MovieChat Forums > My Man Godfrey (1936) Discussion > Irene's infatuation

Irene's infatuation

posted 14 years ago by angelexposed
14 replies | jump to latest

Was anyone terribly unconvinced of Irene's infatuation with Godfrey? I know it's supposed to be over the top and dramatic just as Carole Lombard plays it but I just felt like the whole time she's fawning over this guy she knows nothing really of and I don't think there's ever a moment where you believe that it's "true" love, rather than just crazy obsession.

I felt terribly sorry for Godfrey also, because I honestly don't believe he really loved her either, I think he was possibly fond of her at the most...

[–] laurelrose-1 14 years ago

True, I was never convinced Godfrey loved Irene.

As far as Irene loving Godfrey though, I don't think she's meant to be all that capable of love until the very end. At first her infatuation is definitely about mimicing her mother's relationship with Carlo. The protege relationship. Eventually we are to suppose she has "grown" and worked beyond the silliness enough to get feel adult love.

I agree that this is a screwball comedy first, and the romance story is secondary and rather incomplete.

[–] justaudrey 14 years ago

I felt terribly sorry for Godfrey also, because I honestly don't believe he really loved her either, I think he was possibly fond of her at the most...
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I'm with you there. I really did not like Lombard's character. It was Gail Patrick who really stood out to me as a love interest. She is also the character that grew and matured the most; I think she really came to understand Godfrey and would've made a better match...if he had to marry one of them. But marrying Irene? That's headed for divorce court. I'd give it a month...IF even. She's just such a child.

[–] Jealous_Skunk 13 years ago

That's the beauty of it. Although, Lombard's character is terribly annoying and crazy and some sort of psychotic, he managed to love her but is afraid to admit it. He was kinda crazy in a different way. An upper class business millionaire who throws everything away to live at the city dump and then to work only as a butler. That's crazy. That's how they connect. He refused to admit the he is in love but she's not. Godfrey is kinda passive and serious in a way. He is scared of marriage and to love again after that incident. He tries so hard to decline her love but you know at the end it failed. Cornelia is just envious and evil ( not that evil though) but finally gives in to him and her sister. The relationship between Cornelia and Godfrey is just like any other sister-brother in-law relationship who hate each other but they are secretly fond of each other in a platonic way of course. Brilliant film. LOVE it!

JeSkuNk

[–] netshopper-2 13 years ago

^^Yes. Classic Hollywood.

[–] JenniferLynne73 13 years ago

The genuine beauty of it is the fact that Powell and Lombard had married and divorced in real life when they made this film. I always wonder what they were thinking when they filmed the scene where they do the dishes together and she tries to get him to marry her. Frustrated she finally says that she'd make "a wonderful wife" Powell/Godfrey chuckles and says "not for me, I'm afraid".

Knowing that in real life they parted their marriage as good friends, I imagine that this scene must've been awkward to film at best and downright uncomfortable and embarrasing at worst. Especially since it was Lombard who initiated the divorce in the first place. And although Powell had moved on to Jean Harlow well before the filming of My Man Godfrey according to many of the movie magazine that I own from the early to mid 30's - immediately after their divorce he was in hot pursuit of Lombard AGAIN. They were seen all over town together after they had divorced and were inseperable and almost remarried until she left him again for Russ Columbo, this time leaving him for good. And remember - they had only been divorced for 3 years when they filmed this movie and it had been only a little over 2 years since she'd left him for good for Russ Columbo. So it was all pretty recent and fresh still - even if both had moved on.

All I can say is they really must have been good friends to do this movie together. By all accounts, when she died he stayed up all night until it was confirmed on the radio. He went to her funeral and by many accounts he mourned her death almost as much as Gable did.

"All you need to start an Asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people"-(My Man Godfrey)

[–] blckb5364 12 years ago

To JenniferLynne73:
You seem to be quite knowledgeable of old movies and I'm guessing a collector of old Hollywood memorabilia, as am I. I own one of Powell's contracts and one of Lombard's letters. I totally agree with your post. I imagine some scenes must have been awkward to film for Powell and Lombard at times, but from what i've read they actually remained quite close in spite their failed marriage. Apparently William Powell and Clark Gable were also very good friends despite the fact of Gable's marrying Lombard. And it was Powell who insisted that Lombard was the only actress for the role of Irene. What a coup! And what a great movie! Arguably one of the Top 5 greatest comedies of all time. I'll throw "Some Like It Hot" and "Bringing Up Baby" out there too. But as for Powell, Lombard, and Gable...A unique relationship indeed.

[–] forlorn_rage (139) 5 years ago

I don't agree. If any relationship felt like brother-sister, it was Godfrey and Irene. Godfrey was like a much older big brother, who had to shoulder his vengeful, immature, spoiled sister who was holding onto him like her personal toy and refused to let him go.

[–] forlorn_rage (139) 5 years ago

"I felt terribly sorry for Godfrey also, because I honestly don't believe he really loved her either, I think he was possibly fond of her at the most...
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I'm with you there. I really did not like Lombard's character. It was Gail Patrick who really stood out to me as a love interest. She is also the character that grew and matured the most; I think she really came to understand Godfrey and would've made a better match...if he had to marry one of them. But marrying Irene? That's headed for divorce court. I'd give it a month...IF even. She's just such a child."

I totally agree Justaudrey! If the conventional HW standards wouldn't let Godfrey get together with either Molly or Cornelia (pity, they're so much more likeable), then they should've just left it alone. Irene and Godfrey hooking up at the end is like if Cary Grant and Shirley Temple got together in "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer." Yech.

[–] franzkabuki 11 years ago

What the blonde did with Godfrey looked indeed more like a hijacking than a normal marriage...

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] denali152 10 years ago

I'm sure you've been told before that Reagan never said that...but I suppose you think it's cute. Makes you look a bit silly tho.

[–] delopowitz 11 years ago

I was thinking about this today, and I have to agree. They kept it very light on the romance. Mostly I was considering whether Godfrey really felt anything for her, and the more I thought, the more I realized that he did, rather. He looked at her with quiet surprise when she said that she wasn't going to play games involving people anymore. He chose to come to work when he could have just slipped away into the night. So I figure he had a little spark of fondness, or at least curiosity. And then at the end, he said he felt that foolish feeling coming along... so he wasn't supposed to be completely besotted with her, but he could tell that if he hung around any longer, he just might fall for her entirely. I think it fits his character for him to be cautious and resist it for as long as possible, enough to seem aloof. And maybe the childishness appealed to a guy who got dumped; maybe she'd seem more innocent...

I do wish she had managed to grow a little more, though, but really, considering the kind of movie it was, we were lucky to see anything resembling a romance. I prefer this version, but I suppose if I want to see an Irene with more sincere emotion, I'll have to watch June Allyson. I probably won't, though, because I like this one too much!

[–] Blueghost 10 years ago

by angelexposed » Mon Apr 26 2010 02:30:55
IMDb member since January 2003
Was anyone terribly unconvinced of Irene's infatuation with Godfrey? I know it's supposed to be over the top and dramatic just as Carole Lombard plays it but I just felt like the whole time she's fawning over this guy she knows nothing really of and I don't think there's ever a moment where you believe that it's "true" love, rather than just crazy obsession.

I felt terribly sorry for Godfrey also, because I honestly don't believe he really loved her either, I think he was possibly fond of her at the most...

Before I became a fat bald guy I had girls fawning over me like that at one time in my life. And it's funny for about five minutes, but gets old REAL quick.

[–] TheArgentinian (6423) 3 years ago

It's what happens when men write women.

[–] Stratego (29178) 10 months ago

"I felt terribly sorry for Godfrey also, because I honestly don't believe he really loved her either, I think he was possibly fond of her at the most..."

He looked absolutely terrified at the end. Irene was also a lunatic, more than her sister and even her mother.