FIELDS: Was I in here last night and did I spend a twenty-dollar bill?
JOE THE BARTENDER: Yes.
FIELDS: Oh, what a load off my mind... I thought I’d lost it!
Quoting Fields out of context is often a fruitless exercise. Like Groucho Marx, Fields could make the lamest lines sound hilarious, and with Fields, it is not only how he says something, but when he says it, and who to, and why, and under what circumstances. His comedy was unlike anybody else’s in the world, which is what made him not only a great comedian but also one of America’s most original humorists since Mark Twain. In one side-splitting scene, where Fields tries to convince his son-in-law to invest the money, it is fascinating to hear to how he wraps his unique nasal drawl voice around such phrases as “arboreal dell”, “paisley shawl”, “waving fields of alfalfa” and “sign here on the dotted line”.
I once sat through THE BANK DICK with my sister-in-law Beth. She loved IT’S A GIFT, and yet hardly smiled at THE BANK DICK. Some of my friends who enjoy Fields find the film puzzling, whereas my two brothers think it is among the funniest films ever made. It is certainly one of the most unique, personal film comedies ever made. Like certain other highly personal comedies, such as Mel Brooks’ THE PRODUCERS (1968), it is not universally admired, but it is certainly an undeniable comedy classic.
(Note: THE BANK DICK was written by Fields and directed by his good friend, famous comedy director Eddie Cline.)
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