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Tom Stetz's avatar

Sturges really was the most supercalifragi. . . of all time. I always favored Palm Beach Story, as the hero was a crack-brained architect, just like me. And Rudy Vallee as John D. . . . well not Rockefeller exactly. But I remember watching Hail the Conquering Hero decades ago in the MOMA movie theater and being amazed at how all those high-toned serious cineastes were practically falling on the floor laughing at the repeated bits of schtick. If that isn't genius . . .

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Steve Terenzio's avatar

I am embarrassed to admit that I have not seen the movie – another item on this summer’s bucket list, to be sure. I have seen Sturges’ The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek; what genius to write and direct such a story while gingerly working through the concerns coming from the Hays Office and the U.S. Army. Rather than an environment of anything goes, it demonstrates that talent truly shows itself when it can succeed under “restrictions.” Did Robert Frost say that he had no desire to write poetry that doesn’t rhyme because it was like playing tennis without a net?

Of course, Preston Sturges should not be confused with John Sturges (no relation) who started directing feature films a few years later. Film critics of the “auteur” school have generally dismissed the talent of the latter, yet he was in charge of a few wonderfully entertaining movies, e.g., The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven.

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