You’ve Got Remakes – Romcom edition

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, or as Liz Lemon rightly renamed it “Anna Howard Shaw Day.” I hate Valentine’s Day for the obvious reasons. I love Anna Howard Shaw day for the obvious reasons.

Nevertheless, there are romantic movies galore on TV right now, so I’ve been ‘watching’ while doing some homework. Currently, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are falling in love in You’ve Got Mail. As you may or may not know, this classic romcom is actually a remake of a remake, but each version is a little different in keeping up with the times. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to detail this movie’s family tree.

1) In 1940, Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan starred in the adorable The Shop Around the Corner. (Sullavan was a total miscast – see my other post.) In it, Jimmy and Margaret work together in a tiny shop in Budapest. Frank Morgan, the chameleon who played multiple roles in The Wizard of Oz, plays the shop owner. Jimmy and Margaret begin writing to one another thanks to a lonely hearts column, and they get along famously. When Margaret enters the shop looking for a job, however, she and Jimmy butt heads. Of course, they don’t realize that the other is the person to whom each is writing. That makes the movie fun. It’s cute, it’s great, you should watch it. (Side note: the title of this movie is also the name of Kathleen’s bookstore in You’ve Got Mail)

2) Fast forward to 1949, and Judy Garland and Van Johnson star in their musical remake In the Good Old Summertime.  (Why anyone would cast Van Johnson as a leading man in a musical, I don’t know, but he’s fine). Much like The Shop Around the Corner Judy and Van are writing to one another, work at the same music shop, and constantly argue. Judy sings a bunch, doing an especially great job with the song “I Don’t Care.” Perhaps my favorite part of this movie is S.Z. Sakall. He plays the shop owner in this version, but he has the added character flaw of being a terrible violinist who thinks he’s great. There are a lot of cute scenes of people trying not to hurt his feelings while avoiding hearing him play, especially from Spring Byington who plays his girlfriend. Buster Keaton plays Van Johnson’s buddy. Seeing him speak is quite strange but worth it. Bonus: a very young Liza Minelli makes an appearance at the end. 

3) We’ve come to 1998’s You’ve Got Mail. I won’t spend tons of time on this plot of this one because I’m assuming you know enough or can extrapolate from the two above. So, instead, I’ll focus on my two favorite parts of this movie. The first is that Kathleen owns a children’s book store. I’ll be honest; I can think of no better job than owning a quaint, cute children’s book store in the middle of New York City. It just screams charm. The second is the excellent soundtrack. The music in this film is classic, whimsical, adorable, basically all of my favorite adjectives. Plus, there’s added humor whenever I see the first generation emails and chats happening. l

So, this Anna Howard Shaw Day, I highly recommend that you sit and watch all three of these in succession. For each movie, I  also recommend that you have a unique pint of ice cream. For The Shop Around the Corner, I’m thinking a flavor that’s classic. Maybe just chocolate? In the Good Old Summertime requires a flavor that is as dynamic as Judy. Half Baked, perhaps? It also happens to be one of my favorite ice cream flavors of all time, so there’s that. For You’ve Got Mail, I’m feeling mint chip. That’s a flavor that feels classic yet ’90s to me. But, it’s your Anna Howard Shaw Day, so choose your flavors at will. Here’s Ben & Jerry’s for some inspiration.

75 Things to Love about “The Wizard of Oz”

In honor of the 75th anniversary of one of my favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz, I’ve decided to pay homage and create a list of 75 things I love about it. These are in no particular order. Without further preamble, let’s jump in, shall we?

1. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is beautiful and iconic. Any rendition of it sends chills down my spine.
2. Judy Garland is a performing powerhouse. Her Dorothy is beloved for many reasons including the innocence with which Judy approached the character while maintaining her strong “Judiness”.
3. Judy Garland singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – Great voice + wonderful song = awe and wonder
4. “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with!”
5. The switch from sepia to technicolor is a cinematic marvel that still takes my breath away in the time of CGI. The scene in which Dorothy leaves her farmhouse to explore Oz is perfect. She tentatively approaches the color-filled wonderland and for a few frames the audience sees a beautiful shot: Dorothy and her home in neutral colors opening up to the bright, bold world of Oz.
6. Ray Bolger’s performance as Scarecrow is adorable. I love when he walks with legs are floppy because they are made of straw – genius.
7. The Cowardly Lion is hilarious. Bert Lahr was perfectly cast as the king of the forest. I’ve been watching this movie since I was born, literally. When I was about 7 or 8, it came to the big screen and my mom, dad and I made the trip just to see it as it should be seen. During one of the reprises of “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” Bert Lahr says/sings “the nerve,” and I cracked up – still do, in fact. I can’t write about it and do it justice, so you’d better go watch the movie so you can laugh, too.
8. Jack Haley made a man made of tin so endearing. To this day, I don’t understand how he does that dance move where he keeps his feet planted but sways dangerously from side to side. If you know how they did that, don’t tell me. It’s a mystery of life I never want to uncover.
9. The Wicked Witch of the West is successfully terrifying, and I love it. She’s the picture of evil. Who would want to hurt an innocent little girl from Kansas and her little dog, too? Let’s just say Margaret Hamilton is superb. According to IMDB, they shortened her scenes because MGM was worried that audiences would find it too scary. Bravo, Miss Hamilton!
10. Toto
11. Glinda the Good Witch is the epitome of beauty and kindness. Her fluffy pink dress was enough to make this tomboy long for something similarly poofy. Billie Burke‘s sweet, high-pitched voice and gorgeousness convinced me that being the good witch was way better than the green skin that came with being the wicked one.
12. Glinda’s mode is transportation is chic.
13. It took me a few years (maybe 8) to realize that the fantastically talented Frank Morgan wasn’t just Professor Marvel/the Wizard but also a bunch of other characters. To my young mind, he was a chameleon blending in with his surroundings.
14. The Yellow Brick Road
15. Ruby slippers – At 22, I own four pairs of red flats. I take particular pride in the sparkly red Toms I own that always elicit “Those remind me of Dorothy!”
16. The Jitterbug – Even though it was cut from the final reel, “The Jitterbug” is one of my favorite songs, and I dance to it regularly.
17. It’s amazing that Harburg and Arlen wrote “If I Only Had a _____” and placed in nouns that fit each character. I love the recurring melodic theme.
18. The color-changing horse is also a movie marvel of which I never tire. I did find out how this was done (Kool-Aid, anyone?), but I still think it’s cool.
19. The Emerald City – It’s so green.
20. The Flying Monkeys were/are scary. They were so scary that my little brother used to have nightmares about them for which I teased him intensely – bonus for me.
21. The movie is dedicated to the young at heart. Because I will always be young at heart, this movie was dedicated to me. That’s pretty nifty.
22. “Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable” is shockingly profound – a great line.
23. “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others” see above
24. Blue gingham
25. I’ve always liked the idea that being kind made you beautiful and being mean made you ugly. see 9 & 11
26. I’m from Nebraska, Dorothy’s from Kansas. We Midwestern girls have to stick together.
27. The Wizard’s hot-air balloon says “Omaha.” see above
28. The twister scene is all at once funny and scary. Seeing the farmhands row a boat through the storm is awesome. Seeing Miss Gulch transform into a witch is frightening.
29. The twister is another example of movie magic.
30. The girl who was Snow White’s voice, Adriana Caselotti, sings “Wherefore art thou, Romeo?”
31. It inspired Wicked, my favorite musical.
32. My name is Roz – rOZ. It’s fate.
33. “If I Were King of the Forest” is full of wit and humor. I love when the Lion lists the things he isn’t scared of: “Not even an elephant?” “I’d wrap him up in cellophant!”
34. “How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?” ‘I don’t know… But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking… don’t they?”
35. I love it when the Tin Man axes the green flowerpot to make the Lion’s crown, and it breaks into the perfect crown shape.
36. Auntie Em is stern but loving like a real mom has to be.
37. Uncle Henry is a big softie and loves Dorothy so much.
38. I’ve always thought the crullers Auntie Em offers Hunk, Zeke and Hickory look delicious.
39. Poppies have never been more beautiful…
40. …and snow has never been more magical.
41. As a recent college graduate, I find this even more entertaining (and true): ‘Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven’t got: a diploma.”
42. The deep friendship displayed by Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion is great. These four are willing to do whatever it takes to help the others achieve their goals. The guys willingly take on the Wicked Witch to take care of Dorothy. It’s a wonderful lesson in self-sacrifice wrapped up in a beautiful technicolor musical package.
43. This is a movie everyone has seen and most everyone loves.
44. “We get up at 12 and start to work at 1, take an hour for lunch and then at 2 we’re done” is the ideal workday.
45. The clicking of the heels
46. Professor Marvel is a kind-hearted scheister.
47. When Dorothy first meets Scarecrow, he’s up on his pole and constantly switches his hands causing great confusion for Dorothy. That’s highly entertaining when you’re 5.
48. The Lollipop Guild
49. The giant lollipop given to Dorothy by the lollipop guild is the candy of my dreams.
50. The oil Dorothy and Scarecrow use on Tin Man always looked so refreshing.
51. “Oooh weeee oh, ohhhh um”
52. The Cowardly Lion’s tail has a mind of its own.
53. Uncle Henry: Dorothy? Well, what has Dorothy done?
    Miss Gulch: What she’s done? I’m all but lame from the bite on my leg!
    Uncle Henry Gale: Oh! You mean she bit you?
    Miss Gulch: No, her dog!
    Uncle Henry: Oh, she bit her dog, eh?
54. The Munchkins
55. The shiny flowers in Munchkinland
56. Glinda’s insistence that Dorothy figure out the movie’s moral for herself.
57. Brains, a heart, courage and a home are all admirable things for which to aspire and find.
58. When the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man are traveling through the forest to the Wicked Witch’s castle, a sign reads “I’d turn back if I were you” – classic sign humor.
59. You can watch this movie with your grandma or your baby cousin and know they’ll both like it.
60. “You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you’re confusing courage with wisdom.”
61. ‘We’re Off to See the Wizard” never fails to make me smile. It’s full of unbounded optimism.
62. Haven’t we all met the Wizard (or our own personal equivalent) and been a little disappointed? Dorothy gets us.
63. The Tin Man made it okay for boys to cry.
64. Ogden Nash wrote a draft of the screenplay.
65. The patented skip
66. Skywriting
67. Water proved to have great power and a cleansing effect.
68. “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!”
69. It’s constantly referenced and is a pop culture staple.
70. The day Judy Garland died, there was a tornado in Kansas.
71. The movie magic used on the crystal ball in the Wicked Witch’s castle is incredible. When Dorothy looks in and sees a worried Auntie Em, it makes me marvel while also making me sad.
72. It took five directors to make this movie.
73. It lets us all get out of our sepia worlds and go somewhere over the rainbow.
74. After 22 years, it remains one of my favorite movies of all time.
75. Because, after all, “There’s no place like home.”

Did I miss anything?