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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 421

St. Benny the Dip

195180 minUnited States
ComedyCrimeMusical
Video edition
YouTube
Original language
English
This copy runs
80:54
Subtitles
English

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Synopsis

Three petty criminals escape the police by dressing as clergymen and taking shelter in an abandoned Bowery mission. Their disguise works so well that neighbours expect them to reopen its charitable services. Collecting donations creates a fresh opportunity for theft, but sustaining the deception begins to change their relationship with the people they intend to exploit.

Cast

DirectorsEdgar G. Ulmer

Historical context

Edgar G. Ulmer brought this story of impostors and unexpected responsibility to the screen with singer Dick Haymes, Lionel Stander and Roland Young. Its combination of music, street comedy and moral reform gives the Bowery setting a lighter treatment than Ulmer's better-known crime dramas.

Sources and availability

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Wikipedia — film referenceInternet Archive — catalogue recordPublic-domain film catalogue — rights cross-referencePublic-domain film catalogue — rights cross-reference

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

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Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

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