The Shop Around the Corner

directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Category: "Comedy"
Year of Release:1940
Date Added:12/06/2007
Date Watched:04/30/2005
Description:Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand one another. They don't realize that they're falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.
My Rating:7

Reviews for The Shop Around the Corner

Review - Shop Around the Corner, The

The setting is a department store in Budapest (for some reason), owned by Mr. Matuschek. His assistant, Kralik, starts a pen pal relationship with a woman who placed an add in the paper for someone cultured to trade thoughts with. Klara begins working at the store as a clerk and is attracted to Kralik, but somehow the two don’t hit it off and begin squabbling whenever they’re around each other. And, of course, Klara is Kralik’s pen pal, unbeknownst to both of them.

They set a date to meet. On that very afternoon, Mr. Matuschek fires Kralik because a private detective tells him his wife is seeing one of his employees and Matuschek thinks it’s him. Kralik goes to his appointment and meets Klara, but doesn’t reveal to her that he was her date. She cuts him off and sends him away.

Matuschek decides to commit suicide but is stopped by his deliveryboy, Pepi. He finds out that Kralik is innocent and that the oily clerk, Vadas is the one hanging around with his wife. From the hospital, he calls Kralik and appoints him manager of the store. On Christmas Eve, Kralik and Klara make another date, but when they’re alone in the store at the end of the day, Kralik lets Klara know that he’s the man whose letters she’s fallen in love with. They kiss.

It was cute but not spectacular. I have no idea why it was set in Budapest. Jimmy Stewart played his part excellently. I supposed Margaret Sullavan did too, but I didn’t find her at all appealing.

Watched again on 12/28/19.
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