An Officer of the Bank

Originally aired April 19, 1937, this episode of Fibber McGee & Molly lands Fibber in a new “career” courtesy of the Wistful Vista Employment Bureau—working at the First National Bank. Mistaking the legal department for his office, McGee settles in as a self-styled financial expert, dispensing Latin phrases, bungling a customer’s will, and fielding calls about foreign exchange. Molly looks on in exasperation as he brags of his past as “Cash Count McGee, the coupon-cutting cutie of California.” Cameos include Harlow Wilcox explaining he’s “overdrawn,” Elmo Tanner whistling after Fibber tells him to “whistle for his investment,” and Silly Watson losing a nickel while hauling $14 million. The farce escalates until the bank president arrives, revealing that Fibber was hired not as an executive—but as a uniformed guard, whose main job is to tell people where to go. Stuffed with wordplay, sponsor spots on Johnson’s Wax, and Fibber’s towering self-confidence, this installment delivers classic workplace satire at the expense of big banking.