American Masters #501; Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of An American Dreamer
- Series
- American Masters #501
- Contributing Organization
- Thirteen WNET (New York, New York)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/75-34sj43wb
- Public Broadcasting Service Program NOLA
- AMMS 000501
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/75-34sj43wb).
- Description
- Description
- Director Preston Sturges' films of the 1940s -- "The Great McGinty," "The Lady Eve," "The Palm Beach Story," and "Sullivan's Travels" -- parodied American politics, sex, advertising, and hero worship and established Sturges as a brilliant satirist. But when he left Paramount for a disastrous association with Howard Hughes, his box office appeal waned and his career plummeted. This documentary profile examines Sturges' witty and urbane style and includes interviews with Barbara Stanwyck, Rex Harrison, Joel McCrea, Billy Wilder, Claudette Colbert and Bob Hope, among others. Preston Sturges, the creator of eight dazzling, completely distinctive comedies during a four-year period at Paramount, was, along with Orson Welles, the reigning Hollywood genius of the 1940s. His films, including "The Lady Eve," "Sullivan's Travels," "The Palm Beach Story," "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail the Conquering Hero," are packed with sophistication, astonishing circumventions of the censorship code and an ironic view of American values. He changed the face of Hollywood forever by becoming the first screenwriter to break through as a successful director. But Sturges' star fell as quickly as it rose, and this film explores the perplexing reasons for his decline. Drawing on clips from his films, commentary from friends, family and associates, and rare recordings and footage of Sturges himself, this documentary captures the man's outsized personality and draws unexpected parallels between his extraordinary life and works.
- Asset type
- Episode
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: wnet_aacip_31340 (WNET Archive)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Master
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “American Masters #501; Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of An American Dreamer,” Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 25, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-34sj43wb.
- MLA: “American Masters #501; Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of An American Dreamer.” Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 25, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-34sj43wb>.
- APA: American Masters #501; Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of An American Dreamer. Boston, MA: Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-34sj43wb