This list of inspirational characters wouldn’t be complete without Liz Lemon. I’m again veering away from literature but TV shows are just as important a medium as any. Liz Lemon is my spirit animal. She’s clumsy, a little awkward, wears … Continue reading
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.
Roz Writes 