Sullivan's Travels

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Sullivan's Travels

1942

1h 31m

Comedy

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100%

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43 Reviews

89%

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5,000+ Ratings

Successful movie director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion (Veronica Lake), he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.

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Critics Consensus

Blending screwball comedy with a socially conscious message, Sullivan's Travels offers delightful proof of writer-director Preston Sturges' ability to provoke serious thought as well as helpless laughter.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

This ingenious plot is brought to life with a remarkable profusion of dialogue: with the characters’ torrential, scintillating verbiage, Sturges seems to leap out from behind the screen to address the viewer directly.

Jan 16, 2023

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Variety Staff

Variety

Sturges' dialog is trenchant, has drive, possesses crispness and gets the laughs where that is desired.

Jun 27, 2007

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

A dubious proposition, but in Sturges's hands a charming one, filled out by his unparalleled sense of eccentric character.

Jun 27, 2007

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an erratic yet entertaining piece of work...

Rated: 3/4

Nov 2, 2024

Full Review

Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Sullivan’s Travels offers itself up as a meta-resolution to its own conundrum, deftly blending madcap comedy, non-didactic social commentary, and even "a little sex" in the form of Veronica Lake.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 30, 2024

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

This classic comedy should leave you in no doubt where Sturges thought a movie's first duty lay, yet it's also one of the few films that manages to strike a winning balance between entertainment and conscience.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 6, 2024

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George L

A rare find. This is an intelligent witty film with a conscience that has something to say. The dialogue is funny without being crass, which is unheard of in recent films.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/25

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Stephen C

Funny in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

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john h

Smart dialogue, breathtaking cinematography and jovial acting. Preston Sturges creates an unbreakable bond between the audience and John L. Sullivan who discovers that the best things are the things that keep us going rather than bring us down.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/25

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Ernie K

Intelligent, funny, socially meaningful, well written, and very well acted by the too-often-overlooked Joel McCrea and a bully and sharp Veronica Lake. Give this one a try; timeless message meets comedic genius.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/25

Full Review

Blu B

All Time Classic. The dialouge is amazing in this. Super snappy and the chemistry between the two leads is phenominal. Lake really is the best thing here and that's saying a lot because there is so much here. The jokes are really funny even after all this time and really clever. There is TONS of underlying commentary about poverty, being in your Ivory Tower, looking down on others, and the power of comedy. All with a slight meta touch to it. The direction is top notch. What's crazy is how in the second half the tone really changes and becomes more of a drama than anything with the slapstick, and laugh out loud moments kind of stop and it gets suprisingly dark. It goes long stretches also with no dialouge in the second half as well which really show the level of understanding of the medium that you don't see in many pics let alone comedies. Top Notch. Everyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

Full Review

Christian K

Out of touch director decides to 'slum it' to better understand the plight of the common folk for his next movie, ends up meeting a stone cold knockout 10/10 blonde who will join him on the 2nd day.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/09/24

Full Review

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Preston Sturges

Director

Joel McCrea

John L. Sullivan

Veronica Lake

The Girl

Robert Warwick

Mr. Lebrand

William Demarest

Mr. Jones

Franklin Pangborn

Mr. Casalsis

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - I Want to Make a Comedy

1:34

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - With a Little Sex In It

2:51

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - Sully and the Girl

3:32

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - I Killed John L. Sullivan!

2:57

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - Ditching the Entourage

2:57

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - Sully Laughs Again

2:39

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - Meeting the Girl

3:36

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - Washed Up Picture Director

2:34

Sullivan's Travels: Official Clip - The Valley of Adversity

2:44

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Synopsis

Successful movie director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion (Veronica Lake), he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.

Director: Preston Sturges
Producer: Preston Sturges
Screenwriter: Preston Sturges
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 28, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2015
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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