classicsoncall Review of The Great Bank Hoax

The Great Bank Hoax (1977)

"You know, this bloody thing makes you feel like a crook."

[5/10 · 9 December 2023]

This film just didn't work for me. I guess I got hung up on the idea that the three bank executives were going to chalk up the missing hundred nine grand to a bank robbery, but then got involved in robbing a like amount themselves. So now they were doubling down on what could have been downplayed to an unfortunate circumstance. While Burgess Meredith was a stand out here as bank exec Jack Stutz, all the while it felt like he was channeling George Burns with the cigar and the facial expressions. His nonchalance as a crook came through while eating a ham sandwich as bank president Manny Benchley (Richard Basehart) and controller Julius Taggart (Ned Beatty) got their hands dirty with the actual theft. Notice how Meredith's character avoided anything to do that could possibly implicate him if they all got caught. I have to agree with another reviewer regarding the return of the original hundred grand via the botched getaway of gold digger Cathy (Charlene Dallas) and the crooked Reverend (Michael Murphy). Once that happened the original robbery should have been a moot point with the insurance payoff a non-event. With all that, I believe this is the only time I've ever seen Arthur Godfrey in an actual movie.