Lombard 's first film of 1936 was '' Love Before Breakfast '' , described by Gehring as " '' The Taming of the Shrew '' , screwball style " . In William K. Howard 's '' The Princess Comes Across '' , her second comedy with MacMurray , she played a budding actress who wins a film contract by masquerading as a Swedish princess . The performance was considered a satire of Greta Garbo , and was widely praised by critics . Lombard 's success continued as she was recruited by Universal Studios to star in the screwball comedy '' My Man Godfrey '' ( 1936 ) . William Powell , who was playing the eponymous Godfrey , insisted on her being cast as the female lead ; despite their divorce , the pair remained friendly and Powell felt she would be perfect in the role of Irene , a zany heiress who employs a " forgotten man " as the family butler . The film was directed by Gregory LaCava , who knew Lombard personally and advised that she draw on her " eccentric nature " for the role . She worked hard on the performance , particularly with finding the appropriate facial expressions for Irene . '' My Man Godfrey '' was released to great acclaim and was a box office hit . It received six nominations at the 9th Academy Awards , including Lombard for Best Actress . Biographers cite it as her finest performance , and Frederick Ott says it " clearly established her as a comedienne of the first rank . " By 1937 , Lombard was one of Hollywood 's most popular actresses , and also the highest-paid star in Hollywood following the deal which Myron Selznick negotiated with Paramount that brought her $ 450,000 , more than five times the salary of the U.S. President . As her salary was widely reported in the press , Lombard stated that 80 percent of her earnings went in taxes , but that she was happy to help improve her country . The comments earned her much positive publicity , and President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent her a personal letter of thanks
9th Academy Awards
9th Academy Awards
Carole Lombard