{"id":29136,"date":"2013-02-13T15:49:55","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T22:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29136"},"modified":"2020-12-31T15:21:34","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T22:21:34","slug":"my-man-godfrey-1936","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29136","title":{"rendered":"My Man Godfrey (1936)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;re more than a butler &#8212; you&#8217;re the first protege I ever had!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/My-Man-Godfrey-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/My-Man-Godfrey-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-29137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/My-Man-Godfrey-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/My-Man-Godfrey-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/My-Man-Godfrey-Poster-672x1024.jpg 672w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/My-Man-Godfrey-Poster.jpg 1388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a ditzy heiress (Carole Lombard) befriends a &#8220;forgotten man&#8221; (William Powell) she meets while on a scavenger hunt, she invites him to work as a butler for her family, and quickly finds herself falling in love with him &#8212; unaware that he&#8217;s really a wealthy businessman in disguise. Meanwhile, her resentful sister (Gail Patrick) is determined to make life miserable for Godfrey (Powell), while her father (Eugene Pallette) struggles to keep his family&#8217;s spending under control, and her mother (Alice Brady) amuses herself with her mooching protege (Mischa Auer).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carole Lombard Films<\/li>\n<li>Class Relations<\/li>\n<li>Heiresses<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken Identities<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<li>William Powell Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that the &#8220;interesting premise&#8221; of this &#8220;classic screwball comedy&#8221; &#8212; that &#8220;it is the bum who has manners and discipline [while] the society clan are wild&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell-1024x762.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"476\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell-1024x762.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell-768x572.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell-363x270.png 363w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell.png 1377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; is ruined by the plot &#8220;twist&#8221; (given away early) that Godfrey (Powell) is actually a millionaire in disguise. He posits that while screenwriters Eric Hatch and Morrie Ryskind &#8220;may have had praiseworthy intentions&#8221; by wanting &#8220;Powell to discuss cynically both the plight and the nobility of the unemployed during the Depression&#8221;, director &#8220;Gregory La Cava has trouble maintaining a humorous thread while injecting serious themes&#8221;; he argues that &#8220;if the film&#8217;s going to attempt social criticism, it shouldn&#8217;t be so timid about it&#8221;. He concludes his review by noting that the &#8220;film succeeds not because of the story or direction but because of the spirited performances&#8221;, with &#8220;suave Powell and daffy Lombard [possessing] some great moments together&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t quite agree with most of Peary&#8217;s sentiments, given that I find the fast-paced screenplay consistently clever and witty, and don&#8217;t have any problem with the way Powell&#8217;s mysterious character is written. Indeed, it&#8217;s likely that if the social themes were taken more seriously, the entire affair would ultimately be much less successful as a wacky screwball flick. Peary&#8217;s right, however, to call out the fine performances by Lombard and Powell, who do indeed possess great chemistry together; it&#8217;s especially touching to know that they were divorced, yet still affectionate enough towards one other to maintain good relations. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1373\" height=\"1023\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell.png 1373w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell-1024x763.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell-768x572.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard-Powell-362x270.png 362w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1373px) 100vw, 1373px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m also fond of the supporting performances throughout this ensemble piece &#8212; most notably gravelly-voiced character actor Eugene Pallette as the family&#8217;s harried patriarch, and fey Franklin Pangborn in an early bit role as the officiant for the scavenger hunt (a wonderful extended scene) that propels the plot into action. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carole Lombard as Irene Bullock (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60762\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Lombard2.png 1377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>William Powell as Godfrey (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2-1024x757.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"473\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2-1024x757.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Powell2.png 1381w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Eugene Pallette as Alexander Bullock: &#8220;Life in this family is one subpoena after the other.&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2-1024x759.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60753\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2-1024x759.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2-364x270.png 364w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pallette2.png 1375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Franklin Pangborn in a bit part as a scavenger hunt official<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Pangborn.png 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography-1024x765.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography-1024x765.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/My-Man-Godfrey-Cinematography.png 1383w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine screwball classic. Added to the National Film Registry in 1999, and listed as #44 on AFI\u2019s &#8220;100 Funniest Movies&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0028010\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/09\/18\/archives\/the-screen-my-man-godfrey.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s280godfrey.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/my-man-godfrey\/review\/107049\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/4063\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/myman.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/this-month\/article\/62614|0\/My-Man-Godfrey.html\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/73757\/my_man_godfrey.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re more than a butler &#8212; you&#8217;re the first protege I ever had!&#8221; Synopsis: When a ditzy heiress (Carole Lombard) befriends a &#8220;forgotten man&#8221; (William Powell) she meets while on a scavenger hunt, she invites him to work as a butler for her family, and quickly finds herself falling in love with him &#8212; unaware that he&#8217;s really a wealthy businessman in disguise. Meanwhile, her resentful sister (Gail Patrick) is determined to make life miserable for Godfrey (Powell), while her&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29136\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29136"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60763,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29136\/revisions\/60763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}