Intrepid Laughter: Preston Sturges and the Movies

by Andrew Dickos

Overview

Throughout his career, Preston Sturges (1898—1959) was known for bringing sophistication and wit to the genre of comedy, establishing himself as one of the most valuable writer-directors in 1940s Hollywood. Today, more than fifty years after they were originally produced, his films have lost little of their edge and remain extremely popular. Intrepid Laughter is an essential guide to the life and work of this luminary of the stage and screen, following Sturges from his unusual childhood, to his early success as a Broadway playwright, to his whirlwind career in Hollywood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813141954
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Series:	Screen Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	222
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Andrew Dickos is the editor of Abraham Polonsky: Interviews and the author of Street with No Name: A History of the Classic American Film Noir. He is also a commentator on Paramount Home Entertainment's DVD of Preston Sturges's The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.

Andrew Dickos is the author of Intrepid Laughter: Preston Sturges and the Movies and Honor Among Thieves: The Cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville. He is also the editor of Abraham Polonsky: Interviews. He is a commentator on Paramount Home Entertainment's DVD of Preston Sturges's The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and contributed film noir content to the Columbia World of Quotations. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments ix

Chronology xi

1 The Most Bizarre and Marvelous Scenario: Flashbacks on the Life and Career of Preston Sturges 1

2 The Screenwriting of Preston Sturges 55

3 Written and Directed by Preston Sturges

First Films and Success in America: The Great McGinty and Christmas in July

The Lady Eve and Fabled Lovers

Sullivan's Travels

The Palm Beach Story

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Complexity in Storytelling: Notes on Hail the Conquering Hero

The Great Moment

Harold Diddlebock and Ideas

Sir Alfred, the Artist as a Man of Action

The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend

The Notebooks of Major Thompson 79

Notes and References 133

Annotated Bibliography 141

Filmography 146

Index 163

About the Author 170

Editorial Reviews

"Just as Sturges lived at a fast pace, so does Dickos's book move quickly. He handles the difficulty of covering a complex man with a highly varied body of work with a wise selection of materials."—Classic Images

From the Publisher