Successful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.
Directed by Preston Sturges
homeless person
movie business
fake identity
mistaken identity
great depression
jail
chain gang
memory loss
black and white
on the road
screwball comedy
riding the rail
road movie
hidden identity
hobo
film director
trains
Rank
#4 in 1941·#1234 overall
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Joel McCrea
John Sullivan
Veronica Lake
The Girl
Robert Warwick
Mr. LeBrand
William Demarest
Mr. Jones
Franklin Pangborn
Mr. Casalsis
Porter Hall
Mr. Hadrian
Byron Foulger
Johnny Valdelle
Margaret Hayes
Secretary
Robert Greig
Burroughs
Eric Blore
Sullivan's Valet
Torben Meyer
The Doctor
Victor Potel
Cameraman
Crew
Preston Sturges
Director
Preston Sturges
Writer
John F. Seitz
Director of Photography
Wally Westmore
Makeup Artist
Edith Head
Costume Design
Anthony Mann
Assistant Director
Popular Reviews
207 reviews
Ethan
A comedy with infinite layers. Something missing nowadays.
A comedy with infinite layers. Something missing nowadays.
Ethan
A comedy with infinite layers. Something missing nowadays.
A comedy with infinite layers. Something missing nowadays.
Mellebin
8.0★ · 06/09/26
Incredible thematic width and depth going on here, a beautiful comedy.
Incredible thematic width and depth going on here, a beautiful comedy.
Karen Guerra
8.0★ · 06/03/26
the first woke white man ❤️
the first woke white man ❤️
Moose
7.0★ · 04/30/26
Amazing start! Whip crack dialogue straight out of his girl friday. But I grew tired of the main dude and eventually Veronica Lake disappears from the movie for a bit (which seems a bit of a trope for the 40s to have the female lead hand over screen time for a while) and comes back almost as a different character and the rest of the movie is a bit boring.
Amazing start! Whip crack dialogue straight out of his girl friday. But I grew tired of the main dude and eventually Veronica Lake disappears from the movie for a bit (which seems a bit of a trope for the 40s to have the female lead hand over screen time for a while) and comes back almost as a different character and the rest of the movie is a bit boring.