Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writer:

Preston Sturges (written by)

Release Date:

December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Happy-Go Lucky Hitch-Hiker on the Highway to happiness! He wanted to see the world . . . but wound up in Lover's Lane!

Plot:

A director of escapist films goes on the road as a hobo to learn about Life...which gives him a rude awakening.

Plot Keywords:

Director | Poverty | Hobo | On The Road | Tramp

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	John L. Lloyd 'Sully' Sullivan
Veronica Lake	...	The Girl
Robert Warwick	...	Mr. Lebrand
William Demarest	...	Mr. Jones
Franklin Pangborn	...	Mr. Casalsis
Porter Hall	...	Mr. Hadrian
Byron Foulger	...	Mr. Johnny Valdelle
Margaret Hayes	...	Secretary
Robert Greig	...	Burroughs (Sullivan's butler)
Eric Blore	...	Sullivan's valet
Torben Meyer	...	The doctor
Victor Potel	...	Cameraman
Richard Webb	...	Radio man
Charles R. Moore	...	Colored chef (as Charles Moore)
Almira Sessions	...	Ursula Kornheiser

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | South Korea:12 (2004) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2000) | USA:Approved (PCA #7382)

Filming Locations:

Bob Hope Airport - 2627 Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Preston Sturges had originally intended to use a clip from a Charles Chaplin film for the church sequence, but Chaplin wouldn't give permission. In an earlier scene, Joel McCrea does parody the Little Tramp character. The cartoon eventually used was Walt Disney's Playful Pluto (1934).

Goofs:

Plot holes: When the identification card in the dead man's boots was used to confirm Sullivan's death, the girl knew that his boots had previously been stolen.

Quotes:

John L. Sullivan: I want this picture to be a commentary on modern conditions. Stark realism. The problems that confront the average man!
LeBrand: But with a little sex in it.
John L. Sullivan: A little, but I don't want to stress it. I want this picture to be a document. I want to hold a mirror up to life. I want this to be a picture of dignity! A true canvas of the suffering of humanity!
LeBrand: But with a little sex in it.
John L. Sullivan: [reluctantly] With a little sex in it.
Hadrian: How 'bout a nice musical?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stardust Memories (1980)

Soundtrack:

Spring Song

Please put in a good word with Lubitsch!

"Sullivan's Travels" is one of the best films that came out of Hollywood in 1941. Preston Sturges showed he was an original with this story about self-discovery for a man that has a different view of the world. In a way, this is a satire about the movie industry.

Hollywood in the early years, wouldn't touch any project that it deemed non commercial. Which is why when John Sullivan, a successful director of film comedies decides to do a movie based on a serious book, the studio thinks he must be going crazy. Why would this director want to make the movie going public think? It was a preposterous notion then, as well as today, when basically all movies making any points are independently produced. After all, the industry wants everyone to have a great time, be entertained, and not make them think about at all.

John Sullivan gets much more than what he bargained for when he decides to take to the back roads of the country, dressed as a hobo and with only ten cents in his pocket. The first check on reality comes when he meets the kind girl at the road side diner. He is hungry, but what can one get for a dime? This girl, who has had it trying to make a name in the movies, orders ham and eggs for him, no strings attached. If there is a more kindred soul than this young woman who wants nothing in return, we haven't met her yet.

Sully and the girl go back on the road where they witness the reality of America's indigents traveling back and forth in empty cattle cars all over the country in search of jobs, or perhaps a better living. Sullivan ultimately wants to give money anonymously to the poor people he has met, but he meets with disaster and ends up in jail, the victim of circumstantial evidence and he is sent to jail. One night Sully discovers the great mystery about the allure of the pictures: It's the laughter stupid! Sullivan realizes how far off the mark he has been in trying to bring drama to the masses.

Joel McCrea makes a fantastic Sullivan. This under estimated man was a great comedian, as well as an actor that is always believable. The whole reason for watching this movie is Mr. McCrea's performance. His chemistry with the ravishingly beautiful and young Veronica Lake is one of the best things in the film. Both these actors, under Mr. Sturges' direction do their best work on screen. Sturges makes fun at his own expense when the girl asks Sully if he can introduce her to the great Hollywood director, Ernst Lubitsch. Mr. McCrea and Ms. Lake seem to be having a fun time together.

Mr. Sturges always surrounded himself with a group of actors that one sees in his movies. Robert Greig, Eric Blore, William Demarest, and the rest of the cast contribute to make this a winning comedy. The best scene that involves most of these actors happen at the beginning of the film when they are chasing Sullivan in the R.V. and things inside the trailer begin falling all over the place. That was priceless movie making.

Preston Sturges combines a social commentary with comedy in this brilliant film that is a tribute to his genius.