MovieChat Forums > The Shop Around the Corner (1940) Discussion > Great film, had never heard of it before

Great film, had never heard of it before


The other night I was looking through my cable guide and landed on the channel movies!, one of those over-the-air digital subchannels that broadcasts mostly old programming in standard definition. It's like a free over-the-air version of TCM.

I saw an upcoming Jimmy Stewart movie called The Shop Around the Corner that I had never heard of before and decided to DVR it. A couple of nights ago I watched it and was surprised by how good it was.

It's very well-shot with a few shots that stand out for their great composition. Jimmy Stewart was great as always, and Margaret Sullavan (who was new to me) did a great job opposite him. And the story is quite charming and embodies everything that made the Golden Age of Hollywood great.

If I have any complaints, it's only that they made Sullavan's character a little TOO bitchy and unlikable early on. But overall it's a great film.

As I was watching it I knew that some of the plot elements seemed familiar. Sure enough, this film served as the basis for the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-com You've Got Mail.

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I saw this for the first time 7 years ago. I've seen it 4 times since. It's become a Christmas regular for me.

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I'd call is a Christmas-ish movie -- that is, a movie that takes place during the Christmas season but where the plot isn't directly about Christmas. Think the difference between Elf and It's a Wonderful Life.

But still, it makes sense to watch it during Christmas. It's actually quite surprising to me that I've never heard of it, because I love Christmas movies and have never seen it on a list of films to watch during the holidays.

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I love Christmas movies and have never seen it on a list of films to watch during the holidays.


Funny, I heard about this movie on a Rotten Tomatoes list of highest rated Christmas movies.

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I think I ran across it tucked away on Max, in their Christmas movies section. And I was so desperate for something new in the genre to watch and I checked it out, along with another old classic, It Happened on 5th Avenue. I would recommend the latter as well.

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I've seen all of the black and white Christmas movies including It Happened on 5th Avenue.

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Which other ones would you recommend?

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Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

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The plot was also used in “In the Good Old Summertime” with Judy Garland and Van Johnson.

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I actually just learned that a couple of days ago. Seeing as how the story takes place around Christmas it seems odd for it to be relocated, I am presuming, to the summer.

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Same. I’d never heard of TSATC but liked Jimmy in other films and so decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did because it’s a gem.

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It's quite good. I've seen it twice now.

And I'm with you on Jimmy. He was so good that you go looking for other things to watch with him. If you never saw Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, that's a must-see.

BTW I'm not sure if you care anything for radio dramas but The Shop Around the Corner was also adapted for radio as part of the Lux Radio Theater series, which was a series that adapted Hollywood films for a 60-ish minute time slot on the radio. I think Stewart may have even reprised his role, but don't quote me on that. If you have any interest, you can find it on YouTube.

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I have seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — only just recently. I put odd seeing it because I was afraid it would be too sappy. I needn’t have worried. I like him especially in ‘Rear Window’ and ‘Anatomy of a Murder’.

Thanks for the tip on the radio drama. I look for it.

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I saw Rear Window but honestly I didn't love it. If we're talking Hitchcock films with Jimmy Stewart, I preferred Rope and, of course, Vertigo. I haven't seen Anatomy of a Murder but will look into it.

A couple others that I would recommend would be The Spirit of St. Louis and The FBI Story.

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