Take the Money and Run

Take the Money and Run is a 1969 Woody Allen comedy about a bumbling thief named Virgil Starkwell. The film is a mockumentary that follows the life and career of the main character, played by Woody Allen, from his early entry into crime, through his many notable capers, his first prison term, and his eventual capture by the FBI. Take the Money and Run was the first time Woody Allen worked as the sole director on a film and is the first time he filled the three roles of writing, directing, and acting in a film. It was also the first mockumentary, a format he would later call the "ideal vehicle for comedy," that Woody Allen worked on. It was shot on location in San Francisco and includes footage shot inside San Quentin State Prison featuring actual prisoners.