148. Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Running Time: 90 minutes
Directed By: Preston Sturges
Written By: Preston Sturges
Main Cast: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn
Click here to view the trailer

THE KING OF COMEDIES?

With "Bergman Week" behind me, I decided to go back to the days of black & white pictures, around the time period (within a few decades anyway) of where my journey began and take a look at yet another Preston Sturges comedy - "Sullivan's Travels".

Joel McCrea is John L. Sullivan, one of the hottest picture director's in town, a man who has dedicated his life to making comedies (films like Ants In Your Pants, for example). However, up until now, his life's work has been more about making money, rather than making poignant pictures. Sully decides that it's time to make a statement with one of his films and announces his decision to make a film called O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a film that explores the misfortunes of the poor. He figures that people want to watch something that they can relate to and since times are so tough, it's perfect timing. Sully's studio boss reminds him that he doesn't know anything about being on the streets or what it's like to be someone who's less fortunate. Sully agrees and decides to take to the streets and find out, first hand, what it's like to be a tramp. Along the way he meets a girl (Lake), because, let's face it - "There's always a girl in the picture!". The girl becomes so attached to him (in record time actually) that she insists on following him around like a lost puppy dog and participating in the experiment with him.

Me and this movie just didn't click. I think my main problem with it, is that I was expecting something different. In fact, I shouldn't have known what to expect. Of the two Preston Sturges films I've watched for the book, one I thought was brilliant ("The Palm Beach Story") and the other...not so much ("The Lady Eve"). However, I had heard the basic plot synopsis for this film (I need to stop reading those) and thought it sounded like something that I'd really take to. Actually, to me it kinda' sounded like "It Happened One Night" (which I loved), where we'd have a guy and a girl go from strangers to lovers and along the way, treat us to a good road comedy. That's not really what I got at all. I had some problems with the script, to be honest. The basic structure sounded like gold - a rich man sets out with ragged clothes and a dime in his pocket to learn about the plight of the downtrodden. However, every time the film got going, the plot had a wrench thrown into it and I never really got that road comedy I was looking for. In fact, when Sully and the girl finally do get out on the road, their entire trip is told through a montage, that lasts no more than five minutes.

SPOILER ALERT!

With that all being said, let me say that everything past Sully handing the one thousand dollars in $5 bills out to his former, fellow tramps was really great. Sully handing out the $5's, being beaten over the head and robbed for his money, waking up on a train car, viciously assaulting a train station employee with a rock and getting sentenced to six years of hard labor in a prison camp, where he realizes that comedies are essential and plotting to get out of prison so that he can make more. Not to mention, being pronounced dead and having his wife (whom he hates and who won't grant him a divorce) re-marry under the circumstances and opening the door wide for him to marry Veronica (or whatever her name was - "the girl"). That right there is an ENTIRE 'freaking movie, in itself!! That sounds amazing to me and everything I just wrote up there literally takes up about the final twenty minutes of the film. For my money, that's way too much gold to cram into twenty minutes. And the beginning wasn't good enough to warrant such a fabulous ending.

The reason I suggest that this movie may be the "King of Comedies" is, obviously, because of its message - comedies are essential and provide more of an escape. It's a nice message, really. Let's face it, comedies aren't usually on the top of a film snobs list of favorite genres, they never receive Oscar nominations (at least not the LOL comedies, the ones that really make you howl) and the ones that do make you howl are usually written off as nothing but garbage (usually by yours truly). But Sturges takes a stand for all comedies, for all-times to come - they're essential and as long as they keep the busting the gut's of the audience, they will always have a place in the American cinema scene.

RATING: 5.5./10 I know, I know, that seems really harsh, but all in all, I just wasn't crazy about it. They're were script issues, as far as I'm concerned and had it been a little more polished (at least for my tastes) it could've gone a lot further.

MOVIES WATCHED: 417
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 584

March 26, 2012 8:39pm

150. The Palm Beach Story (1942)

Running Time: 88 minutes
Directed By: Preston Sturges
Written By: Preston Sturges
Main Cast: Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Rudy Vallee, Mary Astor

SCREWBALL COMEDY AT IT'S FINEST

From horror in the hospital to 1940s screwball humor...just another dip in the roller coaster that is the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". I'm beginning to become a big fan of screwball comedies and "The Palm Beach Story" was no exception.

Tom (McCrea) and Geraldine Jeffers (Colbert) are a young married couple living in New York City. The film opens with their frantic wedding day and then we're immediately thrust five years into the future to find Tom Jeffers struggling with his architecture career. The couple are being forced out of their duplex and when potential new tenants come to check the place out, Geraldine meets the "Weenie King". The Weenie King is a deaf, wealthy, elderly man who wants nothing more than to help out the beautiful Geraldine, forking over to her $700 as if it were two bits. Geraldine pays the rent and all of the bills, buys herself a new dress and hangs on to $14 to take Tom to dinner that night. Tom isn't thrilled about the idea of them being handed money and later that night the couple make the decision to split up...well, that is, Geraldine makes the decision for him. She decides that together they'll never make it on their own, but alone, Geraldine can marry a wealthy man and Tom can live cheap while trying to execute his architecture. Geraldine takes off for Palm Beach, despite her husband's resistance, to get a divorce. Swindling every male onlooker who'll turn her way, she gets a train ticket and on board the "choo-choo" she meets John D. Hackensacker III, the wealthiest man in the country who is absolutely smitten with Geraldine. Yep, those are fantastic ingredients for a great screwball comedy!

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!

Claudette Colbert, with her second and last film in the "1001" book has impressed me big time. She shines in "The Palm Beach Story" and shined just as much in "It Happened One Night". She'll definitely be filed under the 'significant finds' category when counting the pluses from the book. Another fantastic part of the cast of "The Palm Beach Story" was Rudy Vallee, who was constantly fidgeting with his spectacles and being a very likable character to boot. I knew in the back of my mind that this film was going to end with Tom and Geraldine getting back together, but I liked the character of John D. Hackensacker so much, that I dreaded the ending. The ending eventually came and honestly I'm not sure how I felt about it. On one hand, everyone comes out on top and they live happily ever after...(or do they?), but on the other hand it felt really tacked on and a gigantic excuse to send everyone home happy.

With the main story going on full force, you also had a few side acts that served to split your side on a continual basis, including "The Ale and Quail Club" and The Wiener King, who I got an immediate kick out of. It's a shame to think that this used to be the standard material being churned out of Hollywood and when compared to what is being churned out today, this is worlds better stuff. I couldn't imagine Hollywood putting out something this satisfying in today's age. In conclusion, a knockout cast paired with a great story, tied up with a mildly unsatisfying ending makes for a good day at the movies.

RATING: 7/10 I may be undercutting it by just a hair, but if so, I'll certainly rectify it come the end of the month. '7' is my knee jerk though.

MOVIES WATCHED: 270
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 731

June 26, 2011 3:00pm

142. The Lady Eve (1941)

Running Time: 97 minutes
Directed By: Preston Sturges
Written By: Monckton Hoffe, Preston Sturges
Main Cast: Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest

FONDA AND STANWYCK WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

Despite the fact that today is my birthday, I still found the time to squeeze in a movie and it wasn't a bad one either. Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda appear in "The Lady Eve", a film directed and co-written by Preston Sturges and one that, while I didn't love it immensely, I did find it to be a ton of fun.

Charles Pike (Fonda) is just on his way back from South America, where he was on a snake expedition. Upon boarding the ocean liner to return to the United States he has a chance meeting with Jean Harrington (Stanwyck). Jean is traveling with her father, "Colonel" Harrington and his partner Gerald, and the three of them together plan to scam the poor Pike out of some of his loot, which is ample seeing as how he is the heir to the Pike Ale fortune. The meeting begins when Jean trips up Charles and makes him take her back to his room so that he can help her change her shoes, which she blames him for breaking the heel of. Later, the professional card shark "Colonel" Harrington, loses some money to Charles. This is a set up, so that later, when they really scam him out of some dough, he won't suspect anything. Before too long, Jean finds herself head over (broken) heels for Charles and talks her father out of scamming the unsuspecting Charles. However, when Charles' valet Muggsy (Demarest) lets his paranoia rise and starts asking questions to the staff of the ocean liner, the staff produces a picture and profile on the trio of scammers and Charles uncovers the truth behind their facade.

Unable to forgive Jean, even though they've fallen in love, Charles dumps her on the boat and eventually lands back home. Some time passes and Jean is set on revenge against Charles for dumping her. When Charles' father throws a party at the family estate, Jean talks one of her other con-men friends into allowing her to pass off as his niece, so that she can attend the party and possibly get back at Charles. Jean shows up at the party sporting an English accent and calling herself Lady Eve Sidwich. Mr. Pike is enamored with Lady Eve and while Charles agrees that she bares a striking resemblance to Jean, he eventually comes to the conclusion that if she had wanted to fool him, she would've dyed her hair yellow or something of the sort. He eventually comes to the conclusion that Jean and Lady Eve are two different people and he proceeds to fall in love with her. In the end, true love rears its head and wins out, as it normally does.

As I mentioned in the header for this post, I loved the chemistry that was created by Stanwyck and Fonda, which is cemented as he cradles her feet and changes her shoes for her and then later, when Jean is frightened by Charles' pet snake, she somehow ends up holding him, caressing his hair and petting his face, as he is lulled into her spell and the two make us believe that they're really and truly in love. I was glad to see my a familiar face in Eugene Pallette. It seems like whenever that guy shows up in a movie, it turns into a good time. While I'm not totally in love with this movie, it seemed to be the type of movie that you could watch over and over and never tire of and even though it's not one of your favorites you know you can always throw it in and not have to put a lot of thought to it and you'll always have a good time. The running theme in the book seems to be that screwball comedies are usually really good and provide a fair amount of classic film making and classic moments.

RATING: 6.5/10 I know I say this a lot, but that is another rating that I could definitely see rising with the passage of a little time and maybe another viewing or two.

NEXT UP: The Wolf Man...The classic monster movie should be ready for review late tonight.

July 12, 2010 9:55am