Preston Sturges

Sturges was one of the first screenwriters who transitioned to director, and received recognition for his talent at both. His comedies balanced a cynical and sarcastic view with romance and a sentimental core. Every movie he made can be called a classic – “The Great McGinty”, where he made his directoral debut earned him an Oscar for the screenplay, is a harsh and funny look at political corruption. Character names get out of control: Trudy Kockenlocker, who wakes up pregnant after a hard night of partying with a bunch of soldiers in “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek”; Harold Diddlebock, an accountant who dreams of his glory days in college; or the brother/sister team of John D. Hackensacker III and his vampish sister, the Princess Centimillia from “The Palm Beach Story.” Sturges made no bad movies – his work from the early 1940’s mark his peak.