Director Preston Sturges ribs Hollywood. Joel McCrea plays a guilt-stricken director of comedies who wants to make a socially relevant film. Dressed as a bum, he hits the road in order to experience firsthand the poor man’s plight. This satire isn’t as zany or funny as the other Sturges I’ve seen. It’s fun, though. It doesn’t belabor the message at its heart (that comedy is needed and important, especially in hard times). Raising my grade by a notch is Veronica Lake. She’s the quintessential blonde bombshell.
Joe Keaton
Weird tales for the late crowd. And riffs on pop culture.
