Review of My Man Godfrey (1936) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011

An instant classic. Socialite Irene Bullock (Lombard) is going to a fancy party, and decides that she should have a forgotten man as her date. She goes to the city dump to find one where she meets Godfrey (Powell).

He agrees to go with her, and at the party, Irene decides that she wants Godfrey to be the family's butler, and he does. Irene's sister, Cornelia (Patrick) instantly hates him, while the mom (Brady) loves him.

Carole Lombard was hottest in Hollywood at this time, and was close to the point of being the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. At this point, everyone had loved her in comedy, with classics like "Twentieth Century" and "Nothing Sacred".

Though she had always considered "Nothing Sacred" to be her best comedy, this beats it out for my taste by all means. Her performance here is better first of all, is ten times better, and to me is her best role.

When I think of Lombard I think of this, and there's no reason not to, because it sums her up. A must-see let alone for that. William Powell was a huge deal as well, and had received the most fame by teaming up with Myrna Loy in an uncountable array of movies.

Sadly, she's not here, but this is truly a treat. He had already been married and divorced to Carole Lombard at this time, and I thought it would seem awkward between them, but luckily the chemistry's hot, adding a lot of flair to this.

Alice Brady reminds me of a '30's Thelma Ritter, and really actually steals the show here. Her role as the kooky matriarch gives even more laughs than Lombard or Powell, and I think had she had not died in 1942, she would have been a big-time character actress.

You gotta see "My Man Godfrey".