Preston Sturges: An Actor's Actor

Preston Struges is French playwright Serge Vitry in "Paris Holiday" (1958) - a star vehicle for Fernandel and Bob Hope. Although Sturges played a studio director in "Sullivans Travels" and a shoeshine patron in "Christmas in July", this was his only significant role. Hollywood's first writer/director, Sturges did not actually write his screenplays as much as act them out for a stenographer to catch in the moment.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Preston
• Sturges.
• Acting.

[JamieJobb]

That is very true and it stands to reason that this isn't a scene written by Sturges. All you need to do is hear one scene Sturges wrote to understand the difference. Let's hope there's a young Preston developing.

[giles422]

not hammy, actually quite good, I think. Great accent.

[JamieJobb]

Yes! Sturges would "write" his screenplays by talking them out and having a secretary transcribe his verbal scenes. This is why his own screenplays sing! And it sure helped his acting, as you point out. All the best.

[JamieJobb]

Actually the DVD for this movie lists Sturges on the cover, although he's only in this scene. The further you look into Sturges' "writing" the more you realize he was "improvising" his scripts out loud in the evening while a secretary transcribed. So Stuges was actually "acting" out the parts as he was writing them!

[johncasrey]

Great job. (Too bad he didn't write the dialogue.)

[CityOFMartinez]

I love Preston Stuges body of work

the beautiful blond from bashful bend

LOL !!

morgans creek

LOL !!!

and everything else this man did was GREAT !!!

[weikko79]

Never knew this existed! Great to see Sturges, even if his acting is kind of hammy...