"Thanks for the Memory" is a most unusual Bob Hope film because it really is not especially funny and he doesn't play his usual wisecracking self. Because of this, I found I actually liked it....mostly because it was so different.
It's also an unusual film because the title was created to cash in on the success of Bob Hope's now signature song, "Thanks for the Memories"....and you hear an unusual rendition near the end of the movie.
The story finds Steve (hope) and Anne (Shirley Ross) as a very poor young couple. And, he works so hard he has little time to pursue his love....writing. So, a friend suggests that Steve stays home to write and keep house and Anne return to work...especially since her work as a model pays more. But like so many 1930s men, Steve cannot handle not being the breadwinner and his male ego is shattered. Soon, he and Anne are butting heads and their marriage is on rocky ground.
The most startling thing about this movie is that it's really NOT a comedy. Hope doesn't fill the film with his familiar quips (a plus) and the film is much more plot-driven than most of his films. The result, surprisingly, is a very nice film. Not Hopes' best but one of his better films...and one I almost scored an 8. Well worth seeing.
