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.

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.

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.

Must-watch comedy by Preston Sturges

3 & 1/4 stars. This movie is an interesting mix of screwball comedy and some real soul-searching about helping others. i.e., give them what THEY want.

Its an interesting argument for comedy as the best form of escapism, especially since the film is anything but escapist. That finale is quite touching.

There are two messages in Sullivan's Travel's, Preston Sturges' dramatic comedy of 1941, and they risk cancelling one another out. The first message, if we can loosely call it so, is a wake-up call for people to see the conditions of poverty and injustice faced by many contemporary Americans. The second message essentially seems to suggest that movies are better off without messages. As a result, the film manages to subvert what it asserts. The story centres on a successful writer-director called John L Sullivan (Joel McCrea), a man perhaps not unlike Sturges himself, who was one of the first American moviemakers to both write and direct his own movies. The title carries a hint of Gulliver's Travels, although it might almost be seen as a non-allegorical Pilgrim's Progress. Sullivan wishes to make a movie called ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou' to highlight the conditions faced by many poor Americans, but he faces opposition from his colleagues who point out that he has not experienced these levels of privation himself. To correct his ignorance, Sullivan sets out on his own, posing as a vagabond. He has a number of adventures, and of course every adventure has to have a girl. The Girl is Veronica Lake, known only by this name in the film. She joins Sullivan as he experiences poverty first-hand. However Sullivan's experiences become only too real when he is arrested and sent to a brutal chain gang where he faces true hardship for the first time. As with so much in the movie, its treatment of Sullivan is ambiguous, if not contradictory. Sullivan is a sympathetic character, and there is something admirable about his compassion for the common people, and his courage in seeking to experience destitution for himself. Nonetheless the plot and script frequently undermine Sullivan's pretentions. Sturges sees Sullivan as wrong-headed and naïve, and needing to be taught a lesson. One of the more moving parts of the film is a long silent sequence, accompanied by sad music as we are shown images of poverty and desperation in 1940s America – people living and sleeping on the street, a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, the faces of the poor as they sit listening to a sermon, Sullivan making a living by carrying a sandwich board around. This presentation of poverty and social problems is curious because it conflicts with the movie's main message, which is that films should not spend time discussing issues. Sturges made Sullivan's Travels as a response to preaching in movies. He felt that the fun had been taken out of moviemaking in favour of the message. Yet while there is much fun in Sullivan's Travels it could fairly be said that there would have been more room for comedy if Sturges had not spent so much time portraying the conditions of poor people. Sullivan belatedly realises that he is doing poor people a greater act of kindness by making goofy comedies than by preaching to them. This is a surprising conclusion for a film that is not like that at all. There is some broad humour in Sullivan's Travels – even the silent montage of images of the poor includes a shot of Sullivan and The Girl laughing at each other as they are bitten by bedbugs. However, for the most part we are watching a movie with a literate script that tells us that movies should be lowbrow entertainment. We are seeing a movie that depicts social injustice whilst telling us that this is not what movies should be about. Sturges seems to have little faith in the capacity of audiences to enjoy a movie that sympathetically portrays their problems, yet this is what he gives them. I wrote a longer appreciation of Sullivan's Travels on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2017/12/27/sullivans-travels-1941/

Lake gives it a spark but she isn't in it enough.

Intent on making a socially relevant movie about the downtrodden and dispossessed, affluent Hollywood director John Sullivan (Joel McRae) hits the rails disguised as a hobo in an effort to better understand his subject matter. While Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels certainly offers valuable insights into the human condition and socio-economic disparity, you can't help but get the feeling that it has not aged particularly well. While the dramatic elements continue to work effectively after more than eighty years since its release, the comedy falls flat – slapstick (people falling into pools, fast motion car chases) just doesn't work in this day and age. Don't be mistaken – Sullivan's Travels is a decent enough movie. However, had it simply picked a lane and stuck to it, it would probably have more appeal for modern audiences.

Watching "Sullivan's Travels" 82 years after it was made surprised me. A film in the comedy genre with a dialectical theme of society and cinema, which was presented in this film at that time, shows the correct and deep understanding of the director of the film "Preston Sturges". This film portrays social violence and how the artist suffers from this social violence and how strange the society treats him. A director who no longer wants to make a comedy and plans to make a social drama called "travels deep "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" travels deep into the society and finally comes to the conclusion that people need comedy.

The humor is a bit dated, but I enjoyed it. A movie director learns that he should make films that audiences want to see rather than virtue signal, a lesson that modern Hollywood needs to relearn. Veronica Lake wasn't just another pretty face. She was also a pretty good actor, a lot better than Joel McCrea anyway.

A rich and highly successful producer of escapist entertainment movies gets tired of doing so and wants to go out and explore the world of the poor and downtrodden. He tries several times to do so, but farcically ends up back in his rich surroundings. Not that his life is all good...the woman he married strictly to save on taxes has cost him far more money than he saved, and she is having an affair with his manager. Finally Sullivan does manage to escape his wealthy home, meeting a lovely down-and-out actress in the process. Then he truly learns about how the other half lives...and why there is a market for escapist entertainment. Not only does the movie succeed in farce, but it also doesn't glamorize the poor. It mentions there are thugs and scumbags as well as simply unfortunate among the poor. As someone who has known poor people myself, I felt that the movie is right on target in that respect.

One part sophisticated comedy, one part action adventure, one part Marx Brothers..Kind of all over the place.

This movie was easy to watch and enjoyable. Veronica Lake plays a damsdrel in distress, hard on her-luck actress trying to make a way for hersels, Meets Joel in a cafe in which he is trying out being a hobo for a new film, she buys him Breakfast and tags along for the ride. A very believable story, friendship turned romance (if the movie continues). I'd imagine he would have placed her in some Movies. Scenery is all over the place; train yards, production room, cafe, car rides, airplane, hotels, etc Easy to watch and heartwarming, I'd recommend

Easy to like early on, Sullivan's Travels loses steam in much of its second half, moving from lighthearted, charming comedy to a somewhat wandering and strange melodramatic twist (including a hobo who happened to have stolen Sullivan's shoes earlier in the film before independently running across him much later), before gradually righting itself with a surprising thematic depth that was not previously hinted at; the film not only displays an informed and progressive treatment of African Americans for 1941, but reveals a sophisticated understanding of comedy as a means of sincere storytelling. I can't say that the two halves are particularly well reconciled even if they are meant to explicitly contrast (they feel like two different films), but each has its own merits. Despite explicitly poking fun at Capra a bit, the film has some real power in its naive early charm and storyline that somewhat echoes the beloved director. I'm convinced that much of the film's reputation is based on its contemporary depiction of Hollywood, and later generations of critics and producers that love to recognize Sullivan's combination of self-loathing and creative genius in themselves. (3.5/5)

One of the great oldies. So much to enjoy about this early portrayal of Shia Leboeuf's year slumming it. For all that the plot rips along at a great pace, there's no doubting the star is Veronica Lake who is a classic old skool beauty of the silver screen. I basically want to marry her, not like now, cos she's dead but you know, the old living version of her. Absolute wowzers of a woman. Lead actor does a grand job too, whatever his name is.

Sullivan's Travels is a hidden gem of a movie. People don't talk about it much anymore, but it's one I think more people should watch. It features witty dialogue and a clever story that skillfully shifts between comedic farce and compelling drama. Plus, it's entertaining to watch Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake play off each other. Yes, it's a little dated and kind of cheesy, but I'd recommend Sullivan's Travels to anyone who enjoys the experience of going to the movies.

For the majority of its runtime, Sullivan's Travels is an exceedingly well done screwball comedy with some elements of slapstick. Preston Sturges' dialogue is sharp and funny and it is perfectly delivered by a charismatic Joel McCrea and an endearing Veronica Lake. Lake is unfortunately underused, her character arrives kind of late and then is left behind when McCrea's Sullivan, a film director and champion of the poor, is mugged and soon after imprisoned. The story then significantly shifts in tone, which provides for fewer laughs (on the part of the audience at least, not the convicts watching Mickey Mouse) but enables Sullivan to fulfill his goal of seeing what it's like to be destitute, without the comfort of money and privilege of fame. The film confirms its true purpose as a satire of the film industry, Sturges achieving just what Sullivan wants to by having us watch his character try to do it.

For a film about abject poverty, this actually has everything: Nuanced social commentary on issues of class antagonism, inequity, the justice system, race; rapid-fire and timeless wit; Veronica Lake; a silent short-film in its middle; metatextual satire; Veronica Lake's peekaboo hairstyle. Ironically, a lesser filmmaker with poorer gifts would have spread the wealth.

The all-time Preston Sturges classic!