Sullivan's Travels Trivia Quiz

Answer: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

First off, yes, the Coen Brothers film of 2000 is named as a tribute to this film.
John L. Sullivan has been a director of light-weight comedies who wants to make a film he sees as educational and socially relevant. He wants to take the novel "O Brother, Where Art You?", a social commentary on injustice, and turn it into an arthouse film.
The studio head, who thinks the picture would be a financial disaster, tries to dissuade Sullivan from making the film. He only convinces Sullivan that he needs to find out more about economic inequality and sends him on a road trip that is the core of the film.
"Beyond These Tears" and "The Valley of the Shadow" are two of the fictional pictures playing at the theater the two sisters take Sullivan to.
"The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) is a John Ford film based on the novel by John Steinbeck. It may be the greatest film ever done on economic equality, and Henry Fonda gives one of the greatest performances in film history.
At the end of the film, we see a copy of the novel "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". The author is Sinclair Beckstein, which is a nod to Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair and John Steinbeck, all authors of social commentary.

Answer: Sex

Sullivan declares "I want this picture to be a commentary on modern conditions. Stark realism. The problems that confront the average man!"
LeBrand (Robert Warwick) requests "But with a little sex in it."
After the second time LeBrand asks, Sullivan concedes that he could add "a little sex" to the film.

Answer: Veronica Lake

"Sullivan's Travels" was Veronica Lake's second major role, and it helped make her a major star in the 1940s. Sadly, her career took a downward spiral by 1950, and she began drinking heavily. Twenty years of alcoholism led to Lake's death from acute liver failure in 1973; she was only 51 years old. Lake's last role was in the low budget horror film "Flesh Feast" (1970), in which she played a scientist trying to clone Adolf Hitler.
The Girl (that is how she is named in the closing credits) meets Sullivan when he is posing as a hobo. She convinces him to let her go along on his journey, and by the end of the film, Sullivan and The Girl have fallen in love.
Remarkably, Veronica Lake was between six and eight months pregnant when she shot the film. Filming wrapped on July 22, and her daughter was born August 21.
Lana Turner was a major star in the 1940s and 1950s. Jean Arthur was a major star in the 1930s and early 1940s, and a favorite of Frank Capra. Jean Harlow was one of the leading stars of the 1930s; she died in 1937 at the age of 26.

Answer: Ham and eggs

Donuts and coffee are all Sullivan can afford. That is when The Girl offers the ham and eggs. Later, when Sullivan returns to his mansion in Hollywood, we see ham and eggs cooking. After eating, The Girl gets annoyed at Sullivan for deceiving her and pushes him into a swimming pool.

Answer: Ernst Lubitsch

Ernest Lubitsch was one of the biggest producers in Hollywood in 1941. At the time he was the head of MGM studios. Lubitsch was an actor in Germany between 1911 and 1920, before becoming a director. He moved to the United States in 1922, and was active in Hollywood film making for 20 years. Lubitsch died in November 1947, when he was only 55 years old. He is best known for comedies and musicals, including "Ninotchka" (1939), with Greta Garbo.
The Girl wants to meet Lubitsch so she can get her foot in the door in Hollywood. At the time Sullivan meets her, she is leaving town after discovering how rough show business can be.
Von Stroheim, an Austrian immigrant, was a major director during the Silent Era. Billy Wilder was a German immigrant and protégé of Lubtisch. He would not became a famous director until later in the 1940s.
Max Steiner was an Austrian immigrant who essentially created the genre of film music. He is responsible for the scores of many great films, including "Gone With the Wind" (1939) and "Casablanca" (1943).

Answer: Las Vegas

They get off the train in Las Vegas, which coincidentally (or perhaps not) is where Sullivan told his entourage to wait for him. A diner owner takes mercy on Sullivan and The Girl and gives them donuts. He is rewarded when Sullivan gives him $100. The motor home leaves Las Vegas and heads towards Kansas City.

Answer: ID card in his shoes

Earlier in the film, Sullivan has the shoes containing the identification stolen. The bum who stole his shoes assaults Sullivan, steals his money and puts the director on a train. Shortly afterwards the bum is killed by a speeding train while he is collecting money off the tracks. Moral: Greed can kill you.
When they bring the body to the morgue, there is very little to identify post-train crash. But the shoes survived, and the card is discovered. It is mangled, but readable.

Answer: Atrocious assault

When Sullivan arrives at the rail yard, he is disoriented, and the security guard harasses him. The guard goes one step too far, and Sullivan hits him in the head with a rock. At the trial, the judge finds Sullivan guilty, largely because the director is too confused to properly defend himself. The judge sentences Sullivan to six years, and he is sent to a prison work camp - it is implied it is somewhere in the South, but not specified where.

Answer: Mickey Mouse and Pluto

Mickey Mouse and Pluto are the stars of "Playful Pluto" (1934). The 8 minute cartoon is considered a landmark in animation, as it is the first time that an animated character seemed to think on their own. Woody Woodpecker, Tom and Jerry, and Bugs Bunny all had their debuts in 1940, so they could have been used in the film.
The scene of the prisoners laughing at the film allows Sullivan to realize that laughter allows people to escape the difficulty in life, no matter what people are facing. In the end, he decides to abandon the serious social issue film and produce another comedy.
The film ends with Sullivan stating "There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan."
The NAACP thanked the makers of "Sullivan's Travels" for the scene in the church, for treating the African-American congregation with respect and dignity.

Answer: Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges only directed about a dozen films, but among them were some of the finest comedies of the 1940s: "The Lady Eve" (1941); "The Palm Beach Story" (1942); "Hail the Conquering Hero" (1944) and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (1944).
Sturges was one of the masters of screwball comedy, and "Sullivan's Travels" is a great example, especially the chase sequence early in the film.
Frank Capra was well known for making exactly the type of socially relevant films that Sullivan was talking about, like "Meet John Doe" (1941) and "Mister Smith Goes to Washington" (1939). Capra actually gets a shout out in the first scene.
Howard Hawks was a master of the screwball comedy (along with other genres), directing films such as "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) and "His Girl Friday" (1940). George Cukor worked on many of the greatest films ever made, including "The Philadelphia Story" (1940).