Remember? (1939) User Reviews

A must-see for fans of Greer or Taylor; ho-hum otherwise

[edsevern · 6/10 · 31 May 2007]

(Small spoilers) If you're a fan of Greer Garson (like me) or Robert Taylor (like me) you'll need to see this movie. If you're not a fan, you'll find the first forty minutes to be brilliant but the rest tiresome.

This was Greer Garson's second film, and she's still young and beautiful here, with the full MGM glamour treatment. You can see that she hasn't perfected her acting skills yet; she does that next year in "Pride and Prejudice".

Robert Taylor is delightful in the first half. Yes, he does steal Lew Ayres' fiancée, but Greer is hard to resist. Lew Ayres' character resigns himself to this fate rather easily, having obviously endured it from his friend many times in the past. Taylor is very funny when he gets startled several times. Greer and Taylor are wonderful together, even more so than they are two years later in "When Ladies Meet".

If you're not a fan of either of these two, you'll still enjoy the first half of this movie. There are plenty of gags, funny lines, and good ideas; you could fill a whole web page with the hilarious things that Billie Burke gets to say.

But after the popular surprise-party sequence, everything slows down; the movie could actually end at this point. There is no dramatic need for anything else to happen: up until this point Lew Ayres has never shown any desire to get Greer back. It's not even clear to me why he bothers to slips them the drug, other than to help them forget their misery.

After eighty minutes, the movie ends very abruptly with Greer speaking a line that makes absolutely no sense. This one line will leave you shaking your head and wondering why you bothered with this movie. But go back and watch the first half again.

As I said, if you're a fan, then watch it. Otherwise, if you come across this movie somewhere, watch until the surprise party scene and then be kind and rewind.

A spotless mind is intuitive

[capnboffo · 7/10 · 28 March 2006]

Fairly mundane, but foreshadows "sunshine of the spotless mind" fifty years ahead. Acting is charming. Script amusing if labored. I did find myself chuckling from time to time. Any attempt at building a real story usurped by "Thin man style" drunk acts of principals. Billie Burke is a highlight and the plot device of the erased memories is fun. The directing seems to be the problem here as the movie never reaches a strong comedic pace necessary for the screwball underpinnings. Lots of fun moments that don't add up to any kind of structural pay-off, not a bad movie just fails to be a great one. if you like screwball the elements are here. If you have seen the great ones here is one to understand what makes the others great. Maybe Charlie Kauffman stuck this baby in his subconscious for the gimmick idea of memory loss through which kismet repeats its destiny. Lew Ayres seems like an earlier version of Jack Lemmon.

Not a bad idea, but a terrible waste of talent.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 24 July 2009]

The idea of a soon to be divorced couple taking a drug that causes amnesia AND their falling in love all over again is a cute idea for a romantic film. However, there is just too much irrelevant comedic stuff in the first half of the film that just seems poorly written and a bit silly. Sticking with this story idea and introducing it much sooner might have helped the pacing--and gotten rid of all the irrelevant crap early in the film.

The film starts with Lew Ayers introducing his fiancée (Greer Garson) to his best friend (Robert Taylor). Like a good friend, Taylor steals Greer for himself. At this point, the film is half completed--and made Garson and Taylor seem like real jerks. Poor Ayers--he seemed like such a nice guy that you couldn't help but hate the newly married couple. Why did they include this initial plot at all? There were some supposedly comedic moments leading up to it and Billie Burke plays her idiot routine well--but why write the film this way? It was as if the film didn't trust itself to be a romance and so it through in comedy and plot elements that seemed anything but romantic.

Overall, it's not a bad film but a huge waste of talent. With Greer Garson (just off her success in GOODBYE MR. CHIPS), Robert Taylor and Lew Ayers, it should have been dynamite. The biggest problem is making it a goofy comedy instead of a romance. Blame for this goes to the writers and producer--why did they do this?!

un-even love story from same yr as OZ and Gone With

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 24 July 2009]

Anything coming out the same yr as Gone With the Wind and Wiz of Oz didn't really have a chance...stars Greer Garson, Robert Taylor, and Lew Ayres. some very clever bits in the script...the revolving door gag, and when Billie Burke (she was busy that yr!) says "We'll have a big breakfast. Do you like horses?" and of course the implication is that she was serving horse for breakfast..but they were going to have a fox hunt AFTER breakfast. Lot of fun bits, but you kind of have to buy into the memory loss deal. G. Garson reminds me of Myrna Loy... strong-willed, plain talking, speaks her mind. I liked Lew Ayres better in HOLIDAY... keep an eye out for Henry Travers as the Judge, an old friend of the family (he was "Clarence", the friendly ghost in "Its a Wonderful Life"). Some of the gags fall flat, like the "color of my eyes", since its in black and white. For the most part, its a fun, all around love-story farce. Directed by Norman McLeod, who had directed the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields, so he certainly knew how to make a comedy! this has pretty low ratings, but its a cute little love story. /ksf-2

Funny film, but suspend disbelief.

[mkilmer · 7/10 · 20 August 2006]

Robert Taylor and Greer Garson (before she was "Greer Garson").star in this one, of course, which can be both delightful and funny if you watch it with no pretenses. The story is what it is, often impractical and inconsistent, lots of gaps, but it's also very creative. You must simply let it happen. Don't ask questions.

Lew Ayre's "Sky Ames" is confounding. He acquiesces to his best friend stealing the love of his life literally right out from under his nose, engineers an outlandish reunion, then finally makes sense in the end when he was to forget the whole thing.

Robert Taylor's "Jeff Holland" is a jerk. I found nothing likable about him, which is a shame, but Taylor himself was great. There's a scene where he's talking to his wife about his in-laws and they're all hiding behind furniture waiting for the cue to surprise him. They overheard his tirade, of course, and when they do appear, you watch the brashness Taylor portrays as it is instantly reduced to a guy who feels an inch tall. But then he's back to the jerk again.

There's some good supporting acting, as well, and it's worth a look. Be sure to suspend disbelief before viewing.

Enjoyable but Silly

[judithh-1 · 7/10 · 5 March 2013]

Greer Garson was a rising star in 1939 and this film was her follow up to "Goodbye Mr. Chips." She had proved unexpectedly popular and the studio hurried this into production. Robert Taylor was in a slump after "Lady of the Tropics" and before "Waterloo Bridge." Robert Osborne, on TCM, commented that the screenwriters were either extremely clever or drunk. I tend to the latter interpretation.

The plot involves a love triangle consisting of Taylor, Garson and Lew Ayres. Taylor steals Garson from his old friend Ayres and the two marry. Subsequently Taylor neglects Garson by concentrating on his career. When he misses the boat for their honeymoon, she leaves him and they begin a divorce.

Ayres, either to get Garson back or to help the couple, slips each of them an amnesia drug, so that they forget the last six months. It works and, in a manner reminiscent of "Groundhog Day," they repeat their initial meeting and fall in love again, marry again and leave poor Ayres in the dust.

The entire cast is very smooth and professional, with Taylor and Ayres both outshining the still new Garson. Supporting actors include Billie Burke and Reginald Owen, both of them doing their signature type of character. Sara Haden is excellent as Taylor's secretary.

There is a lot of good dialog, some genuinely funny situations and the usual MGM high gloss. "Remember?" is like a good dessert: rich, tasty but not substantial.

A complete mess

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 28 September 2006]

I gave "Remember?" a 6 because of the cast ONLY. I knew there had to be a disaster made during the "magic" year of 1939, and sure enough, this is it. Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, and Lew Ayres star in what surely is the foreshadowing of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" except that this is one case where a later film is better than one from the classic era.

The film concerns a man, Jeff Holland (Taylor) who falls in love with his friend Sky's (Lew Ayres) fiancé Linda (Garson) and abruptly marries her. However, he's a workaholic. This makes her very unhappy, and the two divorce. Desirous of getting them back together, Sky uses an experimental drug, that sounded like mematine. It erases everything that happened in the last six months. Interesting, because today there is a drug called memantine for Alzheimer's, so it actually has an opposite effect.

"Remember?" is only mildly funny. It lacks the pace of a comedy - it's one of those in between things where the story isn't compelling enough to be a drama but doesn't come off like a comedy either. The main part of the plot comes practically at the end of the film. One scene I did love - Billie Burke, as Garson's mother, has a surprise congratulatory party for the new couple. When they arrive, she has everybody hide behind furniture - which has become somewhat tedious, because the Hollands are late and the entire group has been hiding on and off for hours. When they arrive, Jeff and Linda are sent into the library, where Jeff complains to Linda about her father and her family's boring, blowhard friends. Then Billie Burke yells surprise. A very good scene, but there weren't enough of these in the movie to justify it.

The performances are good. Taylor is unbelievably handsome and really did have a nice flair for comedy. Lew Ayres, in real life a pacifist, vegetarian, and a very spiritual man, somehow played drinking men very well, and does so in this. Garson was still very early in her career but had already received an Oscar nomination. Guess Mayer thought she was a flash in the pan - this is hardly a step in a prestige career. Garson probably hoped she never was nominated for an Oscar again - who knows what MGM would do to her next. Fortunately it didn't work out that way.

"Remember?" is one of those films you'll more than likely want to forget.

Difficult task

[nova-63 · 5/10 · 7 April 2010]

It's a very difficult task to make a film about a cheating fiancée and a betraying your best friend into a light comedy. But that is exactly what Remember? tries to do. The basic premise is that Greer Garson and Lew Ayres are a couple. Robert Taylor is Ayres best friend and when he meets Garson he starts romancing her right under Ayres nose. This is suppose to be funny. Taylor is unbelievably suave and handsome and I guess that is suppose to make it alright with the viewer.

Garson upon meeting Taylor leaves Ayres to his work while she spends the day with Taylor. She returns later for her date with Ayres, with Taylor still in tow. Again, this is suppose to be funny. Taylor and Garson soon marry leaving Ayres and the viewer in a state of shock. The storyline downplays the conflict (and reality) and has Ayres as a nice guy who tries to bring his ex-fiancée and best friend back together after they have a falling out.

I believe the film is trying to be a romantic comedy, however I found it neither funny nor romantic.

Rainbow Eyes/Eyes that Turn Colors

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 30 March 2006]

This is a true Classic Film from 1939 and both Robert Taylor and Greer Garson were very young and just starting their careers with MGM. This was a very stupid story that portrayed plenty of Martini Drinking and I think the director and producer did the same while working on this film. Robert Taylor,(Jeffrey Holland),"Killers of Kilimanjaro",'59, fell in love with Greer Garson,(Linda Bronson Holland),"Random Harvest",'42, and had plenty of up's and down's with their marriage. Lew Ayres, (Schuyler Ames),"Love Boat",'81 was also deeply in love with Linda and was going to marry her and his good buddy, Jeff stole her away from him. There are background scenes of the New York World's Fair of 1939, and the plot goes around and around like an old time Merry-go-round. Billie Burke plays the mother to Jeffrey Holland and does a very comical role, with the high voice she used in the Wizard of Oz, 1939 as the Good Witch. Some of the friends of Jeffrey say that his eyes look like Rainbows and changed color every once in a while. Try to REMEMBER, this was a 1939 film and just take it from THERE !

Greer Garson would probably like to FORGET this one!

[Pat-54 · 5/10 · 23 September 1998]

After Greer Garson made her film debut in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," she was awarded an Academy Award nomination and gained international stardom. Her second film was "Remember?" which I'm sure Miss Garson would rather have "forgotten." A silly script that totally wastes the talents of not only Garson but Robert Taylor and Lew Ayres as well.

Well-worth Watching!

[sentjourwla · 9/10 · 20 September 2013]

I gave this little ditty a 9 out of 10 because it's worth it to see some very funny dialog, good acting, and three very beautiful stars! Sometimes I'm a classic film 'snob' and prefer not to waste my time watching trash, so please know that I grade harshly. So, it was with delight that I discovered this little gem I'd never heard of. I'm a huge fan of Lew Ayres; he can do no wrong in my book - ever. I see that "Remember?" didn't get glowing reviews, and I urge you not to let that stop you. I rarely laugh out loud while movie-watching, but I found myself doing so! This is an adorable bit of cinema. It was NOT meant to be sophisticated or thought-provoking. It's for FUN - plain and simple!

It's not too bad...and only Greer Garson's 2nd film

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 21 June 2013]

This film isn't half as bad as some of our reviewers are indicating...nor is it half as good as the typical Greer Garson film! But we do need to remember that this was only her second film, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

I think one of the things that we don't like about this film is that here, Greer Garson is engaged, but marries a different man shortly after meeting him...and he happens to be the best friend of her original fiancée. It doesn't exactly put Garson's character in a positive light.

But, as we learn, it isn't just a story about girl marrying fiancée's best friend. The marriage flops, the original fiancée gives them a medicine that erases the memory, and we go through it all a second time...well, at least an abbreviated version.

You have to suspend belief just a little bit too much here. And, this is supposed to be a comedy...and there is a bit of light humor in it, but I doubt you'll laugh out loud...perhaps very quietly to yourself.

There are some bright spots in the cast, but it doesn't quite save the picture. Robert Taylor is good as the eventual husband. Greer Garson already seems like a polished actress in only her second film. We have a lot of sympathy for the original fiancée -- Lew Ayres -- who is really pleasant. I never understood the attraction of Billie Burke...and still don't. Reginald Owen doesn't get much beyond his usual bluster. Henry Travers is always a welcome addition to any film. It's kind of fun seeing Laura Hope Crews during the same year she was Aunt Pittipat in "Gone With The Wind".

I'm stretching a bit to give this a "7", but it's an okay film, and a must if you're a fan of Greer Garson!

Don't want to "remember" this wreck

[etherkiss · 3/10 · 28 March 2006]

This movie was painful and outlandish, at best.

Greer Garson is engaged to Lew Ayres and meets his best friend, Robert Taylor. Robert Taylor immediately (and blatantly) starts romancing Greer RIGHT IN FRONT OF LEW when they are supposed to be best friends. Greer keeps putting herself alone with Robert, and (duh) they end up together to the dismay of the ever tolerant Lew (Greer also shows no signs of remorse at cheating on her fiancée).

The WORST part was when Robert and Greer elope...then, when a surprised and dismayed Lew shows up, Greer has the NERVE to chastize him for being angry.

She is probably the most despicable of the three because of her patronizing and holier-than-thou attitude...despite all of the rotten things she does to the man she supposedly once loved. Robert is next. I, for one, would never throw Lew over for this jerk. At least they deserve each other.

Lew Ayres is the only good part of this movie, even though you want him to slap the other two and he never does.

Do NOT see this movie...unless you want to be frustrated and annoyed...

For the most part a slick but charmless romantic comedy; uplifted a bit by a very original (for the time) late plot twist

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 4 January 2023]

"Remember?" gets off on the wrong foot, with the mistreatment of Lew Ayres' character by his best friend who blatantly steals his girl, and has trouble regaining its footing after that. There are some small funny bits (one with a revolving door, another with a "surprise" party), and Greer Garson (in only her second role) is gorgeous, but for the most part this is a slickly produced but charmless romantic comedy. What gives it a lift - although it comes too late - is a very original (for the time) plot twist which, unfortunately, is spoiled in most reviews of the film. Of course I won't make the same mistake....**1/2 out of 4.

Inducing Amnesia For Fun And Profit

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 24 July 2009]

I'm still trying to figure out just who would want to invent a drug that would induce short term amnesia or any kind of amnesia. Most of the films about that are serious ones with people trying their best to recover lost memories. In fact Greer Garson in a few years would co-star in one of the best of those movies, Random Harvest.

Remember? was the second film on Garson's contract and a followup to her acclaimed performance in Goodbye Mr. Chips for which she got her first Academy Award nomination. She's teamed here with Robert Taylor and the plot premise starts out like a lighter version of Boom Town.

If you'll remember after meeting Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert marries him on the spot to the chagrin of Spencer Tracy who is Gable's best friend. I'd say they stole the idea, but Boom Town came out the following year.

Maybe Louis B. Mayer decided that it was a gambit that needed a serious interpretation after this movie. Lew Ayres comes into his office brimming with news of an impending marriage to Greer Garson for his best friend Robert Taylor. They go out to lunch and Taylor gets Garson alone and that's it for Ayres.

But Taylor the young hard driving executive just can't tear himself away from business to actually run away with Garson. When they finally do, his mind is still on business and they eventually get divorced.

Meanwhile scientist Sig Ruman is inventing his amnesia drug and sly Lew Ayres mixes it for both of them. They do forget each other, but love does find a way. Ruman's character might have been the basis for Jack Kruschen's scientist in Lover Come Back, a film also about advertising and a crazy product. In fact now that I think of it Ayres has the Tony Randall part.

In which I've seen some descriptions of his performance as fey. This was the problem when back in the days of The Code you had to tap dance around having a gay character in the film. If someone bothers to remake Remember?, Ayres's character will be openly gay.

But I doubt that's going to happen. The film just doesn't get off the ground and is waste of the talent involved. In the Citadel Film series book, The Films Of Robert Taylor, it's recorded that Taylor thought very little of this film. It was the third of three duds with the public, Lucky Night, Lady Of The Tropics, and this one. His career hit a dry patch in 1939.

As for Garson she recovered quickly enough and had so many suitable roles for her coming up. I'm sure she'd have liked to forget this one as well.

Amnesia is my best friend! Where's my martini?

[crispy_comments · 3/10 · 29 March 2006]

Boys and girls, REMEMBER these life lessons...

If you steal your best friend's girl/marry his fiancée - with nary a twinge of guilty conscience (even though you've known the guy for 21 years and the girl for only ONE DAY!) - you can expect your buddy to be a good sport about it! In fact he'll play matchmaker should you two have marital problems in the future! Feel free to be an insensitive jackass who complains if he hangs around too much - but when it suits you (ie: you're too busy at work to spend time with your wife), ask the jilted ex to keep her company & pacify her. Don't feel bad about ruining your friend's happiness, to get a woman you then basically ignore. It's all about the thrill of the chase, right?

If you dump your fiancé for his best friend (who you've only known ONE DAY!) - feel free to demand the 3 of you be jolly good friends forevermore. Don't be ashamed! Act joyful when you break the news and break his heart. It's okay if you make lots of insensitive remarks - heck, jokingly invite him to go on the honeymoon with you! It won't hurt him. Play the 2 men off one another - compare your husband to his friend, unfavorably, when your hubby's not being attentive enough. What is a woman *for*, if not to flirt and make men jealous?!

Yup, this movie is pretty bad. Billie Burke provides a little relief, with her typically amusing ditzy routine. I've enjoyed the stars in other films, but they can't save this one. Inconsistent and unsympathetic characters. Forced humour. Ridiculous plot (and it REPEATS! Aw man, it was no fun the *first* time - I don't wanna see these 2 selfish twits fall in love *again*!) Y'see, there's a magical (ahem, I mean "scientific") formula that makes people forget the last 6 months. I'll settle for forgetting the last 83 minutes. Gimme a drink!

What Is Everyone Complaining About?

[BetsyBooth · 9/10 · 13 September 2012]

My goodness, what is all the fuss about?! Remember? was absolutely great. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. There are hilarious scenes and not just at the beginning of the picture like other reviewers have stated. When everyone around Taylor and Garson knows they are married except Taylor and Garson themselves, you can be sure riotous situations will ensue.

The cast is just perfect, although Lew Ayres never really appealed to me. Garson absolutely sparkles and Robert Taylor was never more handsome. Although the ending is rather surprising, you will not be sorry with this gem of a comedy.

Good Concept but......

[lsda-80381 · 5/10 · 16 February 2023]

I loved seeing Robert Taylor in just about any movie, with exception of Quo Vidas (badly miscast). Here is struggling with a concept that the writers and director did not see clearly enough before they executed. Some of the dialog seemed forced because it was not quite right. For the emotion of the moment. You see this clearly with 3 very good actors. That being said, some of it was hilarious, especially the scenes with Taylor and his horse. For those who may not be aware, he was an experienced rider who later did his own riding in the Westerns that he made. Billie Burke was also great as the ditzy mom! See this film for it's, especially, Robert Taylor.

How did this get through the comet of stars looking up to the heavens?

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 19 September 2017]

An incredibly likable cast fails to rise above what is known as one of the worst screwball comedy's ever. It's nor a fault of the stars, pretty much the fault of the writer, producer, director and home office for demanding the participation of veteran Lew Ayres, new top star Robert Taylor, and in her second film, British newcomer Greer Garson. Professionals all, they do their best to hide any disgust they might have felt after understanding the hopeless script, the absurd story and the risk of being labeled box office poison in a year that this list was published.

Old pals Taylor and Ayres find themselves at odds over the pretty Greer Garson, ironically engaged to Ayres. Involvement in a fox hunt has Garson and Taylor eloping, Ayres being graceful over it, and Taylor instantly disagreeable over his dislike of her entire family. That includes stuffy Reginald Owen, dizzy mother Billie Burke and flibbertigibbet aunt Laura Hope Crews. Taylor and Garson file for a quickly divorce, but numskull Ayres decides to reconcile them with a ridiculous drug that brings on amnesia.

Perhaps the female audiences bought this kind of nonsense in 1939, but the critics rightfully panned it. Audiences stayed away, the three stars managed to recover, and the film got tossed aside from memory. But the late show, home video and TCM have brought it out of the dustbin. A few funny moments here and there add only a few laughs, but mostly it's full of groans. The MGM gloss can't make up for how bad this is, although a supporting cast (also including Sara Haden as Taylor's secretary and Henry Travers) add what little class there is. Do we remember? Unfortunately yes! The whole thing begins to repeat itself towards the end, leading to an outlandish conclusion.

Disappointing - Preposterous Plot

[Man99204 · 5/10 · 13 November 2015]

This was a high budget film featuring some of the best Stars MGM had available. Considering what it should have been, it ended up being very disappointing.

A large part of the problem is that the script depends on the sexual dynamics between Greer Garson's character and both Robert Taylor and Lew Ayers. Sadly, at least in this picture, Garson has absolutely no sex appeal. The film falls completely flat in the scenes she shares with Robert Taylor. There is no chemistry between the two leads. Garson poses through every scene articulating her lines ever so carefully. She ends up becoming very very boring.

The other problem with the picture is a preposterous plot point which no one would believe in a minute. Though, I would encourage you to listen carefully to the line Garson delivers at the very end of the film.

Should you watch the film? I think it is worth watching simply because it features Robert Taylor and Greer Garson in their prime. But do have realistic expectations.

Remember? Painful to Remember, we simply choose to forget! **

[edwagreen · 4/10 · 11 March 2013]

Farce where Robert Taylor falls immediately for the fiancée of his best friend, Lew Ayres, none other than Greer Garson.

The two quickly wed but seem to be mismatched from the very beginning in this rather dull romantic comedy of 1939.

Billie Burke, as Garson's mother, has some funny moments with her usual ditsy behavior and that croaking voice of hers.

Laura Hope Crews, Aunt Pity Pat that same year, in "Gone With the Wind" plays Burke's sister but has little to do here.

After insulting Garson's family, the two quickly divorce but Ayres steps in to give them both a potion that will make them quickly forget everything. The silliness of the picture is that the two begin their relationship again as history repeats itself.

No wonder Ayres takes the potion himself at the film's end. This is really one that we quickly want to forget.

Henry Travers, Garson's co-star in the memorable "Mrs. Miniver," plays the judge who marries the couple twice. Twice is more than enough for this film.

Garson made another film several years later dealing with forgetfulness, the great "Random Harvest," where Ronald Colman's bout with amnesia was memorable in the film. That was a film to remember.

They don't make movies like this anymore - thank God!

[richard-1787 · 1/10 · 1 December 2017]

I sat through this whole movie - it was late, and my eyes were too tired to read - wondering: How could MGM's bosses have signed off on this script???? It is flatter than flat, and features two main characters who are very unsympathetic. The minor characters are uninteresting, ditto the plot.

The direction, by Norman Z. McLeod, is also completely flat - though I'm not sure what even the best of directors could have done with this script, other than to refuse to direct it.

There are a lot of talented people involved in this movie, but their talent goes unused here.

Some of the other reviewers on here appear to have enjoyed this movie. I wanted to like it, since I am a big fan of Greer Garson. To me, however, this is a real turkey with no redeeming qualities.

Forgettable

[sol-kay · 5/10 · 22 April 2010]

**SPOILERS*** Overstuffed, with hot air, Hollywood turkey of a screwball comedy that came out just in time for the 1939 Christmas Holiday season that almost destroyed the careers of the three major stars in it.

It's when Sky Ames played by Lew Ayres, who looks like a preincrnated looking Jack Lemmon, came back north early from his vacation from Nassau in the Bahamas with his bride to be Linda Bronson, Greer Garson, that things started to go drastically south for him. It was Sky's friend and partner in the advertising firm that he works for tall dark & handsome Jeff "Rainbow Eyes" Holland, Robert Taylor, who after laying his "rainbow eyes" on his fiancées Linda that he completely lost it.

Having no consideration at all for his best friend and business partner Sky "Rainbow Eyes" Jeff set his sights on Linda and forgot that she was engaged to Sky as well as him having a business to run. At first a bit puzzled by Jeff's strange, to put it mildly, behavior Linda did't take long to dump her future husband Sky without as much as a second thought. Even though Jeff was anything but dependable in being on time for anything even his wedding and honeymoon with Linda. Jeff also proves to be an off the wall oddball with Linda's parents her dizzy mom Mrs. Louise Bronson, Billie Burke, and horse loving dad Mr. George Bronson, Reginald Owen, who despite his childish antics agree to let him have Linda's hand in marriage.

Meanwhile back at the office Sky feeling that he's being treated like a first class schmuck by both Jeff and Linda comes up with an idea from one of the clients he's dealing with at the firm Dr. Schmidt, Sig Ruman. It's Dr. Schmidt who developed this magic potion that can make people forget their past going back as far as six months in time that Sky plans to get the couple to gulp down. With Jeff & Linda now married Sky plans to slip the forgot potion into their drinks and with their past, in meeting falling in love and getting married, obliterated he now can get a fresh start in life as well as with Linda.

***SPOILERS*** Like everything else that happened to him in the movie Sky's brilliant idea turns out to be a total deserter for him. Not only in him getting both Linda and Jeff back together again, even though they forgot about each other, but having Linda now expecting with, in both her and Jeff forgetting about their past, what could only be Sky's child! With thoughts now failing him and knowing that he screwed himself up for the second time around in trying to get Linda back Sky does about the only thing left for him to do in correcting the mess that he got himself into. Gulp down the forget potion and blot this entire episode, or movie, completely out of his mind!