Why it's there: Min and Bill's

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Thursday, October 18, 2007
Matt Hochberg

About two weeks ago, we posted a Why It's There about Dinosaur Gertie but this week, we're going across Echo Lake to Min and Bill's Dockside Diner. This counter service restaurant on the shore of Echo Lake serves up snacks to park guests who may not understand the signifigance of the name of the building. Like Gertie, Min and Bill's pays hommage to an early Hollywood film.

In the film, Min owns the waterfront hotel, where Bill, the captain of a fishing boat lives. Played by Marie Dessler (Min) and Wallace Beery (Bill). Marie Dressler won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1931 for her portrayal. This film was such a runaway smash hit that it and its near-sequel Tugboat Annie, which reteamed Dressler and Beery in similar roles, boosted both to superstar status and the two pairings with Dressler primarily were responsible for Beery becoming MGM's highest paid actor in the early 1930s, before Clark Gable took over that crown.

The building, like Dinosaur Gertie, references the California Crazy architecture style where buildings look were made to look like hot dogs, baskets or other objects. Min and Bill is no exception, this snack joint looks like a boat.