Sullivan's Travels

1941 romantic comedy

Rating: 16/20

Plot: Sullivan is a successful director of comedy films. He decides he wants to make O Brother, Where Art Thou?, something with a little more meat, something that will accurately reflect the lives of the most troubled persons in troubled America. As one of the studio bigwigs points out, however, Sullivan has never suffered a day in his life. Impulsively, he decides to borrow some hobo clothes from the studio and embark on an itinerary-free adventure with only ten cents in his pocket in order to know what real trouble is. He runs into troubles along the way--his inability to get out of Hollywood, meeting an aspiring actress who insists on coming along, and ultimately getting himself arrested.

I liked this story, and I liked Veronica Lake (especially dressed as a male tramp in a way that wouldn't fool even the most idiotic hobo). Unfortunately, this wasn't funny at all. There was a lot of typical 40's slapstick and verbal jabs, but this lacked the ironic punches and crisply black comedy of Unfaithfully Yours. The plot and mood were all over the place. There was the fast-paced goofiness in a wild car chase that reminded me of something from a Mickey Mouse cartoon. There were quiet moments when the protagonists tried their best to blend in at the railroad stations and the soup kitchens. There was a moment both touching and desperate during Sullivan's time behind bars, one that reveals (somewhat preposterously) one of the themes of the movie--the importance of comedy. One thing that was very interesting to me was how blacks were shown. The black characters ranged from a very typical cook character stumbling around in a kitchen to much stronger, more realistic characters, the latter, I imagine, being fairly revolutionary portrayals for the early 40s. This is one of those rare movies that would benefit from being a little more drawn out. At just over an hour and a half, it didn't quite have enough time for the romance to realistically develop or for the audience to really believe the troubles of the protagonist.

I've often dreamed of being a hobo: