I stumbled upon "My Man Godfrey" when I was looking for movies that could help me come up with ideas for a scavenger hunt. I thought I would just be watching some old movie that was boring but would teach me something but I ended up laughing out loud over and over again and watched it again the next day. Witty dialogue, a look at 1930's culture, and some likable and interesting characters make this one of my favs. A quick plot outline from Claudio Carvahol on IMDB:
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.
Here's pieces from Rogert Ebert's Review:
"My Man Godfrey," one of the treasures of 1930s screwball comedy, doesn't merely use Lombard and Powell, it loves them.
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God, but this film is beautiful. The cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff is a shimmering argument for everything I've ever tried to say in praise of black and white.
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This movie, and the actors in it, and its style of production, and the system that produced it, and the audiences that loved it, have all been replaced by pop culture of brainless vulgarity. But the movie survives, and to watch it is to be rescued from some people who don't care that it makes a difference … to some people.
Here's a clip shows a bit of the zaniness:
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You can watch it streaming on Netflix and on Amazon.