Bunker Bean (1936)

Bunker Bean, a meek office clerk, has grandiose dreams but seems destined to remain forever in his lowly station. He seeks out the help of a fortune- teller, who tells him he is the ... See full summary »

Directors:

William Hamilton, Edward Killy

Writers:

Harry Leon Wilson (by), Edmund H. North (screen play),

Stars:

Owen Davis Jr., Louise Latimer, Robert McWade

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Owen Davis Jr.	...	Bunker Bean
Louise Latimer	...	Mary Kent
Robert McWade	...	J.C. Kent
Jessie Ralph	...	Grandmother
Lucille Ball	...	Rosie Kelly
Berton Churchill	...	Professor Ed Balthazer
Edward J. Nugent	...	Mr. Glab (as Edward Nugent)
Hedda Hopper	...	Mrs. Dorothy Kent
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Dr. Meyerhauser
Leonard Carey	...	Kent's Butler
Russell Hicks	...	A.C. Jones
Sibyl Harris	...	Countess Cassandra

Storyline

Bunker Bean, a meek office clerk, has grandiose dreams but seems destined to remain forever in his lowly station. He seeks out the help of a fortune- teller, who tells him he is the reincarnation of Napoleon and also of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Armed with his new sense of power, Bunker proceeds to win the hand of his boss' daughter and also outwits her cutthroat father in a business deal. Now a winner, Bean suddenly learns that the crystal ball-gazer was a phony, and that he found success not through any aristocratic bloodlines but through sheer spunk and belief in his own abilities.

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Plot Keywords:

reincarnation | airplane manufacturer | pharoah | invention | father daughter relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

El oficinista y la bola de cristal

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original play opened in New York on 2 October 1916.

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Quotes

Grandmother: [Bunker Bean gets a high head about himself and starts spanking his own bosses daughter. Well, Mr. Kent and his wife come in and start pampering her scolding him saying they had never struck her in her life! And Jessie ralph's character, the grandmother, comes up to him after they leave laughing and she says] "Son you'll get into heaven for this!"

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Connections

Version of His Majesty, Bunker Bean (1925)

User Reviews

Not bad but not worth much time

I watched this because Lucille Ball was listed high in the cast list. Well, she plays a secretary. She has five or six lines.

With the exception of performers in small roles, I don't recognize the names of the people who do star. In small roles are Hedda Hopper and Jessie Ralph.

It reminds me a little of the "Merton of the Movies" story: It's about a meek young man who toes the straight and narrow. He keeps trying and -- well, I won't tell what happens.

There must be a reason for the odd title. Was Bunker a popular name -- ever? Today it seems off-putting. What IS a bunker bean? It's a who, not a what. And it's fine if one has nothing better to watch.