My Man Godfrey

 

(1936)
Directed by Gregory La Cava
Written by Morrie Ryskind, Eric Hatch
Starring William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Jean Dixon, Eugene Pallette, Alan Mowbray, Mischa Auer
IMDB Entry

I've been a fan of William Powell for a long time. He had a nice ironic sense of humor and plenty of suave charm. Of course, he's best known for his turn as Nick Charles in the Thin Man series, but there were plenty of other opportunities to enjoy his performance.  My Man Godfrey,  while very successful in its day, seems to have taken a back seat, but he's as good in this as in anything else.

Godfrey Smith (Powell) is living in the city dump, the refuge for a large contingent of homeless men. He is approached by Cornelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) as part of a scavenger hunt, where rich people amuse themselves by gathering odd items, in this case, a forgotten man.* When he's offered $5, he refuses. Cornelia's sister, Irene (Carole Lombard) is amused and glad that her spoiled older sister isn't getting what she wants. Godfrey decides to help Irene get some petty revenge of Cornelia by agreeing to be the forgotten man.**

Irene takes her home and hired him to be their new butler. Godfrey meets the family: exasperated father Alexander (Eugene Pallette), scatterbrained mother Angela (Alice Brady), Cornelia, Irene, and Angela's protege Carlo (Mischa Auer), who's biggest talent is his appetitive.

Godfrey is the perfect butler, keeping calm and quiet as the family goes about its madness.*** Meanwhile, Irene falls in love, Cornelia tried to discredit him, and, it turns out, Godfrey is not telling the truth about his past.

There are a lot of similarities between Godfrey and Nick Charles, and Powell definitely carries the movie. Lombard is especially good, too: ditzy without being stupid, and extremely charming. It's too bad her life was cut short; she could be become a icon of comedy.

Movies of the 30s often cast people according to stereotypes, and this was no exception. Alice Brady is fine as the ever more scatterbrained mother of Irene, and Eugene Pallett -- of the raspy voice -- makes a great icon of comic frustration. Mischa Auer was known for playing the wild-eyed Russian. Franklin Pangborn and Grady Sutton were foils to W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick.

Gail Patrick had the most interesting career. She grew tired of playing second-fiddle roles and left acting to go into producing. Years after the film, she became producer of Perry Mason (as Gail Patrick Jackson).

The movie is a classic of the screwball comedy genre.

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*A 1930s designation for people unemployed due to the Depression.

** Irene's description is comic gold:  "Well, a scavenger hunt is exactly like a treasure hunt, except in a treasure hunt you try to find something you want, and in a scavenger hunt you try to find something that nobody wants.... and the one who wins gets a prize, only there really isn't a prize. It's just the honor of winning, because all the money goes to charity, that is, if there is any money left over, but there never is."

***The family reminds me of the Vanderhoff's in You Can't Take it With You. The movie came out a couple of months before the play opened, so it's possible Kauffman and Hart used it as an influence. Interestingly, the movie version also featured Mischa Auer.