““There were giants striding the screen in the 1930s and ’40s: four actresses so talented, hardworking and versatile that they became laws unto themselves. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis have also become high-camp figures of fun, as they both had such wildly theatrical offscreen lives, and their performances could sometimes veer into self-parody. But Barbara Stanwyck and Claudette Colbert stand the test of time in each and every film: our memories of them are not overshadowed by scandals or vituperative daughters. One rarely sees a Stanwyck or Colbert drag queen. But these ladies were fully the equal—sometimes the superior—of Davis and Crawford.””
![“We worked so hard,” [Joan Blondell] said, “and hardly ever had a day off . . . Saturday was a working day and we usually worked right into Sunday morning.” Joan’s good nature may have worked against her in the long run. While fellow Warner Brothers workers Bette Davis, James Cagney, Olivia de…” quote by Eve Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a8/eve-golden-25326_long-run_we-worked-so-hard-joan-blondell-said-and_410251.jpg)
![“In 1990 [Claudette Colbert] wished Vanity Fair readers “a fabulous new decade. I’m praying to make it to 2000. After all, I’ll only be 97.” She didn’t quite make it.” quote by Eve Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/066/eve-golden-25326_vanity-fair_in-1990-claudette-colbert-wished-vanity_502789.jpg)
![“[Joan Blondell] biographer, Matthew Kennedy, quotes her as admitting, “If I had taken myself more seriously . . . if I had fought for better roles as, say, Bette Davis did . . . I think I might have been a damned good dramatic actress. But it was just my way; I don’t think I ever had the security…” quote by Eve Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d38/eve-golden-25326_quote_joan-blondell-biographer-matthew-kennedy_1304055.jpg)
![“When [Claudette Colbert] died at 92, on July 30, 1996, her front-page New York Times obit recalled her “wit, gaiety, cupid’sbow mouth and light touch . . . worldly and sophisticated yet down to earth.” Claudette herself was quoted, “I’ve always believed that acting is instinct to start with; you…” quote by Eve Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fee/eve-golden-25326_york-times_when-claudette-colbert-died-at-92-on-jul_1435462.jpg)
![“Talking films revealed [Jean Arthur]'s quirky, remarkable voice: nasal, raspy, querulous— an odd, expressive voice which somehow fit her intense, funny and very smart screen persona.” quote by Eve Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e0f/eve-golden-25326_quote_talking-films-revealed-jean-arthur-s-qui_2061882.jpg)
