Film: My Man Godfrey

Well gee, another night with nothing on telly. Or rather, I should say, several things on different channels, but all with roughly the same theme (someone gets killed). Different titles, different countries, same old same-o. So, I decided to check out my film list instead.

Had to do some trawling to find something actually showing on Amazon Prime in Ireland (they have higher-rated stuff than Mubi), but I eventually came up with My Man Godfrey. Made in 1936, nominated for four Oscars - this has Carole Lombard as a dizzy heiress who picks up Godfrey at the city dump. She's on a scavenger hunt, you see, and one of the things she has to look for is a "forgotten man". Remember that this was the era of the Great Depression, so there were many such men living among the trash.

Anyway, this chap turns out to be more erudite than one might expect - and upon being presented as her "find", shows some contempt for the daftness around him, describing them (with some justification) as"empty-headed nitwits". She realises that he's been rather insulted, and in recompense, offers him a job as the family butler! As he braves the madcap antics of the craziest family imaginable, she quickly falls for him.. but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye.

Hey, it might be more than 80 years old, but I still found it really funny! He plays a terrific straight man, always a step ahead - they're consistently daft, but mercifully they don't depend on slapstick. And as mentioned in reviews, it's a film with a pointed conscience about the way that society treats its less fortunate. So yes, well worth a look - the less said, the better, I think, about its attitudes to women. Patronising would be the word, I guess.. but we're used to that, aren't we?

I'm very excited about Saturday - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott.. Postponed from last week, as he's been in hospital (neither serious nor Covid-related, we're assured!).