The Bold Bank Robbery

The Bold Bank Robbery is a 1904 short crime film produced and distributed by the Lubin Manufacturing Company. The silent film depicts a group of burglars who plan and execute a successful bank heist. Company employee Jack Frawley was the film's director, also coming up with the story and serving as cinematographer; the cast's identities are unknown. The silent film was the first Lubin Manufacturing Company release to feature an original narrative.

The film was created after the commercial success of the Edwin S. Porter film The Great Train Robbery, and was intended to be similar to it. Released on July 30, 1904, reception was mixed. It is credited with having motivated Porter to direct the film Capture of the "Yegg" Bank Burglars. A print of the seven-minute film, which is now in the public domain, is preserved in the Library of Congress. In 2002, the film was released on DVD as part of a compilation of silent films.

After learning they are short of money, a group of four robbers decide to execute a bank heist. The four create a plan and hire an unwitting chauffeur to drive them to their location. As soon as they reach an isolated road, the robbers force the chauffeur out of the car, gag him, and throw him into a ditch. The robbers then drive the car to the bank. After entering, they kill a security guard and use explosives to force the bank vault open. The thieves steal as much money as possible and make a quick retreat to their car. Back in the park, a young couple on a walk discover the unconscious body of the chauffeur, and the man calls the police.

The band of robbers, now at home, are about to start splitting their stolen goods equally, when the police barge in. While three of the robbers are subdued after a fight, one manages to make his escape via a window and ends up on the roof. The two policeman chase the criminal, who eludes them by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. After the robber jumps down to the street, he runs toward the railroad station and boards a departing train. The police officers arrive but are too late, as the robber has left. The officers tell the train dispatcher to send a telegram to the next station, informing them of the fugitive and asking them to catch him as soon as possible. When the train reaches the next station, the burglar exits the train and unknowingly runs right into the path of policemen. With all four of the robbers caught, they are sentenced to forty years in jail. While doing work in the jail's quarry, the group review their failure, with each robber pinning the blame on another.