The Shop Around the Corner

The Shop Around the Corner
1940


Starring:
James Stewart as Alfred Kralik
Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak
Frank Morgan as Hugo Matsuchek
Lesser roles:
Joseph Schildkraut as Ferencz Vadas
Sara Haden as Flora Kaczek
Felix Bressart as Pirovitch
William Tracy as Pepi Katona
Inez Courtney as Ilona Novotny

length: about 100 minutes

Alfred Kralik is the head clerk at Matuschek and Company in Budapest, Hungary. While the employees are waiting for Mr. Matsuchek to arrive at the shop and unlock it, Alfred reveals to Pirovitch, a coworker, that he is corresponding by mail with a young lady whom he has never met and only knows as 'Dear Friend'.
The first thing Mr. Matsuchek does when he opens the shop that day is to show Alfred his latest purchase for the store: a cigarette box that plays "Otche Tchorniye" (Russian, perhaps? Translated, it means "Dark Eyes") when you open it. Mr. Matsuchek loves this little invention, but when he asks Alfred's opinion he's rather annoyed. Alfred thinks it's ugly and cheep and there's no way they'll be able to sell them all.
Several days pass, and they sell no cigarette boxes, when in walks Klara Novak, looking for a job as a clerk. The head clerk, Alfred, tells her there is no opening, but she won't take 'no' for an answer. When a customer walks in, Klara takes over and sells one of those difficult cigarette boxes in five minutes flat. Mr. Matsuchek sees that and hires her on the spot, to Alfred's dismay.
These things are hard to end: I'd much rather just tell you all about everything that happens in the movie! But that would spoil it, so I'm stopping here before I give it all away.
I enjoyed The Shop Around The Corner immensely. It's a slightly comedic, slightly romantic movie, and I always like Jimmy Stewart.

FOR SALE:
TCM has it available HERE and they are also playing it on January 28, at 2:00 pm.
HERE is the EBAY page with many DVDs and VHS recordings from $2.99 to $24.99.
AMAZON is selling it HERE starting as low as $13.07.

And NETFLIX also has The Shop Around the Corner HERE.

Enjoy the movie!
~Kiwifruit