The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 39, September 11, 2005, Article 28

BOB DENVER AND THE "MINT"

This week brought news of the death of actor Bob Denver,
of "Gilligan's Island" fame. The Hollywood Reporter published
an obituary summarizing his career. One of his films has a
numismatic connection: "Who's Minding the Mint?", made in
1967. Has anyone seen the film? According to plot
summaries found on the Internet, Denver appeared as one of a
group of bungling plotters, which included Jack Gilford, Milton
Berle, Jamie Farr, Walter Brennan, Joey Bishop and Victor Buono.

The movie's title represents a common public misperception -
the plot actually revolves around a worker at the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing, which makes paper money, not coins.
But I guess "Who's Minding the B.E.P.?" doesn't have the same
ring to it. A worker, whose job is inspecting $100 bills,
accidentally destroys a number of notes, but afraid to tell his
imperious boss, so he concocts a scheme to print replacement
notes. Of course, the scheme goes increasingly awry.

Lest one think that a reference to this obscure film would
never turn up in a numismatic library, the following is from
Fred Reed's "Show Me The Money!: The Standard Catalog
of Motion Picture, Television, Stage and Advertising Prop
Money" (p160):

"During the credits to the inappropriately named, but
nevertheless funny comedy "Who's Minding the Mint?"
(Columbia Pictures, 1967), real U.S. currency from the dollar
up to and including the $100,000 Gold Certificate form a
backdrop. ... Use of this currency on screen had to have
government approval and assistance, since the largest
denominations shown were specimens of non-circulating
notes only used within the Federal Reserve System."

Still images from the film are shown on pages 58 and 60.
Milton Berle, Joey Bishop and others are seen, but not
Bob Denver. To read Denver's Hollywood Reporter
obituary, see: Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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