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? 

Tom Neal and Ann Savage take a fatal "Detour"

Detour (1945) is an American film noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring Tom Neal and Ann Savage. It was released by Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), a Poverty Row movie studio that operated during the 1930s and 1940s.

Al Roberts (Neal) is depressed that his career as a piano player is going nowhere. To top it off, his girlfriend Sue Harvey (Claudia Drake) quits her job as a singer in a New York City nightclub to pursue a career in Hollywood. With little money in his pocket, Al decides to hitchhike across the country with the hopes of marrying Sue when he gets there.

Charles Haskell Jr. (Edmund MacDonald), an Arizona bookie gives Al a ride in his Lincoln convertible. During the ride, Haskell takes several pills and at one point asks Al to drive. Al pulls over to put the top up with Haskell asleep in the car during a rainstorm. Al tries to rouse Haskell from his sleep but he appears dead. Al opens the passenger side door and Haskell tumbles out and hits his head on a rock.

Fearing that the police will think he killed Haskell, Al hides the body and assumes his identity along with his money and clothes. Al picks up a woman named Vera (Savage) who knows that he isn’t Haskell and doesn’t own the car he is driving.

What happens next is a battle of wills between Vera and Al as they travel West.

 

Edgar G. Ulmer (1904 – 1972) was an Austrian film director noted for the B movies he made at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). He worked as a set designer for Max Reinhardt’s theater in Europe. He was an apprentice to F. W.  Murnau. He also worked with the directors Robert Siodmak, Billy Wilder, and Fred Zinneman. His most famous films include The Black Cat (1934) starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff made at Universal Pictures and Detour (1945) at PRC.

Tom Neal (1914 – 1972) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Neal was the son of a banker and grew up in a ten-room home in Chicago. He enrolled at Northwestern University where he majored in mathematics. Neal dropped out of Northwestern after a year and began appearing in various stage productions including Summer Stock. He made his Broadway debut in 1935 and his movie debut three years later in Out West with the Hardys, the series starring Mickey Rooney.  He appeared in many B movies, with Detour (1945) being his most famous. His personal life was tempestuous and it derailed his career resulting in his being blackballed in Hollywood.

Ann Savage (1921 – 2008) was an American film and television actress. She starred in several B movies with actor Tom Neal with their most famous pairing being Detour (1945). As a teenager, she failed a screen test with M-G-M and decided not to show up at a screen test for Twentieth-Century Fox because she felt they had plenty of pretty blondes. Savage worked at Columbian Pictures co-starring with Rosalind Russell in What a Woman (1943). Savage was a popular pin-up model during World War II. During the war, she sold war bonds on two nationwide drives. After her film career faded, Savage became a businesswoman and took flying lessons, becoming a licensed pilot in 1979.

 

Detour trivia

• While setting up the hitchhiking scene, a driver tried to pick up Ann Savage.
• The 1941 Lincoln Continental V-12 convertible driven by Haskell was Ulmer’s personal car.
• Ann Savage and Tom Neal didn’t get along at all during filming and spent days not speaking to each other except when filming movie scenes.
• Director Wim Wenders called Ann Savage’s performance as Vera “30 years ahead of its time.”
• The film was made in 28 days.
• Ann Savage’s autobiography was titled Savage Detours, acknowledging her most famous film role.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on November 11, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Ann Savage and Tom Neal

 

Discussion questions

1. Supposedly, this film had a budget of $100,000. Would it have been a better film with a higher budget?
2. Director Ulmer was famous for making the best use of the money he was given to direct his features at PRC. Does Detour look like a low-budget film?
3. What did you think of the onscreen relationship between Tom Neal and Ann Savage? Were their characters believable?
4. Did this film remind you of any other films noir you’ve seen?
5. Were you surprised by anything in the film?

 

 

Lawrence Tierney is “Born to Kill”

Born to Kill (1947) is an American film noir directed by Robert Wise and starring Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor, and Walter Slezak. The supporting cast includes Esther Howard, Elisha Cook Jr. Philip Terry, and Audrey Long. The cinematography was by Robert De Grasse (Stage Door, Carefree, Kitty Foyle).

After obtaining her divorce in Reno, Nevada, San Francisco socialite Helen Brent (Trevor) meets Sam Wilde (Tierney), a mysterious man who intrigues her. Little does she know that he is responsible for two murders.

Wilde follows Helen back to San Francisco and begins to court Helen’s sister Georgia (Long). Helen believes Sam is marrying Georgia for her money. Georgia inherited the largest newspaper in the city and lives in a beautiful mansion. Sam quickly convinces Georgia to marry him and that’s when the trouble starts.

 

Lawrence Tierney and Claire Trevor

Robert Wise (1914 - 2000) was an American director, producer, and editor. Wise began his movie career at RKO as a sound and music editor. For several years, he worked with senior editor William Hamilton. Wise’s first solo film editing credits were on Bachelor Mother (1939) and My Favorite Wife (1940). He was the film editor on Citizen Kane and was nominated for an Academy Award for Film Editing. Wise got his chance to direct at RKO from Val Lewton, the producer of horror classics like Cat People (1942). The Curse of the Cat People (1944) was the first film that Wise received director credit for. He eventually directed films noir, westerns, melodramas, and science fiction. Some popular films directed by Wise include The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Executive Suite (1954), I Want to Live! (1958), which earned Wise his first Oscar nomination for Best Director. He went on to win Best Director Oscars for West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965).

Lawrence Tierney (1919 – 2002) was an American film and television actor best known for his roles as gangsters and tough-guys. He became a popular star with the release of Dillinger (1945). His performance as the notorious gangster led to a string of popular films noir. Some of his famous films include The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947) Born to Kill (1947), Bodyguard (1948), and Kill or Be Killed (1950). Once Tierney’s film career slowed, he appeared on television guest starring on shows like The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Claire Trevor (1910 - 2000) was an American actress who appeared in over 60 movies. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dead End (1937), and The High and the Mighty (1954). She won the award for her performance in Key Largo (1948). Trevor got her start on the New York stage and made her film debut in 1933. She also appeared on radio with Edward G. Robinson in the popular radio program Big Town. Trevor’s most famous role is probably Dallas in Stagecoach, but she had other memorable roles in Murder, My Sweet (1944), and Born to Kill (1947). Her last film role was in Kiss Me Goodbye (1982) where she played Sally Field’s mother.

Walter Slezak (1902 – 1983) was an Austrian-born film and stage actor. Slezak started in silent films as a leading man, often directed by his friend Michael Curtiz. As he aged and gained weight, Slezak played character roles. He made his American film debut in Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. He appeared in over 100 films. He also worked on Broadway where he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in Fanny. Slezak also worked on radio and television. In 1974, he appeared on the soap opera One Life to Live, playing the godfather of Victoria Lord, played by his daughter Erika Slezak.

 

Born to Kill trivia

• Tallulah Bankhead was considered for the role of Helen, but she was unavailable and the role went to Claire Trevor.
• Phillip Terry divorced Joan Crawford the year before the film’s release.
• Esther Howard, part of Preston Sturges’ stock company, does a rare dramatic turn.
• Claire Trevor wears more hats in this film than probably any other film actress.
• Although not a box office success when first released, it is considered a classic film noir by many of today’s critics and fans.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on November 4, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. What did you think of Lawrence Tierney’s tough-guy performance?
2. The film was considered shocking in its day with many contemporary critics considering it unsavory. Did you find it shocking?
3. What did you think of Claire Trevor’s performance as Helen? She’s not the typical femme fatale. Instead of leading the man astray, Helen is drawn to his brutality.
4. Did the film remind you of any other films noir?

 

Preston Sturges series: Screening of “Hail The Conquering Hero” September 13 at Daystar Center

Preston Sturges series: Hail The Conquering Hero
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: September 13, 2016
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) is a satirical comedy/drama about Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith (Eddie Bracken). Woodrow who wants to be a Marine like his father “Hinky Dinky” Truesmith who died a hero in World War I. After only a month, Woodrow is discharged from the Marines due to his chronic hay fever. Disappointed and embarrassed, Woodrow pretends to be fighting overseas while secretly working at a shipyard in San Diego.

Eddie Hodges, Ella Raines, William Demarest

By chance, Woodrow meets six Marines who just returned from the Battle of Guadalcanal in a local tavern. He buys them a round of drinks and discovers that Master Gunnery Sergeant Heffelfinger (William Demarest) served with Woodrow’s father in the 6th Marines in World War I. The Marines concoct a scheme to save Woodrow from embarrassment by telling his mother that he has received a medical discharge. The seemingly harmless deception gets completely out of control when Woodrow is given a hero’s welcome in his hometown.

Woodrow, never comfortable with the deception, is at the breaking point when his girlfriend Libby (Ella Raines), who he told not to wait for him, is engaged to the mayor’s son. Will Woodrow be able to tell the truth without destroying his family’s reputation? Will his hometown reject their “hero?”

This was Sturges’s last movie for Paramount. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. You’ll be happy to discover folks from the Preston Sturges stock company including Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangborn, and Esther Howard.

In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. 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.