Ebook: Intrepid laughter: Preston Sturges and the movies

Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Chronology -- 1. The Most Bizarre and Marvelous Scenario : Flashbacks on the Life and Career of Preston Sturges -- 2. The Screenwriting of Preston Sturges -- 3. Written and Directed by Preston Sturges -- First Films and Success in America : The Great McGinty and Christmas in July -- The Lady Eve and Fabled Lovers -- Sullivan's Travels -- The Palm Beach Story -- The Miracle of Morgan's Creek -- Complexity in Storytelling: Notes on -- Hail the Conquering Hero -- The Great Moment -- Harold Diddlebock and Ideas -- Sir Alfred, the Artist as a Man of Action -- The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend -- The Notebooks of Major Thompson 79 -- Notes and References -- Annotated Bibliography -- Filmography -- Index -- About the Author.;Throughout his career, Preston Sturges (1898-1959) was known for bringing sophistication and wit to the genre of comedy, establishing himself as one of the most valuable writer-directors in 1940s Hollywood. Today, more than fifty years after they were originally produced, his films have lost little of their edge and remain extremely popular. Intrepid Laughter is an essential guide to the life and work of this luminary of the stage and screen, following Sturges from his unusual childhood, to his early success as a Broadway playwright, to his whirlwind career in Hollywood.