Take the Money and Run (1969)

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

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

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

Stars:

Woody Allen, Janet Margolin, Marcel Hillaire

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

This film is presented as a documentary on the life of an incompetent, petty criminal called Virgil Starkwell. It describes the early childhood and youth of Virgil, his failure at a musical career, and his obsession with bank robberies. The film uses a voice over narrative and interviews with his family, friends and acquaintances.

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Plot Keywords:

neo screwball comedy | life of crime | male protagonist | city | criminal | 

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Taglines:

He robbed 16 banks. He got caught 16 times. His record is perfect.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

10 July 1970 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Robó, huyó y lo pescaron

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palomar Pictures International,Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions,ABC Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Virgil's inept attempt to escape prison by carving a gun out of soap and turning it black with shoe polish is loosely based on real life bank robber John Dillinger's famous escape from the Crown Point, Indiana jail using a wooden gun blackened with shoe polish. In an interesting parallel, in the film Dillinger (1973) directed by John Milius and starring Warren Oates as John Dillinger, he is shown using a bar of soap instead of a piece of wood.

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Goofs

As the chain gang escapes, they climb the same embankment twice.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Virgil: Do you know if it's raining outside?

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Connections

Referenced in Edición Especial Coleccionista: Especial Navidad (2010)

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Soundtracks

Soul Bossa Nova
(uncredited)
Written by Quincy Jones
Performed by Marvin Hamlisch and His Orchestra

User Reviews

Not a Bad Beginning!

I admire Woody Allen a lot. I admire his sense of humor and his way of telling stories. "Take the Money..." was made when Allen was in the beginning of his career as a filmmaker. This film is a comedy, but don't confuse it with an actual silly comedy (in other words: American Pie). This film is a good beginning for one of the greatest American filmmakers. Recently, I watched it with my sister. It wasn't boring, it wasn't stupid, it wasn't a fraud. I am one of the few Mexican's that knows Woody Allen (by disgrace), and I am happy when I watch one of his films. In my country, "Match Point" it's about to be at the cinemas, and I am anxious to watch it: Just three words for you, my dear Woody: keep on directing.