| Money Talks | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Allen Funt |
| Produced by | Allen Funt |
| Cinematography | Gil Geller |
| Edited by | Jan Welt |
| Music by | Mark Barkan |
Production company | Allen Funt Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Money Talks is a 1972 American documentary film directed by Allen Funt. The film was released on August 30, 1972, by United Artists.[1][2]
As in his Candid Camera television show, Allen Funt uses a hidden camera to record the reaction of people placed in bizarre situations, all of which, in this case, relate to money. In New York, Kansas City, Boston, Miami and Switzerland, bystanders are placed in unusual circumstances to determine how they will react. Various exploits include: A public pay-for-use bathroom is outfitted with a sign announcing that penalties will be charged for those staying longer than five minutes; a bowl of dollars with a sign stating "Take One" is placed on a busy city street, with most bystanders obeying the admonition; a man at a lunch counter salts his dollar bills and then eats them; a woman walks down a street, dropping money, and various people either steal or return the cash; a black young man declares that George Washington was black and should be represented as such on the dollar bill; a furrier is asked to fit a Great Dane for a mink coat; and an older woman, hired to answer phones at an expensive apartment building, finds herself fielding calls and quoting rates for Mafia hitmen. In other sequences, Funt interviews people directly, asking them such questions as why they are willing to live off their parents' money and why they panhandle. Boxer Muhammad Ali offers an unsuspecting delivery man boxing lessons in lieu of payment, while comedian Henny Youngman trades one-liner jokes in exchange for goods. Finally, when Allen asks his five-year-old daughter Juliet about the importance of money, she responds that "the most important thing in the whole wide world is heart."
