Ep 18: Claudette Colbert in Midnight (1939)

Instead of glass slippers and a poofy ball gown, Claudette Colbert receives a trunk full of glamorous clothes from her fairy godfather, played by John Barrymore. Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder offer a modern update to the classic Cinderella fairy tale. They replace the old standby wicked stepmother and evil spawn with a formidable high society adversary played by Mary Astor. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, it’s an outstanding pictures from one of the most celebrated years in Hollywood history. I close the episode with an excerpt from Mary Astor’s memoir A Life on Film.