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Double Feature: Claudette Colbert

© K Cruver

Last week, the American Film Institute (AFI) televised the fifth special in its series of tributes to the best of American Film (or rather, Hollywood Film). Despite the controversy over the choices the AFI has made over the past few years, there's no denying that there's a lot less dust in the classics section of video stores these days. More people are discovering the classics, and that's good for the rest of us film fans; not only do we have more people to discuss our favorites with, but a larger audience for classic movies will only increase the likelihood of more titles being released to video, DVD and even re-released in theaters.

For me, one of the most amusing elements of the lists has been how often the titles overlap. You don't have to hold your breath about Gone With the Wind or Casablanca making the cut most of the time. Which brings me to another often picked classic, It Happened One Night. The movie has now made three of the four AFI film lists: Best Films (#35), Best Comedies (#8) and Best Romances (#38).

Though she did not enjoy the experience of making It Happened One Night, the role won Claudette Colbert (who also happens to be #12 on the AFI list of legendary actresses) an Academy Award. Though this versatile actress was one of the most popular stars of her day, she is best remembered for changing hitchhiking forever by sticking out a shapely gam to stop a car; one of the most famous scenes in the movie.

It's fitting that Colbert is best known for this hitchhiking scene, because if she hadn't tapped into that saucy sex appeal, she might not have been a star at all. In her early career, Colbert played sweet ingenue roles. She always had work, but did not make much of an impression on audiences. Cecil B. DeMille saw more than sweetness and light in Colbert and he offered her the role of the evil Empress Poppea in his bible epic The Sign of the Cross (1932). She was eager to change her image.

Colbert's Empress is determined to win the affections of the Prefect of Rome (Fredric March), but he is more interested in an innocent Christian girl (Elissa Landi). Poppea plots against her romantic rival while taking a bath in ass's milk. She arranges to have the girl thrown to the lions in the arena and anticipates the moment with icy pleasure as she watches the gladiator games. There is nothing to redeem Colbert's Poppea; perhaps this is while she is the liveliest character in the movie. The public finally discovered her and she became a star.