DVD Review: My Man Godfrey

The Film Detective is a new series of restored classic films that launched this month with several familiar titles, including the absolutely wonderful film My Man Godfrey, starring William Powell and Carole Lombard. This film has seen several other DVD releases, of varying quality. This new edition’s transfer is quite good, and should please fans of the film as well as newcomers.

My Man Godfrey was released in 1936, during the Great Depression, and it opens with two men gathering at a shanty town in a dump to discuss the day’s luck. One had a racket going, but the cops put an end to it. He says, “If them cops would stick to their own racket and leave honest guys alone, we’d get somewhere in this country without a lot of this relief and all that stuff.” And then suddenly some rich folks arrive, including two sisters, one of whom, Cornelia (Gail Patrick), rushes up to Godfrey and offers him five dollars to come with her as part of a scavenger hunt. In some excellent dialogue, Godfrey turns her down.

The other sister, Irene (Carole Lombard), then speaks with him. Carole Lombard is absolutely fantastic in this film, right from the start. I love her delivery, the way she rushes and laughs through certain lines, certain ideas. She has this brilliant nervous energy. This is her description of a scavenger hunt: “Well, a scavenger hunt is exactly like a treasure hunt, except in a treasure hunt you try to find something you want and in a scavenger hunt you try to find something that nobody wants… And the one that wins gets a prize, only there really is no prize. It’s just the honor of winning, because all the money goes to charity. That is, if there’s any money left over, and there never is.” After Godfrey agrees to go with Irene, to help her beat Cornelia and out of a sense of curiosity, she returns the favor by giving him a job – as the family’s butler. She quickly gains (and exhibits) great affection for him, but it is soon apparent that there is more to Godfrey’s story than is initially given.

The scene where Godfrey meets the maid, Molly (Jean Dixon), is excellent. Jean Dixon is wonderful, telling him that there are new butlers in the house all the time, not because the family is exacting, but because they’re nutty. Even what could be the weakest bit of dialogue is delivered perfectly and ends up being hilarious, when Godfrey asks, “May I be frank,” and Molly replies, “Is that your name?” Godfrey tells her, “My name is Godfrey,” and Molly responds, “All right, be frank.” Her straight delivery of “All right, be frank” totally makes the whole thing work.

Alice Brady is excellent as Mrs. Bullock. I particularly love when she says she doesn’t like pixies but doesn’t believe they should be stepped on. And you can’t help but love her great logic when she announces, “Well, I’m positive I didn’t ride a horse into the library because I didn’t have my riding costume on.” The entire cast is excellent, but Carole Lombard really stands out, delivering an impeccable performance, shining in basically ever scene. I love the scene in the morning when she first sees Godfrey as the butler. “It’s funny how some things make you think of other things,” she says thoughtfully.

My Man Godfrey is quite funny, with excellent dialogue, delightful performances, and some social commentary. It was directed by Gregory La Cava, and was released on DVD as part of The Film Detective Archive series on September 11, 2014. The DVD has no special features.