History Film / TheShopAroundTheCorner

A classic 1940 RomanticComedy from legendary director Creator/ErnstLubitsch, ''The Shop Around the Corner'' features [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]] and Margaret Sullavan as bickering co-workers at a leather goods store, who are also ([[ObliviousToLove unbeknownst to them]]) pen pals in love. Set in Budapest, Hungary, since it was adapted from the 1937 play ''Parfumerie'' by Hungarian author Miklós László.

Remade in 1949 as the {{musical}} film ''Film/InTheGoodOldSummertime'', starring Creator/JudyGarland and Van Johnson and set in Chicago in the early 1900s. Adapted as the Broadway musical ''Theatre/SheLovesMe'' in 1963. Remade yet again in 1998 as ''Film/YouveGotMail'' with Creator/TomHanks and Creator/MegRyan, employing such newfangled technology as ''email'' and ''instant messaging''.

Remade in 1949 as the {{musical}} film ''Film/InTheGoodOldSummertime'', starring Creator/JudyGarland and Van Johnson and set in Chicago around TheGayNineties. Adapted as the Broadway musical ''Theatre/SheLovesMe'' in 1963. Remade yet again in 1998 as ''Film/YouveGotMail'' with Creator/TomHanks and Creator/MegRyan, employing such newfangled technology as ''email'' and ''instant messaging''.

Remade in 1949 as the {{musical}} film ''In the Good Old Summertime'', starring Creator/JudyGarland and Van Johnson and set in Chicago in TheGayNineties. Adapted as the Broadway musical ''Theatre/SheLovesMe'' in 1963. Remade yet again in 1998 as ''Film/YouveGotMail'' with Creator/TomHanks and Creator/MegRyan, employing such newfangled technology as ''email'' and ''instant messaging''.

* ExtremeDoormat: Pirovich is willing to let the boss insult him to his face rather than risk losing his job. When he overhears Mr. Matuschek asking the workers for “their honest opinion”, he turns tail and flees into the stockroom.

* GrewASpine: The perpetually nervous and non-confrontational Pirovich finally confronts Mr. Matuachek to call him out for unexpectedly firing Kralik. While he eventually backs down after Matuschek threatens his job too, it’s telling how much he cares for his friend that he was willing to do it in the first place.

* InterruptedSuicide: Mr. Matuschek with a gun (interrupted by Pepi) when he finds out his wife has been [[MistakenForCheating cheating on him with Mr. Vadas instead of Mr. Kralik (as he originally suspected)]]. He does it not so much because of the infidelity itself, but because he feels guilty about suspecting Kralik in the first place, and firing him. Though when he returns from the hospital, the bittersweet pain in his eyes at being welcomed "Home" by his employees shows that he knows that the workplace has become more of a home to him than his actual house.

-->'''Doctor:''' It appears to be an acute epileptoid manifestation and a pan phobic melancholiac with indication of a neurasthenia cords.

* TranslationConvention: They live in Hungary, after all. [[note]]What language they were meant to actually speak is a trickier question than it may look at a first glance. Judging by their surnames, Matuschek, Kralik, Novotny, Kaczek and Novak seem to be Slovaks or (somewhat less probably) Czechs, not Hungarians. (In fact, the only one who has an unambiguously Hungarian name is Ferenc; Pepi's surname is Hungarian, but the diminutive name is of Slavic origin, though it might be just a nickname given to him by the Slavic-speaking staff.) It's possible that they spoke Slovak or Czech between themselves, but Hungarian (or even German, at the time popular among upper classes of Budapest and something of lingua franca for the region) with the other staff and the customers. [[/note]]

* UnseenPenPal: Alfred Kralik and Klara Novak correspond through letters after answering a Lonely Hearts ad in the newspaper, calling each other "Dear Friend". However, when the two unknowingly meet in real life as work colleagues, they get off on the wrong foot. When the pen pals agree to meet in person and Alfred realizes the truth first, he lashes out, while also not telling her who he is so that she thinks she was stood up. However, he realizes his mistake and decides to woo Klara in real life while also undermining his Dear Friend persona, so that she wouldn't be as upset as he was when he finally tells her. [[spoiler:It works so well that Klara is actually relieved when he reveals himself, since she no longer has to worry about choosing between them.]]
* XanatosSpeedChess: How Miss Novak manages to get a job with Matuschek. She sees a customer examining the cigarette box and pretends to be a clerk, commenting that it's a lovely box. The customer asks if it's a candy box, and Miss Novak, seeing that the customer wants it to be one, says that it is. She then opens it, demonstrating that it plays a tune. The customer thinks that this is a terrible idea. ("Imagine, every time you take a piece of candy, you have to listen to that song.") Miss Novak agrees, but says that that's precisely what's ''good'' about it; noticing that the customer herself is a bit overweight, she says "There's no denying that we all have a weakness for candy" and explains that they designed the box in such a way that it plays a tune to remind you that you're about to eat yet another piece ("This little box makes you candy-conscious.") The customer asks how much it is, and Miss Novak quotes her a price which is more than they were planning to sell it at, adding that it's reduced from twice as much again. The customer buys it. Miss Novak gets hired.

* AcquaintedInRealLife: Bitter coworkers ignorant to the fact that they are each other's pen pal.

* ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Miss Novak eventually tells Kralik that she had a crush on him from the start and was rude to him because she'd been reading a book where a glamorous French stage actress made herself irresistible to admiring men [[PlayingHardToGet by treating them like dogs]]--but that only worked because she was a glamorous French stage actress rather than a shop clerk.

* TheUnseen: Mrs. Matuschek never makes an appearance. The closest we come is phone conversations where we don't hear her voice.

* MarriedToTheJob: Mr. Matuschek. Even more so after he discovers his wife has been cheating on him.

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: Though already a bit full of himself, Pepi's holiday promotion to sales clerk puffs him up even further, prompting him to throw his weight around with the new delivery boy Rudy.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Pepi after he's promoted to clerk.

** Subverted. Kralik pretends that he met Miss Novak's "Dear Friend," and ''insults him.'' before TheReveal. She admits then she'd long hoped it would be him.
** Played straight earlier in the film, when Miss Novak receives a letter from the "Dear Friend", who says he saw her with Mr. Kralik at the restaurant. "Who is this very attractive young man? He's just the type women fall for."

* DatingServiceDisaster: Two anonymous pen pals fall in love with each other, then meet in real life (without realising that they're pen pals) and hate each other.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Miss Novak eventually tells Kralik that she had a crush on him from the start and was rude to him because she'd been reading a book where a glamorous French stage actress made herself irresistible to admiring men by treating them like dogs--but that only worked because she was a glamorous French stage actress rather than a shop clerk.

* TheFriendNoOneLikes: Even before the revelations that he's the one having an affair with Mrs. Matuschek, Vadas is this, largely due to his sycophantic, smarmy behavior. However, he appears not to recognize this, and is thus very surprised when nobody comes to his defense after Kralik fires him.

* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Mrs. Matuschek. The closest we come is phone conversations with her.

* ChekhovsGun: When Kralik reveals, while reading his first letter, that his Dear Friend said they should avoid the topic of what they do for a living.

A classic 1940 RomanticComedy from legendary director Creator/ErnstLubitsch, ''The Shop Around the Corner'' features [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]] and Margaret Sullavan as bickering co-workers in a leather goods store who are also ([[ObliviousToLove unbeknownst to them]]) pen pals in love. Set in Budapest, Hungary, since it was based on the play ''Parfumerie'' by Hungarian author Miklós László.

Remade in 1949 as the {{musical}} film ''In the Good Old Summertime'', starring Creator/JudyGarland and Van Johnson and set in Chicago in TheGayNineties. Adapted as the Broadway musical ''Theatre/SheLovesMe'' in 1963. Remade again in 1998 as ''Film/YouveGotMail'' with Creator/TomHanks and Creator/MegRyan, with newfangled technology like ''email'' and ''instant messaging''.

A classic 1940 RomanticComedy from legendary director Creator/ErnstLubitsch, ''The Shop Around the Corner'' stars [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]] and Margaret Sullavan as bickering co-workers in a leather goods store who are also ([[ObliviousToLove unbeknownst to them]]) pen pals in love. Set in Budapest, Hungary, since it was based on the play ''Parfumerie'' by Hungarian author Miklós László.

* {{Fainting}}: Klara collapses when she learns that Mr. Kralik is now managing the store.

* {{Fainting}}: Klara collpases when she learns that Mr. Kralik is now managing the store.

* [[{{Tsundere}} Hot And Cold]]: Miss Novak to Kralik. One of the most well known early examples in fiction (Type 2 to be exact), [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when she said she read a book that tells her that if you [[KickTheDog treat a man like a dog]] he'll be eating out of your hand but all he did [[TheDogBitesBack was return the favor]].

%% Tsundere is on this page as Hot And Cold %%

A classic 1940 RomanticComedy from legendary director Creator/ErnstLubitsch, ''The Shop Around the Corner'' stars Stewart and Margaret Sullavan as bickering co-workers in a leather goods store who are also ([[ObliviousToLove unbeknownst to them]]) pen pals in love. Set in Budapest, Hungary, since it was based on the play ''Parfumerie'' by Hungarian author Miklós László.

* SayMyName: How many times was the name Matuschek uttered in the film? To be fair, it is the name of the shop as well as one of the main characters.

* RunningGag: "Now, [[BlatantLies I want your honest opinion]]."
** Also, Pirovich always walks in on Matuschek saying that, and [[GenreSavvy immediately walks back out]].

* JerkAss: Vadas, and to a lesser extent Pepi.