Mein Mann Godfrey (1936)

Mein Mann Godfrey: Directed by Gregory La Cava. With William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick. A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler – but there’s more to Godfrey than meets the eye.

“u0026quot;My Man Godfreyu0026quot; successfully blends the two most prominent schools of film comedy from the 1930u0026#39;s: `sophisticationu0026#39; and `screwball.u0026#39; It smears the conservative upper-crust milieu with the keen eye of `Dinner at Eightu0026#39; and the pie-in-your-face irreverence of `You Canu0026#39;t Take It with You,u0026#39; with as many witticisms as either and probably more sexual innuendos. Occasional predictability keeps it from being on par with u0026quot;It Happened One Nightu0026quot; or u0026quot;Trouble in Paradise,u0026quot; but it is still one of the most emblematic films of its era.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWilliam Powell is pitch perfect as Godfrey Parke, the hobo-turned-butler, breezing effortlessly through every scene. Carole Lombard also turns in one of her most cherished performances as Irene Bullock, the spoiled socialite who pretends to enjoy her wealth but really just wants to be around someone human. As their relationship progresses, Godfreyu0026#39;s humility rubs off on Irene and ultimately frees her from her elite family, which offered her security but only made her unstable. `My Man Godfreyu0026#39; has no mercy on the aristocracy of the ‘30u0026#39;s, skewing it as socially incompetent and morally bankrupt. `All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.u0026#39; How terribly true.”