My Man Godfrey (1936) [Romance] [Comedy]

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“My Man Godfrey” is an American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava. The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on “1011 Fifth”, a short novel by Eric Hatch. 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.

During the Great Depression, Godfrey “Smith” (William Powell) is living alongside other men down on their luck at the city dump. One night, spoiled socialite Cornelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) offers him five dollars to be her “forgotten man” for a scavenger hunt. Annoyed, he advances on her, causing her to retreat and fall on a pile of ashes. She leaves in a fury, much to the glee of her younger 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. 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 “protégé” Carlo (Mischa Auer) play the frivolous game. Godfrey arrives and is “authenticated” by the scavenger hunt judge as a “forgotten man”. 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 antics of the 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 considers Godfrey to be her protégé, and is thrilled by his success. A complication arises when a guest, Tommy Gray (Alan Mowbray), greets Godfrey familiarly as an old friend. Godfrey quickly ad-libs that he was Tommy’s valet at school. Tommy 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 to get Irene away from Godfrey. When they return, Cornelia implies that she intends to seduce Godfrey. Worried, Irene stages a fainting spell and falls into Godfrey’s arms. He carries her to her bed, but 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 merely confirms her hopes: “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…

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Directed and produced by Gregory La Cava, written by Eric Hatch, Morrie Ryskind and Gregory LaCava, starring William Powell as Godfrey Park, Carole Lombard as Irene Bullock, Alice Brady as Angelica Bullock, Gail Patrick as Cornelia Bullock, Eugene Pallette as Alexander Bullock, Jean Dixon as Molly, Alan Mowbray as Tommy Gray, Mischa Auer as Carlo, Pat Flaherty as Mike Flaherty, Robert Light as Faithful George and Grady Sutton as Charlie Van Rumple.

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Source: “My Man Godfrey” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 7 August 2013. Web. 26 August 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Man_Godfrey.

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28 Replies to “My Man Godfrey (1936) [Romance] [Comedy]”

  2. I never saw this before, but when I was little, I saw movies like this on TV and thought that when I grew up I would be able to to the theatre and see more like this. But the movies grew up too, and became weary and cynical. I'm glad that these old flicks are getting a second life for those of us who still like stories that are sweet natured. Pleasant night, all.

  3. Aslamo Alikum, peace and blessings of God be upon all of you. We are all brothers and sisters and children of one man Adam and one woman Eve. The beautiful girls and guys in videos are nothing but our beloved sisters and brothers. May God forgive them and all our brothers and sisters around the world. May God unite all of us in His love and mercy and in His obedience. If we will be thankful to God and obey Him, this world will become a paradise. And on Day of Judgment, God will give us even a bigger paradise so beautiful and lovely that we cannot imagine where all of us will live in joy and pleasure forever. Please never forget to say many thanks to God and praise Him all your days and nights and ask for His forgiveness all the time. Ameen. Jazak Allah. 🙂

  4. I like this movie a lot. Carole Lombard is fantastic. Why aren't there any women this beautiful anymore? Now all the female stars look like badly made barbi dolls, full of botox and silicon. Don't see how you can act when your face is frozen solid, but women in movies are not there to act, for the most part.

  5. PLEASE take a second to check out my short film titled HOMICIDIUM. The film is about a SCHIZOPHRENIC college student who has a MANIC episodes and violent visions of MURDERING his classmates.!!!!!

  6. Its a great movie, but culturally our nation has moved on from ditzy women having fainting spells…yes, Ms. Lombard is a great actress, but what is she trying to portray here? A 21-year old? I like screwball comedy, but this isn't quite as goofy as a screwball comedy…I think its the cultural viewpoints: they don't stand up to the test of time, current time. Wierd that "Bringing up baby" holds up after all these years but not so much "My Man Godfrey". I know the demographics of 1936 LOVED this film partly because of its portrayal of wealth. Nowadays we aren't quite so dazzled.

  8. I love this movie. The two stars William Powell and Carol Lombard are terrific. The humor never fails no matter how many times I watch it. A true classic. May it live for generations.

  9. May I just say screw the cultural changes about ditzy women. It's a comedy for crying out loud. Give me a break. Does the new view have to ruin everything that has gone before? Enjoy it for itself you idiots.

  16. My favorite William Powell movie of all time–and I am a genuine fan of his work. This one has a great script. Ditzy society people of the 30's acting silly while a sensible guy, "the forgotten man" sits on his ash pile and observes every social situation with wit and sophistication.
    And also with wisdom and sheer force of character.
    I fall in love with Godfrey every single time, and I've seen this picture literally dozens of times. I think that I am like many a woman who'd marry a man like Godfrey in a New York minute if one were available for her to say yes to.
    "The man's perfect. I've been wanting to say that all night, but I didn't have the nerve."
    That's one of the best asides written for any motion picture, and it sums up the film's title character beautifully. Thanks for sharing this. I already own the DVD, but have not watched it in a while. Too lazy this evening to do anything but watch it here LOL

  18. Still hysterically funny and who would know that "prosperity around the corner" arrived to most americans after the great war by destroying european economic capacity. Very topical by the way.

  19. ELLIS ISLAND TO HELL ON RHINE
    The late President Dwight Eisenhower sat foot on Ellis; and most likely, his accompanying entourage could have been Satan. Of course not, for Ike professed no religious intuition. If true,
    God and Satan were myths. Here was a born liberal. From out of no wheres an alien import became Chief in Command of U.S. military forces within Europe during WW11. The major drift here is that this individual became President of this United States of America. In essence, a well-planned con-job was pulled off on the national inarticulate citizenry through a well press-agent-ed intent to manufacture open lies, under the then Presidential gangster, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Franklin was a born scoundrel. As to his origins, a tool in the palms of the British Crown and the District of Columbia. His global political ties reversed back to the late President Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. This gang, consisting of spiritual ties, were globalists within their natural obligations to look out for a future universal syndicated machine of ruling financial engineers. Evidently, Ike was schooled in post political sycophancy; as Ike’s wants were simple and unassuming, in that lust and an egotistical figure brought out his natural instinct to become one of this world’s human mad-man and monster. In this image of a scoundrel, Roosevelt had found his boy !
    In Berlin, as of 1945, Ike was military General over Western Berlin. General Patton had no use for Eisenhower. Patton watched Ike run Christians, Mormons, Protestants, and Catholic from their homes in allowing commies out of prison to live better. The Red army, consisting of Asiatics and Mongolian stock, were barbarians and uncivilized. Christians in prison were starved, for Ike allowed them any food. Patton hated what he visioned. He kept a diary. After three tries Patton was murdered. We must go further to know that the late President Harry Solomon Truman fired MacArthur in 1950. Too, this small un-elected President also took Patton’s command from him.
    Eisenhower had four prisons camps West of the Rhine. Thousands of men, women and children were caged in by bob wire and no shelter. The Rhine River was close by, but Ike denied helping souls to suffer and die. Ike had actually caused the deaths of several million souls. This was one of the lowest sons of bitches that God has ever sent to earth. All though the war, Ike had his private shack job, Faye Summersby. In the White House, Allen Dulles, Secretary of state, relayed that no lady was safe around Ike. Ike came down with dementia and spent his last days playing golf. The ruling elite was glad to know that their chief stooge was dead.
    GOD HELP AMERICA

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Birth Certificates
    Wednesday, April 28, 2010
    By Don Nicoloff
    April 28, 2010
    Naysayers must now regroup and reinvent their ad hominem attacks. After it was revealed that former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was not born in Denison, Texas in 1890, nor anywhere else in the United States, a flurry of ‘Eisenhower’ articles appeared on the Internet as an ineffectually feeble, psychological counterbalance to the revelation that Eisenhower (aka David Dwight Eisenhower) was not a natural-born U.S. citizen. It so happens that he real name was “Johann Adolf Eisenhower,” and his lineage was traced to Solka, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary
    Show less

  23. Just a little bit of trivia. After Gail Patrick, the older sister Cornelia, retired from acting she started a production company and became the executive producer of Perry Mason.

  27. Hey Timeless Classics, thanks for sharing these lovely gems! I have a good amount of classics as well, and I want to share them on Youtube as well, how do you do it?

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