I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

the leading man is my tpye

Fantastic!

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

...but not side-splitting hilarious. Beware the reviews labeling "The Bank Dick" one of the greatest comedies of all time. If you watch it with that idea in mind, you're likely going to be at least mildly disappointed.Plot in a nutshell: A useless drunk bumbles his way into money and a job, mostly by pure dumb luck.I will say that the film gets better as it moves along. But I was struck with the realization about 20 minutes into it that I really hadn't laughed yet. Needless to say, that is not good for any film purporting to be a comedy. Thankfully, it does pick up steam and there are some good moments from that point forward. One that comes to mind was when Fields' character makes front page headlines for being a hero. He hurries home to share the news with his family, and his mother-in-law, without saying a word, takes the newspaper from his hands and immediately whips it into the fire, so great is their contempt for him. They don't care what he has to say, they've heard it all before and frankly don't give a ****! I am smiling now just remembering that scene.The story, such as it is, centers around Egbert Sousé (Fields) who seems to be as focused on drinking booze as Whimpy is on eating a hamburger. One wonders how he is able to support a family with such a singular purpose; but then again these films aren't known for their solid plots. Sousé soon finds himself entangled in all manner of situations, including foiling a bank robbery, standing in for a film director, embroiling his future son-in-law in an embezzlement/get-rich-quick scheme, and a car chase that reminded me of the climax of 1963's "The Pink Panther" (minus the gorilla suits).I like W.C. Fields, but I've always liked The Marx Brothers and Laurel & Hardy more, and I think I know why. They were able to take their comedy/craziness to another level, where you literally are laughing out loud and rewinding the film to watch a skit over again. I don't get that feeling with Fields. He is funny, but he's like 'slow-burn' funny. He'll mumble things, or make odd, out-of-place statements like "yeah we have mustard at the house" and "I'll have a fountain pen by then." (You'll know them when you hear them in the film.) They make you smile, but they aren't gut-busters.I think that sums up Fields in general, and "The Bank Dick" in particular. They are funny, and worth your time, but you aren't going to fall off your chair watching them. Good, sometimes very good, not necessarily great.7/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes.

W.C. Fields plays a henpecked husband who's a police officer in a bank. That's about it for plot! What happens is a string of disjointed and increasingly stupid escapades with Fields becoming a director and a hero for catching bank robbers.I've never seen a Fields film but heard that this one was one of the best. I tuned in and HATED it! I didn't laugh or even smile once! This is one of those early movies where alcoholism is treated as a big joke and violence is supposed to be side-splitting. Fields mumbles most of his lines which ends up making his jokes either inaudible or lifeless. At the end it seems the filmmakers gave up and just threw in a WILD car chase which goes on forever and also isn't funny. I realize Fields is considered a genius and his movies classics but this one totally escapes me.

What a great chance to thrill to the adventures of a true American hero, Egbert Souse ("Soo- say", accent gravamen over the "e", please). Glory in Egbert's acrobatic family as they talk and stuff their mouths at the same time, while seated around a loving breakfast table. Catch little Elsie Mae's affectionate tribute to her dad, a billiard ball at his head, while he returns her love with a raised flowerpot. See him rescue a movie set from the clutches of a crazed downtown Lompoc ("Lom-pock", please). But most of all, glory in Egbert's fearless capture of an inert bank bandit, catapulting our hero up the ladder of success, where among other feats, he alertly disarms a maddened 11-year old cowboy. With our Egbert, the thrills just keep coming.But our hero is nothing if not versatile. Follow his genius for threading through the mysterious world of high finance. Learn from his expert use of liquid treats in greasing the wheels of finance, where he greases and greases and greases. Note how quickly he turns facts and figures into the sheer poetry of "beer beneath an arboreal dell". And finally, thrill to his NASCAR skills in maneuvering a 1930's flivver to the background demands of a Hollywood projection screen. Truly, a man for all seasons.But more importantly, one heckuva funny movie.

Apart from IT'S A GIFT, this is among W. C. Fields' greatest films--with tons of laughs. He plays Egbert Sousé (pronounced 'soo-zay', not 'souse'--a great play on words) and the film is filled with more Fields bizarre names than usual. My favorite is the bank examiner, 'J. Pinkerton Snoopington' but 'Filthy McNasty' and 'Og Oggilby' are also dandy! Plus the script credit which goes to 'Mahatma Kane Jeeves' (a pseudonym for Fields himself)). But there is far more to the film than just silly names. Like almost all of Fields' films, it's about a likable small-time blow-hard who somehow makes it big by the end of the film. In this film, Fields accidentally foils a bank robbery and is rewarded with a job working in the bank. Later, he once again saves the day and is the town hero. In between he manages to make a mess of things, but in Fields fashion, it all manages to work itself out as well.What helps this film is that in addition to an excellent Fields performance is some excellent support from the likes of Grady Sutton, Shemp Howard, Franklin Pangborn and Una Merkel and they're all in top form. Overall, the film shows that you can take a very simple plot and just let Fields act--that's really all you need for an excellent comedy. The only negative is the rear projection used during the police chase--it was very obviously fake--too fake to be funny.