“Tommy, there’s a very peculiar mental process called thinking – you wouldn’t know much about that – but when I was living here I did a lot of it.”

‘My Man Godfrey’, directed by Gregory La Cava in 1936, is an American screwball comedy starring William Powell and Carole Lombard. Powell plays a down-an-out called Godfrey who, at the beginning of the movie, is living on a patch of wasteland on the shores of the East River in New York City. One night, a group of affluent part-goers arrive at the dump on a mission to entice a homeless person back to the party to win a bet. Godfrey refuses to play, but agrees to go with the younger sister of a particularly obnoxious party goer in order to help beat her. This leads the sister to employ Godfrey as a butler. Unknown to them, however, Godfrey is actually a wealthy and upper-class man in disguise, having retreated to the dump after having his heart broken. His time with the eccentric family creates a bond between him and the sister which leads to romance. It’s a lively and witty movie with a cast of eccentric characters and a P G Wodehouse scenario at the centre. There is also a strong social message behind the farce, bringing the plight of the ‘forgotten men’, the homeless of the Great Depression, to the fore. Godfrey choses to be homeless as an escape from his loss, but the men he shares the dump with are revealed to be a mixture of ex-bankers and working class people down on their luck. Ultimately, Godfrey returns to a life of affluence and marries the sister, but only after generously housing his former neighbours.

Would I recommend it? Yes – it’s a funny, lively film with some great moments of physical comedy and many notably eccentric performances. Watch in a double bill with ‘Bringing up Baby’