Min and Bill (1930)

Director:

George W. Hill

Writers:

Lorna Moon (novel)
Frances Marion (scenario) ...

Release Date:

29 November 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Min, the owner of a dockside hotel, is forced to make difficult decisions about the future of Nancy, the young woman she took in as an infant.

Plot Keywords:

Waterfront | Truant Officer | Fishing Boat | Fisherman | Speedboat

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Marie Dressler	...	Min Divot
Wallace Beery	...	Bill, a fisherman
Dorothy Jordan	...	Nancy Smith
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Bella Pringle
Don Dillaway	...	Dick Cameron (as Donald Dillaway)
DeWitt Jennings	...	Mr. Groot
Russell Hopton	...	Alec Johnson
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	Mr. Southard (as Frank McGlynn)
Gretta Gould	...	Mrs. Southard

Also Known As:

Derelict (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:66 min (Turner library print) | USA:69 min (copyright time)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Some of the Best (1949)

Soundtrack:

The Oceana Roll

Good Lead Performances & Good Atmosphere

The good leading performances of Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler, plus the well-crafted dockside atmosphere, combine to make "Min and Bill" well worth seeing. Both Beery and Dressler have roles well-suited to them, and the two of them are thoroughly convincing in their relationship with each other. The actual story works all right, but mainly thanks to the leads and the settings. In itself, the story contains some worthwhile ideas, but some of the developments are too contrived to make it fully satisfying.

The main characters are interesting in their personalities, their imperfections, and in their relationships with each other and with the other characters. It's a pleasure to see Dressler and Beery in their scenes together, because with apparent ease they make use of - in ways subtle and not-so-subtle - the full range of possibilities in the way that Min and Bill relate to each other. Then too, the characters fit in seamlessly with the settings, which are also nicely done in themselves.

There's almost no need for much of a story, since it would be interesting just to see more of their daily lives. Most of the developments in the movie revolve around Dorothy Jordan's character, a young woman who has been brought up by Min. There are some thoughtful moments showing how she and Min feel about each other at different times, but at other times the script seems to miss some better possibilities. Dressler makes everything that Min does seem natural, but at times her skill is the only reason why it works. Thanks to her and Beery, it does work pretty well overall, and it is one of the better movies from the earliest years of sound films.