Preston Sturges

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Revelator
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:33 pm

Re: Preston Sturges

#51 Post by Revelator » Mon Oct 24, 2016 2:19 pm

The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend has just been released on Blu-Ray. DVDBeaver's review:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm
I'd rather have Diddlebock or The French They Are a Funny Race on Blu-Ray, since Blonde is Sturges's worst film.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: Preston Sturges

#52 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Feb 02, 2017 4:21 am

Blu box from Wild Side in France later this year Hopefully there's an Arrow equivalent on the cards.
http://www.dvdfr.com/dvd/f161352-presto ... omedy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Werewolf by Night

Re: Preston Sturges

#53 Post by Werewolf by Night » Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:19 am

Madame et ses flirts. What a wonderful, if inaccurate title for The Palm Beach Story.

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Drucker
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Re: Preston Sturges

#54 Post by Drucker » Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:40 am

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:Blu box from Wild Side in France later this year Hopefully there's an Arrow equivalent on the cards.
http://www.dvdfr.com/dvd/f161352-presto ... omedy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Arrow said after they released Sullivan's Travels that if it sold well they'd do all the films in this box. I think it's safe to assume that no more Sturges from them means it didn't sell well enough, unfortunately.

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domino harvey
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Re: Preston Sturges

#55 Post by domino harvey » Thu Feb 02, 2017 2:10 pm

If they can release two more volumes of the American Horror Project, surely they can also release one box of films that are actually good

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: Preston Sturges

#56 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Feb 02, 2017 2:17 pm

Drucker wrote:
NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:Blu box from Wild Side in France later this year Hopefully there's an Arrow equivalent on the cards.
http://www.dvdfr.com/dvd/f161352-presto ... omedy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Arrow said after they released Sullivan's Travels that if it sold well they'd do all the films in this box. I think it's safe to assume that no more Sturges from them means it didn't sell well enough, unfortunately.
Either that or they are waiting for the same improved elements that has apparently caused the Wild Side delay from 2016.

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domino harvey
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Re: Preston Sturges

#57 Post by domino harvey » Tue Aug 29, 2017 1:00 pm

In addition to all his great work behind the camera, Sturges also dabbled in clothing design (!), as evidenced by this Life photo-story of Sturges and his longtime mistress Frances Ramsden (star of the Sin of Harold Diddlebock):

Image

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MichaelB
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Preston Sturges

#58 Post by MichaelB » Tue Aug 29, 2017 1:12 pm

The booklet for Arrow's Sullivan's Travels contains a long essay that persuasively argues that far from being a filmmaker who dabbled with inventions on the side, Sturges was in fact primarily an inventor who just happened to have a brief but glorious period as a filmmaker.

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Gregory
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Re: Preston Sturges

#59 Post by Gregory » Tue Aug 29, 2017 2:02 pm

In the last photo, Sturges is on the phone asking Eugene Pallette if he has any old pants he doesn't wear anymore.

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domino harvey
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Re: Preston Sturges

#60 Post by domino harvey » Sat Feb 08, 2020 8:38 pm

Has anyone read Tom Sturges’ recent book on the later years of his father’s life? Was amused to learn Preston Sturges’ son was a music exec responsible for signing 50 Cent and Afroman to record deals, among others

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Preston Sturges

#61 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Sat Feb 08, 2020 10:43 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Sat Feb 08, 2020 8:38 pm
Has anyone read Tom Sturges’ recent book on the later years of his father’s life? Was amused to learn Preston Sturges’ son was a music exec responsible for signing 50 Cent and Afroman to record deals, among others
I actually read it last month. It’s excellent, although if you’re looking for contributions from his son, they’re pretty minimal as he was basically estranged from his father due to the circumstances at the end of Preston Sturges life. It goes deeply into all the works Sturges began and for whatever reason, never got to finish and the failures of his few produced late works (his last film and a single stage production). The man sounded insanely arrogant, but quite charming when necessary and even at his lowest low, couldn’t shake the shadow of his former success. The relationship between him and his last wife is interesting too as they remained in love (to a degree) even though they separated three years before his death. He would write her almost every single day and the book uses all of his letters and notes to document his life. It seems when Sturges turned thirty-something, he became obsessive note taker and would write regularly into his journals, kept every letter, and even wrote the exact times his flights would depart and arrive. It also makes you sad about his failures to get projects off the ground as several of them sound excellent and quite funny. As dense and as well researched as any book on Sturges can be.

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domino harvey
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Re: Preston Sturges

#62 Post by domino harvey » Sat Feb 08, 2020 10:54 pm

Sounds great, thanks for the writeup! I’m way more interested in details and insights into his work and life than I am in family perspective etc, so that’s just fine with me. I’ve wanted to have a go at some of the surprisingly plentiful bios / overviews of his work for some time now, will have to make sure this is one of them!

Revelator
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Re: Preston Sturges

#63 Post by Revelator » Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:04 am

Thanks, now I'm eager to the new book too. I disagree with its co-authors' assertion that Sturges's last film, The French They Are a Funny Race, was a failure. The excellent Sturges biography by Diane Jacobs states that the film was a commercial success in the U.S. As for artistic merit, it's not Sturges's worst film (that would be The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend), and though it's not what one expects from a Sturges comedy it remains an enjoyable little film about cultural differences.

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