The Claudette Colbert Collection

While Claudette Colbert could certainly be glamorous, her appeal was more down to earth, as noted by costar Fred MacMurray in the romantic comedy No Time for Love (1943), one of six vintage gems in this welcome box set, who remarks that Colbert's character has brains, ability, and good looks—everything a guy likes in a dame. The best-known film in the collection is The Egg and I (1947), a “green acres” story based on Betty MacDonald's memoir about a city girl whose new husband (MacMurray) buys a chicken farm. The class act in the group is Ernst Lubitsch's Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938), written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, which features one of the most memorable “meet-cutes” in movie history, with millionaire Gary Cooper and Colbert going halfsies on a pair of department store pajamas. Considered one of the first screwball comedies, Three Cornered Moon (1933) is a real find, depicting a Brooklyn clan forced to fend for themselves when the family fortune is lost. I Met Him in Paris (1937) is a charming romp in which a fashion designer is romanced by three suitors while on a Paris jaunt. Equally adept at drama, Colbert starred in Maid of Salem (1937), a period piece that anticipates Arthur Miller's The Crucible. While none of these films is essential Colbert, together they testify to the actress' versatility and enduring charms. DVD extras include the bonus featurette “Claudette Colbert: Queen of the Silver Screen.” Recommended. (D. Liebenson)