_Sullivan's Travels_' opening credits features the opening and flipping pages of a book technique, which it seems to me was fairly common.  I can't say about _The Palm Beach Story_, since at the moment, I've only seen the trailer.

Ratoff definitely surprised me with _Intermezzo_, since I don't think I had heard of him prior to when I saw it, yet I found the film overall, story aside, to be fresh and inventive.

Scott

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: <[log in to unmask]>
Date:  Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:20:35 -0600

>Dear Prof Hutchins:
>
>I wonder, does Preston Sturges also use this same technique in Palm Beach Story
>(1941) and/or Sullivan's Travels (1942)?  I have vague recollections that he
>probably does, but memory sometimes plays tricks.  
>
>As to Gregory Ratoff (dir. of Intermezzo), I don't think of him as an innovator,
>so Intermezzo must be quite an exception for Ratoff.
>
>PS.  Morgan's Creek is NOT my favorite Sturges, not by a long shot.  I rate Palm
>Beach Story and especially Sullivan's Travels as much better Sturges films.
>
>Sincerely,
>Steven P Hill (U of IL).
>_ __ _ __ __ __ __ _ __ __   
>
>Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:02:04 -0600
>From: SCREEN-L automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> Add To Address Book
>Subject: SCREEN-L Digest - 15 Feb 2005 to 16 Feb 2005 (#2005-34)
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>There is 1 message totalling 26 lines in this issue.
>
>Topics of the day:
>
> 1. titles on live-action footage
>
>----
>Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
>University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date:    Wed, 16 Feb 2005 17:35:01 -0500
>From:    Scott Hutchins <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: titles on live-action footage
>
>Recently I viewed The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1941) and Intermezzo (1939), and
>was surprised to see the titles unfold over live action.  I don't recall seeing
>too many films from 1930-1950 that did this, and admittedly it's rather different
>from contmeporary  uses of the technique.  How common was it during the Hollywood
>studio period?
>
>Scott
>
 




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Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu