My Man Godfrey

Gregory La Cava, 1936

My Man Godfrey stars William Powell as Godfrey and Carole Lombard as Irene. Godfrey is used a pawn throughout the screwball comedy. What begins as a group of wealthy people involved in a rather unusual scavenger hunt progresses into a job opportunity for Godfrey. Irene and her sister Cornelia are looking for a “forgotten man” when they venture into the City dump and find Godfrey. He offends and embarrasses Cornelia after she offers him five dollars to come with her. Amazed that someone actually stood up to Cornelia and put her in her place, Irene goes over and thanks him. Godfrey decides to help Irene win the scavenger hunt. Upon returning to the hotel and winning the hunt, Godfrey promptly gives the room full of players a piece of his mind. His stern words are seen as refreshing honesty by Irene and she offers him a job as the family’s butler and he accepts. This does not sit well with Cornelia when she finds out.

The one-sided cold war between Cornelia and Godfrey begins, only he doesn’t know it. When he reports for work the next morning he is thrown into the insane world of the Bullocks. Each member of the family seems to be equally crazy. Irene and Mrs. Bullock are the ditzy ones and Cornelia is the mean one. Then there is Mrs. Bullock’s protégé, Carlo, who is a moocher, and pretends to faint when the subject of money comes up. Molly, the maid, is the eyes and ears of the house. Last but not least there is Mr. Bullock, who is most likely the only sane one in the family. He handles all the family and business finances.

While working for the family, Irene begins to fall for Godfrey but he rejects her advances. It is later discovered that he is recovering from failed romance and that is the reason for his being in the City dump in the first place. He actually comes from an upper class family similar to the Bullocks but probably not as crazy. During a dinner party hosted by the lady of the house, Tommy Gray, one of the guests, recognizes him. At the request of Godfrey, Tommy creates this crazy story about how Godfrey has a wife and five children. Brokenhearted, Irene announces her “engagement” to an unsuspecting suitor. Unfortunately, it is only a ploy to get a reaction from Godfrey. It doesn’t work, leading the engagement to be short-lived. Later in the film, Cornelia uses Irene’s affection for Godfrey against her when she implies that she plans to seduce him. In addition to that, she attempts to set him up to be arrested but that plan also fails when Mr. Bullock discovers what she is trying to do.

Godfrey has finally had enough of this family and quits, but not before helping the family one last time. Mr. Bullock tells the family that his business is crumbling and that they are broke. However, that is not entirely true. All the stock that was sold off was actually bought up by Godfrey. He signs over all the stock receipts to Mr. Bullock, saving the family from becoming poor. At the end of the movie, Godfrey has secretly stashed away some money and built a nightclub in the same city dump that Irene found in the beginning with the help of his friend, Tommy. Irene tracks him down and brings a preacher with her and tells Godfrey that they are getting married. This weird movie ends with Irene telling him, “Stand still, Godfrey. It’ll all be over in a minute.”

Charley Thacker