Is there a movie equivalent to drinking a very dry martini? Good question. Yes, there is – and the answer is the 1936 screwball comedy treasure “My Man Godfrey” starring a delightfully effervescent Carole Lombard and a perfectly reserved William Powell. In 90 minutes, you will be charmed by one helluva amusing madcap cinematic treat that also has a sharp social commentary up its sleeve – for its humor derives from America’s class divide.
The bold and startling opening scene sets it all up. During the Depression, two competing wealthy sisters need to bring back to a ritzy hotel “a forgotten man” – a homeless man – as part of a ridiculous and vulgar scavenger hunt. They stop at a New York City dump. The arrogant sister Cornelia offers a tramp named Godfrey (William Powell) five dollars to come back with him. She ends up on a pile of trash. Irene (Carole Lombard,) the other sister, takes a different approach and convinces Godfrey not only to go with her but to become the wealthy family’s butler as well. Godfrey’s arrival at the house provides a sharp contrast to the rest of the household, and it is the source of most of the succulent humor in the movie. The Bullocks family is entitled, spoiled and clueless. They sit around all day sipping martinis and speaking about their pets and human proteges – who are both treated obscenely and hilariously as if they were the same. Carlo – the “pet” artist of the family is made to perform like a gorilla on command. The incensed patriarch is losing all his money and is seeing how his wife and daughters are spending it all. Mother has a constant heavy hangover and sees pixies everywhere. From the moment you meet the rich at the hotel at the top of the film – the scene plays like an insane asylum. Irene is part of this group – yes she’s ill-advised and foolish – but she’s kind and she means well – plus she’s fallen in love with Godfrey. Well, everyone has fallen in love with Godfrey. Godfrey (“God” + “free) is the great liberator. He brings sanity and common sense to this bunch. He ultimately bridges the class divide.
This film is hilarious. The dialogue is fast and smart and witty. Director Gregory La Cava encouraged improvisation from his actors. The physical humor and action are glorious pandemonium – centered by the stillness and simmering passion of William Powell’s performance. And that’s exactly the point. Lombard’s Irene is spastic – a screwball – an unhinged carousel horse – perfectly contrasted by the calming and wise force that is Powell’s Godfrey. In real life, Lombard and Powell had been married three years prior and had ended their relationship amicably. Their chemistry is combustible. Have I mentioned that the movie is very romantic?
I couldn’t think of a more timely and necessary film than this one. You do need “My Man Godfrey” in your life right now. Make it a martini with three olives.
Godfrey: “I can take care of myself.”
Irene: “You can’t look me in the eye and say that. You love me and you know it. You know, there’s no sense in struggling against a thing when it’s got you.”
Love,
Roger
Available to stream on Amazon Prime, Tubi and Sling. Available to rent on iTunes, YouTube and Google Play.
Screenplay by Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatch
Directed by Gregory La Cava
Starring: William Powell and Carole Lombard
94 minutes
About Director Gregory La Cava
Born on March 10, 1892 in Towanda, PA, La Cava studied painting at the Chicago Institute of Art and the Art Students League of New York, before being forced to leave due to financial considerations. In 1913, he moved on to performing odd jobs at the studio of silent era animator, Raoul Barré, and two years later, he was an animator on the “Animated Grough Chasers” series. Toward the end of 1915, La Cava was hired as the editor-in-chief of the International Film Service, an animation studio…only to again find himself out of work when the well went dry just a few months later. Instead of joining his fellow out-of-work animators at the newly formed Goldwyn-Bray studio, La Cava moved westward to Hollywood where he was hired as a gag writer for one- and two-reel shorts. He made his feature debut as a director with “His Nibs” (1921)…and went on to helm a series of all-star comedy two-reelers starring Charlie Murray. La Cava eventually directed a number of silent films, including the melodrama “Restless Wives” (1924), the comedy “Womanhandled” (1925) and “So’s Your Old Man” (1926), starring W.C. Fields. After directing frequent collaborator Richard Dix in the comedy “Let’s Get Married” (1926)…La Cava finished out the silent era with forgotten films like “Paradise for Two” (1927), “Gay Defender” (1927), “Half a Bride” (1928) and “Feel My Pulse” (1928). La Cava entered the sound era with the partial talkie “Saturday’s Children” (1929) and a rare crime drama “Big News” (1929). Following a return to comedy with “Laugh and Get Rich” (1931) and “The Half-Naked Truth” (1932), he directed Irene Dunn and Ricardo Cortez in the drama, “Symphony of Six Million” (1932). He next helmed the overtly political comedy, “Gabriel Over the White House” (1933). After the Helen Hayes comedy “What Every Woman Knows” (1934), he directed the Oscar-nominated “The Affairs of Cellini” (1934), which earned nods for Best Actor (Frank Morgan), Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Though he displayed considerable gifts throughout his career, few were prepared for what became his masterwork, “My Man Godfrey” (1936), a landmark screwball comedy that showcased Carole Lombard at her most definitive in her only Oscar-nominated role, while earning six Academy Award nominations altogether, including Best Director. La Cava earned his second nomination for Best Director with his follow-up effort, “Stage Door” (1937). (TCM.com)
Bringing My Man Godfrey to the Screen
“The director of My Man Godfrey- Gregory La Cava…found his own course to freedom within the studio system. A former animator who began directing two-reel comedies in the company of Leo McCarey and Frank Capra, La Cava freelanced for much of his career, holding studio bosses in contempt and preferring to find a more organic style of working, one that mirrored that of the screenwriter of My Man Godfrey, Morrie Ryskind. The Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of the play Of Thee I Sing (1932), with George S. Kaufman, and a screenwriter in his own right (A Night at the Opera, 1935), Ryskind was hired to write the script for My Man Godfrey. His usual method for preparing a screenplay was rather unorthodox – he usually work-shopped his scripts with an informal team of colleagues. In this case, he rewrote and improvised dialog, often on the set, with the film’s two leads and the director. La Cava also preferred this method of working, and was known for reshaping scenes and rewriting on the set, often shooting without a finished script. This spontaneous approach influenced the role of Irene, which was actually based on Carole Lombard. La Cava had other eccentricities. When the director and star William Powell found themselves in a disagreement about the portrayal of Godfrey, the two spent an evening with a bottle of Scotch, reaching consensus hours later on the character’s depiction. Arriving on the set the next morning with a headache, but intending to get a day’s work done, La Cava discovered that Powell was nowhere to be found. A telegram was delivered to the set from the absent actor. It read, “WE MAY HAVE FOUND GODFREY LAST NIGHT BUT WE LOST POWELL. SEE YOU TOMORROW.” (TCM.com)
The Success and Influence of My Man Godfrey
“My Man Godfrey became a runaway hit, earning huge profits and six Oscar nominations, although it surprisingly didn’t win in any category. Nevertheless, it confirmed William Powell’s status as a leading man (He followed this with Libeled Lady [1936] starring Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow) and La Cava subsequently made the popular backstage comedy Stage Door (1937). In the part of the dizzy heiress, Carole Lombard (she was originally suggested for the role by her ex-husband Powell) finally revealed her full potential as a comedienne and actress. She also won a Best Actress nomination for her performance. In addition, My Man Godfrey garnered nominations for Best Actor (Powell), Best Supporting Actor (Mischa Auer), Best Supporting Actress (Alice Brady), Best Director and Best Screenplay. In 1957, Universal-International remade My Man Godfrey with June Allyson and David Niven in the lead roles but it was a pale imitation of the original film.” (TCM.com)