My Man Godfrey (1936) Director: Gregory La Cava
“Prosperity is just around the corner.”
★★★★☆
An amusing and chaotic screwball comedy starring former lovers William Powell and Carole Lombard, My Man Godfrey is based on a story by Eric Hatch called “1101 Park Avenue” about a man who loses all his money during the Great Depression and is forced to take a job as a butler for an affluent Park Avenue family where he meets their quirky, eccentric daughter. This was the height of William Powell’s career, amidst a string of Oscar nominations including as the titular lead in the Best Picture-winner The Great Ziegfeld. Today, My Man Godfrey is often regarded as Carole Lombard’s finest hour. It was later remade in 1957, though the 1936 version is generally considered the better production. It was a critical and commercial success upon initial release, and it remains a celebrated landmark screwball comedy from the 1930s.
My Man Godfrey stars William Powell and Carole Lombard, who were previously married and then divorced (1931-1933). Powell requested that his ex-wife, Lombard (who was still his close friend), play his counterpart in the film (even though he was in love with Jean Harlowe at this time). The plot of the film takes place during the Great Depression wherein Powell’s character, Godfrey Parke, a Harvard graduate, is living in a slum near the 59th Street Bridge in New York City. A group of high-class socialites are on their way to a party. They stop to bring a bum to their party for entertainment. Godfrey initially refuses to join at the invitation of a spoiled older sister, whom he advances on and she falls into a pile of ashes, However, Godfrey joins at the request of her sweeter younger sister, Irene. He attends the party as a “forgotten man,” however he delivers a blistering attack on the emptiness of the rich elite at the party. Irene begins falling in love with him, and she hires Godfrey as the family’s butler. He quickly realizes the chaos of the family, as everyone is apparently on the verge of an emotional breakdown at any given time. Godfrey is nearly exposed for his true identity when an old friend from Harvard recognizes Godfrey at a party, though he covers pretending he was the valet for him.
The older sister, Cornelia, is trying to ruin the life of Godfrey. Eventually, she plants a pearl necklace in his room, and calls the police and attempting to frame him for robbery, however they do not find the necklace. Meanwhile, Irene pretended she was engaged to get the attention of Godfrey, and after she calls it off, she returns home. The father of the family announces that he has lost all of the family’s fortune in the stock market decline, however Godfrey comes in to save the day. Using the pearl necklace as collateral, he shorted the market and bought up all the father’s lost shares in his name, preserving the family’s wealth. He then returns the necklace to Cornelia. He then leaves his job as a butler with the family. He takes his share of the stock profits and goes to start a business at his old spot down by the river called “The Dump”, giving food and shelter to many. At the end, Irene bustles her way back into his life –she moves in and amusingly strong arms Godfrey into marrying her.
During production, My Man Godfrey had trouble securing the right actors for major roles, and at one point Powell and La Cava had a disagreement over the portrayal of Godfrey, so they settled their disagreement over a bottle of scotch. The next morning during the shoot, La Cava showed up with a headache and a telegram from Powell that read: “WE MAY HAVE FOUND GODFREY LAST NIGHT BUT WE LOST POWELL. SEE YOU TOMORROW.” Carole Lombard’s career continued onward from My Man Godfrey, and she later had a very public marriage to Clark Gable in 1939, but she tragically died at the age of thirty-three in a plane crash in 1942 returning home from a War Bonds tour in the Midwest.
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Credits
- Director: Gregory La Cava
- Screenplay by: Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatch (with contributing writers Zoë Akins and Robert Presnell Sr.)
- Based on: “1101 Park Avenue,” a 1935 novel by Eric Hatch
- Produced by: Charles R. Rogers
- Starring:
- William Powell
- Carole Lombard
- Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
- Edited by: Ted J. Kent and Russell F. Schoengarth
- Music by: Charles Previn and Rudy Schrager (both uncredited)
- Production Company: Universal Pictures