
Take the Money and Run
1969

Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.

Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.
Peter SellersDodger Lane
Wilfrid Hyde-WhiteSoapy Stevens
Maurice DenhamGovernor Horatio Bennett
Irene HandlMrs. Price
David LodgeJelly Knight
Lionel JeffriesChief Prison Officer Sidney Crout
Liz FraserEthel
Bernard CribbinsLennie Price
Beryl ReidMiss Pringle
Walter HuddReverend Patterson
George WoodbridgeChief Prison Officer Jenkins
John Glyn-JonesLawyer
Cyril ChamberlainDay Gate Warder
Noel HoodMiss Prescott
Mario FabriziJones
Thorley WaltersColonel Parkright
Myrette MorvenMiss Meakin
Andrew DownieGarden Warder
Availability for your region. Streaming data provided by JustWatch.
I was never an huge fan of Peter Sellers's films, but this one works quite well. Incarcerated, he is living the life of Riley with his two cellmates during Her Majesty's pleasure when their erstwhile colleague (a bit more of a substantial part for the engaging Wilfred Hyde-White) dressed as a parson arrives to pay them a spiritual visit. It's at this rendezvous that he informs "Dodger" (PS) of his plan for them to escape from prison just long enough to steal a fortune in diamonds then escape back in - for the perfect alibi! He and his pals "Jelly" (David Lodge) and "Lennie" (Bernard Cribbins) think it is all a pipe dream, especially when the rather hapless, gardening, prison governor (Maurice Denham) finds he has a new chief warden in the form of disciplinarian "Crout" (Lionel Jeffries) - a man determined to tighten things up a bit around this rather casually run jail. What now ensues is a series of fun escapades that I could easily see proving inspirational to the forthcoming BBC "Porridge" series. Jeffries and Denham provide strong support as the story, daft as it is, allows some fun characters to develop and for the writing to provide some dialogue and scenarios that raise the odd smile. Personally, I was just a little disappointed by the denouement - but as crime capers go, this is actually quite fun and is still worth a watch.

1969

1977

2018

1960

2013

2002

1969

1960

1972

1941

1994

1955

2005

1947

1966

1947

1949

2024

1989

1976