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Thanks for Everything

  • 1938
  • Approved
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
63
YOUR RATING
Jack Haley, Adolphe Menjou, Jack Oakie, and Arleen Whelan in Thanks for Everything (1938)
SatireComedyRomance

Promoters set up a radio contest to find the average American and use him to sell food, apparel and notions. All goes well until he falls in love with a girl who upsets things.Promoters set up a radio contest to find the average American and use him to sell food, apparel and notions. All goes well until he falls in love with a girl who upsets things.Promoters set up a radio contest to find the average American and use him to sell food, apparel and notions. All goes well until he falls in love with a girl who upsets things.

  • Director
    • William A. Seiter
  • Writers
    • Gilbert Wright
    • Curtis Kenyon
    • Harry Tugend
  • Stars
    • Adolphe Menjou
    • Jack Oakie
    • Jack Haley
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    63
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • William A. Seiter
    • Writers
      • Gilbert Wright
      • Curtis Kenyon
      • Harry Tugend
    • Stars
      • Adolphe Menjou
      • Jack Oakie
      • Jack Haley
    • 4User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins total

    Photos7

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    Top cast40

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    Adolphe Menjou
    Adolphe Menjou
    • J. B. Harcourt
    Jack Oakie
    Jack Oakie
    • Bates
    Jack Haley
    Jack Haley
    • Henry Smith
    Arleen Whelan
    Arleen Whelan
    • Madge Raines
    Tony Martin
    Tony Martin
    • Tommy Davis
    Binnie Barnes
    Binnie Barnes
    • Kay Swift
    George Barbier
    George Barbier
    • Joe Raines
    Warren Hymer
    Warren Hymer
    • Marine Sergeant
    Gregory Gaye
    Gregory Gaye
    • Ambassador
    Andrew Tombes
    Andrew Tombes
    • Mayor
    Renie Riano
    Renie Riano
    • Mrs. Sweeney
    Jan Duggan
    Jan Duggan
    • Miss Twitchell
    Charles Lane
    Charles Lane
    • Dr. Olson
    Charles Trowbridge
    Charles Trowbridge
    • Draft Doctor
    Frank Sully
    Frank Sully
    • Lem Slininger
    Gary Breckner
    • Announcer
    Paul Hurst
    Paul Hurst
    • Guard
    James Flavin
    James Flavin
    • Policeman
    • Director
      • William A. Seiter
    • Writers
      • Gilbert Wright
      • Curtis Kenyon
      • Harry Tugend
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews4

    6.563
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    Featured reviews

    10verakomarov

    10/10

    Promoters organized a radio contest to find the average American and use him to sell food, clothing, and concepts. Everything goes well until he falls in love with a girl who upsets things.
    6boblipton

    Technicolor Without Technicolor

    A potentially interesting piece of satire -- Jack Haley can predict precisely the consuming habits of the nation, so Adolphe Menjou in fast-talking mode and Jack Oakie use him as a guinea pig -- gets turned into a rather silly and pointless farce. I never did care for Mr. Haley and the Milquetoast persona he displayed in his starring roles. You may enjoy him, but I always want to smack him around.

    The rest of it is surprisingly in the mode of the the bright, overlit Technicolor musicals that Fox turned out in the 1940s, except there's no Betty Grable, no Alice Faye, no John Payne and the cinematography is some handsome black and white work by Lucien Andriot. Tony Martin sings three or four forgettable songs. George Barbier is the father of the ingénue and Binnie Barnes essays a tough-talking Noo Yawk accent with varying success. Except for Menjou, you can skip this one.
    6blanche-2

    Amusing programmer

    Adolphe Menjou, Jack Haley, Jack Oakie, Billie Barnes and Tony Martin star in "Thanks for Everything," a 1938 programmer about a poor sap (Haley) who enters a radio contest about trends and gets a perfect score. As a result, he is manipulated into working for a market research company headed by Menjou. He's dogged night and day by Oakie, who reports his opinions back to Menjou. When the president of a foreign land asks them to find out if Americans would fight if there's another war, Menjou and Haley go to great lengths to find out what Haley would do.

    This is a frivolous way to spend an hour and ten minutes, and you can't go wrong listening to Tony Martin's gorgeous voice in four songs. There are some funny moments, and the acting is good. I'm afraid, however, that even at an hour and ten minutes, it seems a bit long.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Irma Wilson's debut.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Sweeney: I'm a widow, you know.

      J. B. Harcourt: Is that so? Your husband is a very lucky man.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Thanks for Everything
      Lyrics by Mack Gordon

      Music by Harry Revel

      Sung by Detlev Lais

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 23, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Vendiendo el porvenir
    • Filming locations
      • 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

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    Jack Haley, Adolphe Menjou, Jack Oakie, and Arleen Whelan in Thanks for Everything (1938)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Thanks for Everything (1938) officially released in Canada in English?
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