My Man Godfrey - AI REMASTERED - Classic Comedy - Starring Carole Lombard & William Powell

My Man Godfrey is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring William Powell and Carole Lombard, who had been briefly married years before appearing together in the film. The screenplay for My Man Godfrey was written by Morrie Ryskind and Eric S. Hatch, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on Hatch's 1935 novel, 1101 Park Avenue. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her family's butler, and then falls in love with him.

In 1999, the original version of My Man Godfrey was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film was remade in 1957 with June Allyson and David Niven in the starring roles.

Plot
During the Great Depression, Godfrey Smith lives with other homeless men at a New York City dump in a Hooverville by the East River. One night, spoiled socialite Cornelia Bullock offers him $5 to be her "forgotten man" for a scavenger hunt. Godfrey refuses and makes Cornelia retreat and fall on a pile of ashes, much to the glee of her younger sister Irene. Godfrey finds Irene to be 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 waits resignedly, as his ditsy wife Angelica and her mooching protégé Carlo play the game. Godfrey is authenticated as a "forgotten man", allowing Irene to win that part of the hunt. Godfrey takes the opportunity to publicly express his contempt for the players' antics before leaving in a huff. An apologetic Irene decides to make him 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 that he is merely the latest in a long line of butlers who did not last long due to the female Bullocks' antics. Despite this, Godfrey proves to be up to the challenge, though Cornelia holds a grudge against him. Irene becomes infatuated with Godfrey. 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 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, 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 the pearls under the mattress. 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. Irene stages a fainting spell and swoons into Godfrey's arms, who soon discovers she is faking it. He puts her in the shower and turns on the cold water. This, however, has an unexpected result. She 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: he had 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 gives the stock back 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 Godrey up by the hand and says "Stand still Godfrey, it'll all be over in a minute".

Cast
William Powell as Godfrey Parke (aka Smith)
Carole Lombard as Irene Bullock
Alice Brady as Angelica Bullock
Gail Patrick as Cornelia Bullock
Jean Dixon as Molly
Eugene Pallette as Alexander Bullock
Alan Mowbray as Tommy Gray
Mischa Auer as Carlo
Pat Flaherty as Mike Flaherty
Robert Light as Faithful George
Fred Coby as Investigator (uncredited)
Grady Sutton as Charlie Van Rumple (uncredited)
Franklin Pangborn as Scavenger Hunt Judge (uncredited)
Bess Flowers as Mrs. Merriweather (uncredited)
Grace Field as a socialite (uncredited)
Jane Wyman as a socialite (uncredited)