AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Jackson Booth-Millard I found this film, also known as The Bank Detective, listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and I recognised the name of the leading legendary comedy actor, so I was looking forward to what it had to offer, directed by Edward F. Cline, who worked with Buster Keaton many times. Basically Egbert Sousé (W.C. Fields) is a hard-drinking family man, he spends a lot of time drinking, smoking and taking money from his young daughter's piggy bank, replacing it with I.O.U.s. Due to this, Sousé's relationships with his wife Agatha (Cora Witherspoon) and mother-in-law have become strained, and he cannot help but make a crack about the name Og Oggilby (Grady Sutton), fiancé of his older daughter. Sousé sets off for the day, and comes across a movie shoot, he talks his way into a temporary job, replacing the drunken director who does not show up. While on his lunch break, Sousé unknowingly thwarts an attempted bank robbery, one of the two men escapes, but Sousé is praised by the town as a hero, the grateful bank president gives him a job as a bank detective. Sousé convinces Og, who works at the bank, to steal 500 dollars to invest in a questionable mining company, Og hopes to return the money in four days, when he will get his annual bonus. But bank examiner J. Pinkerton Snoopington (Franklin Pangborn) plans an audit, Sousé tries to do something to stop this, but Snoopington is still determined to proceed with the audit. As Snoopington is about to discover the missing funds, the questionable mining company has actually struck it rich, Sousé and Og are now wealthy and don't have to worry about Snoopington. However, the escaped bank robber returns, with a new comrade, he robs the bank for a second time, and escapes with Sousé as a hostage, the robbers force him to drive their getaway car in a spectacular chase, during which the car slowly falls apart. In the end Sousé thwarts the second attempted robbery, and is rewarded again by the bank, now that they are rich, Sousé's family treat with more respect. Also starring Una Merkel as Myrtle Sousé, Evelyn Del Rio as Elsie Mae Adele Brunch Sousé, Jessie Ralph as Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch, Shemp Howard as Joe Guelpe, Richard 'Dick' Purcell as Mackley Q. Greene, Russell Hicks as J. Frothingham Waterbury and Pierre Watkin as Mr. Skinner. Fields became popular for his comic persona as a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, he is certainly likable despite growling and grumbling a lot of the time, there were the odd bits of business related stuff I didn't get, but it is a simple story, with good slapstick jokes, and the final car chase is the highlight, all in all a worthwhile classic comedy. Good!

alexanderdavies-99382 "The Bank Dick" is the most consistently funny comedy from W.C Fields. The routines and the dialogue are far above average, as is Fields himself. The plot concerns a small town loafer who first becomes a movie director during a film's shoot. Later on, he accidentally foils an attempted robbery at the local bank. For his reward, W.C Fields is employed as the bank's security guard. All kinds of comic mayhem ensure! Released in 1940, "The Bank Dick" was about the last film of any quality from W.C Fields. He only lived a few more years and his chronic drinking was getting the better of him. The laughs are pretty good here and Fields has dialogue that's worthy of his style.

framptonhollis Although I will always believe that "It's a Gift" is, without a doubt, the funniest and greatest W.C. Fields film, there is no denying that "The Bank Dick" is his most iconic. He plays his classic, bumbling drunk character (who normally accidentally becomes a hero) to sheer, memorable perfection. Much of his humor is still as fresh and as funny today as it was in 1940-a real achievement! I also observed countless times during this film that, although this film is never marketed as a "dark comedy", much of the humor spikes from tragedy. Here we have an alcoholic man whose family cannot stand him., and nothing but jokes and slapstick arise from this depressing situation. It's a unique way to blend harsh reality with comic fiction, which is what many of the great comedians are notable for doing. In order to escape reality, we must also acknowledge that it exists-and that it's HARD!

Hitchcoc W. C. Fields dominates this film. For such a basically rotten guy, we still sympathize with him because he is the head of a dysfunctional, mean spirited family. Of course, he's no gem himself, smoking, drinking, carrying on in front of young women. His daughter wants to marry a guy named Og Ogilby (Fields was a master at creating the most ridiculous names for his characters). The boy has little to offer, working in a bank for very little. The story evolves around a bank robbery where Fields (whose name is Souse with the "e" pronounced so he doesn't have the name of a perennial drunk). Fields accidentally apprehends some bank robbers and is rewarded with a job as a band guard. He talks Og into embezzling money and investing it in a gold mine so he can be rich enough to marry his daughter. Things take many turns. The important thing is Fields is on the screen continuously, not having to share time with other stars. Will he land on his feet?