The Bank Dick Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mahatma Kane Jeeves

Fields scripted almost all his films himself. His pen name was a pun on the old stage line "My hat, my cane, Jeeves" (Jeeves was the butler in those comic stories of P.G Wodehouse). Otis Criblecoblis was the pen name Fields used on his last feature film "Never Give A Sucker An Even Break". Geoffrey Homes was the psuedonym of novelist-screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring, a mystery writer who also scripted the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (lensed by Don Siegel) and "Out Of The Past" from his novel "Build My Gallows High" (Jacques Tourneur directed that classic). Ian MacLellan Hunter was a "front" for blacklisted 50s scripter Dlaton Trumbo, who also wrote the scripts for "The Brave One", "Spartacus" and "Exodus".

Answer: Egbert Souse, Lompoc, Ca.

Egbert's last name looks like the familiar synonym for "drunk", but as it was reiterated through the film, "accent grave over the e", making it "soo-SAY". Fields was inspired by Charles Dickens in creating such unusual names and he played Mr. Micawber in the star-studded adapation of Dickens' "David Copperfield". Souse can be seen as a sort of modern Micawber, waiting for some good fortune to "turn up", though the real Micawber was never bullied by his family as was Souse.

Jeff Markham from Bridgeport, Ca. is the ex-private eye, doomed by his affair with a femme fatale in "Out Of The Past"; he was played by Robert Mitchum. Hank Morgan of Hartford, Ct. is the "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" of Mark Twain's fantasy novel of the same name. And Forsythe P. Jones, as any comics fan can tell you, is Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews' sidekick. (The comics have never stated where in America Riverdale is located, so I just picked California!)

You may remember Lompoc as the home base for Roger Ramjet in the mid-60s, campy catoon series. The IMDB website states that Lompoc was a Temperance town and Fields ticked off the natives with his portrayal of a drunk.

Answer: Elsie Mae Adele Brunch Souse

Fields named this little monster after two of his sisters, and she was played by Evelyn Del Rio. In the opening scene in the Souse house, she read one of her less-than-respectible father's pulp detective magazines, yet her doting mother didn't punish her for doing so. Jessie Ralph, as Fields' nasty mother-in-law, complained about her son-in-law stealing from the girl's piggy bank and depositing IOUs! When retrieving his pulp mag he bonked her on the head and she hurled a ketchup bottle at his noggin in retaliation! (Got him too!)

Answer: giving her asthma with his smoking

The Gorgonian mother-in-law, Mrs. Hermosillio Brunch, whined about her son-in-law giving her asthma with his smoking (though she didn't wheeze once!). In recent times, concerns about the effects of second-hand smoke upon non-smokers have been raised.

Answer: Og Oggilby

Grady Sutton, who made a career of playing simple-minded saps, is bank teller Ogilthorpe Oggilby, who courted Souse's equally dim-witted older daughter Myrtle, played by Una Merkle. On meeting him, Souse' remarked Oggilby's name "sounds like a bubble in a bathtub".

Henry Aldrich was the nerdy teen of the popular 40's radio comedy, played by Ezra Stone. ("Coming, Mother!") Alexander Bumstead is the son of Dagwood Bumstead in the "Blondie" comic strip (he was nicknamed "Baby Dumpling" in his childhood). And Jerome Horowitz, as any Stoogophile should know, was none other than Curly Howard! Woo woo woo woo!

Answer: A. Pismo Clam

Jack Norton's specialty was comic drunks, and director A. Pismo Clam (referring to the clams of Pismo Beach) was right up his alley. Souse tried to direct and even tried to sell a script to the Tel-Avis studio, makers of the film that Souse had taken over. His repulsive family came on set and bratty Elsie Mae tried to get a part in the film (whose title we never learn). Soon Clam was sobered up and Souse' went off to the saloon.

Arthur Baden, the director in the Michael Powell cult thriller "Peeping Tom" and played by Esmond Knight, tried to get the right response from his leading lady for a film thriller he lensed, not realizing his focus puller was serial killer Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm). Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) was the globetrotting director of travelogues in the original "King Kong". And the legendary Erich von Stroheim was Max, the ex-director in Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard". None of these guys were drunks!

Answer: Repulsive Rogan and Cozy Cochran

The robbers almost escaped with the loot, but Rogan, aka "Filthy McNasty" (A. Hill) knocked his partner (George Moran) out and took his cut of the money, only to be accidentally knocked out by Souse. Skinner, president of the bank where Oggilby was a teller, made Souse a guard, the "bank dick" of the film's title.

The other answers were film directors: Gilliat and Launder made many British comedies and thrillers in the 40s and 50s, and are best known for the St. Trinian's comedy series. The Boulting brothers, also from England, lensed "Brighton Rock", "Seven Days to Noon" and other thrillers. The Americans Panama and Frank were known for their Danny Kaye farce "The Court Jester" and the movie version of the stage musical "L'il Abner".

Answer: Joe Guelpe, Black Pussy Cat Cafe

Joe Guelpe (where did Fields get those names?) was played by none other than Shemp Howard, Moe and Curly's brother, who had a movie career on his own, starring in such 40's movies as "Arabian Nights" with Maria Montez
and "Pittsburgh" with John Wayne and Randolph Scott! Later, when Curly suffered a stroke in 1947, Shemp took his place in the Stooges shorts.

Archie Goodwin was Nero Wolfe's sidekick, Jerry Travers was Fred Astaire's role in the classic "Top Hat" (the Silver Slipper was from Astaire's "Swing Time") and Ted Danson played Sam Malone in the long-running "Cheers" sitcom, based on a real and still-running Boston pub. Many a saloon in a western movie was named "Last Chance Saloon".

By the way, "Cat" was added to the saloon's name as to avoid any salacious double meaning!

Answer: Beefsteak Mine

You didn't expect me to put "Brooklyn Bridge" as a wrong answer, did you? And why hasn't anyone tried to palm off Golden Gate, Empire State or Yellowstone, I wonder?

Russel Hicks played con artist J. Frothingham Worthbury, who tried to unload a worthless stock of the "Beefsteak Mine in Leapfrog, Nevada". Later, he found the stock became worth millions and tried to buy it back. But Souse found out too and knocked the crook out of a bank window before Oggilby accepted the offer!

Answer: J. Pinkerton Snoopington

Franklin Pangborn played another of his effeminate prisses in Snoopington, whose dicovery of Fields' embezzlement to pay for the Beefsteak Mine would land Souse and Oggilby in jail. Taking Snoopington to the Black Pussy, Souse conned Snoopington into having a drink with him...a spiked drink to put the examiner out of action. But Snoopington proved a determined man and appeared to examine the books. Even Souse crushing Snoopington's right hand in a press (he's left-handed!) and breaking his glasses (he has spare glasses in his briefcase!) did no good. Fortunately, the good news about the mine came in time.

Cuthbert J. Twillie was the con man Fields played in "My Little Chickadee", his legendary teaming with Mae West (they co-wrote the script also!) Harold Bissonette was Fields' role in "The Man on The Flying Trapeze" and Carl LaFong was the man a pesky insurance agent asked Bissonette about, in a classic bit from the film.

Answer: Gumlegs

In the scene where Souse got Snoopington drugged, he told of the racehorse Gumlegs, that lost him a bet at the racetrack. Paul Revere was one of the horses in the opening number "Fugue for Tinhorns" of the muscial classic "Guys and Dolls". "Spark Plug" was the nag owned by Barney Google before his strip was taken over by hillbilly Snuffy Smith. Lady Godiva was the legendary woman who rode naked through Coventry, England.

Answer: nickels

"I thought the kid's gun was loaded" alibied Souse. "No, but I think you are!" the mother snapped back. "Mommy, isn't that a funny-looking nose?" the boy asked. "You mustn't make fun of the gentleman, Clifford. You'd like a nose like that, full of nickels, wouldn't you?" the mother replied.

"Hot air" and "feathers" are made-up answers. "Tomato juice" refers to Edgar Bergen's smart-aleck dummy Charlie McCarthy , who had a legendary "feud" with Fields and often insulted him thus: "Mr. Fields. is that a tomato you're eating or is that your nose?" Fields, Bergen and McCarthy united in "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man".

Answer: fingertips on Fields' palm

President Skinner (Pierre Watkin) only touched his fingertips on Souse's palm - he didn't slap Souse's palm in a "high five" or grip Souse's hand in a Boy Scout handshake or even link their pinkies! The gesture obviously denoted the man's untrustworthiness and deviousness. Skinner also gave Souse a bank calendar as an added reward! Skinner gave Souse another "hearty handshake" at film's end.

The gesture first appeared in the earlier Fields film "Million Dollar Legs".

Answer: Yes

Rogan hit the bank again and took Souse hostage as he escaped. The expertise of director Eddie Cline, who co-directed many of Buster Keaton's films, came in handy, as he lensed one of the zaniest car chases in film history! Finally, Souse handed Rogan the steering wheel and the robber tried to jump out but was knocked out by a tree branch. The money was saved and Souse was a hero again.

Answer: Yes

Souse also found his script was accepted by the Tel-Avis studio and he got paid a small fortune for it. Now the family lived in a mansion and was treated Souse like royalty. The mother-in-law remarked what a good job her daughter has done in reforming Souse, and the wife replied "It wasn't easy!" (Yeah, right!)

Outside, Souse spotted Guelpe headed to open the bar whistling "Listen to the Mockingbird" (one of the Stooges' opening themes) and chased after him.