Sullivan's Travels

Preston Sturges masterpiece from 1941 that's an oldie but goodie and holds up well even today.

Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake star in this satire of Hollywood that follows a film director who is tired of selling out and wants to make a "real" film about the real world out there. In order to research his film, he sets out on the road with ten cents and the determination to learn something about his fellow man.

Funny and deep Sullivan's Travels still has a powerful message over fifty years since it was made.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034240/

Dead End

1937 drama directed by William Wyler stars Sylvia Sydney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart, and the Dead End Kids.

Dramatic look at life in the tenements in New York in the '30s. Gangster Bogart, on the lam after plastic surgery, returns to the old neighborhood and finds residents dealing with gritty life in many different ways... from despair to optimism. Script by Lillian Hellman. Originally a Broadway play. Striking studio sets.

Introduced the "Dead End Kids" who reprise their Broadway roles (Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Billy Halop, etc.) who amused us with their shenanigans in a number of films as the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, and the Bowery Boys.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028773/