Preston Sturges Was Right

Here's a recent study stating coffee does not cause sleeplessness.  I'm not a coffee drinker, and I'm not someone who studies coffee drinkers, so I really don't have any strong feelings about this.  Coffee has a lot of caffeine which allegedly keeps you alert and makes it tougher to sleep, but what do I know?

When I read about this study, I couldn't help but think of Preston Sturges' film Christmas In July (1940), based on a play he wrote.  The plot features Jimmy MacDonald (Dick Powell), a young man who's going places, or so he hopes.  He's a lowly office worker, but enters a contest to come up with a new slogan for a coffee company. He's read a recent study that suggests coffee doesn't keep you up.  So his entry is "If you can't sleep at night, it's not the coffee--it's the bunk." He thinks it's great, but no one else gets it.

Some fellow office workers decide to play a practical joke, sending Jimmy a telegram congratulating him on winning the contest.  Complication ensue and are ultimately resolved in the film's short running time of 67 minutes.  If you want to see how, go watch the movie.  And if you want to go to sleep, drink some coffee, I guess.