--- title: "The Bank Dick" year: 1940 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-bank-dick" fi1m_id: "the-bank-dick" imdb_id: "tt0032234" tmdb_id: 911 wikidata_id: "Q2481316" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-25T03:06:06.341483+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T03:06:06.745057+00:00" region: "GR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Bank Dick (1940) Directed by Edward F. Cline · 1h 12m · Comedy ## Identity The Bank Dick - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-bank-dick - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-bank-dick - **IMDb ID:** tt0032234 - **TMDB ID:** 911 - **Wikidata ID:** Q2481316 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032234/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/911, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2481316 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 82 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* Egbert Sousé accepts good luck with the air of a man still waiting for an apology > W.C. Fields makes *The Bank Dick* a pleasure, despite plotting that barely connects its routines. The supporting cast earns its share of the laughs, though some old jokes need more help than they get. ## Synopsis Egbert Sousé (W.C. Fields) encounters improbable good fortune and takes it with little sign of surprise. The other characters include Agatha Sousé (Cora Witherspoon), Myrtle Sousé (Una Merkel) and Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch (Jessie Ralph), alongside J. Pinkerton Snoopington (Franklin Pangborn) and Og Oggilby (Grady Sutton). Egbert’s talk and a succession of comic routines lead the story, which gives him room to be sour, expansive and unconcerned with making himself agreeable. Edward F. Cline directs this 72-minute comedy from a screenplay by W.C. Fields. ## Review *The Bank Dick* is a funny, cheerfully untidy comedy whose chief pleasure is the sound of W.C. Fields talking. Edward F. Cline gives his leading man room, and the screenplay is his too: individual routines matter more than a story that connects them. We recommend it for the performance, with fair warning that the plot often seems to exist merely to introduce the next routine. At 72 minutes, it can afford a little wandering. As Egbert Sousé, W.C. Fields sounds entitled to whatever good fortune happens to come his way. We laughed at how calmly he accepts it; anything less seems likely to strike him as a personal insult. He does not ask us to approve of Egbert, which is a relief. The performance lets us enjoy the man’s sourness without requiring the usual reassurance that he is secretly delightful. The dialogue is the main reason to stay. W.C. Fields makes exaggeration sound conversational, so that an outrageous assertion can pass almost unnoticed until we have considered what he actually said. His derisive talk is funny because he gives it the patience of a man explaining something obvious. There is an unpleasantness here that remains enjoyable, partly because he makes no effort to excuse it. Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel and Jessie Ralph are worth listening to as well. Playing Agatha Sousé, Myrtle Sousé and Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch respectively, they make the supporting company a substantial part of the pleasure. The film belongs to its leading man, but it is better whenever we are conscious of someone besides him. A little more room for these performers would have been welcome, particularly when an individual routine begins to run short of invention. Milton Krasner’s cinematography is less memorable than the faces it records. Arthur Hilton’s editing does more for the individual routines than for their connections, allowing the comedy to remain conspicuously episodic. Charles Previn’s music makes less of an impression than the speaking voice at the centre of the film, whose delivery supplies plenty of rhythm already. Edward F. Cline’s direction makes a sensible choice in leaving the actor room, although it offers few other attractions when a joke falls flat. Some of those jokes are tired. W.C. Fields can improve familiar material by sounding aggrieved that anyone might question it, but even he cannot make every routine feel newly invented. The screenplay’s casual connections are usually easy to forgive; occasionally they leave us waiting for another subject rather than enjoying the one at hand. A firmer decision to move on would have helped in those stretches. As a comedian’s vehicle, though, *The Bank Dick* does its main job well. It gives a distinctive performer material that suits him, makes good use of its supporting players and does not insist that an abrasive personality must be softened before we can enjoy his company. The range is narrow, and we are happy to stay within it for most of the running time. Give it an evening when nobody needs the people on screen to be likeable. *Fi1m score 80, published 25 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus is strongly favourable, with praise centred on W.C. Fields’s performance and the freedom the film gives his comedy. Critics repeatedly single out his expansive delivery, derisive patter and unruffled response to improbable good fortune; the loose storytelling is generally treated as permission for the routines to flourish. Though Fields dominates the notices, Radio Times also praises the supporting cast, particularly Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel and Jessie Ralph. The differences are chiefly matters of enthusiasm rather than outright dissent: all eight reviews are classified as positive, though the available summaries offer uneven detail. Variety finds some of the gags old-fashioned but considers the fresh material sufficient to keep them working. Time Out notes Fields’s limited versatility while admiring how effectively he uses his sour persona. Most critics place greater weight on the precision and pleasure of his comic routines than on those limitations. ## Straight answers **Is The Bank Dick worth watching?** *The Bank Dick* is worth watching for W.C. Fields’s dry, sour delivery and a supporting cast that earns its laughs; we score it 80 out of 100. We recommend it to anyone who enjoys verbal comedy and cheerfully abrasive characters, though the plot barely connects the routines and some familiar jokes outstay their welcome. **How long is The Bank Dick, and what is it rated?** *The Bank Dick* runs 1h 12m. It is a comedy film. **Where can I watch The Bank Dick in Greece?** *The Bank Dick* is not on any streaming or rental service in Greece at the moment. It is available in 1 other country; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does The Bank Dick compare to Duck Soup?** *The Bank Dick* is a looser showcase for one comedian’s sour conversational manner than [*Duck Soup*](https://film.one/film/duck-soup), which we recommend as the brisker, more consistently funny choice. Both thrive on verbal insolence, but *Duck Soup* directs its rudeness at political vanity and orderly public life; Fields’s film suits an evening when we are happy to let the story wander. **What should I watch after The Bank Dick?** After *The Bank Dick*, try [*Duck Soup*](https://film.one/film/duck-soup) (1933, Fi1m 88): Verbal insolence takes charge, with even less respect for orderly public life. Then [*Kind Hearts and Coronets*](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets) (1949, Fi1m 91): For equally dry delivery and considerably more careful attention to the plotting. ### Reviews we read (8) - **The AV Club**, Keith Phipps (95/100, inferred): Phipps calls the film pure gold from start to finish. He singles out Fields’s comic performance and the script’s freedom from concern with coherence. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-bank-dick-dvd-1798195693) - **Slant Magazine**, Derek Smith (90/100, inferred): The critic praises The Bank Dick as a high point in W.C. Fields’s comic formula. Its understated humor and Egbert’s cool indifference amid improbable good fortune receive particular praise. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/its-a-gift-the-bank-dick-review-w-c-fields/) - **The New Yorker** (90/100, inferred): The review calls the film a classic and Fields’s funniest vehicle. It singles out his lewd, derisive, hyperbolic patter as what makes the film work. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-bank-dick) - **The New York Times**, Bosley Crowther (85/100, inferred): Crowther recommends the film as great fun. He especially praises Fields’s expansive comic performance and the way the picture belongs to him. [Read](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/fields-screen.html) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (4/5): Parkinson calls it one of W.C. Fields’s finest comedies, praising his inspired routines. He also singles out the supporting cast, especially Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel and Jessie Ralph. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2x6vhp/the-bank-dick/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (78/100, inferred): The review finds the comedy routine-driven but refreshed by enough new material to overcome its antique gags. It especially praises the climax’s refurbished downhill car chase as a thrilling comic set piece. [Read](https://variety.com/1939/film/reviews/the-bank-dick-1117788869/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (71/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a Great Movies review of the 1940 film, but the browser-check block prevents access to the critic’s verdict. I can’t verify what the review singles out for praise or criticism. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-bank-dick-1940) - **Time Out** (70/100, inferred): The critic’s blurb is appreciative of Fields’ performance despite noting his limited versatility. It singles out how effectively he used his sourball persona. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/the-bank-dick) ## Details - **Director:** Edward F. Cline - **Director:** Edward F. Cline - **Screenplay:** W.C. Fields - **Cinematography:** Milton Krasner - **Editor:** Arthur Hilton - **Music:** Charles Previn - **Costume design:** Vera West - **Producer:** Jack J. Gross - **Cast:** W.C. Fields as Egbert Sousé; Cora Witherspoon as Agatha Sousé; Una Merkel as Myrtle Sousé; Evelyn Del Rio as Elsie Mae Adele Brunch Sousé; Jessie Ralph as Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch; Franklin Pangborn as J. Pinkerton Snoopington; Shemp Howard as Joe Guelpe; Dick Purcell as Mackley Q. Greene - **Runtime:** 1h 12m - **First release (the US):** 29 November 1940 - **Genres:** Comedy ## Where to watch in Greece Not streaming, renting or buying in Greece at the last check. Also available in: US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Duck Soup* (1933), Fi1m 88: Verbal insolence takes charge, with even less respect for orderly public life. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/duck-soup.md) - *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Fi1m 91: For equally dry delivery and considerably more careful attention to the plotting. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md) - *A New Leaf* (1971): Another comedy that trusts us to enjoy a thoroughly disagreeable central character. - *Tampopo* (1985): A more generous comedy, equally happy to interrupt its story for a joke. - *The Dinner Game* (1998): Vanity and elaborate excuses receive stricter comic punishment in a tightly organised farce. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-bank-dick