6/7. 2/7. He is hired as a butler by Carole -Irene Bullock- Lombard, a member of the high society of the city. — From The Current. These traits can be seen in both It Happened One Night and My Man Godfrey (1936). It was directed by Gregory La Cava for Universal and is now considered the definitive screwball comedy, with its social commentary on life during the 30s. My Man Godfrey (1936) Plot. As a young man he married an opium addict, Molly Farren, with whom he had a daughter. My Man Godfrey (1936) is one of the 1930's most delightful, classic screwball comedies. One of them, Libeled Lady, wasn’t nominated in any other category. Godfrey is not evil in any way. William Powell is the “Godfrey” of the title. Godfrey was up for every major award except Best Picture, and in 1936 there were ten films nominated. My Man Godfrey (1936) follows a rich, eccentric family, including a scatter-brained daughter, Irene (Carole Lombard), who falls for Godfrey (William Powell), a down-and-out man found at a hobo colony.He is used for a scavenger hunt, but eventually ends up hired as a butler. He is a good-natured young man, but weak-willed and usually unable to think of much beyond his immediate material comfort. A scene from My Man Godfrey. The eldest son of Squire Cass, the most prominent man in Raveloe.Despite Godfrey’s good family, he makes poor choices and marries a lowly woman named Molly Farren.Together they have a daughter, Eppie.While Godfrey keeps his wife and child a secret from his father and the village, Godfrey’s younger brother Dunstan uses his knowledge of the secret marriage to manipulate Godfrey. A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler - but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye. My Man Godfrey – source: Universal Pictures. Explain that if you can. Like farce, screwball comedies often involve masquerade and disguise in which a character or characters resort to secrecy. My Man Godfrey is a 1936 Screwball Comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava, based on the novel 1101 Park Avenue by Eric S. Hatch. My Man Godfrey certainly looks pretty, and it has some sharp socio-economic commentary. 7/7. I’m afraid that some of the plot had me baffled, though. Showing all 5 items Jump to: Summaries (5) Summaries. The film critic Andrew Sarris has defined the screwball comedy as "a sex comedy without the sex." The sheer strangeness of wealth and class divisions is fodder for screwball hilarity in Gregory La Cava’s Depression-era masterpiece. A Touch of Class in the Comedies of Gregory La Cava. Character Analysis Godfrey Cass Godfrey's character is summed up by Eliot near the beginning of the novel as "irresolution and moral cowardice," a state in which he continues until almost the end. 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