I love this movie so much

Load of rubbish!!

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The first remake of the adorable love story The Shop Around the Corner was made into a musical with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. It's a much lighter film than the 1940 version, with S.Z Sakall as the amiable shop owner, replacing Frank Morgan's dark, depressive role in the original. As far as remakes go, I like the modern You've Got Mail better. The 1949 version, while skipping the serious realism in the dramatic elements, also misses most of the story's charm as it turns into a mediocre 1940s musical for Judy Garland.Judy and Van don't get off to a very good start, and while they spend the entire movie bickering with each other at work, after-hours they're unknowingly involved with each other through letters. Will the two paths ever cross? It's a very cute story, but with Judy's pouting and signature "Dorothy Gale" temper and Van's conceit, neither lead is really likable. And while in the original, James Stewart and Felix Bressart have darling interactions about his pen-pal relationship, Van and Clinton Sundberg make their scenes fall flat. Buster Keaton is included in the supporting cast, but I can never get enough of him, so the few scenes he has aren't really enough. Why couldn't he have had Clinton's part?The famous song "I Don't Care" holds a special place in my heart. My older brother-and older brothers aren't normally known for their awareness of Judy Garland movies-actually remembers this song from when I compiled a Judy Garland film montage in high school. To him, Judy's most famous moment in screen history is waving her arounds around in a red dress singing "I Don't Care". So, when you watch that song, think of my brother!

IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Silver Anniversary Picture, 1949), directed by Robert Z. Leonard, is not exactly a beach movie, nor a movie taking place entirely in the good old summertime, but one of the many nostalgic musicals with old-time music commonly produced during the time. Following the formula turn-of-the century pattern made popular by 20th Century-Fox with those starring Alice Faye, Betty Grable or June Haver, this MGM Technicolor release consists of its own studio contract players of Judy Garland and Van Johnson for the first and only time together. The plot, taken from the screenplay by Samson Raphaelson, was, in turn, a remake of MGM's earlier comedy-drama adaptation titled THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940) featuring Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart in the Garland and Johnson roles, switching its locale and time frame from contemporary Budapest, Hungary, to turn-of-the century Chicago, Illinois.As the camera captures the modern view of Chicago, it soon shifts back to in old Chicago of the early 1900s with the narration and introduction by Andrew Delby Larkin (Van Johnson). Larkin, a single man living in a boarding house, works as head salesman at $15 a week for Oberkogen Music Company with violin playing Otto Oberkogen (S.Z. Sakall, in a role originated by Frank Morgan in 1940) in charge. Also under his employ are Nellie Burke (Spring Byington), cashier, accountant, secretary and Mr. Oberkogen's love interest for twenty years; Hickey (Buster Keaton), Oberkogen's bumbling nephew; and Rudy Hansen (Clinton Sundberg) the sales clerk. Although very good friends with Louise Parks (Marcia Van Dyke), Andrew really has no steady girlfriend. He does, however, communicate with a female pen-pal he writes to on a regular basis, a girl he has yet to meet. As he comes onto the post office steps to get one of those letters, Andrew bumps into a passerby named Veronica Fisher (Judy Garland). Their introduction followed by a series of unforeseen mishaps finds Andrew giving this young lady his business card where he could be reached to help pay for any damages to her wardrobe. Later in the day, Veronica enters the music store where he works. Rather than coming for the money, she asks Andrew for a job. As he tries to discourage her, she proves herself capable to Mr. Oberkogen after selling a harp to a customer. As a new member of the team, Veronica is well liked by all except Andrew, each unaware the "dear friend" letters they write every evening happens to be to each other.In between the Veronica/Andrew bickering, old-time songs featured include: "In the Good Old Summertime," "Meet Me Tonight in Dream Land," "Put Your Arms Around Me Honey, Hold Me Tight," "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie," "Play the Barber Shop Chord," "I Don't Care," Violin Concerto; "Merry Christmas" and "In the Good Old Summertime" (reprise/finale). The film's best moments, contributed to Judy Garland's oft singing, are highlighted by her energetic solo effort of "I Don't Care." Though "Merry Christmas" is another good Christmas song Garland introduced to the screen, it's not as famous as her earlier treatment to "Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas" from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944).Overall, IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME actually belongs to Van Johnson. Introducing himself through off-screen narration for its opening segment, it's somewhat odd that Garland, its full-fledge star, didn't do a similar introduction to herself prior to their hilarious first meeting reminiscent to those great silent film comedy days of Buster Keaton, the one possibly responsible for this great gag material. As in the days of old, Keaton's pratfalls and bumbling character is further evidence how he's still being capable of getting audience attention and laughs all to himself, whether he'd be his humble self or doing his traditional hapless "Buster" character. Aside from the benefit of such likable co-stars as S.Z. Sakall and Spring Byington, there's also Lillian Bronson as Veronica's Aunt Addie; and in smaller roles, Charles Smith ("Dizzy" from Paramount's "Henry Aldrich" film series (1941-1944) as one of the members of the singing quartet; and little Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland's daughter, briefly captured before the film's conclusion.Using the same basic premise of THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, with added songs and straightforward comedy, IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME, formerly on video cassette, currently on DVD, is good enough entertainment to enjoy not only during the Christmas season whenever shown on Turner Classic Movies, but anytime of the year. (***)

This was Judy Garland's next-to-last film at MGM, and in fact, one of her last films; though she lived another 20 years, she made only about 5 more movies, concentrating more on concerts and TV.Unlike many of Judy's earlier MGM pictures, this was not an Arthur Freed production. Joe Pasternak was the producer, and he had a different sensibility. His films were more sentimental as a rule, and often featured classical music. I guess that's why a part was written in for Marcia Van Dyke, a young and beautiful classical violinist who was getting attention at the time (including a Life magazine cover). She's lovely, and an excellent musician. She also seems to have had her entire part overdubbed in post-production (listen carefully and you'll notice it). Whether she herself re-did her own dialogue or another actress was brought in, I don't know.Van Johnson plays the part of the head clerk that was originally played by James Stewart in The Shop Around The Corner (1940). In the earlier film, the character is called "Kralik." In this version (set in turn of the century Chicago, rather than modern Budapest), the character is called "Larkin" - which is almost an anagram of Kralik.Much of the more dramatic or downbeat aspects of the earlier film (a suicide attempt by the shop owner) have been sanitized for this musical. While the relationship of the two clerks (who work together and can't stand each other, not realizing they're also anonymous pen-pals) is basically unchanged, in this version, the relationship of the head clerk and the boss is less compelling because much of the heavier aspects have been lightened or removed.Overall it's a very enjoyable movie, perhaps lightened up a bit too much, plot-wise. In this version, the major concern is that Van Johnson lent his violinist neighbor his boss's Stradivarius, and the boss might find out.The cast, though, is excellent; the leads are perfect and Judy sings some old classics from the time period the film is set. She's a wonderful actress, too.

"In the Good Old Summertime" is a remake of the 1940 film "The Shop Around the Corner": this time, with music and with Van Johnson in the James Stewart role and Judy Garland in the Margaret Sullavan role. In the shop where both work, the owner (Frank Morgan in the original) is Cuddles Sakall, as irritating as ever, and there is a tiny role for the great Buster Keaton.Any musical featuring Garland is always worth watching, and although this is minor compared to some of her other works, and does not have any great powerhouse musical numbers, she is in excellent voice and looks great. Van Johnson is a personable leading man (although a fellow singer would have been better) and the story crackles along in a way that does not disgrace itself or the Lubitsch original.