Preston Sturges (/ˈstÉœË rdÊ'ɪs/; born Edmund Preston Biden; August
29, 1898 â€" August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter,
and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original
Screenplay for the film The Great McGinty, his first of three
nominations in the category.Sturges took the screwball comedy format
of the 1930s to another level, writing dialogue that, heard today, is
often surprisingly naturalistic, mature, and ahead of its time,
despite the farcical situations. It is not uncommon for a Sturges
character to deliver an exquisitely turned phrase and take an
elaborate pratfall within the same scene.Prior to Sturges, other
figures in Hollywood (such as Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, and
Frank Capra) had directed films from their own scripts, however
Sturges is often regarded as the first Hollywood figure to establish
success as a screenwriter and then move into directing his own
scripts, at a time when those roles were separate. Sturges famously
sold the story for The Great McGinty to Paramount Pictures for $1, in
return for being allowed to direct the film.
29, 1898 â€" August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter,
and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original
Screenplay for the film The Great McGinty, his first of three
nominations in the category.Sturges took the screwball comedy format
of the 1930s to another level, writing dialogue that, heard today, is
often surprisingly naturalistic, mature, and ahead of its time,
despite the farcical situations. It is not uncommon for a Sturges
character to deliver an exquisitely turned phrase and take an
elaborate pratfall within the same scene.Prior to Sturges, other
figures in Hollywood (such as Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, and
Frank Capra) had directed films from their own scripts, however
Sturges is often regarded as the first Hollywood figure to establish
success as a screenwriter and then move into directing his own
scripts, at a time when those roles were separate. Sturges famously
sold the story for The Great McGinty to Paramount Pictures for $1, in
return for being allowed to direct the film.
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