Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)
97 mins | Comedy | September 1967
Director:
Howard MorrisWriters:
R. S. Allen, Harvey BullockProducer:
Norman MaurerCinematographer:
Joseph BirocEditor:
Adrienne FazanProduction Designer:
John BeckmanProduction Company:
Norman Maurer ProductionsWho’s Minding the Mint? marked the feature film directorial debut of actor-turned-director Howard Morris.
Prior to the start of production, filmmakers met with the U.S. Treasury Department over the legality of depicting real money in counterfeiting scenes, as stated in a 26 Apr 1965 DV item. Once government approval was obtained, they arranged to borrow $313,000 in $100 bills from the Bank of America, for a daily interest fee and $5,000 in insurance, according to the 2 Aug 1966 DV. The money was allowed to be shown in the film but not in the trailers advertising it. An article in the 5 Aug 1966 LAT added that the borrowed cash was delivered to the set daily by a Brinks armored truck, and guarded by four security guards.
Principal photography began on 25 Jul 1966 on location in Washington, D.C., as noted in the 29 Jul 1966 DV. Due to a glut of productions shooting on the Columbia Pictures studio lot, the studio was unable to accommodate Who’s Minding the Mint? once it returned from Washington, D.C. Soundstages were rented at the Producers Studio in Hollywood, CA, instead. Four days of location filming also took place at Los Angeles’s Exposition Park.
Various items published in DV between Jul and Aug 1966 identified the following actors as cast members: John Silver, Jimmy Lloyd, Dale Van Sickle, Carl Saxe, Hubie Kerns, Walter Davis, Wally Rose, Jim Shepherd, Jerry Vance, Guy Way, Victor Paul, Harry Fleer, and Colin Male. John Blankenhorn was named as assistant location manager in the 5 Aug 1966 LAT, and Wendell Franklin ...
Who’s Minding the Mint? marked the feature film directorial debut of actor-turned-director Howard Morris.
Prior to the start of production, filmmakers met with the U.S. Treasury Department over the legality of depicting real money in counterfeiting scenes, as stated in a 26 Apr 1965 DV item. Once government approval was obtained, they arranged to borrow $313,000 in $100 bills from the Bank of America, for a daily interest fee and $5,000 in insurance, according to the 2 Aug 1966 DV. The money was allowed to be shown in the film but not in the trailers advertising it. An article in the 5 Aug 1966 LAT added that the borrowed cash was delivered to the set daily by a Brinks armored truck, and guarded by four security guards.
Principal photography began on 25 Jul 1966 on location in Washington, D.C., as noted in the 29 Jul 1966 DV. Due to a glut of productions shooting on the Columbia Pictures studio lot, the studio was unable to accommodate Who’s Minding the Mint? once it returned from Washington, D.C. Soundstages were rented at the Producers Studio in Hollywood, CA, instead. Four days of location filming also took place at Los Angeles’s Exposition Park.
Various items published in DV between Jul and Aug 1966 identified the following actors as cast members: John Silver, Jimmy Lloyd, Dale Van Sickle, Carl Saxe, Hubie Kerns, Walter Davis, Wally Rose, Jim Shepherd, Jerry Vance, Guy Way, Victor Paul, Harry Fleer, and Colin Male. John Blankenhorn was named as assistant location manager in the 5 Aug 1966 LAT, and Wendell Franklin was listed as an assistant director in a 29 Sep 1966 Los Angeles Sentinel brief, which noted Franklin was the only African American assistant director working in the motion picture industry at that time.
Harry Lucas, a money checker at the United States Mint, lives like a millionaire--not by taking home "samples" but by getting luxury items on sixty-day trial and then switching his accounts to other stores. Although his extravagance raises suspicions, an audit clears him. One day Verna Baxter, an attractive money cutter enamored of Harry, gives him a bag of fudge, and he mistakenly stuffs $50,000 worth of new bills into it, takes it home and--since Verna's fudge is terrible--dumps the bag's contents in the garbage disposal. Upon realizing his mistake, Harry convinces Pop Gillis, a retired member of the printing staff, that they could sneak into the mint at night and print duplicate bills. They will need safe-cracker Avery Dugan to get the essential engraved plates; Dugan is deaf, however, and needs a hearing aid to do the job. When they go to Luther Burton's pawnshop for one, he forces them to hire him as their manager for a $2,000 cut. Since their access to the mint must be through the sewer system, they next hire sewer expert Ralph Randazzo; and then they engage the services of "The Captain," whose job is to design a boat. Furthermore, because the best manhole to enter is opposite Imogene Harris's apartment, ice cream truck driver Willie Owens is brought in to keep her out of the way. Finally, Pop realizes that they still need someone to cut the bills, and Harry persuades Verna to do this service. Luther keeps arguing for more money until finally each individual's cut comes to $1 million. Then Harry learns that automation is imminent and all presses are to be removed the following day. Frantic, he alerts ...
Harry Lucas, a money checker at the United States Mint, lives like a millionaire--not by taking home "samples" but by getting luxury items on sixty-day trial and then switching his accounts to other stores. Although his extravagance raises suspicions, an audit clears him. One day Verna Baxter, an attractive money cutter enamored of Harry, gives him a bag of fudge, and he mistakenly stuffs $50,000 worth of new bills into it, takes it home and--since Verna's fudge is terrible--dumps the bag's contents in the garbage disposal. Upon realizing his mistake, Harry convinces Pop Gillis, a retired member of the printing staff, that they could sneak into the mint at night and print duplicate bills. They will need safe-cracker Avery Dugan to get the essential engraved plates; Dugan is deaf, however, and needs a hearing aid to do the job. When they go to Luther Burton's pawnshop for one, he forces them to hire him as their manager for a $2,000 cut. Since their access to the mint must be through the sewer system, they next hire sewer expert Ralph Randazzo; and then they engage the services of "The Captain," whose job is to design a boat. Furthermore, because the best manhole to enter is opposite Imogene Harris's apartment, ice cream truck driver Willie Owens is brought in to keep her out of the way. Finally, Pop realizes that they still need someone to cut the bills, and Harry persuades Verna to do this service. Luther keeps arguing for more money until finally each individual's cut comes to $1 million. Then Harry learns that automation is imminent and all presses are to be removed the following day. Frantic, he alerts the gang that the job must be done that night. When they converge in outlandish get-ups, it is obvious that they came as they were--and Pop even brings his pregnant beagle, who proceeds to deliver her litter. Although the boat collapses, they manage to get the money and escape. While they are celebrating, however, their incompetent lookout, Ralph's cousin Mario, allows garbage collectors to pick up the money, which eventually gets tossed into the sea. Only enough of the bills are recovered to correct Harry's mistake, but he has at least found true love with Verna. And the rest of the gang skin-dive for the missing money.
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