25 things you didn’t know about your favorite rom-coms

You’ve Got Mail: A nod to Judy Garland

You’ve Got Mail is another classic rom-com starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. This time, the two find love via email in the early days of the Internet.

But what most people don’t know is that this movie is really a remake! That’s right, it’s based on the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner, starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. Obviously, there were no emails in the 1940s, but the film involved two employees at a leather goods store who couldn’t stand each other at work, but fall in love through anonymous letters.

But You’ve Got Mail isn’t the only movie based on The Shop Around The Corner.

In one scene, when Kathleen (Meg Ryan) is decorating a Christmas tree, she puts a ruby slipper ornament on the tree. These slippers are a reference to The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. Garland also starred in the 1949 film In The Good Old Summertime.

Summertime is about Veronica (Garland) and Andrew (Van Johnson), two people who meet by running into each other on the street. They instantly hate each other, but Andrew is forced to hire her at the music store he works in. The two don’t realize at first, but they’re actually engaged in an ongoing flirtation via anonymous letters.

That story must sound awfully familiar. That’s because, like You’ve Got Mail, that film was based on The Shop Around The Corner, too. 

Another fun fact: the 1940 film was based on a play, and that play was also the basis for the musical She Loves Me. The musical was most recently revived on Broadway in 2016 with Jane Krakowski and Zachary Levi.