** The Bank Dick

The Bank Dick -- 1940; starring W.C. Fields

Though I'm a big fan of the Marx Brothers, I'm less familiar with the works of the other comedians of the classic era -- folks like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplain, Laurel & Hardy, and so on. I've seen a few W.C. Fields films some years back, but none for quite a while, and I'd been having a hankering to. I decided to give this one a try; it's from late in his career -- in fact, his next to last starring role (the last being in Never Give a Sucker an Even Break).

There's certainly no question the man had talent and style, and I got a pretty fair number of chuckles out of the film. But it does seem to be a bit piecemeal, and the big chase at the climax didn't really work for me. Most of the humor comes from one-liners, reaction shots, and Fields' particular style of physical comedy and verbal mangling.

For a bit of a surreal touch, Shemp Howard is featured as the bartender at Field's habitual saloon. At the very end of the film, when Fields walks out of his brand-new mansion, Howard is walking by, whistling "Listen to the Mockingbird," the theme which is played at the end of the 3 Stooges shorts; Fields ends up chasing him down the road.

Main verdict: worth a look for the curious, but probably wouldn't recruit new fans for Fields today.