Who’s Your Favorite Film Butler/Valet?

10.08.12 |

Movie Poll: Who's Your Favorite Film Butler/Valet?

View Results


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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713983697 Gordon S. Jackson

    A tough one between Sir John Gielgud, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Caine, but for me Sir John is the glue that holds “Arthur” together.   

  • Hank Zangara

    Woody Allen as robot butler in Sleeper.

  • Brygolf

    rochester of course

    • cinemabon

      Oddly enough, Rochester (later known as Jack Benny’s sidekick), probably the funniest of all domestics, never played the butler. He always played the chauffeur or driver.

      • cinemabon

        Stepin Fetchit played the butler on many occasions and has come to symbolize the demoralization of black domestics. However, in context, made a career out of being the “funny” domestic.

  • Alfie

    Why didn’t the best of them all -  Clifton Webb as the prissy-but-excellent “Mr. Belvedere”  – appear on this list?  My Man Godfrey comes in a far 2nd in my ratings.

    • Wayne P.

      If were going that far into the nanny/babysitter realm, how about throwing Mrs. Doubtfire in there too, just for good measure?!

      • http://www.facebook.com/whatever41 Cynthia LaRochelle

        That’s going off the track,,, Mr. Belvedere was not a valet or butler, you’re right.

  • Pcdover

    You left out one of the great butlers of all time-Eric Blore. ;)

    • Wayne P.

      Halliwell Hobbes from the golden age of the studios wasnt half bad either!

  • Maxfabien

    Joseph Maher in “Heaven Can Wait”, Alec Guiness in “Murder by Death”

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1201008348 Bryan Ruffin

    I enjoyed Sir John Gielgud, he did a fantastic job and was totally believable as a valet! In all honesty, he could probably pull off any role he was in!
    My vote, however, went to William Powell. A very rich man playing butler to rich, spoiled people, that had a chance to help others and teach the spoiled people a lesson! William Powell has been one of my favorites since I saw my first Thin Man movie!

  • dog888k

    Lurch!

  • the Fan

    I think Clifton Webb should have been on the list. He was a real class act!!

    • Mrkidjack

      no one comes even close to clifton webb

    • http://www.facebook.com/whatever41 Cynthia LaRochelle

      I loved Mr. Webb, but I don’t recall a film that he played a butler or valet,,, could you tell me a movie he had that role in??

  • r-gordon-7

    Any such list failing to contain Clifton Webb/Mr. Belvedere is seriously flawed.

  • ginger-cookie

    Eric Blore – any time he plays a butler/valet! He’s so funny and, as an added plus, he often seems the personification of Jeeves to me (in some, not all, roles).

  • Gandhi Bird

    Konrad (Michael York) in 1970′s “SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE” without a doubt!

  • Slftrek

     won my vote.I was close,between Caine and Geilgood, but Caine

  • Allycatcha

    The actor in all the “Topper” movies….fantastic! and so funny
    and I agree with Clifton Webb too

    • cinemabon

      If you mean Roland Young (Cosmo), he usually played the man’s man, as he did in “Ruggles of Red Gap”

  • Joseph23006

    Michael Gough is the quintessential gentleman’s gentleman.  Valet, stress on the first sylable with a hard “T”.  Not the wussy French Val-lay!.  He is the Henry James “The Real Thing” in that he knows his place but also is a mentor who can maneuver the direction of choices of a Bruce Wayne.  Subtle, not obvious, imperious. 

    • cinemabon

      In the same vein as the movie “Batman,” Efrem Zibalist, Jr. played the voice of Alfred in the animated series and also did the English butler routine well. My favorite line of his, stepping off the wrecked airplane as a survivor he said the old joke line, “I claim this land in the name of Spain” before he spun around and collapsed.

  • StevenWells

    As with ginger-cookie below, I’d have to go with Eric Blore, especially in “Top Hat.” His constant bickering with Edward Everett Horton – and Horton’s resultant exasperation – are the film’s funniest element.  

    • cinemabon

      Blore made the perfect butler with an air of disdain for authority and a rapier wit!

  • Danofan59

    I went with “Other” – Alec Guinness in Murder By Death.  

  • William Sommerwerck

    I’m surprised Robby wasn’t on the list.

  • Geneva P.

    I picked William Powell in My Man Godfrey.  I don’t know whether Clifton Webb played a butler/valet.  I remember him playing a babysitter in Sitting Pretty.  If he fits into that category, I would say that he would be my overall favorite.  He is a class act in any movie I have seen him in.

  • Geneva P.

    Also, I loved Arthur Treacher in the Shirley Temple movies.

  • cinemabon

    I was pleasantly surprised to find William Powell at the top of the list. John Williams played a domestic in several films, and wasn’t even mentioned. However, I believe that most people identify with an English actor, such as Geilgud. Sebastian Cabot was known as French on “Family Affair” and probably helped people tune in on a weekly basis as he lent great credence to the show. The consumate butler is probably Jeeves and the best line any butler ever said was, “Walk this way…”

  • Michael Fox

    Eric Blore.

  • Shadow0109

    Willie Best in “GhostBreakers”

  • Kquade

    Rochester in “Topper Returns”.

  • Llmathies

    Robert Guillame who played “Benson” in the TV series about a family called the “Tates”.

  • Gus

    I agree that Clifton Webb should have made the list.  For me he set the standard for butlering.  Were I ever to have one he would be my choice.  However, I voted for Cantinflas in what was arguably the worst role he ever played.  It is an ongoing scandal that no one has ever subtitled his movies for an English speaking audience. 

  • Patriciaparker1

    I immediately thought of Bob Hope in “Fancy Pants”, but I voted for Anthony Hopkins in one of my favorite films.

  • Stmvh

    Halliwell Hobbes or Robert Grieg (look him up!)

    • JackJones

      I’m sure Hobbes played a butler more times than any mentioned altho Treacher & Alan Mowbray are up there.

      • cinemabon

        Absolutely, guys. You brought up some characters actors that had me running to IMDB for help. Hobbs, Grieg, and Mowbray are all icon British butlers (and the British do it best, don’t you think?). Blore was certainly the most sarcastic. Greig was hilarious in “Animal Crackers” as “Hives!” We should have a whole new blog on character actors. Mowbray, the quintisential butler, was a founder of the Screen Actors Guild. Hobbs played so many roles, besides also playing a butler, and had long distinguished career as a director of silent movies before he came to Hollywood, type-cast to play elderly distinguished gentlemen.

        • Romantickitty

           I was thinking the same thing, a blog on all the wonderful character actors and actresses of the ’30′s and ’40′s, who w/o them, there wouldn’t be any great movies of those times. Eric Blore, Alan Mowbray, Franklin Pangborn, Donald Meek, Roland Young, James Gleason, Edna May Oliver, Spring Byington, S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakal, Leonid Kinsky, Richard Haydn, Charles Coburn, Helen Broderick, Mary Forbes, May Robson, Charlie Ruggles, Victor Moore, Mantan Moreland, Willie Best, Marjorie Main, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Leon Errol, just to name a few. Absolutely the best of the classic movies.

          • Romantickitty

             I forgot to list Thelma Ritter on that character actor list, one of the best!

  • sugarpussoshea

    Gr8 question. I had to go w/my man, Wm Powell,  altho’, Cantinflas was probably the “best” butler.
    But my favs are Eric Blore and/or Alan Mowbray who probably played gr8 butlers in at least 250 movies (or better) in the 30′s.  they always made their pix soo much more interesting and of course, funny.  Gr8 guys and they deserve big pats on their backs.

  • Kbratk

    Like others here, I went with the wonderful Eric Blore.  The Rogers/Astaire films would have lost a vital element without his comic genius.  But I notice with dismay that my very first thought for this question’s answer wasn’t listed… and hasn’t yet been mentioned by anyone else.  Where is Franklin Pangborn??  He should draw a few votes, too.  

    • cinemabon

      Here, here… although Pangborn usually played nervous office assistants

  • Mal21923

    was HIGGINS considered a butler? (MAGNUM P.I.)

  • jpp452

    William Powell benefitted from being the star rather than a supporting player.  He also benefitted from brilliant writing and directing.  I have yet to meet anyone who does not like his character or his performance.  As a total package, “My Man Godfrey” is the second-best film in this poll.  “Sunset Boulevard” takes the red ribbon — not for Erich von Stroheim, but for Gloria Swanson’s interaction with Bill Holden.

    • cinemabon

      I believe you mean blue ribbon, usually associated with first place (no political inferences). A red ribbon would indicate “red flag” not what you intended.

  • agingcourt

    I would suggest Kenneth More in The Admirable Crichton. Talk about multi-tasking!!!!!!!!!!

  • Jim

    My favorite was not listed: Ralph Richardson in “Fallen Idol”, arguably the best movie made with a butler referred to in the title. Several other worthy candidates in this list, especially Powell, Gielgud, and von Stroheim.

  • Dudley5533

    I think the best valet/butler was Eric Blore who was in many films with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 30′s.

    • cinemabon

      Blore appeared in 5 films with the dancing duo as well as such perennial favorites like Sullivan’s Travels and Road to Zanzibar.

  • FLrp

     Not many will know Wilfrid Lawson in The Wrong Box.  Why no mention of Stephen Fry as Jeeves?  Oh, sorry – he was TV.

    • cinemabon

      But Fry was great, wasn’t he? It’s funny to see “House” and not think of the comic duo performing in the other venue.

  • dog888k

    Not a character, but a real valet. An old bio of George Sanders by Brian Aherne mentioned that Sanders kept a valet who he treated like George Sanders treated many people–lousy.  Aherne asked the valet why he put up with the Sanders treatment.  The valet said “Well the sob never bores me.”

    • cinemabon

      Ironic in that Sanders committed suicide and in his parting note said he was “bored with life” as his reason.

  • toria

    Who could be more convincing than Gordon Jackson, of the “Upstairs, Downstairs” series?

  • Marcus

    Anyone remember Edward Evertt Horton in “Pocketful of MIracles”?

  • nells

    Eddie “Rochester” Anderson in any of Jack Benny’s films!  ;-)

  • Dave

    E. E. Clive, who among other similar roles, played Tenny in many of the early Bulldog Drummond movies.  He set the pattern for the prescient and witty butler/valet companion a la “Jeeves” etc.

    • cinemabon

      Dave, I believe you pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat! Of course, E. E. Clive was a brilliant domestic and the owner of his own stock company that gave rise to Rosalind Russel among many others. Kudos.

  • Romantickitty

    I see my favorite, Eric Blore, has been mentioned. In the Astaire/Rogers movie “Swing Time” (my favorite one of the 10), he played Ginger’s boss at the dance studio she taught at, he was great in “Top Hat”, too. He played a phony aristocrat in “The Lady Eve”, loved him in that and of course, as Warren Williams’ valet and assistant sleuth in the “Lone Wolf” movie series. I also enjoyed Alan Mowbray as a butler, he was hilarious in “Merrily We Live”.

  • dog888k

    Let us give a mention to Pork, the Tara butler in GWTW, even though he did not get much screen time (There was more about him in the novel.)  He was played by Oscar Polk.

  • Tammy

    What about Dirk Bogarde in “The Servant”? Great psycho-drama, talk about role reversal.

  • Amelie5098

    Eric Blore! Definitely the best!! He is who I think of when I think of a butler or valet!