Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea in Preston Sturges's "The Palm Beach Story"

The Palm Beach Story (1942) is an American screwball comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, and Rudy Vallee. The cinematography is by Victor Milner, and the music is by Victor Young.

Tom Jeffers (McCrea) is an inventor going through a rough patch with his wife, Gerry (Colbert). Used to living an upper-class life in New York City, their current financial situation (not good) isn't helping the relationship.

Gerry, still in love with her husband, develops a plan that seems to make no sense to anyone but her. Will her plan throw her marriage into greater peril or save it?

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his own screenplays, opening up the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright and Hollywood screenwriter, and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in a period of five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined, and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. In spite of this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Claudette Colbert (1903 -1996) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Ellie Andrews in Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934). For her role in that film, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was nominated two other times in that category. Colbert got her start in the theater, where she played a variety of ingenue roles. In 1928, she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, where she quickly made a succession of movies. Her breakout role came in 1932 in The Sign of the Cross (1932) starring Fredric March and Charles Laughton. In 1934, she made three films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: Imitation of Life, Cleopatra, and the eventual winner, It Happened One Night. No one had been able to match that record. Other popular films include I Met Him in Paris (1937), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Midnight (1939), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Since You Went Away (1944), and The Egg and I (1947).

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decade career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood, including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day, including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck, with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937), co-starring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea died in 1990.

Click HERE to watch the movie on the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

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The Palm Beach Story trivia

• Carole Lombard was scheduled to star alongside McCrea but was replaced by Colbert when Lombard was killed in a plane crash in 1942.
• Preston Sturges makes a cameo appearance carrying Colbert's luggage after departing Rudy Vallee's yacht.
• The studio didn't want Rudy Vallee to be cast in the role of J.D. Hackesacker III but Sturges persisted and got his way.
• The $700 that the Wienie King gives Gerry would be worth over $10,000 today.
• The Palm Beach Story was the fifth film writer-director Preston Sturges made in two years!

Why watch this film?

• The Palm Beach Story is considered one of the best screwball comedies ever made. 
• Preston Sturges is one of the true geniuses of Hollywood's classical period which makes watching his films practically mandatory.
• It's an opportunity to see Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert at the peak of their powers and appeal.
• The supporting cast includes Mary Astor and Rudy Vallee, and the members of The Preston Sturges Stock Company.
• Few people could write sophisticated comedy like Preston Sturges, and The Palm Beach Story is just one example of the director's talent.

Discussion questions

1. Gender Roles and Expectations: How does the film challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles of the 1940s? Consider the characters of Gerry and Tom and their respective approaches to money, marriage, and independence.
2. Money vs. Love: The central conflict in the film revolves around money. Does the movie ultimately suggest that money is a necessary evil for a successful marriage, or is it a corrosive force that undermines genuine affection?
3. Screwball Comedy Elements: Identify and analyze the classic elements of screwball comedy present in "The Palm Beach Story." How do these elements, such as fast-paced dialogue, zany situations, and mistaken identities, serve the film's satirical commentary on class and relationships?
4. Symbolism of the Ale & Quail Club: The Ale & Quail Club and its chaotic journey on the train are a significant part of the film's humor. What might this group symbolize? What is their function within the narrative, and how do they reflect the film's broader themes?
5. Frankness and Modernity: For a film made in 1942, "The Palm Beach Story" is remarkably frank about divorce, remarriage, and a woman's desire for financial security. How does this film's treatment of these topics compare to other films of the era, and in what ways does it feel surprisingly modern?

Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges’s “Sullivan’s Travels”

Sullivan’s Travels (1942) is a satirical look at life in Hollywood as only director Preston Sturges could tell it. It centers around successful movie director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) and his quest to learn more about life so he can film the deadly serious novel O Brother Where Art Thou?

Sullivan’s previous films were profitable comedies, but the director yearns for more. He wants to be taken seriously like Frank Capra.

To learn about life, Sullivan disguises himself as a hobo. Along the way, he meets a disillusioned young actress (Veronica Lake) who convinces him to take her on his quest. Together they experience many adventures where they discover that a bit of laughter goes a long way in tough times.

But then the movie world is suddenly turned upside down when Sullivan goes missing. Where is John L. Sullivan?

Sullivan’s Travels features the great Sturges stock company, featuring William Demarest, Robert Greig, Eric Blore, Esther Howard, and Franklin Pangborn.

Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his screenplays, opening the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright, Hollywood screenwriter, and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. Despite this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea died in 1990.

Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was a popular star of film noirs, often paired with Alan Ladd in the 1940s. She was also famous for her peek-a-boo hairstyle. Her home studio, Paramount, dubbed her the peek-a-boo girl. Women and girls all over the world copied her hair-over-one-eye hairstyle. Lake became an overnight sensation with her role in I Wanted Wings (1940). During the height of her career, Lake was making $4,500 a week. Some of her popular films include Sullivan’s Travels (1941),  This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), So Proudly We Hail! (1943), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Lake’s career declined due to her struggle with alcoholism. She died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1973. She was 50 years old.

Sullivan’s Travels trivia

• Veronica Lake was six months pregnant when she signed on for this film. Costume designer Edith Head designed a wardrobe to hide this fact. Production was from June 12 to July 22, 1941, and her daughter Elaine Detlie was born on August 21, 1941.
• Sturges wanted to use a clip from a Charlie Chaplin film in the church scene but Chaplin refused permission.
• Sturges wrote the film with Joel McCrea in mind. He never considered anyone else for the role.
• Anthony Mann was Preston Sturges’s assistant.

Click HERE to watch the film at the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on February 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join us on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What did you make of Sturges’s critique of Hollywood? Do you think there was any truth in his satire?
2. This was Veronica Lake’s first big starring role. Was she up to the task? Many studio heads didn’t think she was right for the role.
3. The film is filled with great dialogue. Was there a line from the movie that was, particularly memorable or funny?
4.  Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake supposedly didn’t get along. Did that show in their performances?
5. The film has many character actors that Sturges used in many of his movies. Do you have a favorite? 

Joel McCrea and Laraine Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent”

Foreign Correspondent (1940) is an American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, and George Sanders. The screenplay was written by Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison. The music was by Alfred Newman and the cinematography was by Rudolph Mate.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Powers (Harry Davenport), editor of the New York Morning Globe, sends crime reporter John Jones (McCrea) to report on the situation there.

While in the Netherlands, Jones attends an event sponsored by the Universal Peace Party led by Stephen Fisher (Marshall). When the keynote speaker Van Meer (Albert Basserman) becomes ill, he is replaced by Carol Fisher (Day), Stephen Fisher’s daughter. Earlier, Jones had insulted Carol but now finds her irresistible.

As Jones continues to delve into European politics, he becomes suspicious of the Universal Peace Party and Carol’s father.

Does the Universal Peace Party really stand for peace or do they have another agenda?

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century. Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films, many are classics that have been honored and studied for years. Some of Hitchcock’s classic films include The 39 Steps (1939), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Notorious (1946), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until Joel died in 1990.

Laraine Day (1920 – 2007) was an American actress. Day appeared in films, stage, radio, and television. In 1939, she signed with M-G-M and starred as Nurse Mary Lamont in the popular film series Dr. Kildare. She made seven Dr. Kildare movies with Lew Ayres in the title role. In 1946, she signed a contract with RKO. Her contract stipulated that she would make one movie per year at $100,000. During the late 1940s, Day co-starred with John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Robert Mitchum. Some of Day’s films include Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), The Locket (1946), and Tycoon (1947) with John Wayne.

 

Foreign Correspondent trivia

• Gary Cooper was offered the John Jones role but turned it down. He regretted it once he saw the film.
• Alfred Hitchcock had two films up for Best Picture of 1940. This film and Rebecca.
• Hitchcock had wanted Barbara Stanwyck or Joan Fontaine for the female lead.
• The film was made before the U.S. had entered the war. The closing scenes of the movie were added when it became clear that the bombing of London was imminent.
• An entire square was built on a ten-acre site for $200,000 (over $4M today).
• A flight on the Clipper 314 cost $675.00 round trip which is roughly $12,000 in today’s dollars.
• Laraine Day was 19 years old during production.
• The film was a box-office hit but the film’s budget was so high that it didn’t make a profit for the filmmakers.

 

Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, and George Sanders

Click HERE to join the discussion on April 15, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Discussion questions

1. Where do you think this film ranks with other Hitchcock movies?
2. The film is famous for its elaborate set pieces. Were you impressed with the film’s recreation of Amsterdam?
3. Joel McCrea was Hitchcock’s second choice for the lead. What did you think of his performance?
4. Laraine Day was only 19 years old when she took on the role of Carol Fisher. What did you think of her performance?
5. Were there any other performances that you enjoyed?

 

Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges’s “Sullivan’s Travels”

 Sullivan’s Travels (1942) is a satirical look at life in Hollywood as only director Preston Sturges could tell it. It centers around successful movie director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) and his quest to learn more about life so he can film the deadly serious novel O Brother Where Art Thou?

Sullivan’s previous films were profitable comedies, but the director yearns for more. He wants to be taken seriously like Frank Capra.

To learn about life, Sullivan disguises himself as a hobo. Along the way, he meets a disillusioned young actress (Veronica Lake) who convinces him to take her on his quest. Together they experience many adventures where they discover that a bit of laughter goes a long way in tough times.

But then the movie world is suddenly turned upside down when Sullivan goes missing. Where is John L. Sullivan?

Sullivan’s Travels features the great Sturges stock company featuring William Demarest, Robert Greig, Eric Blore, Esther Howard, and Franklin Pangborn.

Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his own screenplays, opening up the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright and Hollywood screenwriter and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in a period of five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. In spite of this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea’s death in 1990.

Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was a popular star of film noirs, often paired with Alan Ladd in the 1940s. She was also famous for her peek-a-boo hairstyle. Her home studio, Paramount, dubbed her the peek-a-boo girl. Women and girls all over the world copied her hair-over-one-eye hairstyle. Lake became an overnight sensation with her role in I Wanted Wings (1940). During the height of her career, Lake was making $4,500 a week. Some of her popular films include Sullivan’s Travels (1941),  This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), So Proudly We Hail! (1943), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Lake’s career declined due to her struggle with alcoholism. She died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1973. She was 50 years old.

Sullivan’s Travels trivia

• Veronica Lake was six months pregnant when she signed on for this film. Costume designer Edith Head designed a wardrobe to hide this fact. Production took place from June 12 to July 22, 1941, and her daughter Elaine Detlie was born on August 21, 1941.
• Sturges wanted to use a clip from a Charlie Chaplin film in the church scene but Chaplin refused to give permission.
• Sturges wrote the film with Joel McCrea in mind. He never considered anyone else for the role.
• Anthony Mann was Preston Sturges’s assistant.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on July 31, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What did you make of Sturges’s critique of Hollywood? Do you think there was any truth in his satire?
2. This was Veronica Lake’s first big starring role. Was she up to the task? Many studio heads didn’t think she was right for the role.
3. The film is filmed with great dialogue. Was there a line from the film that was, particularly memorable or funny?
4.  Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake supposedly didn’t get along. Did that show in their performances?
5. The film has many character actors that Sturges used in his films over and over again. Did you have a favorite? 

Lake and McCrea taking direction from Preston Sturges

Sylvia Sidney and Joel McCrea star in “Dead End”

Dead End (1937) is a crime melodrama directed by William Wyler and starring Sylvia Sidney and Joel McCrea. The supporting cast includes Humphrey Bogart, Wendy Barie, Claire Trevor, and Allen Jenkins. The screenplay was written by Lillian Hellman, and based on the play Dead End (1935) by Sidney Kingsley. The cinematography was by Greg Toland (Citizen Kane, Wuthering Heights, The Best Years of Our Lives) and the music was by Alfred Newman.

Tommy Gordon (Billy Halop) is the leader of a gang of poor kids on their way to being more than petty criminals, is being raised by his older sister Drina (Sydney). Drina works hard to provide for Tommy and to keep him from the criminal element that he seems to admire.

Mobster Hugh “Baby Face” Martin (Bogart) returns to the neighborhood to visit his mother and girlfriend (Trevor), causing commotion and excitement among the young gang members. Dave Connell (McCrea) recognized Martin who was raised on the same street as he, warns him to stay away. Martin ignores Dave.

Dave is a trained architect, but hasn’t been able to gain employment in his chosen field, works odd jobs to make ends meet. He is involved with a rich debutante Kay Burton (Barrie). The relationship is doomed due to the fact that Dave is poor and Kay is used to a life of comfort and ease. Eventually, Dave finds himself drawn to Drina, someone he has known from his childhood.

Will Dave, Drina, and Tommy escape the dead end of their current existence?

Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sidney, and Billy Halop

William Wyler (1902 - 1981) was an American (born in Mulhouse, Alsace, then part of Germany) film director and producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Direction three times: Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959). Wyler was nominated 12 times for Best Director, an Academy record. Wyler started working in the movie business during the silent era, eventually making a name for himself as a director in the early 1930s. He would go on to direct Wuthering Heights (1939), The Westerner (1940), and The Little Foxes (1941). Actress Bette Davis received three Oscar nominations under Wyler’s direction, winning her second Oscar for her performance in Jezebel (1938). Other popular films directed by Wyler include The Heiress (1949), Roman Holiday (1954), Friendly Persuasion (1956), The Big Country (1958), and Funny Girl 1968).

Sylvia Sydney (1910 – 1999) was an American stage and film actress. Sydney was a major movie star during the depression with starring roles in An American Tragedy (1931), Fury (1936), Dead End (1937). In 1936, she starred in The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, an early three-strip Technicolor film. When Sydney made Sabotage, she was the highest-paid actress in movies, earning $10,000 per week. She made a total of $80,000 for that film. Later in her career, she appeared in supporting roles in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973), Beetlejuice (1998), Used People (1992), and Mars Attacks! (1996) which was her final film role.

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea’s death in 1990.

Joel McCrea, Allan Jenkins, and Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart (1899 – 1957) was an American film and stage actor. He is one of the most famous and popular movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Nicknamed Bogie, the actor toiled in supporting roles in both A and B pictures for a decade before his breakout role as Roy Earle in High Sierra (1941). Many more film roles followed including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), Key Largo (1948), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). His career continued with good roles in films like In a Lonely Place (1950), The Caine Mutiny (1954), and Sabrina (1954) co-starring William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. Bogart died from cancer in 1957.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on August 15, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Dead End trivia

• The was the first appearance of The Dead End Kids who went on to make movies under various names until 1958.
• Sylvia Sydney was borrowed from Walter Wanger and Humphrey Bogart was borrowed from Warner Bros. for their roles.
• The set for Dead End was one of the most elaborate and realistic sets ever created.
• Samuel Goldwyn supposedly said of the Dead End set, "Why do directors always want these slums to be so dirty? Clean it up!" Director Wyler convinced Goldwyn that most slums weren't clean. 

Discussion questions

1. The movie was based on a very successful stage play. Does the film feel like a filmed stage play?
2. Sylvia Sidney was a huge star when the film was released. What did you think of her performance as Drina?
3. Bogart was still playing gangsters and second leads at this point in his career. Was he convincing as mobster Hugh "Baby Face" Martin?
4. This film was released at the height of the depression. What do you think audiences thought about when the film premiered?
5. Claire Trevor was barely on screen for five minutes but she was still nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Do you think she deserved the nomination?

Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea in Preston Sturges's "The Palm Beach Story"

The Palm Beach Story (1942) is an American screwball comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, and Rudy Vallee. The cinematography is by Victor Milner and the music is by Victor Young.

Tom Jeffers (McCrea) is an inventor going through a rough patch with his wife Gerry (Colbert). Used to living an upper-class life in New York City, their current financial situation (not good) isn't helping the relationship.

Gerry, still in love with her husband comes up with a plan that seems to make no sense to anyone but Gerry. Will her plan throw her marriage into greater peril or save it?

Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his own screenplays, opening up the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright and Hollywood screenwriter and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in a period of five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. In spite of this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Claudette Colbert (1903 -1996) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Ellie Andrews in Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934). For her role in that film, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was nominated two other times in that category. Colbert got her start in the theater where she played a variety of ingenue roles. In 1928, she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures where she quickly made a succession of movies. Her breakout role came in 1932 in The Sign of the Cross (1932) starring Fredric March and Charles Laughton. In 1934, she made three films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: Imitation of Life, Cleopatra, and the eventual winner, It Happened One Night. No one had been able to match that record. Other popular films include I Met Him in Paris (1937), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Midnight (1939), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Since You Went Away (1944), and The Egg and I (1947).

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea’s death in 1990.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on March 28, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to the discussion on Zoom.

The Palm Beach Story trivia

• Carole Lombard was scheduled to star alongside McCrea but was replaced by Colbert when Lombard was killed in a plane crash in 1942.
• Preston Sturges makes a cameo appearance carrying Colbert's luggage after departing Rudy Vallee's yacht.
• The studio didn't want Rudy Vallee to be cast in the role of J.D. Hackesacker III but Sturges persisted and got his way.
• The $700 that the Wienie King gives Gerry would be worth over $10,000 today.
• The Palm Beach Story was the fifth film writer-director Preston Sturges made in two years!

"The Ale and Quail Club" with Claudette Colbert

Why watch this film?

• The Palm Beach Story is considered one of the best screwball comedies ever made. 
• Preston Sturges is one of the true geniuses of Hollywood's classical period which makes watching his films practically mandatory.
• It's an opportunity to see Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert at the peak of their powers and appeal.
• The supporting cast includes Mary Astor and Rudy Vallee and the members of The Preston Sturges Stock Company.
• Few people could write sophisticated comedy like Preston Sturges and The Palm Beach Story is just one example of the director's talent.

Discussion questions

1. Do you think the director had a message about marriage and relationships buried beneath the comedy?
2. What did you think of the comedic talents of Colbert and McCrea and Astor and Vallee?
3. Was there any wisdom in Gerry's plan to help her husband succeed?
4. Did you have a favorite actor or character actor?
5. Was there anything that surprised you?
6. Was the ending satisfying, confusing, brilliant?

Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn believe “The More the Merrier”

The More the Merrier (1943) is an American romantic comedy directed by George Stevens and starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn. This was director Steven’s last feature film before he joined the Army as chief of the combat photographic unit. It was also the last comedy he ever directed.

Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, and Joel McCrea

The housing shortage in Washington D. C. during World War II brings Connie Milligan (Arthur) an engaged-to-be-married young woman, Sergeant Joe Carter (McCrea), and Benjamin Dingle a retired millionaire (Coburn) together in Connie’s apartment. Connie reluctantly rented a room in her apartment to Dingle, only to have him sublet it to Joe. Connie is very organized and businesslike in the way she starts her day, much to the dismay of Joe and Dingle who never seem to be on schedule.

Eight women to every man

Connie and Joe are both attracted to each other from the start, but Connie tries to ignore her feelings and remind herself that she’s engaged to Charles J. Pendergast (Richard Gaines), a Washington bureaucrat. Will Connie choose security with Pendergast or the uncertainty of life with Sergeant Joe Carter?

The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the film “as warm and refreshing a ray of sunshine as we’ve had in a very late spring.”

George Stevens (1904 – 1975) was an American film director and producer. He was nominated for five Best Director Academy Awards, winning one for Giant (1956). Stevens got his start in the movies as a cameraman working on many Laurel and Hardy films. Stevens directed many of the top stars of Hollywood’s Golden age including Barbara Stanwyck, Katharine Hepburn, Ronald Colman, Ginger Rogers, James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Carole Lombard, Fed Astaire, Joel McCrea, Alan Ladd, Spencer Tracy, and Elizabeth Taylor. Other popular films directed by Stevens include Annie Oakley (1935), Gunga Din (1939), Woman of the Year (1942), The More the Merrier (1943), I Remember Mama (1948), Shane (1953), and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959).

Jean Arthur (1900 – 1991) was an American stage and film actress whose career spanned three decades. Arthur got her start in silent films but became a major star with the advent of sound. Her unique speaking voice made her a natural for comedy. She came to prominence having major roles in a series of films directed by Frank Capra: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can’t Take it With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Other popular films Arthur starred in included Only Angels Have Wings (1939), The Talk of the Town (1942), The More the Merrier (1943). For her work in The More the Merrier, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress; it was her only Academy Award nomination. Arthur’s last film role was in the western classic Shane (1953). After retiring from acting, she taught drama at Vassar College where one of her students was Meryl Streep.

McCrea and Arthur

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea’s death in 1990.

Charles Coburn (1877 – 1961) was an Academy-Award-winning character actor. Coburn was one of the most popular character actors in film during the 1940s. He was nominated for three Best Support Actor Academy Awards for The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), for The More the Merrier (1943)—won, and The Green Years (1946). Other classic films featuring Coburn include The Lady Eve (1941), Kings Row (1942), The Constant Nymph (1943), Monkey Business (1952), and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).

The More the Merrier trivia:

• It was the last picture under a three-picture deal that Stevens had with Columbia Studios; the other two were Penny Serenade (1941) and The Talk of the Town (1942).
• The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director; Coburn won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
• Jean Arthur was on the outs with Columbia Pictures for turning down roles. To placate the studio, she paid Garson Kanin to write something for her, paying him out of her own pocket.
• Joel McCrea originally didn’t think he was right for the film and suggested Cary Grant for the lead; ironically, Grant starred in the remake, Walk, Don’t Run (1966) in the Charles Coburn role.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on Zoom on January 5, 2021, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP to the discussion, you’ll get an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

Questions for discussion:

1. Many critics consider the film one of the best romantic comedies of all time. What’s your opinion?
2. How does Jean Arthur’s performance in Too Many Husbands compare with her performance in The More the Merrier?
3. Why do you think Joel McCrea thought he wasn’t right for the role?
4. Did the film remind you of any other romantic comedies?
5. The scene on the stoop with Arthur and McCrea is considered a classic. Do you agree?

10 Things You May Not Know About Joel McCrea

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was one of the most underrated stars from Hollwyood’s Golden Age, in my opinion. Unfairly labeled as the poor man’s Gary Cooper, McCrea was a talented actor in his own right. Here are some things about McCrea that you may not know.

1. Joel McCrea was Cecil B. DeMille’s paperboy.

I wonder if Cecil B. DeMille was a good tipper.

2. As a high school student he worked as a stunt double for silent movie cowboys William S. Hart and Tom Mix.

3. He was the first actor to play “Dr. Kildare” on the screen in Internes Can’t Take Money (1937).

McCrea was the first actor to portray Dr. Kildare.

4. When Gary Cooper turned down the part of the hero in Foreign Correspondent (1940), McCrea got one of his best known roles in the iconic Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

5. Writer-director Preston Sturges wrote Sullivan’s Travels (1941) and The Palm Beach Story (1942) with McCrea in mind for the male leads.

6. He starred in six films with Barbara Stanwyck; their first film together was the pre-Code Gambling Lady (1934).

7. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933; they were married for 57 years (his death).

McCrea and Dee were considered one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood.

8. He and his wife had three sons: David, Peter, and Jody.

9. Due to his shrewd financial and real-estate investments, he was a multi-millionaire by the end of the 1940s.

10. McCrea was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 1968.

Screening of “Union Pacific” at Daystar Center May 12

“Stanwyck on State Street” Series: Union Pacific
Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street
When: May 12, 2017
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Union Pacific (1939) is a rousing epic about the construction of the first intercontinental railroad. Directed by the master showman, Cecil B. DeMille, the movie is filled with plenty of action.

Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea) is hired by the Union Pacific to root out saboteurs who’ve been trying to destroy the railroad’s progress. Barbara Stanwyck plays Mollie Monahan, the railroad’s feisty postmistress who is courted by Dick Allen (Robert Preston).  Dick is working with the corrupt Sid Campeau (Brian Donlevy) who is bent on destroying the railroad and eliminating Butler’s railroad oversight. Although Mollie is betrothed to Dick, Jeff finds himself falling in love with her.

Every movie star needs to make a big-budget blockbuster epic at some point in their career and Union Pacific more than fills the bill for Stanwyck and McCrea. The large cast includes an early glimpse of Anthony Quinn as Jack Cordray, a henchman of Campeau.

This film is part of the “Stanwyck on State Street” series.

Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, and Robert Preston

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Screening of “The More the Merrier” at Daystar Center April 4

Classic Movie Man Favorites Series: The More the Merrier
Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street
When: April 4, 2017
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

The More the Merrier (1943) is one of the great romantic comedies released during the height of World War II.

Due to the housing shortage in Washington, D.C., retired millionaire Benjamin Dingle rents a room from the ultra patriotic Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur). After spending some time with Connie, Dingle decides that she needs to be married to a “clean-cut” young man in the person of Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), so Dingle rents half of his room to Joe. This causes all kinds of problems. Problem number one, Connie is engaged to a Washington bureaucrat Charles J. Pendergast (Richard Gaines). Problem number two, she’s living with two single men!

When the press uncovers their “scandalous” habitation, it’s up to Mr. Dingle to set things straight. The trio of Arthur, McCrea, and Coburn are a real treat. Not only do they handle the dialogue with great skill, but they delight us with their amazing physical comedy as well.

The More the Merrier was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress (Jean Arthur), Best Director (George Stevens), and Best Supporting Actor (Charles Coburn). Coburn was the only winner for his engagingly comic performance.

Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, and Joel McCrea in close quarters in The More the Merrier

This film is part of the “Classic Movie Man's Favorite” series.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Sullivan’s Travels: “There’s always a girl in the picture”

The posters for Sullivan’s Travels
emphasize “The Girl.”

Preston Sturges was one writer-director who could make fun of the American public and their conventions without insulting them. Even when he makes fun of motherhood, romance, and marriage, he never makes you feel foolish for believing in them. In 1941 Sturges took on the motion picture business that is both hilarious and poignant.

John L. (Sully) Sullivan (Joel McCrea) is a successful motion picture director best know for light comedies and musicals like Ants in Your Plants of 1939. However, at this point in his career he wants to tackle more serious fare. “Something like Capra” studio executive Mr. Hadrian (Porter Hall) says, to which Sullivan retorts. “What’s the matter with Capra?” He wants to film O, Brother Where Art Thou?, a novel that deals with “social significance” (think The Grapes of Wrath). Sullivan says “conditions have changed, these are troublous times.” The studio executives, Mr. Lebrand (Robert Warwick) and Mr. Hadrian, see their top moneymaker slipping away so they ask Sullivan what he knows about trouble? While Lebrand and Hadrian contrast Sullivan’s charmed life—boarding school, college—with their own hardscrabble youth—mostly fiction—selling newspapers and supporting their families. Sullivan has to admit that he doesn’t know what trouble is. At this point, Lebrand and Hadrian try to coax him into making Ants in Your Pants of 1941 with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Jack Benny and Rochester, all names movie audiences would have been familiar with. This name-dropping continues throughout, which makes it even more enjoyable for classic movie fans.

Preston Sturges directs Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea

But no, Sullivan is determined to learn about suffering by disguising himself as a tramp with only a dime in his pocket! The studio suits reluctantly give in to Sullivan, but plan to exploit his adventure. They enlist studio publicist Mr. Casalsis (Franklin Pangborn) who has renovated DeMille’s “land yacht” that he used while filming Northwest Mounted Police (1940) to follow Sullivan. Along for the ride are a doctor, a writer, a secretary, a radio operator, a cook, studio publicists, and a driver. Sullivan ditches this group and spends a day with two sisters working as their handyman. When one sister gets too amorous, he runs away and hitches a ride with a truck driver who lets Sullivan out in Hollywood, the town he’s been trying to get away from. Sullivan stumbles into a diner where he meets “The Girl”—“There’s always a girl in the picture” (Veronica Lake) who has decided to leave Hollywood and forget about a career in the movies. At first she takes pity on Sullivan thinking he’s a tramp down on his luck, even buying him breakfast, until it’s revealed that he is in fact a famous director who knows (Ernst) Lubitsch, the director she would most like to meet.

McCrea and Lake at a revival meeting

When Sullivan goes back on his journey The Girl convinces him to take her along. Dressed as tramps, they travel with the poor and downtrodden, eating at soup kitchens, and sleeping in shelters. At one point they’re reduced to looking through trashcans for food. Sullivan decides they’ve had enough and the two return to Hollywood. Sullivan feels he has now “suffered enough” to direct O, Brother Where Art Thou? Before he returns to directing, Sullivan secretly hands out five-dollar bills to the homeless folks in appreciation for those who were kind to him. Unfortunately one man wants more and assaults Sullivan, steals the money and loads the unconscious director on a freight train. The thief runs away accidentally dropping cash on the train tracks. While trying to pick up the money, the thief is hit and killed by a train. When his mangled body is discovered, a studio identification card sewn into his boots identifies him as Sullivan (the thief stole Sullivan’s boots earlier). The studio and The Girl are informed that Sullivan is dead.

Sullivan and the chain gang watch a Mickey Mouse cartoon.

Sullivan wakes up in a freight car with no memory of what had happened to him. Due to his confusion and memory loss, he ends up assaulting a railroad worker who finds him. This assault lands him on a chain gang. When his memory comes back, no one believes he is John L. Sullivan the famous director. As life on the chain gang becomes more routine, he and the other prisoners go to a black church where they see the Walt Disney cartoon Playful Pluto. At first Sullivan watches the cartoon looking glum and unhappy, but when he sees the audience laughing, he joins them. It’s at this point he has an epiphany. Maybe directing movies that make people laugh, helping them to forget their troubles for a while, is nobler than he thought. Out goes his plans to film O, Brother Where Art Thou?, but how does he get off the chain gang?

Sullivan has an epiphany!

While thinking of ways to get off the chain gang, he has a brainstorm. He says he killed John L. Sullivan, which gets his picture in the paper and he is quickly released. When The Girl, now a movie star, sees Sullivan alive on the front page of the newspaper, she leaves the set (where Sturges is the director). She runs out of the soundstage, where she almost mows down Ray Milland, who looks like he’s in costume for Reap the Wild Wind (1941). Sullivan is released and reunited with the girl and his studio, but he decides “There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan.”

Sullivan is too happy to make O, Brother Where Art Thou?

Sturges supposedly wrote Sullivan’s Travels as a response to other comedy films that he thought tended to be preachy. I like to think that he was commenting on Hollywood and its tendency to take itself too seriously. Preston Sturges loved movie comedy enough to make fun of it even if it was at his own expense.

This post is part of the Hollywood on Hollywood blogathon sponsored by the Classic Movie Blog Association (CMBA) running from October 17 to October 21, 2016. To read more posts in the Hollywood on Hollywood blogathon, click here.