What makes Godfrey tick?

Unable to join CineVerse yesterday for "My Man Godfrey?" Still curious as to why the movie is a considered a classic? Here's a recap of our discussion topics hashed out last evening:

WHY WOULD THIS FILM HAVE BEEN SO POPULAR IN 1936?

• It would have appealed to Depression-era audiences
• Why? Because it was a screwball comedy that usually depicts the rich getting their comeuppance or which serves as a satire of the failings and foibles of the wealthy
• William Powell was a very hot commodity, having starred in The Thin Man movies and other popular features of the day; he was also previously married to Carole Lombard, so their onscreen chemistry was believable
•  It boasts a witty, clever script that, while it’s filled with implausibilities, is nonetheless a fun, lighthearted, escapist comedy with some social commentary undercurrents
• Beautifully shimmering black and white cinematography, memorable art deco sets, and classy costuming

WHAT IS THE MOVIE’S MESSAGE?

• The “classless pleasures of escaping real life,” according to one critic
• Playing the game and competing: the hub that sets the plot in motion is the scavenger hunt
• Things are not what they seem, and life is filled with ironies: consider that the tramp is really a disillusioned rich guy going incognito; the Hoover Town dump transforms into a swanky nightclub, and the humble servant saves his employer from financial ruin
• The poor are depicted as thoughtful, compassionate, virtuous, while the rich seem self-absorbed, inane and frivolous
• The rich are shown to be human, but they require a harsh circumstance to make them appreciate what they’ve got

OTHER WORKS THAT THIS MOVIE REMINDS YOU OF

• The films of Frank Capra, in which he celebrates the common man/underdog, and pairs up a richer female with a poorer male, such as Meet John Doe and It Happened One Night
• However, unlike Capra, La Cava doesn’t honor or spotlight the little man
• The films of Preston Sturges that contrast the poverty of the common, forgotten man with the indulgent lives of the idle rich, including Sullivan’s Travels
• However, unlike Sturges, La Cava doesn’t focus on the magic of luck
• The movie Easy Living
• The comedies of Leo McCarey, such as The Awful Truth
• The film was remade in 1957 starring David Niven and June Allyson
• Lucille Ball borrowed elements from Lombard’s character for her “I Love Lucy” TV show

OTHER FILMS BY GREGORY LA CAVA

• Stage Door
• 5^th Avenue Girl
• Unfinished Business
• Lady in a Jam