My Man Godfrey

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This article is about the 1936 film. For the 1957 remake, see My Man Godfrey (1957 film).

My Man Godfrey is a screwball comedy film released in 1936 by Universal Pictures, directed by Gregory LaCava. It was adapted from Eric Hatch's novel 1101 Park Avenue by Hatch himself and Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by LaCava. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her family's butler, only to fall in love with him, much to his dismay. The 1936 film starred William Powell and Carole Lombard, supported by Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Mischa Auer and Alan Mowbray.

A 1957 remake starred June Allyson and David Niven.

[edit] Synopsis

During the Great Depression, Godfrey "Smith" (William Powell) lives alongside other men down on their luck in the city dump. One day, snooty socialite Cornelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) offers him five dollars to be her "forgotten man" for a scavenger hunt. Annoyed, he backs her up until she falls on a pile of ashes. She leaves in a fury, much to the glee of her sister Irene (Carole Lombard). After talking with her, Godfrey finds her to be kind, if a bit scatter-brained. He offers to go with Irene to help her beat Cornelia.

Pandemonium reigns in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Ritz Hotel. Irene's long-suffering businessman father, Alexander Bullock (Eugene Pallette), waits resignedly as his ditsy wife, Angelica (Alice Brady), and her mooching artist/protégé Carlo (Mischa Auer) play the frivolous game. Godfrey arrives and is "authenticated" by the scavenger hunt judge. He then addresses the idle rich, expressing his contempt for their antics. Irene is apologetic and offers him a job as the family butler, which he gratefully accepts.

The next morning, Godfrey is shown what to do by the sardonic, wise-cracking maid, Molly (Jean Dixon), the only servant who has been able to put up with the vagaries of the zany family. She warns him that he is just the latest in a long line of butlers. Only slightly daunted, he proves to be surprisingly competent, although Cornelia still holds a sizeable grudge. On the other hand, Irene is thrilled by the success of her protégé.

A complication arises when a guest, Tommy Gray (Alan Mowbray), greets him as a former classmate. Godfrey quickly ad-libs that he was Tommy's valet at school. His friend plays along, mentioning Godfrey's non-existent wife and five children. Dismayed, Irene impulsively announces her engagement to the surprised Charlie Van Rumple (Grady Sutton). But she soon breaks down in tears and flees after being politely congratulated by Godfrey.

Over lunch the next day, Tommy is curious to know what one of the elite "Parkes of Boston" is doing as a servant. Godfrey explains that a broken love affair had left him considering suicide, but the optimistic, undaunted attitude of the men living at the dump rekindled his spirit.

Meanwhile, when everything she does to make Godfrey's life miserable fails, Cornelia sneaks into his room and plants her pearl necklace under his mattress. She then calls the police to report her "missing" jewelry. To Cornelia's surprise, the pearls do not turn up, even when she suggests they check Godfrey's bed. Mr. Bullock realizes his daughter has orchestrated the whole thing and sees the policemen out.

The Bullocks then send their daughters off to Europe because they are worried that Irene is getting too attached to Godfrey. When they return, Cornelia insinuates that Godfrey is actually attracted to her. The alarmed Irene stages a fainting spell and falls into his arms. In one of the film's best-known sequences, Godfrey carries the swooning girl to her bed. While searching for smelling salts, he realizes she's faking when he sees her (in a mirror) sit up briefly. In revenge, he puts her in the shower and turns on the cold water full blast. Far from quenching her attraction, this act merely confirms what she had hoped: "Oh Godfrey, now I know you love me...You do or you wouldn't have lost your temper."

When confronted by the rest of the family, Godfrey quits. But Mr. Bullock has more pressing concerns. He first has a private "little chat" with Carlo, throwing the freeloader out. Then he announces that his business is in dire financial straits. Godfrey interrupts, explaining that he bought the stock Mr. Bullock had sold to keep afloat, using money raised by pawning Cornelia's necklace. He turns over the stock to the stunned Mr. Bullock and returns the necklace to a humbled Cornelia. Then he leaves.

With the rest of his stock profits and reluctant business partner Tommy Gray's backing, Godfrey had built a fashionable nightclub at the dump, "...giving food and shelter to fifty people in the winter, and giving them employment in the summer." Irene tracks him down and bulldozes the reluctant Godfrey into marriage, saying: "Stand still, Godfrey, it'll all be over in a minute."

[edit] Awards and recognition

The film was nominated for the following Academy Awards:

• Best Actor in a Leading Role - William Powell
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Mischa Auer
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Carole Lombard
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Alice Brady
• Best Director - Gregory LaCava
• Best Writing, Screenplay - Eric Hatch, Morrie Ryskind

It was the first movie to be nominated in all four acting categories.

In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

In 2000, the film was ranked #44 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 funniest comedies.

[edit] Trivia

• Lombard and Powell had been married for a short time before their divorce in 1933. Although the film's producers had originally planned to cast Miriam Hopkins in the role of Irene Bullock, Powell insisted that Lombard was the only actress right for the part.

• Dialogue was often improvised on the set and helped to shape this screwball comedy into the spontaneous movie it is.

• During filming, La Cava and Powell reached a dispute on the portrayal of the character of Godfrey. They discussed the character and reached an agreement over his portrayal over a bottle of Scotch. La Cava arrived to work the next morning with a headache and noticed that Powell was nowhere to be found. A telegram arrived from the actor stating promptly, "WE MAY HAVE FOUND GODFREY LAST NIGHT BUT WE LOST POWELL. SEE YOU TOMORROW." (Courtesy TCM)

• Whenever feelings grew tense on the set, Lombard would insert something into her dialogue, usually containing some sort of profanity.

• A stand-in was used in the scene where Godfrey carries Irene up the stairs.

[edit] Video availability

My Man Godfrey has fallen into the public domain, and as a result, was re-released by various distributors in several low-quality, but legal DVD and VHS editions. In 2002, a restored print was made available on DVD by The Criterion Collection (by FAR the best version available). In 2005, 20th Century Fox Home Video released a colorized version.

[edit] External links

• My Man Godfrey at the Internet Movie Database
• My Man Godfrey at Google Video
• My Man Godfrey at the Internet Archive
• Criterion Collection essay by Diane Jacobsde:Mein Mann Godfrey

it:L'impareggiabile Godfrey (film 1936) nl:My Man Godfrey pt:My Man Godfrey