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"A Classic Screwball Comedy, that weaves
social commentary into a comedy without banging you over the
head!"
The film, "My Man Godfrey" set the
1930's standard of being "the screwiest comedy of them
all," and clearly shows off the great comedic talent of
Carole Lombard, as she plays a "zany society girl,"
in a hilarious script, (by Morrie Ruskind), that inspires the
zany best of it's ensemble cast, under the fine direction of
La Cava, who understands comic timing and how to pace a story.
The story begins with a scavenger hunt party
game, where the high-society participants, went out on the town
to find various items, such as a "forgotten man."
Among them were the two squabbling Bullock sisters, Irene (Carol
Lombard) and Cornelia (Gail Patrick). Lombard, who was determined
to win this game before her sister could, went to the dump and
picked up what she thought was a bum, a "forgotten man"
Godfrey Smith (William Powell). After the party, Irene hires
him as her eccentric, family's butler, as sort of her protégé.
Her mother, Angelica Bullock (Alice Brady) has her protégé,
Carlo (Mischa Auer) a piano player, so she figured she could
have one as well.
Upon arriving to the Bullock household, Molly
(Jean Dixon), the Bullock's maid, advises him to leave his hat,
coat and suitcase near the back door, so he can make a fast
exit. He soon realizes why the other butlers haven't lasted
long. The zany Bullock women would be enough to scare off the
most dutiful butler. Angelica Bullock has a big hangover, and
is seeing pixies everywhere, and hears their tingling music.
Godfrey steps up to the plate, shuts the window so the wind
chimes stop, and gives her an anti-pixie drink, tomato juice
and tobasco sauce.
Cornelia was rude, kicking Godfrey out with
the breakfast tray. Cornelia holds grudges. Irene falls all
over Godfrey. Despite it all, Godfrey stays on, despite all
the crazy situations and people surrounding him.
As the story unfolds, the audience learns the
truth about Godfrey, while Irene discovers much later in the
movie that this tramp- turned-butler was actually richer than
she was. The combination of Powell, the very model of urbane
sophistication, with the "wonderful zaniness" of Lombard
really adds to the hilarity of their situation, and the comedic
atmosphere of this 1936 classic film.
Hints are given early on to the audience as
to the fact that Godfrey isn't who he pretends to be. At a party
hosted by Irene, Godfrey bumps into Tommy Gray (Alan Mowbray
I), despite his efforts to avoid Tommy. Tommy is a good friend
of his, as well as a friend of the Bullock family. Tommy, who
doesn't quite understand why his friend is working as a butler,
ad-libs a big whopper on how he knew Godfrey, which isn't well
received by Irene, as Tommy ends his story telling masterpiece
by stating that Godfrey has 5 children by an Indian woman.
The audience is enlightened further when Godfrey
on his day off, goes to a restaurant / bar to meet with Tommy,
where Cornelia also happens to be. Godfrey explains himself
to Tommy.
After talking to Tommy, Cornelia has Tommy called
away for a phone call, and offers to get on a better foot with
Godfrey, who retorts that on his day off, he should be able
to be with people he wants to be with.
To complicate matters, Irene falls more in
love with Godfrey and Cornelia schemes to try to get even with
Godfrey, by putting her pearl necklace under Godfrey's bed mattress
in his room, and accusing him of stealing it. When the police
fail to find the pearls there, Cornelia is surprised. The audience
knows, however, that despite his tipsy state, Godfrey found
the pearls. What is he going to do with them? The audience is
pleasantly surprised by the end of the film.
Godfrey, while working for the Bullocks, is
coming up with a way to give the destitute men living at the
dump jobs by forming a new partnership with Tommy. After he
quits working for the Bullocks, when he felt himself falling
in love with Irene, the audience is let on to his plans. While
Godfrey is trying to forget Irene, Irene won't forget him, and
follows him to his new business endeavor. Will she get her man?
This hilarious screenplay was by the gifted
comedic writer Morrie Ryskind who also wrote "A Night at
the Opera" and "Animal Crackers."
The marvelous direction is the work of the
talented Gregory La Cava, who had a reputation as a sure-footed
comedy director, for good reason. He had an incredible gift
of being able to coax great performances out of his actors and
actresses.
Besides being a really top notch comedy, this
film also describes the conditions that existed in the depression
era, and the differences in thinking between the haves and the
have nots, avoiding the tendency to wallow in pity for the "forgotten
men, " who strive to go back to work. This screenplay skillfully
weaves a social commentary into a mad cap comedy without beating
the audience over the head with it.
William Powell and Carole Lombard, who both
received Academy Award nominations for their efforts are marvelous
together. Powell plays his part straight as an arrow, which
is a good contrast to the nuttiness around him, especially the
comic genius of Lombard.
William Powell, as Godfrey, a man with a big
secret agrees to be the family butler, becoming Irene's teacher,
confidant, eventually falling in love with her.
Carole Lombard, as Irene Bullock, is a "silly,
spoiled rich girl" with a good heart who needs to be enlightened
in her thinking and her feelings. She enlightens Godfrey in
return about love.
The epitome of the ultimate fruitcake has to
be Alice Brady's character, Angelica Bullock, the mother of
Irene and Cornelia. Alice Brady also won an Academy nomination.
This film is suitable for the whole family,
though young children may not follow the plot.
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