Back Street (1941)

Back Street, one of the most popular and endearing romance novels of all time, has been brought to the silver screen several times over the years. This sublime 1941 adaptation stars the luminous Margaret Sullavan (The Good Fairy, The Shop Around the Corner) and the dashing Charles Boyer (When Tomorrow Comes, Gaslight). Five years after meeting and falling in love with a banker (Boyer), a willful shop girl (Sullavan) decides to become his “back street” woman upon learning he has since gotten married and had a son. This classic story of an illicit love affair from author Fannie Hurst (Imitation of Life) is brought to vivid life by director Robert Stevenson (Jane Eyre, Mary Poppins) with wonderful supporting roles by Richard Carlson (All I Desire), Frank McHugh (Going My Way) and Tim Holt (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre). Featuring an Oscar-nominated score by Frank Skinner (The Tarnished Angels), this elegant tearjerker packs a hefty dramatic punch.