Min and Bill (1930)

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.

Director:

George W. Hill

Writers:

Lorna Moon (suggested from the book: "Dark Star" by), Frances Marion (scenario and dialogue),

Stars:

Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Dorothy Jordan

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marie Dressler	...	Min
Wallace Beery	...	Bill
Dorothy Jordan	...	Nancy
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Bella
Don Dillaway	...	Dick (as Donald Dillaway)
DeWitt Jennings	...	Groot
Russell Hopton	...	Alec
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	Mr. Southard (as Frank McGlynn)
Gretta Gould	...	Mrs. Southard

Storyline

Min owns the waterfront hotel where Bill, the captain of a fishing boat, lives. Also living and working in the hotel is Nancy, whom Min took in some years ago as an abandoned girl. Now that Nancy is older, the truant officer and the police think that she should be moved to a different environment, and Min is torn between her attachment to Nancy and her concern that the waterfront may not be the best place for a young woman. Matters are brought to a head by the sudden re-appearance of Belle, Nancy's disreputable mother.

---

Plot Keywords:

waterfront | truant officer | fishing boat | fisherman | shave | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Derelict

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min 66 min (Turner library print) 69 min (copyright time)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Bella Pringle: Ah, c'mon. C'mon, Bill, show us the bottom of the bottle.
Bill, a fisherman: Say, you're just like a sieve, aint yuh?

---

Connections

Referenced in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

---

Soundtracks

"The Oceana Roll"
(1911) (uncredited)
Music by Lucien Denni
Portion played during the opening credits

User Reviews

Back on the Waterfront

Seedy waterfront hotel proprietress Marie Dressler (as Min) lives with a pseudo-family she has created. Her "partner" is Wallace Berry (as Bill), with whom she exchanges "flirts" for free rent. Together, they are surrogate parents for schoolgirl Dorothy Jordan (as Nancy), who was abandoned by lowlife mother Marjorie Rambeau (as Bella). Problems surface during Ms. Jordan's adolescence; she begins to draw the attention of both suitors, and truant officers. Then, her sleazy mother returns to claim her…

If you're looking at the comments on "Min and Bill", you may be interested in sampling Dressler's "Best Actress" performance. IMO, although she did win the 1930/31 Academy Award, this is neither Dressler's best performance, nor the best acted role by a woman for the year. During the eligibility period, both the nominated Marlene Dietrich (in "Morocco"), and the non-nominated Sylvia Sidney (in "An American Tragedy") were more worthy. Dressler was certainly deserving of an award, however; she had given a series of flawless performances, leading up to "Min and Bill".

As "Min", Dressler uses an abundance of her manners and fidgets; she is obviously not as well-concentrated or well-directed as in other films; but, she is always entertaining. During one of her most over-the-top scenes, she takes an axe to Wallace Beery. Dressler's best moments occur during her beautifully rendered finale. Mr. Berry excels, but in more of a supporting role than the title implies; and, Ms. Rambeau is a terrific "gutter-rat" rival. See "Emma" for a more award-worthy Dressler performance. And, see "Tugboat Annie" for a superior Dressler-Berry team-up.

****** Min and Bill (11/21/30) George Hill ~ Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Marjorie Rambeau, Dorothy Jordan