=Blood in the Dust on 'Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'|publisher=IMDb|access-date=June 6, 2021}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/zane-grey-theater/so-young-the-savage-land-108166/ |title=So Young the Savage Land on ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre''|publisher=tv.com |access-date=June 6, 2021}}</ref>

In 1958, she returned to Broadway in ''[[The Marriage-Go-Round]]'', for which she was nominated for a Best Actress [[Tony Award]].

[[File:Claudette colbert 1959.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=|Colbert during TV production in 1959]]
She made a brief return to the screen, played the supporting role as the mother of [[Troy Donahue]] in ''[[Parrish (film)|Parrish]]'' (1961). It was her last appearance on the big screen. The film was a commercial success,<ref>"All-Time Top Grossers", ''Variety'', 8 January 1964 p 69</ref> but Colbert received little attention, and she directed her agent to end any further attempts to generate interest in her as a TV actress.<ref name="Shipman119">Shipman, ''The Great Movie Stars'', p. 119.</ref> Even at this period, she still looked younger than her actual age.<ref name="Quirk 181">Quirk, "Claudette Colbert", p. 181.</ref>

===Later career, 1963–1987===
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?]]'' (1985), also with Harrison. She told an interviewer, "Audiences always sound like they're glad to see me, and I'm damned glad to see them."<ref name="Pace1996" />　

She appeared in a supporting role in the television [[miniseries]] ''[[The Two Mrs. Grenvilles]]'' (1987), which was a ratings success, and for which she won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television|Golden Globe]] and was nominated for an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie|Emmy Award]]. Towards the end of her life, she explained why she had never written her autobiography, "I've been happy, and that's no story."<ref>
{{cite book |last1=Sonneborn |first1=Liz|date=2002 |title=A to Z of American Women in the Performing Arts |publisher=New York : Facts on File |isbn=978-0-8160-4398-9 |pages=43 |url=https://archive.org/details/tozofamericanwom0000sonn/page/42/mode/2up}}</ref>

Modern critics have pointed out that Colbert had a unique set of assets—her heart-shaped face, distinct facial features,<ref name="tcmdb" /> curly hair,<ref name="Pace1996" /> aristocratic manner, relaxed acting, little mysterious, and intelligent style,<ref>{{cite book|author=James Robert Parish|title=The Paramount Pretties|url=https://archive.org/details/paramountprettie00pari|url-access=registration|publisher=Arlington House|location=New Rochelle, NY|year=1972|page=[https://archive.org/details/paramountprettie00pari/page/92 92]|isbn=9780870001802 }}</ref>—that distinguishes her from other classic cinema stars through the 1930s and 1940s.<ref name="The Claudette Colbert Business">{{cite web|title=Claudette Colbert Q&A Pt. 1: 'The Claudette Colbert Business'|author=Andre Soares|date=August 12, 2011|work=Alt Film Guide|url=http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/claudette-colbert-paramount-the-claudette-colbert-business|access-date=May 13, 2018}}</ref> In her comedies, she invariably played shrewd, self-reliant women; unlike many of her contemporaries, though, she rarely engaged in physical comedy. Her characters were more likely to be observers and commentators.<ref name="DiBattista, p. 210">{{cite book|last=Di Battista|first=Maria|year=2001|title=Fast Talking Dames|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0-300-09903-7|page=210}}</ref>