Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges (1898-1959) was a screenwriter who was one of Hollywood's first writers to move to directing, as a way to control his own scripts and dialogue. While his earlier scripted only films included heavy dramas (The Power and the Glory, Diamond Jim) as well as comedies, his stamp as a director was screwball comedy and the use of a stock company of distinctive character actors. His reputation rests primarily on his first seven films as an auteur, including The Lady Eve (with Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda), The Palm Beach Story (with Rudy Vallee), Sullivan's Travels (blending comedy and pathos), Miracle of Morgan's Creek, and Hail the Conquering Hero.
==References==
*A third season Dog City episode is titled "Howl the Conquering Hero." It's unclear whether the title is intentionally referencing the Sturges film Hail the Conquering Hero or a more obscure 1921 stage comedy with the same name.
*Cookie Monster names Sturges (along with Hitchcock and Billy Wilder) as among his favorite directors in a 2013 National Film Society web interview. 
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Category:Movie References