I enjoyed MY BILL quite a bit and it was a sweet old picture. However, at the same time, there was a creepy element that seemed highly reminiscent of an Oedipal Complex (from Freud) run amok.
The plot involves a widow who oddly tries very hard to pretend to her four kids that they were far richer than they actually were. They are on the verge of having everything in their home repossessed but the mother (Kay Francis) insists everything is fine. Eventually, though, the truth comes out and instead of her four kids being supportive and be willing to do everything they can to contribute to the family finances, the three oldest whine. In fact, though Francis only is guilty of being too free-spending and too indulgent, the three brats soon flee the home when a Fascist-like aunt offers to let the three live with her. However, the nasty old crow does not want the youngest, Bill (DIckie Moore), to live with her and it's obvious she thinks Bill is illegitimate. Poor Bill.
Well, together, Bill and his mother struggle to make ends meet and Bill is angry for his mother--angry at the awful aunt and angry at his selfish siblings. So, Bill opens a newspaper stand (even though he looks like he's about 11) and tries his best to be a good boy. At the same time, Bill meets and befriends a very lonely old neighbor lady. How all this miraculously works out and leads to a wonderfully funny and heart-warming ending I'd rather not mention--it would spoil the film. Suffice to say, it did have one of the best endings I've seen in a very long time.
Now as to the creepy part. Throughout the film, Bill calls his mother "sweetheart" and he assumes the role of her protector later in the film. From a purely Freudian point of view, this looks like an Oedipal Complex run amok. Since the father is dead and Bill is allowed to be so familiar with his mother, you could really see audiences of the day wondering if the little scamp will (or is going to) sleep with his mother!! It's even worse at the end of the film, as effectively the 11 year-old is the head of the family--just like a father to his own older siblings!! Watch the film and you'll see what I mean. It isn't much of a stretch to see this and it's very creepy.
The plot involves a widow who oddly tries very hard to pretend to her four kids that they were far richer than they actually were. They are on the verge of having everything in their home repossessed but the mother (Kay Francis) insists everything is fine. Eventually, though, the truth comes out and instead of her four kids being supportive and be willing to do everything they can to contribute to the family finances, the three oldest whine. In fact, though Francis only is guilty of being too free-spending and too indulgent, the three brats soon flee the home when a Fascist-like aunt offers to let the three live with her. However, the nasty old crow does not want the youngest, Bill (DIckie Moore), to live with her and it's obvious she thinks Bill is illegitimate. Poor Bill.
Well, together, Bill and his mother struggle to make ends meet and Bill is angry for his mother--angry at the awful aunt and angry at his selfish siblings. So, Bill opens a newspaper stand (even though he looks like he's about 11) and tries his best to be a good boy. At the same time, Bill meets and befriends a very lonely old neighbor lady. How all this miraculously works out and leads to a wonderfully funny and heart-warming ending I'd rather not mention--it would spoil the film. Suffice to say, it did have one of the best endings I've seen in a very long time.
Now as to the creepy part. Throughout the film, Bill calls his mother "sweetheart" and he assumes the role of her protector later in the film. From a purely Freudian point of view, this looks like an Oedipal Complex run amok. Since the father is dead and Bill is allowed to be so familiar with his mother, you could really see audiences of the day wondering if the little scamp will (or is going to) sleep with his mother!! It's even worse at the end of the film, as effectively the 11 year-old is the head of the family--just like a father to his own older siblings!! Watch the film and you'll see what I mean. It isn't much of a stretch to see this and it's very creepy.