Few directors of the 1930s and 40s were as distinctive and popular as Preston Sturges, whose whipsmart comedies have entertained audiences for decades. This book offers a new critical appreciation of Sturges' whole oeuvre, incorporating a detailed study of the last ten years of his life from new primary sources. Preston Sturges details the many unfinished projects of Sturges' last decade, including films, plays, TV series and his autobiography. Drawing on diaries, sketchbooks, correspondence, unpublished screenplays and more, Nick Smedley and Tom Sturges present the writer-director's final years in more detail than we've ever seen, showing a master still at work - even if very little of that work ultimately made it to the screen or stage.

When Tom Sturges became a father, he wanted to be the greatest father who ever walked the earth. So Sturges asked a lot of questions. He picked up ideas, advice, and tips from parents, grandparents, even rock stars and sports legends-anyone who had unique insights to share. The result is this practical, inspiring rule book for raising healthy, happy, safe, and cherished children. Philosophical, sensible, and empowering, these 76 ideas include such gems as:
- Teach your children that they have to follow the "Parking Lot Rules" whenever they are in (you guessed it) a parking lot. They must stay close. There is to be no trailing behind. No racing ahead. No exceptions.
- Let your child feel welcome and loved from the instant he or she walks into a room. "Smile When You See Them," and leave no doubt that, at that moment, your child is the most important person in your world.
- Since parents who yell intimidate, and those who use a calm tone inspire, "When You Get Upset, Whisper"-and make sure your message is heard.
- Follow "The Bill Walton Rule": If you can't be on time, be early.
- When your children accomplish something great in sports, use "The ESPN Rule" by telling the story in intimate detail and filling them with the belief that they can do it again and again.
Parking Lot Rules puts a fresh new spin on parenting, in an inspiring handbook full of heart and kindness that will resonate with joy and meaning for parents and children everywhere.

A wise and inspiring guide to parenting through the extraordinary- and at times tumultuous-journey that is the adolescent and teenage years.
When Tom Sturges became a father, he decided that he wanted to be one of the greatest father that ever walked the earth. But things became a bit more complicated when his older son turned ten, and the chatty kid he'd known suddenly started locking his bedroom door. Tom realized he needed to find a way to stay on track-he needed crib notes. So, if a parenting idea of technique worked well, he wrote it down. And if he stumbled across something another parent did that was particularly ingenious or exemplary, he wrote that down, too. In "Grow the Tree You Got," Tom presents "golden rules" for raising happy, healthy, and compassionate adults. His mantra? It's impossible to show our children too much respect, but it's worth the effort to try.

The publication by the University of California Press of Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges and Four More Screenplays by Preston Sturges has been applauded by cinephiles and admirers of the director's work, and recognized as a major contribution to the history of American cinema. In this third volume of scripts by one of Hollywood's wisest and wittiest filmmakers, the focus turns to those screenplays written but not directed by Sturges. Included in the new collection are "The Power and the Glory", which greatly influenced Orson Welles in the conception of "Citizen Kane", and the romantic comedies "Remember the Night and Easy Living". The scripts reveal Sturges in top form as a writer of dialogue and prove beyond any possible doubt his authorship of the films, which frequently appear indistinguishable on-screen from those he himself directed. Full of surprises and delights, these "Three More Screenplays" are essential reading for students of American cinema and admirers of Sturges. They cast new light on his collaborations with directors Mitchell Leisen and William K. Howard, and provide a rousing conclusion to the writings of this Hollywood master. In his substantial introduction to the volume, film historian and screenplay writer Andrew Horton analyzes the contributions of Sturges to the film comedy genre and to Hollywood film history.