Daily Dialogue — June 16, 2014

Klara: Good morning, Madam. It’s a lovely box, isn’t it?
Customer: Oh, yes. It’s a candy box, isn’t it?
Klara: Yes, Madam, a candy box, and I should say, a very unusual one. May I open it for you?
Matuschek: Yes, Madam. That’s Ochi Tchornya. It’s a very popular classic.
Customer: No, that would never do. Where do people get ideas like that? Imagine, every time you take
a piece of candy you have to listen to that song. I couldn’t buy a thing like that. Too silly.
Klara: I know just what you mean, Madam. Yet some customers like it for the very thing you object to. We’ve sold quite a few.
Customer: Really?
Klara: Yes, Madam. There’s no denying that we all have a weakness for candy. I don’t mean to say anything against candy. No, I only mean that sometimes we are inclined to overdo it a little.
Customer: I suppose so.
Klara: Madam, have you any idea how many pieces of candy you eat a day?
Customer: No, I never gave it a thought.
Klara: We pick up a piece of candy absentmindedly and then we take another piece. Before we know it, we’ve gained a few pounds. That’s when our troubles begin. Massages, electric cabinets.
Customer: I know it.
Klara: Now, this little box makes you candy-conscious. That’s what we designed it for. Every time you open it, the little tinkling song is a message to you. “Too much candy, now be careful.”
Customer: How much is it?
Klara: 5.50. It was reduced from 6.95. It’s a real bargain.
Customer: I’ll take it.
Klara: Thank you, Madam.
Matuschek: What do you say now?
Alfred: I think people who like to smoke candy and listen to cigarettes will love it.

— The Shop Around the Corner (1940), screenplay by Samson Raphaelson, based on a play by Miklós László

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: 1st day on the job, suggested by Bretton Zinger. Today’s suggestion by Daniel Cossu.

Trivia: In the Book “Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise”, Ernst Lubitsch called this film “the best picture I ever made in my life.”

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary from Daniel: “Klara shows off her salesgirl skills and earns herself a job.”

Note: Could use your suggestions for this week’s theme. Thanks!

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