Cornelia is Trash. Or She’s Not!
Screwball comedy and Depression-era inequity meet in “My Man Godfrey” (1935). William Powell is experiencing the Depression first-hand, from under a bridge, when a society swell arrives and offers him a few dollars to help her win a scavenger hunt. Before you know it, Powell is buttling in the house of a dysfunctional wealthy family. Hilarity, and the politics of class follow. Carole Lombard, William Powell, Alice Brady and Gail Patrick are all marvelous, as is the rest of the supporting cast. “My Man Godfrey” was nominated for six Oscars, including the first two supporting actor statues ever awarded, but won none.
Listen to this episode (1 hour, 5 minutes)
Show Notes
Old Movie News
- Blu-rays: Mystery of the Wax Museum (Warner Archive), The Great Escape (Criterion), Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema (Kino Lorber) You Must Remember This: Merle Oberon, Barbara Stanwyck Collection (Kino Lorber), Inside Daisy Clover (Warner Archive), Hollywood Story/New Orleans Uncensored (Mill Creek)
- Book: Black Oscars: From Mammy to Minny, What the Academy Awards Tell Us About African Americans by Frederick W. Gooding Jr.
Sightings
- TCM Late May Features: Memorial Day marathon (May 23-25), vote for Summer Under the Stars (Backlot members)
- [Hulu Cannes Film Festival theme[(https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-to-stream-forty-four-standout-movies-from-cannes-film-festivals-past): Many including All About Eve, Detective Story, The 400 Blows, Home from the Hill
Into the Nitrate Vault
- My Man Godfrey (1949) trailer
- Available free on YouTube, for now, to stream, rent or buy digitally
- On disc: Blu-ray
- Basic stats: Released by Universal n 1935, directed by Gregory La Cava, starring William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Mischa Auer, Alan Mobray
- The forgotten man
