Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford burn up the screen in “Gilda”

Gilda (1946) is an American film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. The cinematography is by Rudolph Mate and Hayworth’s legendary costumes were designed by Jean Louis. The supporting cast includes George Macready, Joseph Calleia, and Steven Geray.

Johnny Farrell (Ford), a new arrival to Buenos Aires, Argentina almost loses his life after cheating at craps, he finds himself being saved by Ballin Mundson (Macready). Ballin tells Johnny about a high-class casino and recommends that he not try to cheat there.

Johnny ignores Ballin’s advice and starts winning at blackjack. Little does Johnny know that the casino is owned by Ballin. Instead of getting kicked out of the casino, Johnny convinces Ballin that he should hire him. Ballin hires Johnny and soon he becomes Ballin’s right-hand man.

When Ballin brings home Gilda (Hayworth) as his new wife, things get a bit rocky. Unknown to Ballin, Johnny and Gilda have a romantic history beginning to crack in public. Will Ballin discover the truth? And what will that mean for Johnny and Gilda?

“Put the Blame on Mame”  

Charles Vidor (1900 – 1959) was a Hungarian film director whose career started during the early days of talking pictures. Vidor is most famous for the work he did under contract to Columbia Pictures including Ladies in Retirement (1941), Cover Girl (1944), Together Again (1944), A Song to Remember (1945), and Gilda (1946). After leaving Columbia, Vidor directed Hans Christian Andersen (1952) for Sam Goldwyn, Love Me or Leave Me (1955) for M-G-M, and The Joker is Wild (1957) for Paramount. Vidor suffered a heart attack and died three weeks into filming.

Rita Hayworth (1918 - 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and producer. She was one of the biggest stars of the 1940s and was the top pin-up among GIs during World War II. Hayworth was Gilda (1946) opposite Glenn Ford. A still from this film made it to the cover of Life magazine where she was dubbed “The Love Goddess,” a title she hated. An accomplished dancer, she starred with Fred Astaire in two films: You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942). In 1944 she starred in Cover Girl with Gene Kelly. Other popular Hayworth films include Tonight and Every Night (1945), Down to Earth (1947), The Loves of Carmen (1948), Affair in Trinidad (1952), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Fire Down Below (1957), Pal Joey (1957) where she received top billing over Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak, Separate Tables (1958), and They Came to Cordura (1959). Hayworth was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which contributed to her death at age 68.

Glenn Ford (1916 - 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who was one of the biggest box office draws for three decades. Ford acted on stage in California before being signed to a contract with Columbia Pictures. He appeared in mostly B movies until The Lady in Question (1940), the first time he was paired with fellow Columbia contract player, Rita Hayworth. After serving in the Coast Guard during World War II, Ford’s career began to take off. He and Hayworth had a huge hit with Gilda (1946) and A Stolen Life (1946) with Bette Davis. Ford came into his own in the 1950s with films like Blackboard Jungle (1955), Interrupted Melody (1955) with Eleanor Parker, Jubal (1956), and The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) with Jeanne Crain, all box office successes. By the end of the decade, Ford was one of the biggest stars in the world. Ford continued making movies in the 1960s but his successes were more uneven than in the previous decade but had hits with Experiment in Terror (1962) and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father  (1963). In 1978, he played Clark Kent’s adoptive father in Superman. His last film role was Raw Nerve (1991).

Gilda trivia

• Rita Hayworth’s voice was dubbed by Anita Ellis.
• Humphrey Bogart was offered the role of Johnny Farrell but declined reasoning that no one would notice him playing against the beautiful Hayworth.
• Hayworth wore a corset when she shot the “Put the Blame on Mame” number. She had given birth to her first daughter, Rebecca Welles, just months before filming.
• Gilda was such a financial success that Hayworth’s agent negotiated that going forward, she received 25% of her films’ profits.
• Glenn Ford hadn’t been on the screen since 1943 due to his service in the Marines during World War II.
• Charles Vidor previously directed Hayworth in Cover Girl (1944).

To watch the movie on YouTube, click here.

 

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Glenn Ford and George Macready

Discussion questions

1. Gilda is considered one of the great films noir. Does it work as a film noir for you?
2. Is Gilda a femme fatale? Why or why not?
3. Modern reviewers make much of the relationship between Ballin and Johnny. What do you think is at the heart of their relationship?
4. What did you think of the on-screen chemistry between Hayworth and Ford?
5. We don’t get a lot of backstory, but do you think Gilda and Johnny really love each other?
6. The “Put the Blame on Mame” number has reached icon status. Do you think it’s deserved?
7. Could you follow the plot? Was that important?

Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman are "The Talk of the Town"

The Talk of the Town (1942) is an American comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman. The supporting cast features Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell, Lloyd Bridges, Leonid Kinskey, and Rex Ingram. The screenplay was written by Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman.

Leopold Dilg (Grant), a mill worker and political activist, is accused of arson and murder. He is accused of setting fire to the woolen mill and killing the foreman, Clyde Bracken (Tom Tyler). Dilg escapes from jail and hides out in a cottage owned by former schoolmate Nora Shelley (Arthur). He’s had a crush on her for years. In the meantime, a professor, Michael Lightcap (Colman) plans to stay at the cottage to write a book. The professor comes a day early while Dilg is in the house. Nora hides Dilg in the attic and pretends that he’s the gardener when he is discovered by Lightcap.

Nora convinces the professor that she should be his secretary and cook in a way to help keep Dilg safe. Will this plan work? Will Dilg prove to be guilty or innocent? And what about the professor?

 

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).

Cary Grant (1904 – 1986) was an English-born American actor who became one of the most popular leading men in film history. Grant started his career in vaudeville before heading to Hollywood. He became a superstar in the late 1930s in a series of screwball comedies including The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene Dunne. He was a memorable C. K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story (1940) opposite Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. He received two Best Actor nominations: Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Hearts (1944). Other classic Grant films include Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). He made four popular films with Alfred Hitchcock: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959). He was presented with an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970.

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 by 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), and 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.

Ronald Colman (1891 – 1958) was an English-born actor whose career started in the theatre. In 1923, Colman appeared opposite Lillian Gish in the silent film The White Sister. He was a hit with the public and starred in over 20 silent films in America. Due to his wonderfully trained stage voice, Colman made the transition to talking pictures with ease. Some of his sound films include Clive of India (1935), A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Lost Horizon (1937), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), The Talk of the Town (1942), and Random Harvest (1942). Colman was nominated three times for the Best Actor Academy Award. He finally won for his performance in A Double Life (1947).

The Talk of the Town trivia

• Ronald Colman’s character is supposed to have just turned 40 in the film but he was 51 years old when the movie was filmed.
• Jean Arthur was 41 when she made this film but she only admitted to being 30-something.
• Claire Trevor was reportedly supposed to play a second female lead but that never materialized.
• Cary Grant was 38 at the time of filming.
• This was the first time that Colman was billed below a male star since his days in silent films.
• Grant and Colman made about $100,000 each while Arthur who was in the doghouse with Columbia Studio head Harry Cohn was only paid $50,000. Arthur was constantly at odds with Cohn for turning down roles he thought she should take.

 

George Stevens, Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman

To watch the film on YouTube click here.

 

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Discussion questions

1. The film is described as a comedy-drama. Do you think that’s the right classification for this film? Is it more comedy or more drama in your opinion?
2. Through the characters of Dilg and Lightcap, we get a good contrast between the letter and the spirit of the law. Did you find yourself siding with Dilg or Lightcap during their discussions?
3. Even though Colman is billed after Cary Grant, he has the more substantive role—even Grant thought so.
4. What do you think? Who had the bigger role?
5. Were you surprised/disappointed with the man Jean Arthur’s character chose at the end? Do you think she made the right choice? Why or why not? 

Julie Harris wants to be “The Member of the Wedding”

The Member of the Wedding (1952) is an American film drama directed by Fred Zinneman and starring Ethel Waters, Julie Harris, and Brandon De Wilde. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Carson McCullers (1946). The cinematography was by two-time Oscar winner Hal Mohr. The music was by Alex North.

The plot surrounds Frankie Addams (Harris), an awkward and unhappy 12-year-old tomboy growing up in the Southern United States. She has no friends—although she’s desperate to have some—except her young cousin John Henry (De Wilde). Frankie’s father works long hours and doesn’t have much time for his daughter. The housekeeper Bernice Sadie Brown (Waters) acts as a surrogate mother for Frankie. 

When Frankie’s older brother announces his wedding, Frankie decides she’s going to run off with him and her new bride.

 

Brandon deWilde, Ethel Waters, and Julie Harris

Fred Zinnemann (1907 -1997) was an Austrian Empire-born American film director. He won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films. He was an early advocate for filming on location for authenticity. Zinnemann introduced many stars to film, including Brando, Julie Harris, Montgomery Clift, Shirley Jones, and Meryl Streep. He also directed 19 actors to Oscar nominations, including Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn, Jason Robards, Gary Cooper, and Maximilian Schell. Some of his films were From Her to Eternity (1953), Oklahoma! (1955), and The Nun’s Story (1959).

Ethel Waters (1896 – 1977) was an American singer and actress. She was a popular blues singer and had hits with “Taking a Chance on Love,” “Stormy Weather,” and “Cabin in the Sky.” Waters was a pioneer in the entertainment industry. Waters was the first black woman to star in her own television show and the first black woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She was also the second black person to be nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in Pinky (1949). Waters originated the role of Bernice Sadie Brown on Broadway in The Member of the Wedding and recreated the role for the film version. Later in her life, Waters toured with Billy Graham and sang His Eye is on the Sparrow along with giving her testimony of faith.

Julie Harris (1925 – 2013) was an American actress famous for her roles on the Broadway stage, making her debut in 1945. Harris won five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Some of her famous stage roles were in The Member of the Wedding (1950), I Am a Camera (1951), The Lark (1956) The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1973), and The Belle of Amherst (1977). Some of her major films include East of Eden (1955), The Haunting (1963), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962),  Harper (1966), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), and The Hiding Place (1975).

Brandon deWilde (1942 – 1972) was an American actor who at the age of seven became a Broadway star—completing 492 performances—in The Member of the Wedding. But it’s his role as Joey Starrett in the Western classic Shane (1953). For his performance in that film, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. DeWilde was in another Broadway play in 1953, Mrs. McThing For his role in that play he was featured on the cover of Life magazine. He also had a television series, Jamie, which aired in1953 and 1954. At the age of 17, deWilde starred in Blue Denim (1959) costarring Carol Lynley. Other films include All Fall Down (1962) with Eva Marie Saint and Warren Beatty, Hud (1963) with Paul Newman, Patrician Neal, and Melvyn Douglass, and In Harm’s Way (1965) playing John Wayne’s son. DeWilde was in a stage production of Butterflies Are Free and was killed in a traffic accident on the way to the theater. He was 30 years old.

 

The Member of the Wedding trivia

• Julie Harris was 27 when she played Frankie Adams on the screen.
• Ethel Waters, Julie Harris, and Brandon deWilde all reprised their Broadway roles.
• This film marked the film debuts of both Brandon deWilde and Julie Harris.
• This was Julie Harris’s only Oscar-nominated performance.
• Ethel Waters sings “His Eye Is On the Sparrow” in the film. This would become her theme song later in life.
• This was Fred Zinnemann’s favorite film.

 

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

 

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Discussion questions

1. What was your overall impression of the movie?
2. Did you think Julie Harris was convincing as a 12-year-old girl?
3. What did you make of the relationship between Bernice, Frankie, and John Henry?
4. Ethel Waters’s performance was lauded on stage and in film. Do you think her performance holds up?
5. The film is mostly confined to the Addams family kitchen. Were you okay with that? Did it hurt the film in your opinion?  
6. Did anything about the film surprise you?

 

Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan do battle in “Beware, My Lovely”

Beware, My Lovely (1952) is an American film noir directed by Harry Horner and starring Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan. The film is based on the play The Man by Mel Dinelli. The Man was originally a short story, and then a play on Broadway starring Dorothy Gish. It was also adapted as a radio drama as To Find Help in 1945 with Frank Sinatra and Agnes Moorehead and again with Gene Kelly and Ethel Barrymore in 1949. The cinematography is by George E. Diskant and the music is by Leith Stevens.

World War I window Helen Gordon (Lupino) hires a handyman Howard Wilton (Ryan) during the Christmas holidays to help her with home repairs and cleaning. She soon discovers him to be mentally unstable and physically dangerous. Howard keeps Helen captive in her own home, threatening her if she tries to call for help.

Will Helen be able to escape the clutches of Howard or will things take a turn for the worse?

Harry Horner (1910 – 1994) was a German Bohemian-born American art director who was an Oscar-winning art director and feature film and television director. Horner one his art direction Oscar for his work on The Heiress (1949) directed by William Wyler. He also created the scenery for the original Broadway production of Lady in The Dark (1941). Horner also did the art direction A Double Life (1947), Born Yesterday (1950). Horner directed several TV series including Gunsmoke. Horner won another Oscar, shared with Gene Callahan, for set decoration (back and white) for The Hustler (1961)

Ida Lupino (1918 – 1995) was an English-American actress, director, and producer. She appeared in over 50 films and was one of Warner Bros.’s biggest contract players during the 1940s starring in High Sierra (1941), The Sea Wolf (1941), and The Man I Love (1947). After she left Warner Bros., Lupino formed her own production company, producing, writing, and directing films that tackled subjects the big studios wouldn’t touch. During the 1950s, Lupino was the only female director working in Hollywood. She directed several small independent films but really made a name for herself directing for television. Lupino directed episodes of The Twilight Zone (starred in one too), The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gilligan’s Island, It Takes a Thief, Family Affair, and Columbo. In 1966, she directed her one-and-only big-budget studio picture, The Trouble with Angels starring Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills.

Robert Ryan (1909 - 1973) was an American film and stage actor. Ryan got his start in acting with a theater group in Chicago, where he was born, in the late-1930s. By 1939, he had a film contract with Paramount appearing in minor roles in a variety of pictures. In 1943, he signed a long-term contract with RKO based on his stage performance in Clash by Night (1941). The studio was grooming him for stardom with 1943’s Tender Comrade co-starring Ginger Rogers when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a drill instructor. He resumed his career after the war and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in Crossfire (1947). Ryan worked on stage, TV, and in film during the next three decades. His other film roles include The Set-Up (1949), Flying Leathernecks (1951), On Dangerous Ground (1951), Clash by Night (1952), and Bad Day at Black Rock (1954).

Beware, My Lovely trivia

• The film’s release was held up for a year by Howard Hughes.
• Farley Granger was originally going to star alongside Lupino.
• The photo of Mrs. Gordon’s husband is William Talman who played Hamilton Burger on Perry Mason and starred in Lupino’s The Hitchhiker (1953).
• The staircase in Helen’s home was left over from The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) set.
• Mr. Armstrong, Helen’s border, is played by Taylor Holmes. Holmes worked with Lupino’s father Stanley Lupino on the London stage in 1920.
• This was Harry Horner’s first directorial effort. James Horner was Harry’s oldest son, the Oscar-winning composer (Titanic 1997).

 

To watch the movie on YouTube, click here.

  

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Discussion questions

1. Would you call this movie a film noir (some critics do) or would you classify it as something else?
2. Were Lupino and Ryan a good match? Would it have been a different film if Farley Granger played Howard?
3. Was the film believable? If it wasn’t believable, were you able to go with it anyway?
4. Did the film remind you of any other films you’ve seen?
5. Were you surprised by the ending? Why or why not?

John Mills has “Great Expectations” in the David Lean adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic

Great Expectations (1946) is a British drama directed by David Lean and based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens and starring John Mills and Valerie Hobson. The strong supporting cast included Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt, Torin Thatcher, and Alec Guinness. The cinematography by Guy Green won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

Orphan Phillip “Pip” Pirrip (Anthony Wager) lives with his mean older sister and her kindhearted blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. While visiting his parents’ graves, Pip meets Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict (Currie). Magwitch intimidates young Pip into bringing him tools to remove his chains. Pip brings him the tools and food too. Magwitch thanks him for his efforts but is eventually captured and sent to jail.

An eccentric spinster named Miss Havisham (Hunt) arranges to have Pip provide companionship for her adopted daughter Estella (Jean Simmons). Estella treats Pip cruelly but he is entranced by her beauty and finds himself falling in love with her.

As Pip (Mills) grows older, a secret benefactor provides him with money and privilege in London. Pip has no idea who his benefactor is. The lawyer Mr. Jaggers says that his benefactor wants to remain anonymous. Pip still pines for Estella (Hobson) even though she still treats him indifferently.

Will Pip ever discover his benefactor and will he find true love with Estella?

Alec Guinness and John Mills

Great Expectations trivia

• Alec Guinness and Martita Hunt were both in the stage production of Great Expectations.
• This was Guinness’s first significant screen role. It was the first of six movies he would make with Lean.
• Jean Simmons who played young Estella would go on to play Miss Havisham in the 1989 TV mini-series.
• David Lean had never read any Dickens when it was suggested that he direct an adaptation.
• Tony Wager who played young Pip was three years younger than Jean Simmons.

 

To watch the movie on YouTube, click here.

 

 

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Discussion questions

1. If you are familiar with the novel, how close do you think the film was to the book?
2. This film made John Mills a major star in England. What did you think of his performance?
3. Many critics thought that Valerie Hobson was miscast as Estella. Do you agree?
4. The film won an Academy Award for its black-and-white cinematography. Do you think it was well deserved?
5. Did you have a favorite character actor or performance?
6. This film is widely considered the best screen adaptation of a Dickens novel. Do you agree?

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson head the cast in David Lean’s “This Happy Breed”

This Happy Breed (1944) is a British drama directed by David Lean and starring Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, and John Mills. The screenplay is by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, and Ronald Neame. The screenplay is based on the play This Happy Breed (1939) by Noel Coward.

The story dramatizes the life of a suburban London family from 1919 to the early years of World War II.

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Robert Newton (1905 – 1956) was a popular English actor and is probably best remembered for his role as Long John Silver in the Walt Disney version of Treasure Island (1950). His exaggerated accent in that role is credited with what we consider the “pirate voice.” Newton was a popular player in London’s West End and he also appeared on Broadway, replacing Laurence Olivier in Private Lives. He made several films in Hollywood including The Desert Rats (1953), Les Miserables (1952), Blackbeard the Pirate (1952), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

Celia Johnson (1908 - 1982) was an English actress who was a star on the stage, film, and television. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter. Other films Johnson starred in include This Happy Breed (1944) and Captain's Paradise (1953). Later in her career, Johnson won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

This Happy Breed trivia

• Laurence Olivier is the narrator during the film’s opening.
• David Lean’s first Technicolor movie and first solo directing credit.
• John Mills was the only cast member to reprise his role for the film.
• Robert Donat was offered the role of Frank Gibbons but turned it down.
• Celia Johnson plays John Mills’s mother-in-law but they were both the same age in real life.

 

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

 

Discussion questions

1. Do you think Lean had an underlying message in the telling of the story of the Gibbons family?
2. Did Newton and Johnson make a believable married couple?
3. Were the family situations realistic? Could you relate to any of them?
4. Did the situation with Queenie (Kay Walsh) ring true?
5. Did you have a favorite character or scene?
6. Were you surprised that the film was in Technicolor? Was color a plus?

 

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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