My Bill

This is a very nice movie and is thoroughly enjoyable. For the time period, it delicately handles some pretty touchy subjects without being maudlin. Implausible? Maybe, but just what the doctor ordered for blue day.

My Bill (1938)

*** (out of 4)

Predictable but irresistible "B" picture from Warner features Kay Francis as a widowed mother who finds herself broke and trying to support her four children anyway she can. When her dead husband's sister takes the three oldest children, it leaves the mother and her youngest son Bill (Dickie Moore) to try and right the ship. MY BILL runs just 64-minutes and it contain some of the most predictable moments of melodrama that you're ever going to see but at the same time the film is just so charming that you can't help but fall in love with the characters and their situation. The screenplay by future director Vincent Sherman isn't the greatest thing ever written but it's serviceable enough. The characters either have wings attached to their backs or rattles meaning that there's really no "development" as characters are either good or evil but that's okay. The film manages to work because the actors are simply so good in their roles. I dare say this here is one of the best performances I've seen from Francis. She perfectly handles this role and really brings it to life no matter what is asked from her. Whether she's playing the sweet mother, the strong mother or the one facing certain drama, Francis is perfect all around. Moore is also brilliant in his role as the tough-as-nails kid who stands up for his mom at all costs. Bonita Granville, Anita Louise and East Side Kid Bobby Jordan play the three oldest children and it's always nice to see them. John Litel has a small but good role as does Helena Phillips Evans and Elizabeth Risdon. Fans of "B" movies are certainly going to enjoy this little gem and if you are a fan of Turner Classic Movies and the countless forgotten movies they show, then many of the cast are going to be familiar to you. Everything here really adds up to a nice little gem and it's certainly worth catching.

Based on Tom Barry's play, a widow (played by Kay Francis) runs out of money, and her three children abandon her. This drama explores the financial difficulties facing a family in the Depression and the fine character of the youngest, Bill. On a personal note, I enjoyed this film very much, in particular the performance by Dickie Moore as young 'Bill'. In fact, Moore's Bill had more charm and raw human emotion in his little finger than Mickey Rooney in the entire series of Andy Hardy films. In my opinion, that little guy (Bill) was pure heart, and took me back to the Jackie-Coogan character in Chaplin's 'The Kid'. In many respects, at 13 years old, Moore pretty much carried this film.

Overall, the supporting cast was rather bland, i.e. the three brats and the banker. Kay Francis plays the typically concerned mom. Ending was a bit too quick-paced, and much too optimistic --- although I highly enjoyed Bill and his mother, a.k.a "Sweetheart", finally kicking their evil Aunt Caroline out the door, i.e. "...that dog-faced buffoon!!...SCRAM!"

A slightly predictable ending, however all together satisfying picture providing some strong family values.

With nary an evening gown, fur stole, cocktail shaker, or cigarette, Kay Francis manages to negotiate the domestic ups and downs of a financially embarrassed widow with four children with admirable credibility.

That she does so, owes largely to her own convincing portrayal as the hapless shirt-waisted mother, in addition to sterling work by young charmer Dickie Moore and elderly character actress Helena Phillips Evans, as well as Elisabeth Risdon, (as a "Miss Gulch" type villainous-- who gets to toss off some hilariously caustic bon mots).

On the face of it, let's face it--the script is unpromising, given its pronounced tendency to trade on clichés and salvific coincidences in both situation and characterization. Indeed, in the film's opening chapters these faults are exceedingly evident, what with the three eldest children's scenes of petulant denunciation written, acted and performed with a broadness that is almost vaudeville, and bordering perilously close to parody.

But Dickie Moore's (as the titular "Bill") scenes are marked by such authentic warmth and pluck, that he succeeds almost singlehandedly in pulling the disparate plot threads into an emotionally involving and even compelling yarn.

This is particularly true in Master Moore's scenes with Helena Phillips Evans as Miss Crosby, an elderly spinster benefactress, whose burgeoning friendship with the child provides the film with some of its most tender scenes. Miss Evans is of that school of character actress that we have no longer, and she weaves all the layers of loneliness, wisdom, and disappointment that come with the years with the gentlest inflections. Her "I'm afraid," to Master Moore after a coronary attack is in itself heart stopping, as testament to the deep humanity she invests in what is essentially a small role.

Nor is Miss Francis undone by a lack of sequins and ermine. She seems in fact, to relish the homespun nature of the role. One scene, played while seated on a staircase, in which she explains death in metaphorical terms to Dickie Moore is played with such sensitivity, intelligence and emotional depth that one wishes the screen had afforded her more opportunities to interact with children.

By the finale, in which all the principals' toast a deceased friend, it will be the rare audience member that isn't reaching for his handkerchief.

"My Bill" is an unsung winner and a feather in Kay Francis' cap. This one should please the whole family.

The very best thing about this movie was Dickie Moore. He was a little tour de force. He was one of those child actors who could not only act but was a commanding presence on screen. The writing was hideous and the acting of the other three children were bland at best, but it was REALLY nice when Aunt Caroline really "got her's." I personally loved the banker. I thought he was sweet but had a kick to him when he finally decided enough was enough.

I enjoyed Kay Francis and thought she did a good job with a really badly written character. If you watch this film, watch it for Dickie Moore. He is one of the very best child actors of all time.