St. Benny the Dip

St. Benny the Dip
St. Benny the Dip
Directed by	Edgar G. Ulmer
Written by	George Auerbach (story); John Roeburt (writer);
Produced by	Edward J. Danziger; Harry Lee Danziger;
Starring	Dick Haymes; Nina Foch; Roland Young; Lionel Stander;
Cinematography	Don Malkames
Music by	Robert W. Stringer
Production; company	Benny Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	August 24, 1951 (United States);
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

St. Benny the Dip is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The film is also known as Escape If You Can in the United Kingdom.

Plot

Benny, Monk, and Matthew are three small-time crooks trying to escape a police dragnet in New York City. After hiding in a church and taking minister's suits and dog collars, they emerge, dressed as priests, and find shelter in an abandoned Bowery mission. When beat cops mistake them for real ministers sent to restore the soup kitchen, they are forced to go along with repairs, holding services and feeding the poor. They have to decide whether to stay, steal the mission money and run, or... change their lives. As with Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, when the bishop he has robbed lets him go, it is the first time they have been treated with respect and had a chance to do good work. The question is whether the police detectives or junior priests will turn them in before they even have a chance.

Cast

Dick Haymes as Benny
Nina Foch as Linda Kovacs
Roland Young as Matthew
Lionel Stander as Monk Williams
Freddie Bartholomew as Reverend Wilbur
Oskar Karlweis as Mr. Kovacs
William A. Lee as Police Sergeant Monahan
Dick Gordon as Reverend Miles
Jean Casto as Mrs. Mary Williams
Eddie Wells as Patrolman McAvoy
James Bender as House Detective
Ron & Don Ansell-Smyth as the Twins

Soundtrack

I Believe
Words and Music by Robert W. Stringer

External links

St. Benny the Dip at IMDb
St. Benny the Dip at the TCM Movie Database
St. Benny the Dip is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive

This film article about a 1950s comedy film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article related to an American film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.