The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Between It’s a Wonderful Life and The Shop Around the Corner, there’s no greater embodiment of the holidays than actor Jimmy Stewart. Stewart was Hollywood’s everyman, so it stands to reason that he would represent all that’s merry and bright around this time of year.
Directed by acclaimed director Ernst Lubitsch, The Shop Around the Corner follows two employees working at a gift shop in Hungary (played by Stewart and Margaret Sullavan). The two have an acrimonious working relationship but end up falling in love with each other when they unwittingly become anonymous pen pals. If the plot sounds familiar, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks starred in a remake of the film in 1998, You’ve Got Mail.
Like most of Lubitsch’s films — all of which are delightful and you should seek them out! — The Shop Around the Corner is a mix of romantic drama and quirky side characters. Popular character actors like Frank Morgan (aka the Wizard from The Wizard of Oz) and Joseph Schildkraut walk through the frame, bringing their patented brands of humor, but it’s all about Stewart and Sullavan, who are just darling. If you want a good, old-fashioned romance set during the Christmas season then you can’t do better than The Shop Around the Corner.
Rent it on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, or Vudu.