The Bank Dick
A henpecked mischief-maker stumbles into a bank-guard job and turns financial trouble into a showcase for W. C. Fields’s anarchic comic timing.
Overview
An ordinary man stumbles into extraordinary circumstances, leading to unexpected heroics and comedic chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- witty
- deadpan
- lazy sunday
- classic comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a classic and exceptionally funny W. C. Fields vehicle, praising its inspired buffoonery despite a makeshift story and stock supporting characters.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Egbert Sousé moves from failed movie-set impostor to accidental bank guard while creating financial trouble for the bank.
Egbert receives credit for stopping bank robbers and is rewarded with a bank-guard position despite his chaotic behavior.
W C Fields plays Egbert as a drunken, evasive schemer whose pauses, gestures, and deadpan reactions drive the comedy.
The bank, its teller, the bank examiner, and a supposedly reliable investment become machinery for escalating comic confusion.
Films like The Bank Dick, and why
It's a Gift
irreverent white-collar comedy centered on an irresponsible, explosively comic antihero
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
classic american slapstick built around escalating misunderstandings, eccentric performances, and comic delinquency
Sullivan's Travels
fast-moving ensemble farce featuring social satire, physical comedy, and a disruptive outsider
The General Died at Dawn
classic studio-era comedy driven by verbal wit, buffoonery, and antic workplace chaos
Movie Details
- Director
- Edward F. Cline
- Release Date
- 1940-11-29
- Runtime
- 72 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (133)
Cast
- W.C. Fields
- Cora Witherspoon
- Una Merkel
- Evelyn Del Rio
- Jessie Ralph
- Franklin Pangborn
- Shemp Howard
- Dick Purcell
- Grady Sutton
- Russell Hicks
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Bank Dick about?
- A henpecked mischief-maker stumbles into a bank-guard job and turns financial trouble into a showcase for W. C. Fields’s anarchic comic timing.
- What is The Bank Dick like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Bank Dick as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Bank Dick violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Bank Dick as mild.
- What did critics think of The Bank Dick?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a classic and exceptionally funny W. C. Fields vehicle, praising its inspired buffoonery despite a makeshift story and stock supporting characters.
- Which films are like The Bank Dick?
- Films with a similar feel include It's a Gift, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Sullivan's Travels, and The General Died at Dawn.
- How long is The Bank Dick?
- The Bank Dick runs 72 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Bank Dick?
- In United States, The Bank Dick is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.
