The Bank Dick

The Bank Dick (1940)

Runtime: 72 minutes

Directed by: Edward F. Cline

Starring: W.C. Fields, Grady Sutton, George Moran, Una Merkel, Shemp Howard

From: Universal

For fans of older cinema, you’ll likely be delighted that I check out the most famous picture from a famous figure of the past (W.C. Fields) that erroneously had the reputation of a man that “hated dogs & babies” but his love of alcohol was not phony. Regardless, I knew he had an acerbic wit and in The Bank Dick, he bonked his young daughter on the head after she struck him; her striking him became a running gag where only fate prevented him inflicting grievous bodily harm towards his own flesh & blood. This played on Turner Classic Movies last night, one of a few Fields films they played on a random Sunday.

Fields was Egbert Sousé (the accent grave on the e is important), a curmudgeon alcoholic whose focus is on detective novels and drinking at the Black Pussy Cat Café, where Shemp Howard is the bartender. As he’s a henpecked husband, I can’t entirely blame him. He becomes a bank dick (i.e. detective working for the bank) after mistakenly being credited for capturing a dude named LOUDMOUTH MCNASTY, one of a duo that just robbed the bank. The script has an onslaught of wacky names: A. PISMO CLAM, MACKLEY Q GREENE, EFFINGHAM HOOFNAGLE, OG OGGILBY, & J. PINKERTON SNOOPINGTON.

I was happy to not be a luddy-duddy or a mooncalf and finally tackle this movie. Egbert began the film as a bum lacking in most redeeming qualities and his character changed little by the end, even after earning a new job, being swindled by con artist J. FROTHINGHAM WATERBURY, convincing future son-in-law Og-the most amusing supporting character, as portrayed by That Guy actor Grady Sutton, to steal from the bank, & more. 

Fields had creative control over the script after some successes at Universal; he was out of films for awhile due to illness & depression over the death of several friends in a short amount of time. He (credited under the name MAHATMA KANE JEEVES) brewed a satisfying concoction where Sousé was an agent of chaos, an instrument of destruction causing havoc everywhere he stumbled himself into, yet through dumb luck, Ol’ Egbert always came out of the increasingly ludicrous events smelling like roses. For less than 75 minutes, this was a satisfying meal full of witty banner & sight gags.

If Fields played funny jerks like this constantly, eventually-even if it’s many months in the future-I’ll check out more of his films.