Product Description

Preston Sturges was the great writer and director of Hollywood screwball comedies of the thirties and forties. Sullivan's Travels, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, and The Great McGinty have become film classics, demonstrating brilliant, inventive writing and directing. At the height of his career, Sturges had not only won an Academy Award but was also one of the most highly paid executives in the country.

The only account of his life in his own words, Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges unveils the source of his extraordinary creativity: a life that was every bit as antic and unconventional as his movies. From growing up in Europe with a mother whose best friend was Isadora Duncan to making his way among the beau monde of New York -- including a marriage to Barbara Hutton's cousin Eleanor -- Sturges drew on a wealth of madcap experiences to create films of unprecedented comic originality. Working with her husband's wonderfully descriptive journals, Sandy Sturges has woven a captivating narrative that reveals a man of remarkable intellect, energy, and warmth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #860714 in Books
• Published on: 1991-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Library Journal
It can be argued that the films Preston Sturges wrote and directed from 1940 through 1944 (including Sullivan's Travels and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek ) constitute the best comedies in the history of film; certainly they are the best of the 1940s. Sturges died largely forgotten and in greatly reduced circumstances in 1959. His unfinished autobiography and other private papers have been adapted and edited by his widow for this book. Parts of the material have previously appeared in other biographies, and film fans will be initially disappointed to find that the movies are mentioned only in rather cursory fashion in the last quarter of this work. More than a film biography, however, this is valuable as an account of life among the rich bohemian set in the early part of this century. As in Sturges's films, the tone here is simultaneously cynical and warm. The same talent that made most of his films brilliant makes this an excellent book.
-John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Learn about the man, not about the work
The strange title and author attribution of this (auto)biography of movie writer/director Sturges is revealed in the last paragraph, and I won't give it away here. Trust me to say that this is a fascinating look into Preston Sturges' life as it is revealed by the man himself. Revealing? For example, the time spent by Sturges working on his six Hollywood classics (starting with "The Great McGinty" and ending with "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek") are briefly covered in approximately 50 pages. Instead of concentrating his life into the three years that made him famous, Sturges spreads his story out equally to all years of his life, spending an equal amount of time on his toddlership. Fortunately, Sturges' life is interesting and by the time you arrive with him in Hollywood, you may agree with him that it's not necessarily as high a pinnacle as it may seem.

What you discover here is that Sturges, while a gifted writer and director, was something of a strange chap. His early life, while providing him many of the anecdotes that he would later incorporate into his movies, weren't necessarily guiding him to the silver screen. By tricks of simple fate, Sturges avoided a career as a perfumer, a broker, and an inventor. And, before Hollywood, there was a chance that he would have stayed a playwright on Broadway. For a man with the drive for success and money, though, no place but Hollywood in those years had quite the means to deliver the goods.

There's a few pictures to round out the book and a nice bibliography. As a starting point to discovering more about Sturges' work, this is a great book. About that work, though, one must look elsewhere.

Excellent companion volume to Curtis's bio
The best biography (to date) of Preston Sturges is "Between Flops" by James Curtis, but this well-edited edition of Preston's own unfinished autobiography makes a wonderful companion volume to that vivid bio.

A Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous.
Preston Sturges was one of the greatest comedy directors of all time, but most people have no idea who he was. This book is basically Sturges' autobiography. Ironically, he died before he ever had a chance to finish and publish his life story. However, using what he had written, various letters, and notes, his daughter Sandy collected his writings and edited them into this delightful book. I was fascinated and extremely amused reading about the exploits of the gifted (and wealthy) young Preston. His childhood was anything but usual, what with globetrotting and famous dinner guests and all; and the story of how he became a movie director is most interesting and entertaining. Full of wit and charm, this book is sure to entertain; not unlike a Preston Sturges' film.