Happy 105th, Carole Lombard!

Carole Lombard, born Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908, was one the biggest stars of the 1930s, famous for her roles in screwball comedies. She was married to William Powell and then later to Clark Gable. In 1942, she died at the age of 33 in a plane crash while returning home from a World War II bonds tour.

It's difficult for me to put into words just how much I love Carole Lombard. She was so beautiful and elegant, an amazing actress, yet also down-to-earth and wacky. While her films weren't my introduction to screwball comedy, once I saw hers I began to truly love screwballs.

Carole Lombard in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

If you've never seen a Carole Lombard film, or if you've only seen one or two, I recommend the following:

-Twentieth Century (1934)
-My Man Godfrey (1936)
-Nothing Sacred (1937) (her only color film)
-Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)
-To Be or Not to Be (1942)

Sadly I haven't yet seen all of her available films but of the ones I have seen, these are my favorites.

If you have a Netflix account, Nothing Sacred is currently available to stream.

The following are available to stream for free (with ads) on Hulu:
Nothing Sacred
My Man Godfrey
To Be or Not to Be

Carole Lombard in color, circa 1940.

"She was so alive, modern, frank, and natural that she stands out like a beacon on a lightship in this odd place called Hollywood." -- Barbara Stanwyck

"We called her The Profane Angel because she looked like an angel but she swore like a sailor. She was the only woman I ever knew who could tell a dirty story without losing her femininity." -- Director Mitchel Leisen

"Carole, while doing the antics of a clown, disheveled, rain-soaked, disregarding how she looked even with mud all over her, could make you laugh, and yet at the same time, make you want to go to bed with her." -- Desi Arnaz

Happy birthday, Carole.