Barnes & Noble

My Man Godfrey firmly established Carole Lombard (To Be or Not to Be) as Hollywood's premier screen comedienne in the 1930s; and it has since taken its rightful place in the pantheon of essential screwball comedies. Lombard steals the show as Irene, a loopy New York heiress who tabs down-on-his-luck Godfrey Smith (played by Lombard's real-life former husband, William Powell) as the "forgotten man" she needs to complete a scavenger hunt. Captivated by the unflappable Godfrey, she hires him on "to butle" for her eccentric family, with hopes of eventually grooming him to be her de facto protégé. One aspect of the film's genius is displayed in the casting of its hard-luck hero: Contemporary audiences couldn't help but feel that if someone as sophisticated as Powell (The Thin Man) could bottom out, then surely anyone could. And Gregory La Cava's directing style (much of the dialogue was reworked on the set during production) finds its natural complement in the skill of his extraordinary supporting cast. Eugene Pallette excels as Irene's gravel-voiced father, while Alice Brady plays the role of the strong-willed but oblivious mother at perfect pitch. The underrated Gail Patrick keeps the story moving as the vengeful brat trying to upset her younger sister's fantasy; and Mischa Auer provides the film with some of its funniest moments playing Carlo, the ludicrous high society parasite willing to degrade himself in any manner required to stay in the family's good graces. While the politics of this class comedy are a bit confused -- what begins as a vaguely Marxist critique of American capitalism eventually dissolves into a rather reactionary climax -- they never threaten to disturb the delightfully charmed and topsy-turvy world that La Cava and his gifted performers have created. Donald Gray

All Movie Guide

One of the landmark "screwball" comedies of the 1930s, My Man Godfrey offers the radiant Carole Lombard in her definitive performance as flighty young heiress Irene Bullock, who on a society scavenger hunt stumbles on Godfrey (William Powell), an erudite hobo residing in the city dump. Godfrey becomes the family's butler, much to the dismay of Irene's father Alexander (Eugene Pallette), who thinks his household is crazy enough without another apparent lunatic under his roof. Halfway through the film, we discover that Godfrey isn't a penniless bum at all, but the scion of a wealthy Boston family. Having been burned by an unhappy romance, Godfrey dropped out of life, taking up residence in the dump. Here his faith in humanity was restored by his fellow indigents, who managed to survive and remain optimistic despite the worst deprivations. Meanwhile, however, he wants to straighten out the Bullock family, who he feels are a basically decent bunch beneath all their pretensions and eccentricities -- and along the way, of course, Irene determines that Godfrey will be her husband. While Godfrey's ultimate "solution" to the exigencies of the Depression seems more of a placebo, My Man Godfrey is all in all a totally satisfying jolt of 1930s-style wish fulfillment. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 882012000724
• Source: A2ZCDS INC
• Time: 1:33:00

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• My Man Godfrey (1936) / His Girl Friday
• Family Collection: 250 Movies
• Lombard/Powell Comedy Collection
• Comedy Classics: 100 Movie Pack
• Classic Comedy Collection
• Legends of Hollywood: Funny Ladies