Take the Money and Run (1969)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

Woody Allen (original screenplay) and
Mickey Rose (original screenplay)

Release Date:

13 March 1971 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

crime lives!

Plot:

The life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber.

Plot Keywords:

Bank Robbery | Dynamite | Soap | Armored Car Robbery | Prison

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Virgil Starkwell
Janet Margolin	...	Louise
Marcel Hillaire	...	Fritz - Director
Jacquelyn Hyde	...	Miss Blair
Lonny Chapman	...	Jake - Convict
Jan Merlin	...	Al - Bank Robber
James Anderson	...	Chain Gang Warden
Howard Storm	...	Fred
Mark Gordon	...	Vince
Micil Murphy	...	Frank
Minnow Moskowitz	...	Joe Agneta
Nate Jacobson	...	The Judge
Grace Bauer	...	Farm House Lady
Ethel Sokolow	...	Mother Starkwell
Dan Frazer	...	Julius Epstein - The Psychiatrist (as Don Frazier)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:12 | Iceland:L | USA:PG (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:M | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

One hundred San Quentin prisoners were paid a small fee to work on the film during the prison sequences. The regular cast and crew were stamped each day with a special ink that glowed under ultra-violet light so the guards could tell who was allowed to leave the prison grounds at the end of the day.

Goofs:

Continuity: After breaking out with the chain gang, and talking with Louise, the arm position of the first guy in line changes.

Quotes:

Bank Teller #1: Does this look like "gub" or "gun"?
Bank Teller #2: Gun. See? But what does "abt" mean?
Virgil: It's "act". A-C-T. Act natural. Please put fifty thousand dollars into this bag and act natural.
Bank Teller #1: Oh, I see. This is a holdup?

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Soul Bossa Nova

Taking Ideas and Using Them.

Very early Woody Allen winner has the all-time lovable loser trying to make ends meet with girlfriend and future wife Janet Margolin. Allen, obviously pretty unskilled in most everything, decides that he can do just what the title of the film says and achieve true happiness with his one true love. Documentary-styled footage makes the picture unfold in a quietly uproarious way as Allen uses corny techniques used by most news organizations to tell a story that would have looked very odd without his insight being involved. Allen's films only work because he makes them work usually and that is definitely the case with "Take the Money and Run". Once again he shows unlimited potential and would use this movie, more than any other, as a spring-board for much future success in the 1970s, 1980s and beyond. 4 stars out of 5.