The Shopworn Angel (1938)

Touches You

The Worst Film Ever

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

They picked 3 perfect leads for this gem of a melodrama/romance. I didn't know what to expect when I started this one but I'm sure glad I gave it a chance.Walter Pigeon, Jimmy Stewart or Margaret Sullavan could not have done a better job with these roles. They are perfect all the way through. Mostly you see just 2 headliners in a cast and the rest are supporting but there are 3 great roles in this and they all lead to a great little film.If your in the mood to feel good and have a good cry, you can't go wrong with this one. This one has an ending that'll leave you in tears. Don't wait to see this one....hurry up and get it!!!!!!

There's no doubt that THE SHOPWORN ANGEL uses a plot that has been used countless times in movies and books over the years. It's the story of a selfish actress (MARGARET SULLAVAN) suddenly succumbing to the country boy charm of a soldier (JAMES STEWART) who is about to be sent overseas in WWII. Meanwhile, she has her agent WALTER PIDGEON, whom she depends upon for emotional support and love. Surely, there is nothing new about the bare outline of the plot.But what works in the story's favor is the simplicity and charm of the three leads. Sullavan is more radiant than usual as a glamorous actress rather than the drab little wren she usually played and she plays her part in a refreshing manner that is almost able to overcome the idea that she should suddenly turn so noble. Despite this flaw in the characterization, it's a very winning performance that she gives.Likewise, JAMES STEWART does wonders with a thinly devised role of the country bumpkin who falls impetuously in love with an actress, even to the point of asking her to marry him before he goes overseas. At this point, the plot's outcome becomes telegraphed because we know this is a Margaret Sullavan film and tearful romantic dramas have been her specialty. Thus, the ending becomes a forgone conclusion.WALTER PIDGEON is her kindly suitor who has the wisdom to make the best of a situation he's not exactly comfortable with. He anchors the story with his sensitive performance as the man who can always be depended on to give the heroine the emotional support she needs. He's also got an abundant sense of humor that the story needs.It's a trifle of a film, but beautifully acted and given a lift by the winsome performances of its three leads, moving at a brisk pace to the Hollywood ending. HATTIE McDANIEL is her usual delightful self as Miss Sullvan's down-to-earth maid.

This is a cute romantic gem where a young Texan Private soldier (James Stewart) is receiving his final training prior to shipping to WW1-torn Europe when he is almost run over by a wealthy New York socialite Daisy Heath (Margaret Sullavan). After kind of "playing either hard to get or annoyed", she realizes that he is going to war and probably won't come back. Her eternal fiancé Sam (Walter Pigeon) is a true gentleman in doing a good deed to give some hope to this poor condemned soldier. Daisy (who is very well educated in real life – Harvard) initially doing a kind act of the heart is slowly seduced by the simplicity and genuineness of this young cowboy's heart.This story touched me deeply and I identified strongly to it. Margaret Sullavan is very articulate and so kind that she accepts to marry this young recruit because to him "she is a dream come true that may keep him alive during the years of hell that he will endure…" Years, Americans were very patriotic and draft/conscription was a fact of life for most young males. As a Veteran of three wars (Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq), I paid dearly for my own dreams of saving my country from the "commies" - I was raised in the late fifties. On one day of May 2003, on my 118th mission, my number came up; I woke up minutes later... disabled for life.I witnessed war, I saw destruction, and I experienced fear not to say terror. I shared room with many dismembered service members, some did not make it, some died with me as their only companion. Most of the expectant men that could talk, told me about their loved ones, often a young woman they never had the courage to ask in marriage before leaving... As an officer, I wrote many notes to "loved ones" as I promised my troops. The times may have changed in America, may be too much for our own good but basic human needs do not... we still need the love, the hope, the dream (so nicely expressed by "Daisy" in "The Shopworn Angel") that someone special does care back home.May God Bless America and brings justice to the evils that are eroding our country. Bring our troops back. And for the readers of my comments, please, for the memory of all the men/women that gave their lives for this country, treat our returning troops with respect and love. Thank you.

What others might say is a lack of chemistry between Stewart and Sullavan in this charming picture, is what I call "acting".People from widely different social circles react to situations differently. It is evident that the rich talents of these two actors contributed strongly to the feeling question of their compatibility. That is the whole point of this story! The examination of things that sometimes happen during a war between unlikely pairings.Without trying to reveal any of the story, I will say that one never felt as if Sullavan portrayed the complexity of her character without conviction, in fact, she did it admirably. She merely expressed it in the only way that a person of another "class" from Stewart's would. What I did find refreshing in Sullavan's character, although taken from the mold of a Broadway star, she displayed none of the expected snobbery which those parts normally include. It made her character all the more likeable. Stories about romance during a war are filled with stories that sound fantastic - but may have very well occurred. This movie is no exception and I took that perspective into account as I watched the story unfold.I would recommend this movie to any fan of James Stewart or Margaret Sullavan. They delivered their parts with originality and a lack of staleness which is normally associated with such simple stories.