Commentary Take the Money and Run is a hilarious movie starring, written and directed by Woody Allen. It's a mock-documentary (mocumentary) about crime, done in the style of several popular crime shows from the '50s and '60s like "Dragnet" and "The F.B.I."
Plot Summary
Woody Allen plays Virgil Starkwell, a bungling petty thief. The movie follows his life including how he turned to crime, his many heists and arrests, his marriage, and his eventual capture by the FBI.
Cultural Significance Take the Money and Run was the first of many comedy films starring, written and directed by Woody Allen. Here are some others:
Funny Scenes
Like all of Woody Allen's early films, Take the Money and Run is filled with hilarious scenes. Here are some of my favorites:
Virgil breaks open a gumball machine and takes his girlfriend Louise (Janet Margolin) out to dinner, paying the waitor in pennies.
Virgil escapes along with a chain gang, running in chains from the authorities.
Still chained to the rest of the gang, Virgil pleads with his wife, professing his love for her.
Virgil robs an old college friend at gunpoint, who turns out to be a cop. With the robbery and arrest in progress, the two carry on a friendly conversation, reminiscing about their old school days.
Movie Clips
Here's an amusing clip in which Virgil tries to kill a woman who blackmails him.
Here's a funny clip involving some personal interviews plus the scene in which Virgil meets his old friend.
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Title: Take the Money and Run 
