Who's Minding the Mint

(1967, U.S.) color 97 minutes
Columbia Pictures Corporation / Norman Maurer Productions
Screenplay: R.S. Allen, Harvey Bullock
Music: Lalo Schifrin
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Editing: Adrienne Fazan
Art Direction: John Beckman, Bud Grace
Produced by Norman Maurer
Directed by Howard Morris

With: Jim Hutton (Harry Lucas), Dorothy Provine (Verna Baxter), Milton Berle (Luther Burton), Joey Bishop (Ralph Randazzo), Bob Denver (Willie Owens), Walter Brennan (Pop Gillis), Victor Buono (Captain), Jack Gilford (Avery Dugan), Jamie Farr (Mario), David J. Stewart (Samson Link), Corinne Cole (Doris Miller), Jackie Joseph (Imogene Harris), Bryan O'Byrne (Maxwell), Robert Ball (Grayson), Nora Denney (Bertha), Luther James (Jess), Mickey Deems (Drunk), Leonard Bremen (Gertrude's Husband, Man in Window), Cordy Clark (Gertrude, Woman in Window), Thom Carney (First Guard), Khalil Bezaleel (Second Guard)

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After completing work on his last feature film with The Three Stooges, producer Norman Maurer released a wonderful little farce comedy WHO’S MINDING THE MINT? in 1967. The film opens on a montage of scenes filmed inside of The US Treasury. Where one of the employees Harry Lucas (Jim Hutton) is given a bag full of fudge from his co-worker Vera (Dorothy Provine). Samson Link the supervisor is annoyed at Lucas' fraternizing with the staff and warns him to stop socializing with Vera .

The work day ends and Harry is ready to leave the mint. When he runs into a former employee Pop Gills (Walter Brennan), an ex-printer who was unjustly fired because he had attained maximum retirement age. Wanting to talk to his young friend Harry invites Pop to take a ride with him to his apartment in the more wealthy section of Washington, D.C. Harry explains that he only takes the apartment and the limo's on approval and if he doesn't like them. Then he can return them and there is no charge. Pop tries to get Harry to ask Link to reinstate him as a printer at the mint. Harry declines the favor only because he knows that his boss will never rehire Pop .

Unfortunately, Harry's ride to his apartment is seen by Link and the next day he accuses his young employee of stealing cash from the mint. An attempt to prove that Lucas' finances are in question fail because the government accountant can find no inaccuracies in Harry's pay. But, Link still suspects that Lucas is stealing from the treasury and that He'll Nail Him . That evening, Harry inadvertently pushes several thousands of dollars of new bills into his paper bag full of Vera's fudge. Unable to get rid of the lousy-tasting candies. Harry sends in down his trash compactor until he realizes that he has destroyed several $1000's of new bills. Aware that the monthly audit is coming up in two weeks and that Link will never believe that he ruined the monies by mistake. The frightened young man calls upon Pop Gillis for help. Pop is willing to help his friend out. Except they need a safe cracker to unlock the safe that contains the printing plates at night.

The pair acquire the services of recently paroled former safe cracker Dugan (Jack Gilford) to help open the vault. Dugan is willing but he needs a hearing aide to hear the tumblers. (After working in the prison workshop for years the extreme noses have damaged Dugan's hearing) The trio go to see crooked pawnshop owner Luther (Milton Berle) who refuses to give them a hearing aide on credit. Until he finds out what the device is used for On the promise that Dugan and Luther will get some monies made up for them by Pop.

Luther not only gives them the hearing aide for free. He helps them hire one of his customers Ralph Randazzo (Popular nightclub and TV comic actor and interviewer Joey Bishop) to guide thru the sewers (The group will have to travel via the sewer system to the mint). Along the way the group hires a sea Captain (Played by Victor Buono) who runs a boat ride at a local kiddie park to build a rowboat for them, Willie The Ice Cream Man (played by The Late Bob Denver best remembered as Maynard G. Krebs on “The Many Loves Of Dobey Gillis” and Gilligan on “Gilligan's Island”), Ralph's Italian speaking cousin Mario (played by a pre-Mash Jamie Faar) and Vera to help with the caper on the promise that they'll extra monies made up for them by Pop.

The heist is set for a Friday night. When Harry finds out that Link is adding new automated printing presses to be installed the next day. Harry calls in his troop and they quickly get ready to break into the mint that Thursday night. Despite some set backs the heist is a success and Luther invites everyone back to his shop for a celebration. But, The monies are soon lost when Mario mistakes the garbage men for the cops. He hands over the boxes of monies to the trashmen (played by Murray Alper and Paul Winfield). The befuddled trashmen take the boxes to the trash ship. Where the monies are carted away to the sea. Seeing his last hope sailing with the tide.

Harry heads for Link's office to confess to the situation. Until Pop gives him the monies that he used to fill his dog Inky's Litter box ( Pop took his dog along because she is pregnant and she gave birth to her pups during the heist) The monies are used to meet Harry's quota his job safe Harry and Vera get married and Pop and the other would be counterfeiters use the monies that were left over from Inky's make- shift litter box to buy diving equipment to try and find the rest of the monies that the group printed in the mint.

I first saw this film when it was re-released in the late 1970's at The Allerton movie theater in the Bronx, New York. The film lacks the wild abandon of Stanley Kramer's IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD MAD WORLD released a few years before, it is still has charm and a funny plot. The casting is also perfect. Hutton had the right amount of loveable naiveté as the bumbling government employee, and Provine is charming as the devoted and equally naive girlfriend. Brennan is wonderful as the mischievous ex-printer, and the rest of the cast also adds to the zaniness of the story. There are also cameos from former Three Stooges foil Emil Sitka as a put upon night janitor, Mickey Deems ( Mack from the TV series Mack & Myer For Hire ) as a drunk, and Paul Frees lends his vocal talents as the pre-recorded voice of a preacher, whose stern messages of repentance are heard from Dugan's religious truck. In short, WHO'S MINDING THE MINT is a worthy successor to IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD MAD WORLD.

- Kevin S. Butler