Tonight's Movie: Thanks for the Memory (1938) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY (1938), starring Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

This disc is a lovely print of one of the better Hope movies I've seen. It's a lightweight yet satisfying confection with a marvelous supporting cast and a couple great tunes; it all adds up to 75 minutes of very pleasant company.

Hope and Ross play newlyweds Steve and Anne Merrick, whose marriage goes awry when Anne returns to work as a model so Steve can write his Great American Novel.

Gil struggles being at home and having Anne support him, and he also worries that Anne's ex-boyfriend Gil (Otto Kruger) is still pursuing her. Anne is loyal to Steve -- only to then suspect Steve has been carrying on with their very Southern neighbor Luella Mae (Patricia Wilder). A fine mess...

The film is lighter in tone than it sounds, with plenty of comic relief from a stellar supporting cast which includes Charles Butterworth, Roscoe Karns, Hedda Hopper, Laura Hope Crews, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson.

The highlight is Hope and Ross performing Loesser and Carmichael's classic song "Two Sleepy People" midway through the movie; their performance is charming. They also do a brief talk-sing of "Thanks for the Memory" which they had previously dueted in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938).

Hope is nicely subdued, and I really liked Ross, who reminded me a bit of Florence Rice. I have a few of Ross's films on my shelves which I've yet to see and will be looking to watch more of her work.

The movie was directed by George Archainbaud and filmed in black and white byKarl Struss. I also particularly enjoyed the film's apartment set design, with big windows and a nice patio; the film's art direction was by Hans Dreier and Franz Bachelin.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is simply beautiful. This is a great way to see the movie.

Disc extras include the trailer; a gallery of 15 additional Hope trailers plus a Hope promo produced by Kino Lorber; and a commentary track by Michael Schlesinger.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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