Jun 10, 2022
For this 1940 Paramount episode, an Akim Tamiroff (and Muriel Angelus) double feature in which we unlock the secrets of Preston Sturges' inspiration. First, we look at The Way of All Flesh (directed by Louis King), a little-known proto-noir Christmas movie that seems to have taken its inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne, as filtered through the sensibilities of top screenwriters Lenore Coffee and Jules Furthman. Then we move on to the first movie directed by dynamo screenwriter-turned-sui generis-director Preston Sturges, The Great McGinty, which directly references the plot of The Way of All Flesh in its prologue. We make our case for the evolution of The Miracle of Morgan's Creek out of both movies and talk Sturges, artificial families, and lost fathers.
Time Codes:
0h 01m 00s: THE WAY OF ALL FLESH [dir. Lewis King]
0h 36m 26s: THE GREAT MCGINTY [dir. Preston Sturges]
1h 06m 00s: Fear & Moviegoing in Toronto – Kinuyo Tanaka’s Love Letter (1953) and The Moon Has Risen (1955)
Studio Film Capsules provided by The Paramount Story by John Douglas Eames
Additional studio information from: The Hollywood Story by Joel W. Finler
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* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s
* Intro Song: “Sunday” by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)
* Read Elise’s latest film piece on Preston Sturges, Unfaithfully Yours, and the Narrative role of comedic scapegoating.
* Check out Dave’s new Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist’s 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!
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