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IMDbPro

The Bank Dick

  • 19401940
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 12m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
29,586
2,350
W.C. Fields, Una Merkel, and Cora Witherspoon in The Bank Dick (1940)
Comedy
Henpecked Egbert Sousé has comic adventures as a substitute film director and unlikely bank guard.Henpecked Egbert Sousé has comic adventures as a substitute film director and unlikely bank guard.Henpecked Egbert Sousé has comic adventures as a substitute film director and unlikely bank guard.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
29,586
2,350
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Edward F. Cline
    • Writers
      • W.C. Fields(original screen play)
      • Richard Carroll(dialogue)
    • Stars
      • W.C. Fields
      • Cora Witherspoon
      • Una Merkel
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Edward F. Cline
    • Writers
      • W.C. Fields(original screen play)
      • Richard Carroll(dialogue)
    • Stars
      • W.C. Fields
      • Cora Witherspoon
      • Una Merkel
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 72User reviews
    • 46Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos18

    W.C. Fields, Franklin Pangborn, and Grady Sutton in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields, Franklin Pangborn, and Pierre Watkin in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields and Billy Mitchell in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields, Dick Purcell, and Grady Sutton in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields, Evelyn Del Rio, Jessie Ralph, and Cora Witherspoon in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields and Al Hill in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940)
    W.C. Fields and Una Merkel in The Bank Dick (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    W.C. Fields
    W.C. Fields
    • Egbert Sousé
    Cora Witherspoon
    Cora Witherspoon
    • Agatha Sousé
    Una Merkel
    Una Merkel
    • Myrtle Sousé
    Evelyn Del Rio
    • Elsie Mae Adele Brunch Sousé
    Jessie Ralph
    Jessie Ralph
    • Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch
    Franklin Pangborn
    Franklin Pangborn
    • J. Pinkerton Snoopington
    Shemp Howard
    Shemp Howard
    • Joe Guelpe
    Dick Purcell
    Dick Purcell
    • Mackley Q. Greene
    • (as Richard Purcell)
    Grady Sutton
    Grady Sutton
    • Og Oggilby
    Russell Hicks
    Russell Hicks
    • J. Frothingham Waterbury
    Pierre Watkin
    Pierre Watkin
    • Mr. Skinner
    Al Hill
    Al Hill
    • Filthy McNasty - aka Rupulsive Rogan
    George Moran
    George Moran
    • Cozy Cochran - aka Loudmouth Nasty
    Bill Wolfe
    • Otis
    Jack Norton
    Jack Norton
    • A. Pismo Clam
    Pat West
    • Assistant Director
    Reed Hadley
    Reed Hadley
    • Francois
    Heather Wilde
    • Miss Plupp
    • Director
      • Edward F. Cline
    • Writers
      • W.C. Fields(original screen play)
      • Richard Carroll(dialogue) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      "Mahatma Kane Jeeves" (the pseudonym used by W.C. Fields as screenwriter) is a play on words from stage plays of the era. "My hat, my cane, Jeeves!" And in fact, at the end of the film his butler does hand him his hat and his cane.
    • Goofs
      In the opening bit of dialogue, one of the old ladies points out that there is an "accent grave" over the final e in a character's name, meaning it would be pronounced "Sous-AY", not "Souse". In fact, it's an accent aigu (or acute accent), in both pronunciation and painted on the mailbox she's looking at.
    • Quotes

      Egbert Sousé: [at the bar of the Black Pussy Cat cafe] Was I in here last night and did I spend a twenty dollar bill?

      Joe Guelpe: Yeah.

      Egbert Sousé: Oh boy, what a load that is off my mind! I thought I'd lost it.

    • Connections
      Featured in Frances Farmer Presents: Bank Dick (1958)
    • Soundtracks
      Home Sweet Home
      (1823) (uncredited)

      Music by H.R. Bishop

      Background music near the beginning of the movie and at the end

    User reviews72

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    W.C. Fields represents America's aspirations right before we entered WWII
    As I understand it, W.C. Fields spent at least most of his career playing henpecked drunks. Believe it or not, "The Bank Dick" is the first of his movies that I've ever seen; and I really liked it. Fields plays Egbert Souse - with an acute accent on the E - a bored family man never too aware of his surroundings. One day, he accidentally stops a bank robber but is only too happy to take credit for it. So they make him a security guard.

    Throughout parts of the movie, I wasn't sure whether it was going to be as funny as I usually like (and there was a scene portraying a black man in a manner that wouldn't be allowed nowadays), but it was quite entertaining overall and the whole chase was certainly beyond a hoot. I suspect that they had a lot of fun filming it. Moreover, one might interpret Fields's as a look at America's aspirations of getting out of the Depression (that's pure conjecture, so don't quote me).

    So, having seen this movie, I understand what W.C. Fields's brand of humor constituted. One can see why Warner Bros. animation department liked to caricature him as a manipulative pig in some cartoons. Worth seeing.
    helpful•17
    1
    • lee_eisenberg
    • Sep 21, 2007

    FAQ1

    • Why do Fields and Howard refer to his drink as a poultice ? A poultice is usually a medicinal herbal wrap.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 29, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Great Man
    • Filming locations
      • Lompoc, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

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    W.C. Fields, Una Merkel, and Cora Witherspoon in The Bank Dick (1940)
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    By what name was The Bank Dick (1940) officially released in Canada in English?
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