St Benny the Dip *** (1951, Dick Haymes, Nina Foch, Roland Young, Lionel Stander, Freddie Bartholomew) – Classic Movie Review 13,607  

Dick Haymes, Lionel Stander and Roland Young star as crooks dodging the cops in New York City by disguising themselves as ministers and hiding in a mission, in the 1951 comedy film St Benny the Dip.

Director Edgar G Ulmer’s 1951 American film St Benny the Dip [Escape If You Can] is based on a story by George Auerbach, and stars Dick Haymes, Nina Foch, Roland Young, Lionel Stander and Freddie Bartholomew.

Dick Haymes stars as pickpocket Benny in this undemanding but pleasant comedy-thriller with three crooks (Dick Haymes as Benny, Lionel Stander as Monk and Roland Young as Matthew) dodging the cops in New York City.by disguising themselves as ministers to hide in an abandoned Bowery mission. But they find that goodness is contagious.

The expert acting from a neat cast (with Roland Young and Lionel Stander especially entertaining) and the well-chosen New York locations help a lot, while the amusing movie is not too sentimental and Ulmer’s direction shows flair and command of cinema techniques. Former child star Freddie Bartholomew plays the Reverend Wilbur, in his final movie, his career over at 27.

It is made by the Danzigers and released by United Artists.

It was released as Escape If You Can in the UK.

Cast: Dick Haymes, Nina Foch, Roland Young, Lionel Stander, Freddie Bartholomew, Oscar Karlweis, William A Lee, Dick Gordon, Jean Casto, Eddie Wells, James Bender, Dort Clark, Verne Colette, John Lupton, Ron Ansell-Smyth, and Don Ansell-Smyth.

In 1954 Nina Foch married her first husband, the actor, academic, author, choreographer, interviewer, scriptwriter and producer James Lipton, their marriage ending in divorce in 1959.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,607

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