Sullivan's Travels

Preston Sturges, the third feature of the writer-director in 1941, remains his most ambitious screen effort. Combining breezy romantic comedy, arch Hollywood satire, and social essay into a single, screwball story line, Sturges takes on the role of producer in addition to his other duties. The protagonist, John L. Sullivan, is an Ivy League grad who has achieved success as the director behind escapist movies. He now seeks to create more serious-minded cinematic art with his proposed breakthrough, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" However, the studio response is less than enthusiastic. Undeterred, Sullivan sets off on an absurd journey disguised as a tramp, followed closely by a motor home filled with studio handlers and reporters. While his journey may not provide real insight, it does give Sturges the opportunity to inject some fine gags and a romantic subplot featuring the luminous Veronica Lake. As the story progresses, Sturges takes a darker turn, shifting the tone from comic to a relentlessly downbeat world influenced by the social realism of the movies the hero wants to make. Ultimately, the conclusion becomes a meditation on Sturges's seemingly carefree, dizzily comic art, flirting with real tragedy.

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