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My Man Godfrey is a screwball comedy film released in 1936 by Universal Pictures. The film has since fallen into the public domain, and has been re-released by various distributors. In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Image File history File links My_Man_Godfrey_(Criterion_Collection). ...
Born on March 10th 1892 in Towanda Pennsylvania. ...
Born on March 10th 1892 in Towanda Pennsylvania. ...
Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 - March 1, 1952) was an American film director of the 1930s. ...
Morrie Ryskind (born Morris Ryskind 20 October 1895 in New York City, New York, USA - 24 August 1985 in Washington, DC), was a Jewish-American Hollywood and Broadway writer, lyricist, and director. ...
William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ...
Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ...
Universal Studios Theme Parks. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ...
This article is about the day of the year. ...
1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
The screwball comedy has proven to be one of the most elusive of the film genres. ...
1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Universal Studios Theme Parks. ...
The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
The Great Hall interior. ...
The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...
The movie was adapted by Morrie Ryskind, Eric Hatch and Gregory LaCava (uncredited) from the novel 1101 Park Avenue by Hatch in which a socialite hires a derelict as her butler, only to fall in love with him, to his dismay. The film was directed by LaCava, and stars William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Mischa Auer and Alan Mowbray. Morrie Ryskind (born Morris Ryskind 20 October 1895 in New York City, New York, USA - 24 August 1985 in Washington, DC), was a Jewish-American Hollywood and Broadway writer, lyricist, and director. ...
Born on March 10th 1892 in Towanda Pennsylvania. ...
William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ...
Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ...
Alice Brady (November 2, 1892–October 28, 1939) was an American actress in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Mischa Auer (17 November 1905 in St. ...
Alan Mowbray (August 18, 1896 - March 25, 1969), was a British stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. ...
Plot Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. During the Great Depression, Godfrey "Smith" (William Powell) lives alongside other men down on their luck in the city dump. One day, snooty socialite Cornelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) offers him five dollars to be her "forgotten man" for a scavenger hunt. Annoyed, he backs her up until she falls on a pile of rubbish. She leaves in a fury, much to the glee of her sister Irene (Carole Lombard). After talking with her, Godfrey finds her to be kind, if a bit scatter-brained. He offers to go with Irene to help her beat Cornelia and "see just what a scavenger hunt looks like." The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 (although it effects were not fully felt until late in 1930) and lasting through most of the 1930s. ...
William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ...
A scavenger hunt is a game in which individuals or teams seek to find all items on a list. ...
Pandemonium reigns in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Ritz Hotel. Irene's long-suffering businessman father, Alexander Bullock (Eugene Pallette), waits resignedly as his ditsy wife, Angelica (Alice Brady), and her mooching artist/protégé Carlo (Mischa Auer) play the frivolous game. Godfrey arrives and is "authenticated" by the scavenger hunt judge. He then addresses the idle rich, expressing his contempt for their antics. Irene is apologetic and offers him a job as the family butler. He gratefully accepts. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
The next morning, Godfrey is shown what to do by the sardonic, wise-cracking maid, Molly (Jean Dixon), the only servant who has been able to put up with the vagarities of the zany family. She warns him that he is just the latest in a long line of butlers. Only slightly daunted, he proves to be surprisingly competent, although Cornelia still holds a sizeable grudge: "When I get through with you, you'll go back to your packing case on the city dump and relish it." On the other hand, Irene is thrilled by the success of her protégé.
A complication arises when a guest, Tommy Gray (Alan Mowbray), greets him as a former classmate. Godfrey quickly ad-libs that he was Tommy's valet at school. His friend plays along, mentioning Godfrey's non-existent wife and five children. Dismayed, Irene impulsively announces her engagement to the surprised Charlie Van Rumple (Grady Sutton). But she soon breaks down in tears and flees after being politely congratulated by Godfrey.
Over lunch the next day, Tommy is curious to know what one of the elite "Parkes of Boston" is doing as a servant. Godfrey explains that a broken love affair had left him considering suicide, but the optimistic, undaunted attitude of the men living at the dump rekindled his spirit.
Meanwhile, when everything she does to make Godfrey's life miserable fails, Cornelia sneaks into his room and plants her pearl necklace under his mattress. She then calls the police to report her "missing" jewelry. To Cornelia's surprise, the pearls do not turn up, even when she suggests they check Godfrey's bed. Mr. Bullock realizes his daughter had orchestrated the whole thing and sees the policemen out.
Screenshot from the colorized DVD release The Bullocks then send their daughters off to Europe, supposedly for a vacation, but in reality, because they are worried that Irene is getting too attached to Godfrey. When they return, Cornelia insinuates that Godfrey is actually attracted to her. The alarmed Irene stages a fainting spell and falls into his arms. In one of the film's best-known sequences, Godfrey carries the swooning girl to her bed. While searching for smelling salts, he realizes she's faking when he sees her (in a mirror) sit up briefly. In revenge, he puts her in the shower and turns on the cold water full blast. Far from quenching her attraction, this act merely confirms what she had hoped: "Oh Godfrey, now I know you love me...You do or you wouldn't have lost your temper." Image File history File links My_Man_Godfrey_(newer_colorized_version). ...
Image File history File links My_Man_Godfrey_(newer_colorized_version). ...
When confronted by the rest of the family, Godfrey quits. But Mr. Bullock has more pressing concerns. He first has a private "little chat" with Carlo, throwing the freeloader out. Then he announces that his business is in dire financial straits. Godfrey interrupts, explaining that he bought the stock Mr. Bullock had sold to keep afloat, using money raised by pawning Cornelia's necklace. He turns over the stock to the stunned Mr. Bullock and returns the necklace to the humbled Cornelia. Then he leaves.
With the rest of his stock profits and reluctant business partner Tommy Gray's backing, Godfrey had built a fashionable nightclub at the dump, "...giving food and shelter to fifty people in the winter, and giving them employment in the summer." Irene tracks him down there and bulldozes the reluctant Godrey into marriage, saying: "Stand still, Godfrey, it'll all be over in a minute."
Spoilers end here.
Awards and nominations The film was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories: Best Actor in a Leading Role (William Powell), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mischa Auer), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Carole Lombard), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Alice Brady), Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was the first movie to be nominated in all acting categories. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ...
The Academy Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...
The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...
The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...
The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ...
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ...
1957 remake The film was remade in 1957 starring June Allyson, David Niven (who had played the role of Tommy Gray in the 1938 radio version), Jessie Royce Landis, Robert Keith and Eva Gabor. It was adapted by Peter Berneis, William Bowers and Everett Freeman, and directed by Henry Koster. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
June Allyson June Allyson (born October 7, 1917) is an American actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. ...
David Niven was the second unofficial James Bond. ...
1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Jessie Royce Landis (25 November 1904 - 2 February 1972) was an American actress. ...
Robert Keith (February 10, 1896/8 – December 22, 1966) was an actor who appeared in several dozen films, mostly in the 1950s as a character actor. ...
Éva Gábor Eva Gabor (February 11, 1919–July 4, 1995) was a Hungarian born actress. ...
William Bowers (Las Cruces, 1916 - Woodland Hills, 1987) was a reporter in Long Beach before becoming a screenwriter and specializing in writing comedy westerns and also turned out several thrillers. ...
Henry Koster (May 1, 1905-September 21, 1988) was born Herman Kosterlitz in Berlin, Germany. ...
Home Video Availability Because My Man Godfrey had fallen into the public domain, it had been released only on several low-quality, yet legal DVD and VHS editions. In 2002, it was made available officially on DVD for the first time, through The Criterion Collection. In 2005, 20th Century Fox Home Video released a colorized version of the film. Image File history File links My_Man_Godfrey_(Legend_Films). ...
Image File history File links My_Man_Godfrey_(Legend_Films). ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Top view VHS cassette with U.S. 25c coin for scale Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS or simply as Video, is a recording and playing standard for video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by JVC (with some...
For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
The Criterion Collection is a line of authoritative consumer versions of important classic and contemporary films on laserdisc and, later, DVD. It was established as a joint venture between Janus Films and the Voyager Company in the mid-1980s. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ...
Colorization in Sin City Film Colorization is a film alteration process that involves adding color to a black and white film. ...
External links - My Man Godfrey at the Internet Movie Database
- My Man Godfrey at the Internet Archive
- Diane Jacobs essay on the original at criterionco.com
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