Sullivan's Travels

Sullivan's Travels is a twofer for me, it's my favorite Preston Sturges film and my favorite Joel McCrea one. It's an anti-message film, loaded with humor, with a most sublime message indeed.Joel McCrea plays director John Sullivan who's tired of... Full review

After the opening credits, the film opens with the following statement."To the memory of those who made us laugh: the motley mountebanks, the clowns, the buffoons, in all times and in all nations whose efforts have lightened our burden a... Full review

This is one of those films I keep rating higher each time I watch it. At first I thought it was just "fair" and, frankly, overrated, but I don't think so now. I especially would recommend seeing this on the... Full review

"Sullivan's Travels" is one of the best films that came out of Hollywood in 1941. Preston Sturges showed he was an original with this story about self-discovery for a man that has a different view of the world. In a... Full review

This movie is, simply, one of the best Hollywood ever made.From the marvelous collection of great actors, with one of the greatest of motion picture directors, to an intelligent script by the director, Preston Sturges, everything comes together to produce... Full review

As a TV Producer of "entertainment" shows, I make a point of watching this film at least once a year and giving DVDs of it to all who may disparage what I do.Preston Sturges achieves the impossible in this movie:... Full review

This is one of those real joys -- the film you always hope you were going to see when you take the act of faith of going to a theater. This is as good as it gets. McCrea is Sullivan,... Full review

When it comes right down to it, what you `think' you want isn't necessarily what you `really' want, nor is it likely to be anything you need. But finding the answer is up to the individual, a prospect that's explored... Full review

As a professional circus clown for twenty years,I think that Sullivan's Travels is the best, most lucid, explanation of what comedy is all about that has ever been made. Sure it's hokey, corny, contrived, and meandering. But so is all... Full review

Sturges' most daringly double-edged film, laced with bitter ironies. It is also arguably the most audacious film in Hollywood's (mainstream) history, audacious because it takes the kinds of risks that can so easily fall flat on their face, and right... Full review

The first half of the movie is filled with snappy dialogue and visually funny slapstick. Along the way he meets the beautiful Veronica Lake (whom young moviegoers will recognize as the inspiration for the animated Jessica Rabbit) and she joins him for the ride. ... Full Review

The genius of this classic opening scene is....as well as being a satire of socially conscious melodrama, and a serious apologetic for crowd-pleasing comedy..... ... Full Review

Warwick's best performance under Sturges' guidance was as the brusque Hollywood executive who insists upon injecting "a little sex" in all of his studio's product in Sullivan's Travels (1942). From The Great McGinty (1940) onward, Warwick was a particular favorite of producer/director Preston Sturges, who was fond of providing plum acting opportunities to veteran character actors. ... Full Review

This is either a fun hidden gag or an extremely subtle comment on the housing shortage of the period. The only other observation I would make is that it would be worth consulting two other sources on this matter: First, I can't find my copy, but it's a sound idea to take a quick look at the Sullivan's script in Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges, to see if there's any mention of this odd detail. ... Full Review

The first step is for the pretentious Sullivan to research ordinary suffering at first hand so, dressed as a tramp, he heads out on to the road. Quickly teaming up with a disenchanted actress (the alluring Veronica Lake), Sullivan embarks on a series of life-changing adventures. ... Full Review

Thanks to a wee bout of insomnia I found myself channel surfing earlier this morning, and around 6am I chanced across something really interesting on the Fox Movie Channel. ... Full Article

Poverty.Hunger.Dislocation.Joblessness.Most of us go to the movies to get away from these grim realities. Yet some of our most memorable films have reflected hard times and the ways in which we cope with and sometimes overcome... ... Full Article

As more and more economists compare the nation's current financial crisis to the Great Depression of the 1930s, it begs the question - will the movies be as good? ... Full Article

Laugh.Cry.Smile.Wince.Hollywood has never really been sure how to deal with fragile economic times.Should movies entertain (1939's Wizard of Oz), or should they be empathetic (1940's The Grapes of Wrath)? ... Full Article

Here's a story that's bound to bring a smile to your face (it did mine). During the protracted, agonizing Writer's Guild strike, at least one Hollywood scribe chose not to lounge by the pool and wait it out. ... Full Article

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 11, 2007) Preston Sturges pokes at the movie industry in 1942's Sullivan's Travels .Ambitious young director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) battles with the studio heads about his next project, O Brother, Where Art... ... Full Article