The Shop Around the Corner, 1940
“When I watch a romantic comedy, I’ve come to expect certain things – a formulaic plot (usually some variation of the boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back in some wild situation), one-dimensional supporting characters, and over-sentimentality. Ernst Lubitsch is one of the few directors able to make a romantic comedy and avoid all of the genre’s negative aspects. The Shop Around the Corner is charming without being manipulative, fun without being repetitive, and witty without being pretentious.”
Derek Smith, Apollo Guide, full review here
http://www.apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=4697
The Wizard of Oz, 1939
“… No children’s tale is Hollywood’s Wizard of Oz. Lavish in sets, adult in humor, it is a Broadway spectacular translated into make-believe … Its tornado rivals Sam Goldwyn’s The Hurricane. Its final sequence is as sentimental as Little Women…” Time Magazine, 1939
For some lucky people like me, “somewhere over the rainbow” is just down the road a few miles at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, California. A visit there is a step back in time to some of the things that were truly fun and wonderful.
This theatre was built in 1925. It was purchased and restored in the late 1980s by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Currently it is run by the Stanford Theatre Foundation. The theatre presents classic films and classic film festivals, usually double-features, such as the one I attended yesterday with a friend. We went to the matinee viewing of The Shop Around the Corner followed by the Wizard of Oz and – joy! – a performance on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. I have seen the Wizard on the big screen, but I’ve only seen Shop on TV as a rerun. I thoroughly enjoyed both; but, I appreciated most the opportunity to see The Little Shop Around the Corner on the big screen. Earlier this year, I saw The African Queen there for the first time on the big screen. You see so much more – scenic details, facial expressions – that are lost on the television screen. It makes the viewing so much more pleasurable.
The price is right and seems almost retro: $7.50 for adults, $1.50 for a king-sized popcorn with butter (and, yes, I’m guilty of indulging), and $1 for coffee. Good deal. I look forward to learning what will be presented in 2009. The winter schedule hasn’t been posted on their site yet.
In addition to fine movies, old-time theatre-palace ambiance, the grand organ, and cheap eats – as if that weren’t enough – there’s a gallery in the theatre lobby with movie memorabilia, including original scripts, some of which have hand-written notes by actors or directors. It’s hard to beat the Stanford Theatre for some good old-fashioned “over the rainbow” fun, especially complemented as it is with the restaurants and coffee shops that line University Avenue where the theatre is situated. The Stanford Theatre is an experience I can confidently recommend for locals and visitors alike. If you live in the area, you still have time to catch The Shop Around the Corner and The Wizard of Oz. Tickets are on sale now for It’s a Wonderful Life, which will be shown on December 24 at 9 p.m.
