Movie Monday: My Man Godfrey (1936)

Recently, I watched My Man Godfrey for the first time. I knew immediately that I wanted to write a review on this film! The way that Carole Lombard and William Powell were able to portray their characters so perfectly that even to this day we still consider their performances amazing proves how talent they both were.

After watching The Thin Man (another William Powell classic), I must say that I prefer Powell’s performance in My Man Godfrey. As controversial as this may seem, the way he was able to play the hard luck, bum the way he did really shows me his talents as an actor. Creating a wealthy, humorous character seems pretty easy, but to completely reinvent how you are perceived by playing a guy who lives at the local dump is what I call talent. Seeing William Powell in My Man Godfrey made me a fan of his, something I couldn’t have said before just by watching The Thin Man.

However, we can’t forget the unbelievable performance of Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey! This is arguably one of her most well known films and I can see why. Only Lombard has the ability to balance out Powell’s more stable nature in this film. Her dramatic and over-the-top actions never edge on corny. That is when we see her talents really shine! Lombard is able to make her character’s actions seem natural no matter how crazy they may seem in the film we watch her star in. My Man Godfrey is a great example as to how she just absorbed the characters she played.

Even in the serious moments on this film, Lombard and Powell are able to add in a hint of humor. In the scene where Godfrey drinks a little too much (or at least it sure seemed he did) and the police search his room for the “missing necklace”, the way he switches back into his usual sober state holds some humor. Especially since that audience was not included in his plan all along. We too were hoodwinked by his acting skills.

Overall the chemistry between Lombard and Powell in My Man Godfrey is incredible! Maybe it is because they personally already a ton of history. By the time that My Man Godfrey made its theater debut Lombard and Powell had already been married and divorced to one another. Now, you may be thinking “How in the world were they able to work together after getting a divorce from each other?”. Well, I don’t really have the answer to that question, but I would like to think that not matter what happened in their lives there was always at least a little fondness their for the both of them.

Their is no doubt in my mind that My Man Godfrey is one of the best films of all time. As I have already discussed, the talent in this film is what makes the rather simple story so extraordinary. Nobody could have played these character better than William Powell and Carole Lombard.

Much Love,

Sarah