Sturges: An American Master
Preston Sturges is one of the masters of American cinema. He was an accomplished screenwriter before he started to direct his own scripts, a feat which up to that point was never heard of. Sturges was able to create storylines and characters that the American audience could easily respond to. This made Sturges one of, if not the, most successful filmmaker in the 1940s. Sturges’ timing was a key to his success.
To understand the sudden rise and fall of Preston Sturges one must first look at America during the 1940s. America, at this time, was dominated by the war in Europe. The United States watched as Hitler slowly invaded one country after another. It was not until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that the United States got involved in the war. The war would change the face of America; sending men away from their families, driving women into the workplace, pulling the country out of the Great Depression.
The war changed the home front in just about every way possible. Going to the movies was a great escape. It is during this time that Preston Sturges becomes a star. His first film, The Great McGinty, was released in 1940. It made a great deal of money and from there the studios let Sturges pretty much do whatever he wanted.
The early success of Sturges, 1940-1942, can be seen in a number of different ways. It was the tale end of the Great Depression and comedies were a great source of mental relief. One can also attach the fact that Sturges was something new and exciting. The styles he used in his screenplays were unlike anything that had been seen before. The early films are playful and light. Everyone would have wanted to see the “new guy” and what he was doing.
The middle of his career was solidified by the release of The Miracle at Morgan’s Creek (1944). At this time Sturges was a well-known name. He started making films that were not only smart and funny, but they also started getting deeper into the “lore” of Sturges’ background. The large majority of his films deal with female characters outsmarting and deceiving men. Sturges made fun of politics, marriage, war heroes, and just about everything else that America held near and dear to its heart.
Preston Sturges’ reign as a filmmaking king started to fade in 1947, and he burned out quickly. It is hard to say what happened that made Sturges seem like not much a drawn anymore. World War II had ended in 1945 with the drop of two atom bombs. That event was the start of a new era in America. The end of the 40s set a stage for the bizarre decade of the 1950s.
America in the 50s was not like Happy Days. It was the start of the Cold War. The Red Scare was making people question who their friends really were. People started moving to the suburbs in massive numbers, almost fleeing large cities. Racial tensions were high. The 1947 crash at Roswell started a huge number of mysterious UFO sights. In short, people of the 1950s seemed to be very scared.
Preston Sturges might have been making fun of everything under the sun, but it was still very happy-go-lucky while he did. The audiences however were no longer interested in the style that brought Sturges to the top. The 1940s were vastly different from the 50s, which were in fact, a stepping-stone for the 60s, probably the craziest decade in American history.
The 40s was a decade unlike any other. There was war and hard ships, yet people were ready to laugh even at the things that should have seemed sacred at the time. This is where Sturges made his fame. His style precisely fit the feelings of the era. But as soon as that era was over, there was no longer a use for him. The 1950s were a time of great uncertainty, while acting as if everything was just fine. Sturges’ style did not fit that mindset, and therefore, his time was up.
It is also interesting to add that comedies come and go in trends. A new comedy style will come along, and due to its freshness, it is accepted with open arms. Many films then are written and produced in that same style. Sturges’ films, although different, are very much alike in many ways. These comedy trends appear to last around ten years and then they are replaced with a different trend. An example would be as follows; the screwball teenage T and A comedies of the 1980s were replaced with the gross-out humor films of the 90s. American audiences can only stomach a decade of a comedic style before it turns stale. The downfall of Sturges might have been a victim of this as well.
The films of Preston Sturges have a timeless feel to them now. They are just as funny as they ever were. It is still surprising how quickly he faded out of Hollywood after producing a decade worth of nothing but hits. Yet, Sturges was a man of many trades and perhaps he was loosing his touch. Maybe he could only focus on one thing for only so long before he became bored and moved on. He was an inventor and playwright among other things. Perhaps, his burnout was for the best. Some directors continue on for years after their prime and produce embarrassing films. We think of him as a director who had ten amazing years, rather than one who stuck around attempting to reclaim his past glory. As Neil Young stated, “It’s better to burn out, then fade away.”
Written by David Bohnert
Copyright 2004.