My Man Godfrey(1936)

Plot Summary

• During the Great Depression, Godfrey Smith (William Powell) lives with other homeless men at a New York City dump in a Hooverville by the East River. One night, spoiled socialite Cornelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) offers him $5 to be her "forgotten man" for a scavenger hunt. Godfrey refuses and makes her retreat and fall on a pile of ashes, much to the glee of her younger sister Irene (Carole Lombard). Godfrey finds Irene kind and offers to go with her to help her beat Cornelia and satisfy his curiosity regarding their scavenger hunt.In the ballroom of the Waldorf-Ritz Hotel, Irene's businessman father, Alexander Bullock (Eugene Pallette), waits resignedly as his ditsy wife, Angelica (Alice Brady), and her mooching protégé, Carlo (Mischa Auer), play the game. Godfrey is authenticated as a "forgotten man," allowing Irene to win that part of the hunt. He takes the opportunity to publicly express his contempt for the players' antics before leaving in a huff. An apologetic Irene decides to make Godfrey her protégé and hires him as the new family butler.On his first day as butler, Godfrey is warned by the Bullocks' longtime maid, Molly (Jean Dixon), that he is the latest in a long line of butlers who did not last long due to the female Bullocks' antics. Despite this, he is up to the challenge, though Cornelia holds a grudge against him. Irene becomes infatuated with Godfrey, and he tries unsuccessfully to discourage her. She kisses him, causing him to politely but firmly outline the boundaries of their employee-employer relationship.Eventually, Godfrey is recognized by his longtime friend Tommy Gray (Alan Mobray) at a tea party thrown by Irene. Godfrey makes up a story that he was Tommy's valet at Harvard; Tommy plays along by embellishing Godfrey's story with a nonexistent wife and five children. Upon hearing this, Irene impulsively announces her engagement to a surprised Charlie Van Rumple (Grady Sutton), but breaks down in tears and flees after being congratulated by Godfrey.Over lunch the next day, Tommy wonders what one of the elite "Parkes of Boston" is doing as a servant. Godfrey explains that when he lost the woman he loved, he considered suicide, but the undaunted attitude of the homeless men living at the dump rekindled his spirits.Eventually, Irene breaks her engagement with Charlie. Cornelia attempts to seduce Godfrey on his day off, but when he rebuffs her, she plants her pearl necklace under Godfrey's mattress and calls the police to report it missing. However, the police do not find it. Mr. Bullock realizes his daughter has orchestrated the whole thing and informs her that the pearls are not insured.The Bullocks send their daughters to Europe to help Irene get over her broken engagement to Charlie, but when they return, her feelings for Godfrey have not changed. She stages a fainting spell and swoons into Godfrey's arms, who soon realizes she is faking it. Godfrey puts her in the shower and turns on the cold water. This, however, has an unexpected result. Irene says, "Oh Godfrey, now I know you love me ... You do, or you wouldn't have lost your temper."Godfrey quits. Before he leaves, Mr. Bullock throws Carlo out (literally) and tells his family that his business is in dire straits and he will likely go to jail. However, Godfrey provides good news: when he realized Mr. Bullock's situation, sold short, using some of the money raised by pawning Cornelia's pearl necklace to buy up the stock that Bullock had sold. He returns the stock to Mr. Bullock, saving the family from financial ruin. Godfrey also returns the necklace to Cornelia, who humbly expresses her gratitude and remorse for her behavior.With the rest of the money Godfrey got for Cornelia's necklace, he and Tommy become business partners and convert the now-filled-in dump into a fashionable nightclub called "The Dump," which creates jobs for the homeless men with a plan to build housing for 50 of them. A determined Irene tracks Godfrey to his office and apartment at The Dump, makes it clear that she is moving in, and, when Tommy sends in New York's mayor to marry them, Irene leads a startled Godfrey up by the hand and says "Stand still Godfrey, it'll all be over in a minute." (from Wikipedia)

Storyline

• In the depths of the Depression, a party game brings dizzy socialite Irene Bullock to the city dump where she meets Godfrey, a derelict, and ends by hiring him as family butler. He finds the Bullocks to be the epitome of idle rich, and nutty as the proverbial fruitcake. Soon, the dramatizing Irene is in love with her 'protege'...who feels strongly that a romance between servant and employer is out of place, regardless of that servant's mysterious past... — Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu> In New York post-Great Depression, the spoiled socialites Irene Bullock and her sister Cornelia Bullock are disputing a scavenger hunt where the winner is the one who brings a "forgotten man" first. They go to the city dump and Cornelia offers five dollars to the derelict Godfrey Smith to go with her and her companion to the Wardolf Hotel. The man pushes her in the garbage and Cornelia leaves the landfill with her companion. However, Irene talks to Godfrey that she wanted to beat Cornelia to it and he accepts to go with her to win the prize. Irene offers the position of butler to Godfrey and tells her parents Alexander and Angelica Bullock that she has hired Godfrey to work for their dysfunctional family in their mansion. Irene has a crush on Godfrey and protects him while Cornelia hates him and wants to harm him. During a party in the Bullock's house, the Harvard graduated investor Tommy Gray recognizes Godfrey and salutes him. But the butler asks him to keep the secret of his past and schedules an encounter in the restaurant to explain what is happening. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil During the Depression, rich socialite Irene Bullock meets hobo Godfrey while participating in a high society scavenger hunt. He accompanies her and she wins the contest. Godfrey himself is appalled at their conduct and a guilty Irene offers him a job as her butler. He shows up the next day, properly dressed and ready to go to work. He's warned by the maid Molly that entire Bullock family all all a bit batty. Godfrey learns that the maid's assessment is mild, if anything. Despite his odd employers, Godfrey likes his job and has every intention on continuing in the position. He does have a secret however - he's really a very rich man who decided to drop out of society after a love affair gone wrong. When Irene falls in love with him, he's really not interested in pursuing another relationship. She doesn't know how to take no for an answer however. — garykmcd Godfrey is "forgotten man" who is hired by a young, wealthy eccentric as the family's new butler. Godfey brings sanity a dose of reality to this spoiled rich family. — Ken Carson <kcarson@efn.org>