A color cathode ray tube has an electron gun, a phosphor screen, and a shadow mask closely spaced from the phosphor screen. The shadow mask has plural strips extending in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal scanning direction of electron beams emitted from the electron gun and plural bridge portions connecting adjacent ones among the plural strips. The shadow mask is formed with an aperture area having plural slot-shaped electron beam apertures therein. The shadow mask is provided with at least one wire held under tension in the extending direction of the plural strips so as to be superposed on a surface of one of the plural strips in the aperture area. The surface of the one of the plural strips is a surface of the one of the plural strips facing the electron gun.