I noticed while reading the comments posted for this film that there are a number of people who feel that Colbert was "too old" for her role in this film. Interestingly, on the "Mister Roberts" page, I see no comments about Henry Fonda being too old to play a Lt.(jg). Fonda was in his 40's when he played Roberts in the film, yet junior-grade lieutenants tend to be in their early 20's.
I'm not trying to stir things up; this is merely an observation.
You're right, of course, but you also certainly know that there has always been a double standard in Hollywood and that in Colbert's day, once you hit 30, that was it. I loved the comment in a Lana Turner documentary: "To Dore Schary, Lana Turner, at 30, was just another over the hill actress." MGM got rid of most actresses or drove them out once they hit that age.
I think the reason for the old remark in reference to Colbert has to do with the fact that she had about ten years on George Reeves (and we all know there's a double standard about THAT) and she was surrounded by younger actresses. In Mr. Roberts, Fonda is around William Powell, born in, what, 1890-something, James Cagney, etc., so it isn't as jarring. Also, for some reason, Mr. Roberts is usually played by a mature actor - Tyrone Power did it for Josh Logan in London when he was 36.
People have been complaining about Mister Roberts' ship (aka, the old folks' home) for decades! On the other hand, few today even remember this film. It was many years ago, so I don't know what the comments for both films looked like. This film is basically a graveyard with no one mentioning Colbert or her age. Mister Roberts comments are a little more lively, but I didn't notice anything about age there either (although there could be something buried in the comments since there are many).
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