My Man Godfrey (DVD)

This madcap satire is a landmark comedy, with witty dialogue, suspenseful comic twists, and a refreshingly irreverent style. William Powell is the erudite butler Godfrey who is paired with Carole Lombard as Irene Bullock. The wealthy and beautiful heiress discovers him sleeping in the city dump during a society scavenger hunt, and decides he would make the perfect butler. Unbeknownst to her, this new "butler" Godfrey is even wealthier than she, and has a few lessons to teach her eccentric family. Irene's formidable father Alexander, already overwhelmed by the colorful crew of family members in his midst, is mortified by the prospect of having another oddball in his home. While Godfrey sets out to teach the Bullock family that money isn't everything, Irene decides that Godfrey would not only make the ideal butler, but the ideal husband as well. This Depression-era comedy offers full-force escapism, an energetic cast, and sophisticated social commentary - it's a romantic romp with a taut script and impeccable comic timing.

• comedy