Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges

by Glenn Lovell

Escape Artist —based on Glenn Lovell’s extensive interviews with John Sturges, his wife and children, and numerous stars including Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, and Jane Russell—is the first biography of the director of such acclaimed films as The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape , and Bad Day at Black Rock . Lovell examines Sturges’s childhood in California during the Great Depression; his apprenticeship in the editing department of RKO Pictures, where he worked on such films as Gunga Din and Of Human Bondage ; his service in the Army Air Corps in World War II; and his emergence as one of the first independent producer-directors in Hollywood.

Chronicling the filmmaker’s relationships with such luminaries as Spencer Tracy, James Garner, Yul Brynner, and Frank Sinatra, Escape Artist interweaves biography with critical analyses of Sturges’s hits and misses. Along the way, Lovell addresses the reasons why Sturges has been overlooked in the ongoing discussion of postwar Hollywood and explores the director’s focus on masculinity, machismo, and male-bonding in big-budget, ensemble action films. Lovell also examines Sturges’s aesthetic sensibility, his talent for composing widescreen images, and his uncanny ability to judge raw talent—including that of Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn, all of whom began their careers in Sturges’s movies.

            This long overdue study of a major Hollywood director will find a welcome home in the libraries of film scholars, action movie buffs, and anyone interested in the popular culture of the twentieth century.

Best Books for Special Interests, selected by the American Association of School Librarians, and Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the Public Library Association


"Pick up a copy of film critic and scholar Glenn Lovell's terrific new Sturges biography, Escape Artist. . . . I can't urge you enough to check out this interview-rich, aesthetically and culturally perceptive look at the filmmaker and his work."—Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News

“Lovell’s list of interviewees reads like a who’s who of Hollywood and they obviously provided rich source material for this full-scale biography and career survey.”— Leonard Maltin

“This long overdue study of a major Hollywood director will find a welcome home in the libraries of film scholars, action movie buffs, and anyone interested in the popular culture of the twentieth century.”—Turner Classic Movies (TCM.com)

 

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2008

About the author

Lovell is a nationally known entertainment writer. He has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety. He was entertainment editor at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and film critic at the San Jose Mercury News. He teaches film studies at De Anza College and other schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Magnificent Seven
Bad Day At Black Rock
The Great Escape
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Old Man and the Sea
The Satan Bug
Hour of the Gun
Ice Station Zebra
The Eagle Has Landed
McQ
Joe Kidd

Chances are you've seen at least a couple of these movies. Many people have, but have no idea that they were all directed by John Sturges Many have never heard of him, but Sturges left behind an impressive body of work. Glenn Lovell is a film historian who began researching Sturges life while the director was still alive He interviewed Sturges several times in the years leading up to Sturge's death (1992). He also interviewed others who had worked, or were still working in the industry at the time:Clint Eastwood, June Allyson, Anne Sheridan, Robert Wise, Ernest Borgnine and many more. The result is a solid look at one of Hollywood's most underappreciated directors and his not unsubstantial body of work. A cross between a biography and a film studies piece I enjoyed "Escape Artist". I'm a lifelong film buff and I have always found the mix of business, politics, commercialism, egos and the creative process that is film making to be fascinating. It's actually amazing that any movie gets made at all when the whole process is looked at closely.

Lovell examines every movie that Sturges made during his forty year career. Naturally some movies (Bad Day at Black Rock, The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven, The Old Man and the Sea) receive more attention than others, but they're all allocated at least a few sentences. Sturges personal life doesn't receive as much focus though you will learn a few things about the man. This is clearly a book about his movies and what was involved in getting those films to the screen. "Escape Artist" is a long overdue examination of one of Hollywood's more underrated directors. It is clear eyed, solidly researched and informed with a solid understanding of both film making and the business of filmmaking. Excellent read and highly recommended.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a biography of the director behind three of my all-time favorite movies. And it's a good one. Although there isn't much about the Sturges' upbringing, the rest of the book does a nice job covering his involvement and development in movies; from his start as a film cutter, to making movies for the Army during WWII, to his return from the war to start as an film editor until working his way into a director. It is unfortunate that Sturges seemed to have lost his "spark" as a director after having made the highly successful The Great Escape<\i>. He was finally in a position where studios were offering him the pick of the movies coming up on which he chose to pass (including Patton and Papillon) to make movies that were decreasingly successful, starting with The Satan Bug through such failures like Ice Station Zebra and McQ. But for anyone interested in his work and how he directed, particularly make actors, so effectively, this is a solid read.

[Aaron Hollander · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Sturges, contemporary of classic Hollywood editors, such as Robert Wise, Mark Robson, and other directors such as Anthony Mann and John Huston. Sturges was of the second generation of Hollywood filmmakers, who worked in the early talkies, starting as editor and gradually rising through the ranks to contract director until breaking out on his own with a slow and steady reputation and several monumental hits; The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963) being his most prominent. Author Lovell does a level job of background, and early career, as well as illustrating the various production histories. I would have appreciated a bit more of the author's own analysis and perhaps retrospective on how Sturges factors into the filmmaking canon. Otherwise I gained a great deal of insight reading and viewing a good handful of his films. Generally and enjoyable and approachable profile.

[Van Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anybody who cares about the films of the late John Sturges--my all-time favorite movie director--will carve this biography.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography and appraisal of the director of “Bad Day at Black Rock”, “The Magnificent Seven”, and “The Great Escape”, the book has all the hallmarks of its subject: it’s efficient, skilled, effective, and highly entertaining.

[Bern J · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the summary on the back page states: "Lovell explores Sturges's focus on masculinity, machismo, and male-bonding in big budget, ensemble action films such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape & Bad Day at Black Rock.
The author also examines Sturges's aesthetic sensibility, his talent for composing widescreen images, and his uncanny ability to judge raw talent-including that of Steve McQueen,Charles Bronson, and James Coburn, all of whom began their careers in Sturges's movies."

All true & well written.

BTW-That wasn't Steve McQueen riding the motorcycle over the 60' jump in The Great Escape.That was his good friend, stunt man and SoCal desert racer,Bud Ekins.Bud did the jump in one take & he was riding a heavy Triumph 650cc desert sled, a dinosaur by today's standards.An iconic moment on film.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed right before Christmas breaks over me. Paul Thomas Anderson said something interesting about Sturges' commentary on the disc of BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (he said it was an MFA's worth of information about filmmaking) and that reminded me of what a great movie that was. Which then reminded me of what a great move THE GREAT ESCAPE was. And so I got the book. It's a great tour through the man's career, and now I feel chastened for not taking him more seriously as an American director. A great read.

[BLESK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book barely merits a 3-star rating, solely because the subject (John Sturges) is so compelling, interesting and hasn't had a biography written about him until now. The execution was just poor. Rather than focusing on the dealmaking and stories around making some of the most iconic action and western movies of all time, the author meanders almost aimlessly between film school claptrap, lofty auteur jargon and the occasional anecdote.