Sullivan's Travels (1942)

Sullivan's Travels (1942)


Preston Sturges’s Sullivan’s Travels is a brilliant satire and an excellent tribute to the genre of comedy. It is also deemed one of the greatest films about film ever made…and keep in mind this film was released in early 1942. Sturges’s socially conscious film was released to indifferent reviews and did not set the box office on fire. As time passed by, the film garnered a much better reputation. Contemporary reviews say the film is one of Sturges’s best films, if not his best film. I thought it was really funny, had a relevant message, and features some fine performances from Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake.

As I mentioned, the movie is a tribute to the genre of comedy, and it starts off with a dedication. “To the memory of those who made us laugh: the motley mountebanks, the clowns, the buffoons, in all times and in all nations whose efforts have lightened our burden a little, this picture is affectionately dedicated.” This film was Sturges’s response to many comedies preaching a message. Comedies used to be fun and that is all what mattered. I guess we still have those issues today, huh? Regardless, Sturges took that idea and turned it into a biting, sharp satire about Hollywood filmmaking and comedies in general. No spoilers, but the dialogue towards the film’s end sums up perfectly what Sturges is trying to say. Sturges brought the best out of his actors and created moments of hilarity, more than I expected.

John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) is a very talented director known for making light, fluffy comedies, the sort of comedies that make bank at the box office. He wants to try his hand at something new. What about making a “message” movie? The studios executives tried to convince him otherwise, but Sullivan wants to direct O Brother, Where Art Thou? He dresses up as a hobo and decides to see how a hobo lives. After a bunch of misfires, he comes in contact with a Good Samaritan only known as “The Girl” (Veronica Lake). They form a relationship with one another as she chooses to help him on his quest. As the quest continues, Sullivan asks himself is he really doing the right thing?

The performances were solid. Joel McCrea did a fine job depicting a down-on-his-luck director. Thanks to Sturges’s sure-handed direction, he managed to wrangle a solid performance from Veronica Lake. She used her looks to full effect, but her delivery of dialogue leaves some to be desired. She was also really tough to work with. Sturges was fuming when she came on set seven months pregnant and McCrea never wanted to work with her again after this film wrapped up shooting. Regardless, she was rather decent.

In addition to some excellent comedy, there was some hard, dramatic stuff that provided the film’s “message.” The latter portion of the movie contains a long, drawn-out prison workcamp where everyone is miserable, which leads to Sturges’s point. There is a scene where the workers are taken to see a movie in a Southern Baptist church. For a 1942 film, the black people were given great treatment. That made me happy and surprised. The NAACP wrote a letter commending Sturges for the treatment they received.

Sullivan’s Travels is a rapid-fire comedy that just as socially important as it is funny. Sturges made sure to give a shoutout to Ernest Lubitsch and his films. I definitely laughed and had a great time. This was my first Sturges film, so I am excited to see his other films. He knows his way around comedies based on this one film. I definitely give this film a recommend!

My Grade: A

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