Hollywood filmmakers are known for occasionally using Hollywood itself as a theme for their films, employing different approaches and achieving varying levels of success. One such effort from Hollywood’s golden age, considered a classic, is Sullivan’s Travels, a 1941 comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges.
The film’s protagonist, played by Joel McCrea, is John J. Sullivan, a film director who gained fame and wealth as the author of light-hearted escapist musicals and comedies. Sullivan is, however, unhappy with this and wants to try his hand at something much more serious – an adaptation of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, a novel describing the harsh living conditions of the impoverished masses at the lower levels of American society. The problem for Sullivan is that he grew up in a well-off family and does not have any personal experience with poverty and similar hardships. He decides to correct that by leaving his luxurious mansion dressed as a homeless bum and trying to live on the streets with a few cents in his pocket. His attempts lead to all kinds of misadventures but also to an encounter with an unnamed girl (played by Veronica Lake), a former aspiring young actress who has just given up dreams of a Hollywood career and wants to go back home. Deeply impressed by her kindness, he reveals his true identity and invites her back to his mansion. She ultimately persuades Sullivan to let her join his experiment by pretending to be another bum. Just as the adventure is about to end, things take a suddenly unpleasant turn for Sullivan. He gets robbed by another bum, suffers amnesia and ultimately ends up in a chain gang on a prison farm, where nobody believes he is actually a successful Hollywood director.
It could be argued that Sullivan’s Travels was, at least partially, autobiographical. Preston Sturges, a playwright who became one of the first and one of the few writer-directors of Classic Hollywood, had gained success as the author of screwball comedies. The plot was, however, allegedly inspired by the exploits of John Garfield, an actor who had briefly lived as a hobo during the Great Depression. But Sturges found proper inspiration in the works of many of his colleagues whose comedies he considered too “preachy” and sacrificing the audience’s fun for the sake of a strong political or social message. Sullivan’s Travels was supposed to serve as a satire on such pretentiousness and, for the most part, it succeeded. Sturges proved himself more than capable, with a great feeling for tempo and an ability to fit his content into an easily digestible 90 minutes of running time. He also displayed a talent for sharp dialogue, as well as working with different styles of comedy, ranging from screwball to slapstick. But in the last segment, Sullivan’s Travels suddenly takes a very serious turn, becoming exactly the sort of pretentious social drama it was supposed to mock. This tonal shift, although somewhat tempered with the use of irony and gallows humour, seems like an afterthought and also makes some other problems with the script stand out. This particularly refers to the characterisation of the Girl and the unanswered question of why she would accompany Sullivan and suffer all kinds of unimaginable unpleasantness, exposing herself to risks on freight trains and in homeless shelters. Sturges, however, manages to correct some of those mistakes with a strong finale during which the protagonist has his epiphany.
Released shortly after the USA entered the Second World War, Sullivan’s Travels was banned for export by the US Office of Censorship under the explanation that its depiction of harsh prison conditions might be used by enemy propaganda. From today’s perspective, however, Sturges’ film may attract attention for its enlightened treatment of African American characters who are, unlike in many Hollywood films of the time, given dignity and respect.
Sturges had a very good cast at his disposal. Joel McCrea, a versatile actor who would in later years become specialised in westerns, is very good in the complex role of a protagonist who transforms throughout the course of the story. Veronica Lake, who was at the time becoming a new superstar and icon of Hollywood, looks the part and has good chemistry with McCrea; the scene in which she appears dressed like Chaplin’s Tramp is charming, despite not making much sense. Lake’s role seems even more remarkable considering that she was six months pregnant during production, a fact that she hid from Sturges, who became very angered after learning it. To make things worse, McCrea and Lake did not get along well on set either. Sturges, on the other hand, had far fewer problems with a small army of capable character actors whom he used as his stock company.
Sullivan’s Travels received positive reviews after its premiere, but the audience was somewhat less enthusiastic. It was only after Sturges’ death that the film was recognised by film historians and scholars as a comedy classic. As such, it inspired future filmmakers, including the Coen Brothers, whose 2000 film Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? was originally envisioned as the sort of film Sullivan would have made following his fictional adventures.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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