My Man Godfrey (1936)

A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler...but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye.

Director:

Gregory La Cava

Writers:

Morrie Ryskind (screen play), Eric Hatch (screen play)

Stars:

William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Powell	...	Godfrey
Carole Lombard	...	Irene Bullock
Alice Brady	...	Angelica Bullock
Gail Patrick	...	Cornelia Bullock
Eugene Pallette	...	Alexander Bullock
Jean Dixon	...	Molly
Alan Mowbray	...	Tommy Gray
Mischa Auer	...	Carlo
Pat Flaherty	...	Mike Flaherty
Robert Light	...	Faithful George

Storyline

In the depths of the Depression, a party game brings dizzy socialite Irene Bullock to the city dump where she meets Godfrey, a derelict, and ends by hiring him as family butler. He finds the Bullocks to be the epitome of idle rich, and nutty as the proverbial fruitcake. Soon, the dramatizing Irene is in love with her 'protege'...who feels strongly that a romance between servant and employer is out of place, regardless of that servant's mysterious past...

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Plot Keywords:

butler | class differences | great depression | homelessness | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

6 September 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Al servicio de las damas

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$656,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 90 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Noiseless Recording Electric)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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Goofs

When Cornelia & Faithful George return to the scavenger hunt at the Waldorf Ritz, Cornelia addresses Godfrey by name, even though she had not actually learned it by that point in the film.

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Quotes

Cornelia Bullock: Will you do me a big favor?
Faithful George: Who do you want killed?
Cornelia Bullock: I'll do my own killing.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits features a darkened city skyline and the names of the cast and crew appear as the camera pans across lighted billboards and neon signs.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer-colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005)

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Soundtracks

Der Deitcher's Dog (Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone)
(1864) (uncredited)
Traditional
Based on the German folk song "Zu Lauterbach Hab' I Mein Strumpf Velor'n"

User Reviews

What an amazing film..

"My Man Godfrey" is truly one of the greatest films of the 20th century. Between comedy and romance, a great moral and wise words are nestled. The film's theme can best be stated by Godfrey's own words: "The only difference between a man and a derelict is a job.." The movie really hits home the fact that men are men, job or not. William Powell does a magnificent job at portraying Godfrey, the butler who humanizes derelicts everywhere. The cast is just as fantastic as the story. Carole Lombard does an amazing job at portraying Irene Bullock, the histrionic and comedic daughter of Alexander and Angelica Bullock, played by Eugene Palette and Alice Brady, both of whom do an amazing job as well. Gail Patrick also does great work as Cornelia Bullock,the uptight and bratty sister of Irene. Jean Dixon and Mischa Auer absolutely steal the show as the Bullocks' hysterical maid and protégé (respectively). The film is definitely a 10...rent it today!