I forgot what day it is

Today being Memorial Day, what could be more appropriate than movies about... amnesia? An actress who always put a lot into playing sick woman roles was Joan Crawford, and she plays an amnesiac in Possessed, where she's lost her memory because her former boyfriend Van Heflin, and her stepdaughter Geraldrine Brooks, are somehow leading her to believe that she killed her husband's first wife. It's the sort of melodramatic stuff that was right up Crawford's alley.

If you want the daffy topic of post-hypnotic amnesia, try Gene Tierney in Whirlpool. On the plus side, it's got Gene Tierney. On the minus side -- well, let's not discuss the plot, and just watch the lovely Gene Tierney. This wasn't her finest moment, but it's not really her fault.

A third type of amnesia is the drunk's blackout. A good example of this occurs in Remember Last Night, which is sadly not available on DVD.

As for good memories, that would be the proverbial elephant. Elephants appear quite a bit in the circus, with movies like The Greatest Show On Earth. Edward G. Robinson pays to have his daughter ride an elephant when the circus comes through town in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes. For a non-circus elephant, watch a movie with rampaging elephants, such as Elephant Walk.

Of course, probably the most famous screen elephant would be Dumbo.