Acteurist oeuvre-view – Margaret Sullavan – Part 5: THE SHINING HOUR (1938) & SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)

In this week's episode of our Margaret Sullavan Acteurist Oeuvre-view series, we look at a couple of thirds: Sullavan's third film directed by Frank Borzage - the crazed melodrama The Shining Hour (co-starring Joan Crawford) - and third (and most famous) pairing with Jimmy Stewart: the melancholy romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner (directed by Ernst Lubitsch). We consider The Shining Hour as Borzage's "two women movie" (setting up next week's discussion of Stage Door in the bargain), with Sullavan and Crawford as his magnetic poles of female superheroism; and reflect on the qualities Sullavan brings to Lubitsch's tale of low-income workers negotiating urban isolation. Time Codes: 0h 01m 00s:                    THE SHINING HOUR (1938) [dir. Frank Borzage] 0h 30m 30s:                    THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940) [dir. Ernst Lubitsch]                                             +++ * Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s * Intro Song: "Sunday" by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive) * Read Elise's latest film piece on Preston Sturges, Unfaithfully Yours, and the Narrative role of comedic scapegoating. * Check out Dave's new Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist's 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!  Follow us on Twitter at @therebuggy Write to us at [email protected]