convicts were cooperative

 

San Francisco painting

In his memoir, Apropos of Nothing (Copyright 2020 - Arcade Publishing), Woody Allen discusses making the 1969 film, Take The Money And Run:

------ [excerpt] ------------- Though it wasn't in my contract, they trusted me to have total artistic control and never once bothered me for a second.  I shot in San Francisco, a town that has been lucky for me down through the ages.  

        The Herb Ross movie of Play It Again, Sam was shot there.  So was Take the Money and Run and later Blue Jasmine, all did well, and I did well as a comic at the Hungry I and got started as a jazz player at Earthquake McGoon's.

Much of the cast were local San Franciscans and they were wonderful.  Plus there were some Hollywood character actors.  I kept within the million-dollar budget and finished on time.  The first day of shooting was to be in San Quentin Prison.  

All my excitement was over the fact I was going into a prison and there'd be felons and I'd see an iconic big house I'd only read about or saw versions of in old black-and-white movies.  

        I couldn't have cared less that I was debuting as a director.  It was the prison I was fascinated by.  We were warned by the warden that the population was dangerous and if there was a riot, or any of us were taken hostage, they would do all in their power to get us out short of releasing any convicts....

        So I entered San Quentin and began my career, staging a riot in a prison yard.  Convicts were cooperative and we yelled action and the guys put on a real free-for-all riot.  When I yelled cut and they dispersed I remember picking up a shiv from the yard floor. ...

Woody Allen's character in Take The Money And Run, playing cello in a marching band...

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