Preston Sturges

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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CineMaven
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Re: Preston Sturges

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Anne, no one can explain why what one finds funny and ironic is funny and ironic. And THAT's the funny and ironic thing that makes America great.

Awww Sue Sue...your line "the angst runs deep," made me :) & :( .
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Re: Preston Sturges

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THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM - Spending unearned capital. People give you things when they think you’ve already got things.

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AAAaaaah, so HERE is the voter fraud they’re searching so desperately for. Politics sure make strange bedfellows.

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See what you can accomplish when you rely on the kindness of strangers...
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JackFavell
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Re: Preston Sturges

Post by JackFavell »

T, I love your succinct descriptions of these movies! SO on the mark.

Sue Sue, Did your mom mime the Ink Spots, singing real low down bass? Did she bash her head on a mirror ball? Did she jitterbug with soldiers? Was her dad able to do a pratfall, and kick his heels up over his head? Was she the life of the party? (That one I KNOW the answer to...) :D

Anne, I understand how you feel about Sullivan's Travels. When I first saw it, my mouth hung open to the floor, and I could NOT figure out why this movie was billed as a comedy. There is a lot of despair in it. The lines at the beginning are so cynical and witty, I wouldn't say they are laugh out loud funny, and they come so fast as to not give you a chance to really laugh at them. The problem is that ST defies categorization, and it's frustrating because you are geared up by it's reputation for a laugh riot, when it is really, if anything, it's a very dark satire, and has a lot of drama in it.

If you can give up the idea that it's supposed to be funny, it may win you over. I've seen it now three times, and I can say now that I really feel like I only just started to get it. On this viewing, number three, It became BRILLIANT.
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: Preston Sturges

Post by charliechaplinfan »

What a great thread, I think my personal favourites are Sullivan's Travels and The Palm Beach Story but there are so many I haven't seen.
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Re: Preston Sturges

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Whaddya like about 'em Alison?
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Lzcutter
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Re: Preston Sturges

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I'm a big fan of The Great McGinty mainly because of Brian Donlevy's performance. He usually plays bad guys and heels but in this film (and The Great Man's Lady), he plays a very sympathetic character. As the man who falls in love with the life and family he gets in return for his fraudulent ways, he knowingly makes the sacrifice so that his family isn't dragged down with him.

I'm also a big fan of The Palm Beach Story because who doesn't love the Weenie King, the Ale and Quail club and all the other characters!
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: Preston Sturges

Post by charliechaplinfan »

It's been a while since I saw Sullivan's Travels but and it was the first Sturges film I ever saw and aside from Joel McCrea who is ever so easy on the eye I liked the way it linked a very real tragedy, that of the depression to the uplifting power of movies to free the mind, if only for a little while, from life's troubles. I liked Veronica Lake very much too and loved the chemistry. The Palm Beach Story was a much more recent film, I love the screwball element and the frisson between Claudette and Joel, who have some quite sexy scenes. It's so silly, has Mary Astor who is wonderful in comedy, partly takes place on a trian, I always love train movies. It's just perfect.
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Re: Preston Sturges

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A BAKER’S HALF-DOZEN: PRESTON STURGES, MASTER CHEF.

Oh I’m sure there are thousands of writer/directors out there who put their one-two punch & spin on things. Right now, I can only come up with Wilder. Lubitsch. Sturges. All with a scientist’s eye. They put human nature under a microscope, stare, probe and dissect it with laser beamed precision (...mixed metaphors not withstanding). It was swell of TCM to put Sturges’ 24-karat gems on display like diamonds, rubies and emeralds laying before us like in a glass at Tiffany’s.

His observations and commentary on the human condition are incisive ( think of V incisors V ). The comedy might have a vinegary bite, BUT the humor is so fast and furious the medicine goes down quickly, and, hopefully, gives you food for thought later as you wrap your aching ribs.

As the evening unfolded, I smiled when I saw the same character actors used over and over and over again. I’ve got to go to IMDB and research those names. You just know they knew each other’s rhythms and timing. Oh boy, Esther Howard trying to put the moves on Joel McCrea. She kind of looks like a female Raymond Walburn...those eyes! What I also know is this: his “go-to” guy has got to be WILLIAM DEMAREST. Feisty & irascible, you can put him in any role and Demarest can do ANYthing; be a father, a Marine, a bodyguard. I never fully appreciated his talent more than seeing him over and over...and over again, Saturday night, yellin’, screamin’ and scowling! He’s a human diamond in the rough. ( Bang! Bang! ) He was born to work with Sturges. Was he Sturges’ alter ego or were the male leads?

For me, the shock and awe of the first twenty minutes of “Sullivan’s Travels” was worth more than the last ten years of movies. A hyperbolic claim, you say. Yeah, maybe. Sturges might’ve been a little “wham, bam...” but he’ll give you a chance to catch your breath before he makes you run the gauntlet again. Just make sure you fasten your seatbelt.

These are some of the ( very very general ) observations I noticed, but things happen too fast and furiously to give many examples of each:

( * ) He packs sight gags upon sight gags. And not only are sight gags piled one on top of another...but there’s the fast repetitive wordplay too. I’m not sure if Cagney or Roz Russell would have the delicate finesse for Sturges, but they definitely had the speed to spit out his words. Hmmmm...I wonder why Cary Grant or Lombard didn't get a Sturges shot in the arm.

One small moment stands out for me in “The Great McGinty.” Donlevy & Tamiroff are having one of their typical all-out brawls. They cause such a commotion that they bring the governor’s (Donlevy) staff a-running. One of the characters quietly walks in the opposite direction of the brouhaha, throws his gun in the garbage and quickly walks away. Funny. (BTW, did the lead actress remind anybody else of Irene Dunne?)

( * ) There are set pieces of insanity, where the world turns topsy turvy; that wild bus ride throughout the countryside...the entire neighborhood community turns on the merchants who wants their gifts returned. Oh, and turning the Club Car into a shooting gallery in “The Palm Beach Story” to name a few.

I usually cringe when I see the “feets-do-yo-stuff” type schtick given to Black performers back then. But when I saw the cook in the kitchen during that bus ride flailing and falling and pots and pans and flour going every which way, I roared. I saw that he was just part of the madness just like everyone else. When Demarest and his buddy start using live ammo in the club car and shot out the window, my jaw dropped. How absurd & insane to start shooting in close proximity. Again, I couldn’t help laughing. And who doesn’t laugh at a little comedic anarchy?? I also appreciated that Sturges had to spend time doing each set-piece and give it his whole attention...so it could really stand alone. It wasn't just slopped together. Thought. Preparation.

( * ) Everybody gets a chance to get into the act and be nonsensical from the leads down to the bit players, and non-sensical surnames.

The train porter in “The Palm Beach Story” gets to tell how the rich guy only gave him a dime tip from NY to Florida. The crinkling sound Rudy Vallee’s glasses made ev’ry time they broke.

Darn it, I fell asleep on “Hail The Conquering Hero” but only b’cuz it was two in the morning. I got my second wind at 4:AM with “The Palm Beach Story.” But I saw enough to know that if Sturges was involved in the casting ( I’ve got to read up on him ) he did an excellent job. His leads have great chemistry with each other.

Joel McCrea / Veronica Lake......... “Sullivan’s Travel”
Brian Donlevy / Akim Tamiroff..... “The Great McGinty”
Dick Powell / Ellen Drew............... “Christmas in July”
Stanwyck / Fonda......................... “The Lady Eve”
Eddie Bracken / Ella Raines........... “Hail the Conquering Hero”
Joel McCrea / Claudette Colbert.... “The Palm Beach Story”

They really do fit each other like a glove. Craziness surrounds them and events grow out of control.

I've seen all of these movies at least once or in pieces some time or another. But this past Saturday, I left a friend's barbecue early to get home in time to see the Sturges festival. Who needs bbq hamburger or chicken when you can have steak...or diamonds.
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JackFavell
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Re: Preston Sturges

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That's lovely, Maven! I can't believe how spot on you are about Raymond Walburn and Esther Howard! Holy smokes, they are like twins!

You inspire me to make a photographic notebook of Sturges favorite players.

Preston Sturges Stock Company members:

1. William Demarest
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Forgive me for getting sappy, but the top 4 guys on my list are hardboiled, irascible and I love them to the point of getting mushy. Demarest comes in on top. The guy should've got a lifetime achievement award for his acting, not to mention for putting up with the stuff he did in his pictures. I could cry tears of love for this guy.

2. Porter Hall

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Porter Hall may be the most underrated actor in the history of film. From the only atheist in Going My Way to his mild but honest Jacob Q. Boot in Ace in the Hole, Hall could play anything any time. Apparently he was one of the best liked actors in Hollywood. Ironic that we remember him as this unpleasant boob. I would run away with him anywhere, anytime. What an actor! And he's a scream! "Bolt the door, Mariah!"

3. Al Bridge

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Awwww. Really, if I had to pick one guy who represents Sturges, it would be him. Can you tell he's my favorite? He makes me laugh the hardest, and makes my heart ache with his bluster, his cynical world view that opens up on occasion to show a sweetheart of a man. In Miracle of Morgan's Creek, as the tough talking Mr. Johnson who dispenses advice knowing full well that Betty Hutton is pregnant, well, he just melts my heart. And that voice! He, Demarest and Julius Tannen are the backbone of the story, these sweetly lovable hotheads make this one my favorite of all Sturges' films.

4. Julius Tannen

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I could find no other photos of Julius Tannen except as the "talking picture man" of Singing in the Rain. Tannen is given his best work in Sturges movies, my favorite again being The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. As Mr. Rafferty, Irishman with a strong eastern European accent, he cracks me up, but also is as sweet as pie to poor Trudy Kockenlocker, who finds herself in the family way without a husband. I guess the mixture of Irish and whatever makes him lose control every now and then, because he's constantly throwing his hands in the air and moaning, thinking the worst is coming, when we know that this is just the beginning. I love him so.

More to follow.
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JackFavell
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Re: Preston Sturges

Post by JackFavell »

Robert Dudley

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The Weenie King!

Jack Norton

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He made a career out of playing drunks. Need I say more?


Jimmy Conlin

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Was there a movie he wasn't in?

Sig Arno

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Nitz, Toto. Nitz.

Franklin Pangborn

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Flighty, fidgety and fickle, Franklin Pangborn gets my vote for longest suffering character actor. Doesn't he look fantastic in this photo?


Robert Greig


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Most at home as butlers, rich stuffy patrons of the arts, or as councilors at law, Greig was actually Australian by birth.

More to follow.
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JackFavell
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Re: Preston Sturges

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Torben Meyer

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Best known as Nazi Werner Lampe in Judgment at Nuremberg, who is unable to explain his actions during the war. A powerful performance after years of playing waiters.

Snub Pollard

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Unrecognizable without his trademark droopy moustache, Snub was in 2 of Sturges comedies, Hail the Conquering Hero and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend.

Rudy Vallee

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He's hilarious! Favorite performance is in Palm Beach Story. "Tipping is un-American."

Robert Warwick

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Another case where I thought there were two actors with the same name, but it turned out to be the same guy. Warwick was THE leading man of early silent film.

Raymond Walburn

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I don't even think I have to write anything about Walburn, do I? He's great.

Yictor Potel


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Sturges stalwart, making 9 appearances in Sturges' films. Wrote, acted and directed comedies from the 1910's up through the 1930's.

Max Wagner

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Another Sturges stalwart, Wagner allegedly logged in 50,000 miles in screen time playing a taxi driver. He had a long career, which was not hindered at all by his appearance as witness for the prosecution in Paul Kelly's murder trial.

Margaret Hamilton

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One of the nicest ladies in show business. Margaret Hamilton was nothing like her uptight bitchy persona in films. She appears in 2 Sturges comedies.

Lionel Stander

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Well, really. Best known for his stint on TV, and as Libby, the caustic press agent in 1937's A Star is Born, He is another actor who was nothing like his onscreen counterparts. Appeared in 2 Sturges films.
Last edited by JackFavell on July 2nd, 2012, 1:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Preston Sturges

Post by JackFavell »

J. Farrell MacDonald

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Scene stealer extroardinaire.

Charles R. Moore

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Moore was the guy who tipped headfirst through the land yacht in Sullivan's Travels. He was in 9 Sturges films, was a dancer, and also appeared as countless janitors, butlers and servants in his career. He was the janitor in Meet John Doe who is trying to smoke a cigar while mopping the floor when Doe goes to the roof to kill himself.

Harry Hayden

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This officious busybody acted with his wife Lelia Bliss, for most of his career. He has one of the best roles in Christmas in July as Dick Powell's boss, who explains why it's OK to give up your dreams. Even he doesn't really believe it. He adds so much to the role. I just love him.

Harry Rosenthal

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Rosenthal was a musician, and composer, as well as an actor. He accompanied the Prince of Wales on a round the world tour in the thirties. He wrote the music for The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, as well as appearing in all Sturges' pictures except Hail the Conquering Hero. He also conducted the orchestra behind the scenes in For Me and My Gal.

George Melford

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Wow! Founder of the Motion Picture Director's Association, Melford directed 140 films from the teens through the 1930's, including The Sheik!Melford was involved in a terrifically notorious scandal when his affair with Jacqueline Logan (one of the most beautiful actresses of the 1920's) was reported in the papers. He was a workaholic who joined Sturges company when he decided to take it easy and quit directing. He is also in The Ten Commandments.

Frank Moran

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Moran started out as a dentist, but became a prizefighter, going up against Jack Johnson for the heavyweight championship of the world in 1916 (he lost). His career in Hollywood playing various roughniks and big paloozas belied his gentle nature. According to Wiki, he is the cop who halts a tirade by a Jewish shopkeeper in Christmas in July by barking "Who do you think you are, Hitler?" and he is also the tough chauffeur who patiently explains to his traveling companions what paraphrase means in Sullivan's Travels. (I love that scene!)

Esther Howard

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Oh, Esther is another actor who should have gotten an academy award! She can be terrifically funny, or heart-breakingly sad and blowsy. She should have been in Fat City.
Last edited by JackFavell on July 2nd, 2012, 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Preston Sturges

Post by knitwit45 »

Anne, I have never enjoyed Sullivan's Travels either. It seems TO ME (please folks, don't take offense...this is MY opinion only), that the plot doesn't know where it's going. The first time I saw it, as a romantic young girl, I was so let down and confused when it went from slapstick to pathos. I don't have to have a rosy, happy ending every time, but this one just leaves me sad, and tangled up. It's like Sturges decided to throw everything he could think of into one film, mix it up and see what would happen.

I really REALLY don't like Miracle at Morgan Creek. A young woman who get drunk and then finds out she's pregnant....this is funny?

ok, I'll slink away now and promise not to bother the Sturges fans anymore....
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Re: Preston Sturges

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Going out for my afternoon constitutional. But let me say this before I step out, that your photograph of Sturges' players Wendy is

BRILLIANT!!!

Just what I needed.

Hey Nancy...don't slink away. Get back here. I can't tell you what I think about Sturges...but I'll try and explain what I feel.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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