Tugboat Annie

I absolutely love this flick. I love Marie Dresser, Robert Youngs in it it’s an old flag classic but I think everyone should watch it.

A great salty old movie, and a new discovery for me in Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery both. Both were outstanding in this film. The movie is not digitally remastered but it's as watchable as any other from that era. If you're in to maritime history and that of the Puget sound vicinity, this is a must have. Lots of tugboat imagery and attention paid to technical accuracy. Dressler plays "Annie", a gruff tugboat captain, who is master of her boat and "Terry" (Beery) her drinking no account husband. Their son "Alec" (Robert Young) grows up to be a "Master mariner" earning the Captain spot on a new liner, the "Glacier Queen". Captain Son Alec has plans to make Mom retire and for Dad to walk the straight and narrow, he soon finds he has crossed the line and is put in his place by Mom. Alec receiving a slap from Mom stays away for a period of time, refusing to visit, all the while under the watchful binocular of Mom from cross' harbor. They reunite by their concern for him and noticing he's late from a run with a storm brewing, they cut their tow and set out looking for him. After a distress flare is spotted, they find that Alec's liner ran aground in the storm, and is helplessly adrift headed for a reef. Risking all, Mom and Pop make the heroic rescue. A great story with a great ending, excellent feel to the whole thing. It's one of my favorite movies now..

Great performances. Great script. Excellent movie! They don’t make movies like this anymore. What a shame! Highly recommended!!

Tugboat Annie(released Aug/33)stars,among others,Marie Dressler,Wallace Beery,Robert Young and Maureen O'Sullivan.Tugboat Annie while not a spectacular hit like Emma,still has some very good moments throughout and the two veterans are joined by young and up and coming future stars Young and O'Sullivan. The story finds Annie(Dressler) as the owner of the tugboat Narcissus,and working alongside her is her recalcitrant hubby Beery, who prefers more nips(booze)than tucks.They both live on the boat with their only son,played (when young) by Frankie Darro.It all this takes place in the town/harbour of Secoma,Washington.As the story opens Annie is coaching her young son to do better in school and to stay on and learn,so he can one day maybe become the captain of his own ship. Fast forward and their son is now grown up and actually has a passenger ship of his own,the Glacier Queen,which is coming into Secoma that day on its maiden voyage.There's a big to-do and the whole town turns out for a big ceremony.There Annie meets her son's bride to be O'Sullivan,the daughter of one of her old tugboat competitors, who now owns the steam line her son works for.Next day Annie is giving a supper on the boat for her son and his girlfriend.Beery accidentally lets fly a cake of soap into the sauerkraut but cannot get Annie to listen to him.At the supper table Annie awaits the reaction to her food when the son says outright that it tastes awful.That's when Annie discovers the soap and if eyes could kill. The next day Annie and Berry are given a proposition by their son.He wants his dad to go work for the steam line as a foreman of the harbour, and wants his mother to retire and live life easier in an apartment.The deal is struck, but when Beery reports to work the next day he is,as usual,drunk and is let go on the spot.His son happens upon the scene at the same time and sends his father home.Back at the boat Beery breaks the news to Annie,who isn't too happy.She starts by throwing things, then chasing him around the galley table.The only thing that breaks it up is their son who arrives back just in time.He has had it with his father and wants his mother to get away from his influence.But Annie still loves the old sea turtle and neither can really live without the other.Their son leaves with bad feelings ,as Annie in tears cries out for him. The tugboat has needed new boilers for a long time and their engineer comes to Annie to tell her they are on their last legs.She goes all over town begging for a loan until she finally gets one from an old friend.On her way back with a cheque in hand, Beery has suddenly got wind of a job on the other side of the harbour and has taken the Narcissus out.On the way he spies a case of booze he thinks some rum runners have dropped in the water.While turning the boat around to pick it up he doesn't watch where the boat is headed;on a collision course with an old paddle wheeler.The tug slams into the paddle wheeler broadside,putting a hole in it and wrecking Narcissus's bow.The collision has attracted an audience on shore,including a distraught Annie.She tears the cheque up in her hand. In order to pay for damages from the collision, the old tugboat is put up for auction,and both Annie and Beery are out of a home and a job.The man who buys it is the one who hauls away the city garbage by barge, and he offers Annie a job on her old boat as its skipper.She gratefully accepts. The pair have not heard from their son for a long time but they know he is due in the same evening they take out a load of garbage to dump.The swells grow bigger and Annie senses a whopper of a storm on the way.And sure enough it arrives,just as their sons ship is approaching Secoma.However the Glacier Queen has had its rudder bent,can't maneuver in the storm and is headed for the rocks.Along comes Annie who drops her garbage and struggles in the storm to save her son and his ship.A line is successfully flung between ships,but the old tugboat's boilers haven't got the pressure to pull the ship to safety,and both of them are in danger of foundering.The only way to fix the boilers is to turn down the boiler fire and for someone to enter them and do it from the inside.Beery volunteers and gets the boilers up and running,almost losing his life in the process.Annie and the crew manage to save her son and his ship. Beery is hospitalized and lucky to be alive.After his stay is over his is given a medal for his heroics in saving many lives,and the steam ship line graciously buys back the newly re-outfitted Narcissus and bestows it to a grateful and proud Annie and her hubby.A happy ending. Dressler is the star and Berry doesn't over power her or anyone during the film.He comes in and out playing his bumbling,drunk but lovable character to a tee.Dressler is right on course with her rendition of weathered old Annie,who has seen too many years behind the helm of the Narcissus.Annie gives Berry no quarter when he gets into trouble and she can become a raging storm all by herself.Under that tough exterior however lies a heart of gold,and she can get very emotional,especially where her son is involved.When she cries we really feel her pain.Robert Young does a good job as her devoted son,with all the right body language and moves. Technically speaking the film is full screen.The picture quality isn't the best here and could have/should have been much better.It starts out a bit rough but does improve over time.This is the bane of many of these blue disc DVD-R releases.We are paying good money for these films and they should be properly remastered and not released until they are. All in all a good Dressler film.Beery and Dressler make a much better team in this one than in Min and Bill.Dressler shows what a great range she had as an actress and Beery ably backs her up.3 1/2-4 stars.

Watching Wallace Berry slide into a running boiler has been on my mind for 40+ years. From what I can tell, it’s accurate. Horrendous but accurate. My I’ll guess I’ll watch it again.

Marie Dressler & Wallace Beery were re-united from "Min and Bill" for "Tugboat Annie" (1933), a film I thought was even better than the previous. Marie, of course, played "the rock", a stern woman whose face has shown years of hardship & joy. Beery's the derelict husband who can't seem to stay away from the bottle. There are moments of hilarity aboard the tugboat & moments of deep melodrama as her family is torn apart & then put back together. Life really deals these two cruel blows, climaxing with a sea storm rescue...with the unlikeliest hero. Great movie. God bless Marie Dressler!

So earthy. So real. So dear.

Great movie !!! Everyone should see this movie at least once. Wallace Beery is both excellent and classic in his portrayal of an alcoholic. His portrayal, and the whole movie is hilarious and humorous throughout, but at the same time, also shows the tragic side of alcoholism . This movie is well worth buying, and it is a keeper.