Free Great Movies Review
This Depression-era screwball comedy has a brisk pace and rapid fire dialogue, but how witty it all is will depend upon your sense of humor. William Powell plays Godfrey, a down on his luck "forgotten man", who is picked up by Carole Lombard in a scavenger hunt led by rich socialites. The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Lombard's character Irene Bullock instantly falls in love with Godfrey who she convinces to become the family butler. The plotting isn't as complex as an Ernst Lubitsch comedy, and the characters are generally one note with Powell playing Godfrey as smug and indifferent, and Lombard playing Irene as a weepy damsel who keeps throwing herself at Godfrey all the way to the conventional end. The film was a huge hit back in 1936 and was nominated for several Academy Awards.
Movie Description
My Man Godfrey is a 1936 American comedy-drama film directed by Gregory La Cava. The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on 1101 Park Avenue, a short novel by Eric Hatch. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her family's butler, only to fall in love with him, much to his dismay. The film stars William Powell and Carole Lombard. Powell and Lombard were divorced years earlier, but were good friends.
The film was remade in 1957 with June Allyson and David Niven in the starring roles. In 1999, the original version of My Man Godfrey was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
(Summary from Wikipedia)
Copyright Info: This movie is in the public domain and is legally available for free on YouTube.