This summer sam serves up the finest in frolicsome film fare with madcap genius. Madcap, the life of preston sturges by donald spoto little, brown, 301 p. Sullivans travels, the miracle of morgans creek, and the great mcginty have become film classics, demonstrating brilliant, inventive writing and directing. In this first critical biography of preston sturges, diane jacobs brings to life the great comic filmmaker whose career. Below are references indicating presence of this name in another database or other reference material. Preston sturges own life is as unlikely as some of the plots of his best work. In 1994, the lady eve was selected for preservation in the united states national film registry by the library of congress. Sturges set aside casparys little story of deceit and illusion and kept just the title.
She and her husband were neighbors, landlord and friends of sturges. Too often, he takes quotes out of the consensus to make sturges less talented, and less wellreceived in his prime, than he actually was. Preston sturges was born in chicago in 1898 to a beautiful mother and fabulist of the first order named mary dempsey and an unreliable father named edmund biden, which seems straightforward but wasnt, at least to sturges in his early years. Preston sturges was born edmund preston biden on august 29, 1898. As a boy he helped out on stage productions for his mothers friend, isadora duncan the scarf that strangled her was made by his mothers company, maison desti. Create a free personal account to download free article pdfs, sign up for alerts, customize your interests, and more. One of our most influential filmmakers, sturges 18981959 paved the way for the likes of orson welles, billy wilder and woody allen, among others, not only in terms of cinematic style but as a scree. The life of preston sturges, little brown, boston, 1990. Preston sturges 18981959 was the first writerturneddirector in the history of talking movies, and one of the greatest film directors of any variety.
One of our most influential filmmakers, sturges 18981959 paved the way for the likes of orson welles, billy wilder and woody allen, among others, not. During his peak filmmaking period of the early 1940s, writerdirector preston sturges pumped out his madcap genredefining screwball comedies for paramount at a breakneck pace. The official preston sturges website has a more complete bibliography on the director. Everyone from david mamet to steve martin to jerry seinfeld agrees that writerdirector preston sturges 18981959 was the cinemas supreme satirist. Preston sturges offseason yuletide homage cinema sojourns. His childhood was virtually picaresque as his adventuresome mother, a close friend of isadora duncan, carted him between new york and various european locations while she bounced between relationships and various business entanglements. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Preston sturges was born edmund preston biden on august 29, 1898 in chicago, illinois. The lady eve is one of the most memorable comedies of the golden age, and today it stands as a highly entertaining movie that has a lot of enjoyably dated comedy. His colorful, tempestuous life is richly captured in this. Preston sturges by preston sturges adapted and edited by sandy sturges. Romantic comedy in hollywood from lubitsch to sturges by james harvey new york. Donald spoto born june 28, 1941 is an american biographer and theologian. The lady eve is a 1941 american screwball comedy film written and directed by preston sturges which stars barbara stanwyck and henry fonda.
William thomas green morton, a 19thcentury boston dentist who discovered the use of ether for general anesthesia. The life of preston sturges, donald spotos new biography of. According to author donald spoto in his book madcap. The life of preston sturges by donald spoto goodreads. Most of the sources listed are encyclopedic in nature but might be limited to a specific field, such as musicians or film directors. When his classic hollywood satire sullivans travels hit theaters in january 1942, the poor box office returns could have put a dent in the directors career.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading madcap. Spoto makes little attempt to portray a full, balanced picture of the man. Compared to other preston sturges biographers, james curtis and diane jacobs, mr. Easy living 1937 in 1936, preston sturges signed a new writing deal at paramount. The life of preston sturges by donald spoto, sturges, who had directed christmas in july wearing a straw boater and carrying a bamboo cane, invariably paraded on this set with a colorful beret or a felt cap with a feather protruding, a white cashmere scarf blowing gaily round his neck and a print shirt in. Particularly hilarious are the scenes in which stanwyck spills her life story to fonda as they swoosh under the train tunnel, and the scenes in which the food trays keep spilling on. She and sister marjorie bonner later shared an apartment after both of their husbands died. His first assignment was to adapt vera casparys story easy living for studio producer maurice revnes. In madcap, spoto chronicles the directors unconventional childhood, which took place in an environment that might have inspired some of sturges s more fanciful films.
The film is based on a story by monckton hoffe about a mismatched couple who meet on board an ocean liner. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Too often, he takes quotes out of the consensus to make sturges less talented, and. Madcap the life of preston sturges by donald spoto little, brown. One of my favorite directors lived a life crazier than his movies. I downloaded an mp3 of her reading the fish, and on an overnight work trip to. From being shipped back and forth across the atlantic with his mom, to her dating alister crowley for a time, to his rise from lipstick salesman, to famed playwright, to failed playwright, to the worlds first writerdirector of film. Preston sturges was the great writer and director of hollywood screwball comedies of the thirties and forties. Preston sturges centre with cast members joel mccrea, mary astor, claudette colbert and. Preston sturges was an american playwright, screenwriter, and film director. The life of preston sturges kindle edition by donald spoto.
Fascinating selftold account of the life of writerdirector preston sturges. Production on christmas in july began on june 1st, 1940 and continued through june 29th. The life of preston sturges, which concerns the filmmaker responsible for such celebrated comedies as the lady eve and sullivans travels. His films are distinguished by a zany wit and brilliant, madcap dialogue. Unfaithfully yours 1948, from the madcap mind of preston sturges preston sturges s final remarkable comedy, the deliriously dark unfaithfully yours 1948, screened twice at this years tcm classic film festival, on april 7 and on april 9, the last day of the annual event. Paul dorseythe life picture collectiongetty it was 1937 before sturges wrote his first fulllength comedy, easy. Preston sturges was the first hollywood screenwriter to be allowed to direct his scripts and one of the movies greatest comic talents. Sullivans travels is a 1941 american comedy film written and directed by preston sturges. A life diligently assembles a coherent life of sturges.
He is best known for the comedies he made in the early 1940s. The great moment is a 1944 biographical film written and directed by preston sturges. A passable life of the fabulous whirlwind who produced the lady eve, the miracle of morgans creek, hail the conquering hero, and other lesser successes, and then went into the directorial decline that strikes so many of hollywoods most original directors. The life of preston sturges, author donald spoto wrote that the director managed to retain an amusing shot in the early part of the film, an intercut from powell and ellen drew on the rooftop to two snuggling rabbits in a corner cage. As it is, anyone who has marveled at sturges comic ingenuity will experience a shock of recognition perusing madcap. Critical analyses of fourteen films, mcfarland, jefferson, 1995.
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