First Day of Holiday Movies

On the first day of Christmas, the holiday movie recommendation I present to you…

Is… The Shop Around the Corner (1940) which is the oldest movie on my list.  It is a classic film that stars Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan.  The main characters are colleagues at a shop in Budapest who dislike each other all the while also being secret unnamed pen pals that have fallen in love.  The plot may seem formulaic but that is because it created the formula.   They say “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, well here is your proof.  You may be familiar with the adaptations (remakes) of this film - including In The Good Old Summertime (1949) which is a musical take on the story starring Judy Garland, the Broadway musical She Loves Me (1963) or probably the most recognizable would be the hit You’ve Got Mail (1998) starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. 

The idea that you share your true self with strangers in a way that you can’t be in real life is timeless.  The thought that you could fall in love with someone you’ve never even met has been around long before the internet seemed to popularize the idea.  While the movie may be considered “old”, the plot and characters are allowed to develop so that at the conclusion you feel like you know everyone working at Matuschek and Company. The movie is simple but there are a number of little gems where you can’t help but smile and chuckle a bit. I whole-heartedly recommend this amazing film.  You even get a special treat with Frank Morgan, best known for his role as Oz in The Wizard of Oz, as the shop owner.

I am a fan of creating movie marathons with a though line.  On a snowy day, a great holiday tribute based on the plot of this movie would be to follow this up with two adaptations – You’ve Got Mail (1998) and Christmas in Boston (2005).  I assume you are familiar with You’ve Got Mail already.  Christmas in Boston is a riff on the theme and was an ABC Family TV movie that focuses on pen pals who may have told a little white lie along the way and are now meeting for the first time in Boston at Christmas, mistaken identities and hijinks ensue. You can see the similarities.

If you watch this gem for the first time or are a repeat offender, like me, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Have any recommendations for another holiday movie marathon that includes The Shop Around The Corner?  I’d love to hear it.