Line #31 Film/MyManGodfrey


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/my_man_godfrey_1936.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The rich girl [[CloudCuckoolander Irene]] with her protégé... er, [[HiddenDepths butler]].]]
3
4	->''"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."''
5	-->-- '''Alexander Bullock'''
6
7	''My Man Godfrey'' is a 1936 ScrewballComedy film directed by Gregory La Cava, [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on]] the novel ''1101 Park Avenue'' by Eric S. Hatch. It stars Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/CaroleLombard, and was the first film to receive UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations in all four acting categories; it was also a favorite of Creator/RogerEbert, who included it in his Great Movies List. It got a [[TheRemake remake]] in 1957 starring Creator/DavidNiven and Creator/JuneAllyson, but that version is generally seen as far inferior to the original, and has been pretty much forgotten.
8
9	The Bullocks are a wealthy [[BigApplesauce New York City]] family consisting of gruff businessman Alexander (Eugene Pallette), his pampered wife Angelica (Alice Brady), and their two spoilt daughters. One evening, the family and a party full of their well-off socialite friends participate in a scavenger hunt, which involves searching for various items in order to win prizes. RichBitch daughter Cornelia (Creator/GailPatrick) and her SpoiledSweet sister Irene (Lombard) are after the rarest find of them all: a "forgotten man".
10
11	The sisters visit a junkyard full of homeless men who have been affected by TheGreatDepression. There, they find Godfrey (Powell), who is offended by the game and refuses to be taken by Cornelia to be paraded before her rich friends like a prize. Irene, meanwhile, apologizes to Godfrey and later offers him a job as a butler for their family's mansion, much to Cornelia's annoyance.
12
13	When Godfrey arrives the next morning, he is welcomed by the exhausted maid to a wild household full of snide commentators, eccentric women, and social drunkards. It only gets even more confusing when Irene develops a crush on him, while her father struggles to keep up the family's finances. And behind the scenes, the spiteful Cornelia is suspicious of Godfrey's history after she spots him getting friendly in a cafe with locals on his day off, and intends to find out his true intentions.
14
15	HilarityEnsues.
16
17	----
18	!!This film provides examples of:
19	* AnAesop: [[HiddenDepths Don't judge a book by its cover]].
20	* AwfulWeddedLife: Mr. Bullock can't stand his wife's spacey nature and loose attitude with money.
21	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Inverted with Godfrey, who begins the movie as a scruffy homeless man and ends as an elegant three-piece suit. Regardless, his actor Creator/WilliamPowell goes from ruggedly-handsome to a handsome sharply-dressed man.
22	* BribingTheHomeless: The two sisters pay a homeless man $5 (around $113 in today's dollars) to get him to show up at their party.
23	* BrutalHonesty: Godfrey to the rich people at the ScavengerHunt. He explains that he had two reasons to accompany Irene: to help her, and "to see how a bunch of empty-headed nitwits conduct themselves". Having achieved both, he expresses delight at the idea of returning to "a society of really important people" back at the dump.
24	* CloudCuckoolander: Irene and Mrs. Bullock.
25	-->'''Irene Bullock:''' ''(looks out the window of Godfrey's club)'' Oh, it's a lovely view ... the view of the bridge. Is it always there?
26	* CluelessChickMagnet: Without really trying or having much awareness of it, Godfrey gets both Bullock daughters and the maid to nurse crushes on him. It's debatable whether Mrs Bullock is immune to this trope, although there are brief interactions that can suggest otherwise.
27	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Mr. Bullock vents his spleen at his family for spending 50% of their income when he has to pay 60% to the government in tax. Irene asks why he should give more to the government than to his own family.
28	* CreativeClosingCredits: The opening credits are on neon signs.
29	* CutLexLuthorACheck: At the end of the film, Godfrey tells a humbled Cornelia that she ought to put her [[EvilVirtues high spirits]] to better use.
30	* DeadpanSnarker: Mr. Bullock and Cornelia.
31	* DidYouGetANewHaircut: When Godfrey arrives for his first day as the Bullock butler, Irene doesn't recognise him clean-shaven and in a suit. She doesn't know what it is at first, and then realises that she met him with shabby clothes and stubble. She sleepily mumbles that she misses his stubble.
32	* TheDitz: Mrs. Bullock is ''so'' dizzy she is unable to correctly recall the man her daughter announced her engagement two mere moments earlier. Irene herself is also a bit empty-headed, though she has a much more forceful personality than her vague mother.
33	* DysfunctionalFamily: The Bullocks. Man of the house Alexander dreads dealing with his wife and daughters. He apologizes profusely to the police after they fail to arrest anyone for stealing daughter Cornelia's necklace (which sounds more like he's begging them to arrest ''him'' to get out away from his family), and this exchange happens between him and Blake:
34	-->'''Blake:''' Take a look at the dizzy old gal with the goat.
35	-->'''Alexander Bullock:''' I've had to look at her for 20 years -- that's Mrs Bullock!
36	-->'''Blake:''' I'm terribly sorry!
37	-->'''Alexander Bullock:''' How do you think ''I'' feel?
38	* {{Fainting}}: Irene pretends to faint in Godfrey's arms after he announces that he's leaving in order to make him stay longer. It works instantly as he desperately tries to wake her before anyone notices.
39	* ForcefulKiss: Irene pretends that she's feeling faint and lies on the sofa. When Godfrey leans over to check her, Irene clutches his face and pulls him into a kiss. When Irene's done, Godfrey tries to walk away as stoic as possible.
40	* FrameUp: When Godfrey rebuffs Cornelia's attempts to seduce him, she tries to get him fired by hiding her pearls under his mattress and dramatically announcing to her family that they have been stolen, leading the police to get involved. However, the plan blows up in her face when the police overturn Godfrey's mattress and find nothing, leading Cornelia to exclaim "They ''must'' be there!", revealing the entire plot to all present. Mr. Bullock rubs salt in the wound by telling Cornelia the pearls aren't insured, so she won't be able to replace them. [[spoiler:It turns out Godfrey found the pearls and hid them before the police arrived; he later pawns them to raise money to buy up the de-valued Bullock Enterprises stock, which he signs over to the Bullocks to save them from financial ruin. He has more than enough money left over to buy back the ashamed Cornelia's pearls.]]
41	* GaveUpTooSoon: Irene pretending to faint fails when she looks up to spy on Godfrey after he rests her on the couch. He catches her stare in the mirror he's in front of.
42	* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Irene vs Cornelia.
43	** Irene is blonde and Cornelia is brunette. There isn't really a smart/pretty dichotomy but Cornelia is quieter than the energetic Irene.
44	** When Godfrey rejects Cornelia's offer to be her entry in the scavenger hunt by making her fall into a pile of dirt, Irene takes him instead (mostly because she was much more polite). Even Godfrey is amazed when he discovers that the two of them are related.
45	** Cornelia is arguably a bit more classist than Irene. When playing the scavenger hunt, she gleefully rushes to a homeless Godfrey and is disgusted when she finds out he's going to be the family butler, attempting to have him fired by accusing him of stealing. Irene felt sorry for him and immediately asks him to be the family butler because she didn't want to look like she was just dehumanising him for a point-and-laugh game in front of rich people. This is why Cornelia spends the movie trying to find out Godfrey's history whilst Irene attempts to make him declare his love for her. Cornelia has feelings for him too, which adds to her and her sister's bickering.
46	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Irene, who is a sweet young woman with fair hair.
47	* HangoverSensitivity: Mrs. Bullock sees pixies when she's hungover in bed. She tells Godfrey not to walk on them as he enters the room.
48	* HappyDance: "Mr. Godfrey loves me! He put me in the shower!" Cue Irene jumping up onto a nearby divan, flinging her skirts, and doing a merry stomp.
49	%%* HaveAGayOldTime: Mrs. Bullock notes that Cornelia shattered a bunch of windows downtown because she was "very gay" last night, and then asks Godfrey if he's noticed anything "queer".[[note: this isn't intentional, it's accurate language for the time the movie was made in]]
50	* HeartbrokenBadass: [[spoiler:As Godfrey explains to Tommy Gray, a failed romance from his days as the scion of a rich Boston family sent him on a downward spiral that left him contemplating jumping into the East River, and only a chance encounter with the derelicts by the river bank persuaded him to adopt their resilient attitude toward life's troubles, thanks to which he has developed the intelligence and savvy to become a shrewd businessman.]]
51	* HeCleansUpNicely: Godfrey, when he turns up at the Bullocks mansion for his first day as their butler. The family first saw him in scruffy clothing and thick stubble the night before, and don't recognise him when he arrives clean-shaven in a new suit (it didn't help that they were hungover, either; Irene even forgot that she'd offered Godfrey the job!).
52	* HeelFaceTurn: Cornelia at the end of the film.
53	%%* HideousHangoverCure: "Pixie Remover," namely tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce. [[note: this is just a virgin mary]]
54	* HiddenDepths: Godfrey, who is more business savvy than he appears.
55	* IdleRich: All of the Bullocks except Mr. Bullock. The satirical bite of these Idle Rich going to a dump to find the "forgotten man" was strong in the Great Depression, when there were a lot of forgotten men.
56	* INeedAFreakingDrink: During a typical evening at home, Mr. Bullock takes a whole tray of martinis and then asks Godfrey to "repeat the order in 30 minutes".
57	* TheJeeves: Godfrey, except for the pardonable sin of being American.
58	* LastMinuteHookup: When Godfrey decides to leave, Irene tracks him down to a nightclub. [[spoiler:She hires a priest and makes Godfrey's work partner and her chauffeur wedding guests, reassuring Godfrey that everything "will be over soon".]]
59	* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The two Bullocks daughters: the blonde Irene and the brunette Cornelia.
60	* LiteralMinded: Mrs. Bullock has a weak grasp of figures of speech. For example, when Irene is melodramatically moping over Godfrey's initial rejection (which Godfrey ignores and Cornelia mocks) ahead of a tea party, she is asked where she would like the sandwiches served:
61	-->'''Irene:''' ''[with exaggerated melancholy]'' What is food?...\
62	'''Mrs. Bullock:''' Something you eat, silly.
63	* LoopedLyrics: Carlo singing "Ochi Tchorniye," but none of the other lyrics, so it's close to a SingleStanzaSong. Bonus points to Mrs. Bullock for [[CloudCuckoolander not knowing the name of the song]].
64	* LoveMakesYouDumb: Irene exercises this trope, especially with the rather silly engagement ploy.
65	* MadLove: This sums up Irene's relationship to Godfrey.
66	* MisterMuffykins: Mrs. Bullock's Pekingese.
67	* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Irene is one of the first in film history, possibly the TropeMaker.
68	* ModelingPoses: Irene attempts several lounging poses around the house to make Godfrey notice her. Cornelia sees through it and teases her, identifying one of the poses as "Number 8" from her dramatic school years.
69	* NiceGirl: Irene, despite being from an arrogant family. She ''was'' the one that offered a homeless man a job because she felt guilty, after all.
70	* NoodleIncident: When being displayed on stage at the scavenger hunt, Godfrey is asked by the presenter if he can feel his stubble. The presenter says that when a family (supposedly) found a homeless man before, the stubble he had turned out to be false.
71	* OhCrap: Godfrey gets this expression at the Bullocks' tea party when Tommy Gray arrives; they know each other of old, and as Godfrey has been trying to keep the details of his past life a secret, he is very worried that those details are about to spill out in a torrent. (Luckily, he is able to come up with a ruse about being Tommy's former valet, and Tommy picks up on just enough cues to play along.)
72	* OnlySaneMan: Mr. Bullock, Molly the maid, and Godfrey.
73	* OperationJealousy: Irene attempts to make Godfrey jealous by announcing that she is engaged to a party guest. Even said party guest is confused as he's congratulated by several male friends.
74	* OverTheShoulderCarry: The way Godfrey carries fainted Irene up the stairs.
75	* PimpedOutDress: Pretty much Irene's entire wardrobe.
76	* ProtagonistTitle
77	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Cornelia asks Godfrey to be honest about what he thinks of her. Godfrey calls her variations of "a spoiled child", making her march out of the cafe in embarrassed outrage.
78	* RejectionAffection: Irene can't stop flirting with Godfrey while he is constantly rejecting her advances.
79	* RichBitch: Cornelia.
80	* RichesToRags: [[spoiler:Bullock goes broke, due to a combination of bad investments and his family's spending ways. It's averted thanks to Godfrey]].
81	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Godfrey and Irene, whenever they interact.
82	* ScavengerHunt: These were very popular in the 1930s. The Bullocks and their rich friends participate in this to win prizes, and finding a homeless man is so rare, contestants get the best prize. This is how the sisters meet Godfrey.
83	* SecretlyWealthy: [[spoiler:Godfrey Smith (aka Godfrey Park of the Boston Parks)]].
84	* ServileSnarker:
85	** Molly the maid. After dealing with a family like the Bullocks, it's not surprising.
86	** Godfrey is sharper-tongued, but blunted by Irene, who doesn't see through his comments.
87	* SexySoakedShirt: Godfrey figures out that Irene is faking a fainting spell, so he puts her in a shower and [[WaterWakeup turns the water on]]. The results are pretty fanservice-y. This also causes Irene to realize that Godfrey cared enough to help her when she "fainted".
88	* ShipperOnDeck:
89	** Godfrey's friend Tommy wants Godfrey to end up with Irene. [[spoiler:When Irene arrives at his and Godfrey's office, Tommy doesn't attempt to have her escorted out by security and scuttles out of the room with a smirk.]]
90	** The ''whole Bullock family'' want Godfrey to end up with Irene as well.
91	* SurroundedByIdiots: Molly warns Godfrey on his first day of work that serving the Bullock family will end up like this. She was right.
92	* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: As far as Mr. Bullock is concerned, Carlo is a parasite who exists only to mooch free room and board from the family under the excuse of being Mrs. Bullock's "protégé", even though he never seems to get any closer to giving any of the concerts he is supposedly practising for; he spends more time eating than playing the piano, and whenever he does play, he only ever seems to rehearse the same few measures of the Russian song "Очи чёрные" ("Dark Eyes") - in his last scene, he is trying to sing and eat at the same time. Eventually, Mr. Bullock has enough and literally throws him out.
93	* TheTramp: Godfrey. [[spoiler:He started out rich, goes on to be a tramp, makes the money back and uses it to help the other tramps]].
94	* {{Tsundere}}: Cornelia, towards Godfrey. After falling in dirt, Cornelia is disgusted when her sister hires Godfrey as the family butler. She attempts to work out whether he's as innocent as the homelessness led him to be and even tries to accuse him of stealing from her. When he decides to leave, she is devastated and apologizes in tears, but Godfrey reassures her that his choice had nothing to do with her. Looks like ''she'' had a crush on him too, like her sister.
95	* TurnTheOtherCheek: Mr. Bullock [[spoiler:until he finds out he is broke, and throws Carlo out the window]], something that Godfrey praises him for.
96	* WaterWakeup: Irene gets this treatment by Godfrey.

Context Film / MyManGodfrey