Movie Review for My Name Is Bill W. Essay Example
K.C. Webb
AOD-201 / PM Class
11/12/2010
“My Name is Bill W”
The movie “My Name is Bill W” was about William Griffith Wilson (Nov 26, 1895 – Jan 24, 1971) He was better known as Bill Wilson or “Bill W’. He was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous with Robert Holbrook Smith AKA Dr. Bob. After seeing this movie I did some additional research.
He and his sister were abonandoned by both parents and left to live with his maternal grandparents. Bill also experienced severe depression when he had a girlfriend die from surgery complications. He met his future wife Lois Burnham in 1913. In 1916 Wilson’s class was mobilized and one year later he was commissioned as an artillery officer. It was while training in Massachusetts that Bill W took his first drink. First was a beer and then a few weeks later came the “Bronx Cocktails”. He wrote, “I have found the elixir of life”. In June of 1918 he married Lois just prior to being sent to fight in World War I. After the war he and his wife lived in New York.
A telling sign of his alcohol problems were that he failed to graduate law school because he was too drunk to pick up his diploma. He became a stock speculator and travelled extensively with his wife. They lost 2 babies for unexplained reasons. She almost died with the second loss. There was a lot of stress associated with his job and this caused more drinking, as did the standard business social drinking. In 1929 he was involved in the stocks for General Electric. His drinking by this time is heavy. And was noticed by his father in-law who suggested he go se a specialist. He is seen by Dr. William D. Silkworth. He denies that he has a “Drinking Problem” even though he has an enlarged liver at this point. He ends up losing his job when he is caught drinking with another woman. He at this time is also now starting to be picked up by the police for drunkenness.
In 1931 Bill and Lois are forced to move in with Lois’ father. Lois is able to get a job in a department
AOD-201 / PM Class
11/12/2010
“My Name is Bill W”
The movie “My Name is Bill W” was about William Griffith Wilson (Nov 26, 1895 – Jan 24, 1971) He was better known as Bill Wilson or “Bill W’. He was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous with Robert Holbrook Smith AKA Dr. Bob. After seeing this movie I did some additional research.
He and his sister were abonandoned by both parents and left to live with his maternal grandparents. Bill also experienced severe depression when he had a girlfriend die from surgery complications. He met his future wife Lois Burnham in 1913. In 1916 Wilson’s class was mobilized and one year later he was commissioned as an artillery officer. It was while training in Massachusetts that Bill W took his first drink. First was a beer and then a few weeks later came the “Bronx Cocktails”. He wrote, “I have found the elixir of life”. In June of 1918 he married Lois just prior to being sent to fight in World War I. After the war he and his wife lived in New York.
A telling sign of his alcohol problems were that he failed to graduate law school because he was too drunk to pick up his diploma. He became a stock speculator and travelled extensively with his wife. They lost 2 babies for unexplained reasons. She almost died with the second loss. There was a lot of stress associated with his job and this caused more drinking, as did the standard business social drinking. In 1929 he was involved in the stocks for General Electric. His drinking by this time is heavy. And was noticed by his father in-law who suggested he go se a specialist. He is seen by Dr. William D. Silkworth. He denies that he has a “Drinking Problem” even though he has an enlarged liver at this point. He ends up losing his job when he is caught drinking with another woman. He at this time is also now starting to be picked up by the police for drunkenness.
In 1931 Bill and Lois are forced to move in with Lois’ father. Lois is able to get a job in a department