Sullivan's Travels (1941 Preston Sturges & scr)

Joel McCrea plays the successful director of Hollywood comedies such as 'Ants in your Pants of 1939' and 'Hey Hey in the Hay Loft' but now wants to make a serious picture about being poor ('with a little sex'), an idea not greeted with enthusiasm by his producers or his butler Robert Greig, who delivers quite a speech on the matter ("If you'll permit me to say so sir, the subject is not an interesting one..." etc.) Nevertheless he sets out on the road with ten cents and a retinue of helpers following in a sort of mobile home, leading to a very funny chase sequence involving a kid ("Drive safely" "You know me.") and, ultimately, Veronica Lake (who gives a modern performance - she wouldn't be out of place in a Tarantino).

Priceless madcap stuff ("That was the lighthouse keeper on San Clemente Island." "Ask him what his daughter's doing." "I said the lighthouse keeper on San Clemente island." Compare to They All Laughed.) Also very funny self-referential jokes such as "there's always a girl in the picture" and "What we need now is a plot twist" (or something) and the whole film is of course a self analysis about the creative process. Perhaps Sturges had been criticised for making comedies only, but as we ourselves found out years ago, poor, unemployed, and suffering from ill health, a Preston Sturges comedy is worth its weight in gold. Film is also quite sexy.

Full of familiar faces such as William Demarest, Eric Blore, Franklin Pangborn, Robert Warwick, Porter Hall, Charles Moore (chef), Jimmy Conlin.

Sturges' use of black cast (like Demme was doing years later) really comes into its own in church / chain gang scene.