Kenneth Turan’s DVD pick: Comedies with Colbert (no, not Stephen)

There was a time within the memories of those still living that the name Colbert associated with comedy referred to the great comedian Claudette Colbert, one of the queens of black-and-white wit. To refresh memories, the folks at Criterion have issued new DVDs of two of her best and funniest films.

“It Happened One Night,” directed by Frank Capra in 1934, starred Colbert as a runaway heiress (remember those?) and Clark Gable as the reporter trying to track her down. It was the first film to win all five major Oscars: picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay.

In 1942, Colbert starred for comedy virtuoso Preston Sturges in “The Palm Beach Story.” Again on the run, this time from husband Joel McCrea, she goes on adventures that include an interlude with the one and only Wienie King. Not to be missed.