The Art of the Poster: Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Sullivan's Travels, Preston Sturges' pre-war masterpiece, concerns a movie director (Joel McCrea) who has tired of making light comedies and wants to make a film about the downtrodden forgotten man. So, like William Powell in My Man Godfrey, he goes incognito as a hobo, but finds that no matter what he does, he winds up back in Hollywood. Several plot twists later with the help of The Girl (Veronica Lake), Sullivan succeeds in becoming a hobo only to wind up on a chain gang serving time for manslaughter. Here, he learns the value of laughter and decides that possibly he has been contributing after all. Like any Sturges film, Sullivan's Travels is satiric and sharply observed, though this time the satire informs a powerful social message. Many regard this as Sturges' best film.

In this famous scene, Jesse Lee Brooks leads a congregation in "Go Down, Moses" as the convicts arrive to see a Disney cartoon:

Sunday Funnies & Arts

Bill O'Reilly Flaming Asshole Voodoo Doll

 

As always, click to enlarge. For more Polly Jackson (a.k.a, Ima Wizer), Pat Oliphant, Tom Tomorrow, Tony Auth, Boondocks, Tom Toles, and Zippy the Pinghead, go here, here, here, here, here, and here...

Duplicity. D: Tony Gilroy. Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti. Industrial espionage as an attempted hybrid of John Le Carre and Ben Hecht. One-time spies and current lovers Owen and Roberts scheme to steal a secret cosmetic formula out from under the noses of rival CEOs Wilkinson and Giamatti. Despite Roberts' (who can do this kind of thing in her sleep) game effort and Giamatti's hilarious show-stealing performance, the film founders on a flat script that begs for better repartee. Moreover, the chemistry between a washed-out looking Owen and Roberts is off: She needs someone to run with, and he's a plodder to her thoroughbred. Plus, the twist at the end lacks credibility. On the other hand, the plot is appropriately complex, enough so to hold one's interest on a chilly, rainy Seattle afternoon. Overall, a nifty idea that could have and should have been better...

Single Men Social Aid and Pleasure Club second line parade today...

Sunday Gospel Time: Jesse Lee Brooks sings "Go Down, Moses" in the 1941 film Sullivan's Travels: