Our August Movie - My Man Godfrey (1936)

Plus Carole Lombard's Salisbury Meat Balls recipe

A bunch of wealthy “empty-headed nitwits” are competing in a scavenger hunt.

I HAVE A GOAT!

One of the things the toffs are searching for is a “forgotten man”. A guy on his uppers, right at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Godfrey fits the bill, as he’s down on his luck, living at the city dump.

Prosperity is just around the corner…

By contrast, the Bullock family are the epitome of the idle rich.

Irene and her sister Cornelia are Park Avenue brats, but there is much to have a good guffaw about because Irene employs Godfrey as their new butler. He’s a genius!

If I win the lottery, I am going to commission replicas of every single outfit Carole Lombard sports in this film. Starting with this slumberwear.

But also these lounging pyjamas

and these

Also naturally this.

And this.

I could go on, but you will see for yourselves. Costume designer Travis Banton, I salute you!

There are tonnes of smart and sassy one-liners in this movie. So I do beg of you to give it your full attention. No second screening!

Fancy a double bill? Why not also watch the 1957 version of My Man Godfrey with June Allyson and David Niven?

Don’t feel like cooking?

Hors d’oeuvres - little things on sticks, presented on a silver tray.

Which ones are poisoned?

or sandwiches.

“What is food?”

To drink?

Martinis…

If you are hungover you could have a Pixie-Remover - tomato juice with lashings of Worcestershire sauce.

What do you want to do? Scorch her windpipe?

Or perhaps you will try Carole Lombard’s favourite - a Golden Fizz -there’s a cocktail demo video of this coming for members of the Silver Screen Suppers Club on Friday!

This is a lovely little tipple, and can easily be made non-alcoholic with NA Gin.

The recipe for Carole’s favourite libation is in a wonderful celebrity cocktail book published in 1933. As mentioned previously, I have commissioned a limited edition facsimile - only 100 copies - only available via my Etsy shop.

You’ll see the original of the book on the right and the facsimile on the left in the photo below. It is super cute.

Ingredients for the Carole Lombard Golden Fizz

Gin

Powdered / icing sugar

Lime juice

Egg yolk

Fizzy water

Carole Lombard’s Salisbury Meat Balls

Here’s how mine turned out. Sooooooo good!

As Salisbury steak is a “thing” in the USA,

I am assuming that folks who saw this recipe in the early 1930s would probably add bits and bobs to the round steak/minced beef to make the meatballs more tasty, so that’s what I did. I followed this formula on RecipeTin Eats

I also assumed that by chilli sauce, Carole wouldn’t have meant what we might think of as chilli sauce here in the UK (something seriously hot and spicy) so I used 1/2 of each of these as that’s what I happened to have in the cupboard.

I only cooked my meatballs for an hour. They were DELICIOUS!

Watch Party Checklist

1 - Get your diary/calendar out and make a date with yourself.

2 - Decide if you will watch the movie solo or with others.

3 - If it’s the latter, here’s an invite you can email to your chosen ones, letting them know the time and date of your screening.

It’s your call what a “watch party” actually is. Just watching the film by yourself with some salty snacks is totally acceptable, but why not dress up, even if you are on your lonesome? If you owe someone a meal, this could be an excuse to get them over…

4 - Source the film on DVD or via a streaming service so you’ll have it to hand when the appointed time comes. Some streaming services offer watch party features, so you can even share the experience with friends or family who are miles away, discussing the good bits in a chat box. You could do this via a WhatsApp group or something similar too. The possibilities are endless!

Our Next Movie

Keep an eye on your inbox on Sunday, September 1st when our next movie will be announced. I hope this is the style in which you’ll be watching it.

Put this date in your diary, we are going to have a community WATCH PARTY - details coming soon, but for now, stick it in your calendar!

Star-spangled recipe books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing)

or via my Etsy shop (these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish) - the cocktail book is only available from here…

You look so cute in your apron.