My Man Godfrey

Movie Information

Film historian Peter Loewer and Pack Library will screen My Man Godfrey at 6 p.m on Tuesday, April 5, in the newly renovated Lord Auditorium at the library.
Score:

Genre: Screwball Romantic Comedy
Director: Gregory La Cava
Starring: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Eugene Pallette, Gail Patrick, Jean Dixon, Mischa Auer
Rated: NR

Pack Library is back in the business of presenting film series again — this month with the help of film historian Peter Loewer and a roster of classic comedies, starting with Gregory La Cava’s My Man Godfrey (1936), one of the essentials of “screwball” comedy. Perhaps it may even be the essential one. From its glossy credits (probably the most striking title design of the decade) onward, it’s a slick, rich-looking production (despite its Depression setting) set in that movie-world version of New York that everyone just wished really existed. And, of course, it’s almost entirely populated by engaging, amusing characters, ranging from the mildly eccentric to the outright nuts. What better arena in which to play out a romance between a dizzy society girl (Carole Lombard) and the “forgotten man” (William Powell) she “rescued” from a packing case in the city dump and turned into the family butler. There’s a legend that there really was no script and that the film was made up as they went along, while the shoot was more like one long party. It’s probably not true—or at least entirely true—but the movie itself has something of that feeling.

SHARE
About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “My Man Godfrey

  1. luluthebeast

    I’d rather watch this again than what’s showing on the screens here. As a matter of fact, I’ll probably pull out my dvd and enjoy it all over again!

  2. Ken Hanke

    I hope you have the Criterion and not one of those PD copies. While I’d never not suggest that someone watch My Man Godfrey, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Insidious.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.