Min and Bill

Director: George W. Hill George W. Hill

Overview

This early talkie melodrama features a waterfront hotel-owner (Marie Dressler) and her relationship with an area fisherman (Wallace Beery). The two are the guardians for a young girl (Dorothy Jordan) whose mother deserted her, but they lose custody of the girl to truant officers. The couple scrape up enough money to get the child back and into a boarding school, where she finds love with a wealthy young man (Donald Dillaway). Dressler won the Oscar for Best Actress in this 1930 film, the year's box-office breakthrough.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/16/2009
UPC:	0883316164662
Original Release:	1930
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:10:00
Sales rank:	37,967

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Marie Dressler	Min
Wallace Beery	Bill
Dorothy Jordan	Nancy Smith
Marjorie Rambeau	Bella Pringle
Donald Dillaway	Dick Cameron
DeWitt Jennings	Groot
Russell Hopton	Alec Johnson
Frank McGlynn Sr.	Mr. Southard
Gretta Gould	Mrs. Southard
Jack Pennick	Merchant Seaman
Hank Bell	Sailor
Henry Roquemore	Bella's Stateroom Lover
Miss Vanessi	Woman

Technical Credits

Frances Marion

George W. Hill	Director,Producer
Frances Marion	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Min and Bill was incredibly popular upon its release, turning Marie Dressler overnight into the hottest (and most unlikely) star in Hollywood. Modern audiences may not understand the uproar over the film itself, but Dressler's Academy Award-winning performance is still every bit as lustrous as it was in 1930. Dressler, not a great beauty even in her younger days, nevertheless manages to light up the screen with her oversized, warm-hearted turn. She's a force of nature, a tidal wave that sweeps along everything in her path -- or would, if she wasn't paired with the equally imposing Wallace Beery. Beery keeps Dressler from dominating the film, especially surprising since her character -- and not his -- is really the focus. Together, this unlikely duo form one of the most loveable and endearing comic-romantic teams the screen has ever seen. Their chemistry is nothing short of remarkable, and they help to bring out the very best in each other's work. The rest of the cast doesn't stand a chance, although Marjorie Rambeau does manage to get in a couple of licks of her own. As stated, as a film Min doesn't stand the test of time so well. The mixture of the comic and the tragic is a bit jarring, and the blatant manipulation is often too bald-faced. In addition, some viewers will be made uncomfortable by the matter-of-fact manner in which some of the violence is played for comedy. But as long as Dressler and Beery are around, it doesn't really matter.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler