Saintly Sinners

I loved this movie. Yes, it's corny. Yes, the story's premise leaks all over the place, and yes, it's a long way from reality. But, what we see here is the late 50s and early 60s where you could get away with the corn, gags and stereotypes that show up on the sweet side. In this wonderful little film, they shake out the box with dozens of character actors whose faces you seen in films for years.

I recall seeing it as a second feature years ago and I didn't enjoy it as much then as I did watching it again. Those were wonderful days and movies like this help us aging old guys recall the innocence of that time.

This is really less a movie than an extended television episode and none the worse for that. As someone who grew up on early 1960s TV shows, I found myself wondering at times where the laugh track was. Don Beddoe plays a priest in a parish in the wrong end of town where the parishioners are mainly grifters and petty toughs who take advantage of his generosity, or so his monsignor (Addison Richards) and housekeeper (Ellen Corby) think. Their only sin seems to be playing the horses. There is the usual former troublesome teen who has made good, gotten a good job and married and now finds himself in need of the good priest's aid. This precipitates a confused situation involving a stolen car, a robbery, mistaken identity, and some tough guys with hearts of gold. If you have an hour or so to spare you could do worse than this genial little film. And keep IMDb open to check the different familiar character actors you'll see. Also, no matter what IMDb and the actual credits say, it's "Pythias," not "Phineas"; take a listen near the end. And a minor point perhaps but the writers' knowledge of Catholic church practice is a bit off since a pastor answers to his bishop, not to a monsignor.

A genial parish priest in a tough part of town inadvertently comes into possession of a car that has been used in a robbery and the loot is hidden in the car. The robbers find out the priest has it and scheme to get the car and the money back. Although this is a pretty lightweight production, it's likable enough and has a good cast--Don Beddoe, Paul Bryar, Addison Richards, Stanley Clements, Ellen Corby--that does a good job and works well together, and director Jean Yarbrough, who's more at home with knockabout comedies and horror films, keeps things moving smoothly. Everything, of course, works out in the end, just like you knew it would, but it's an interesting little morality tale that, unlike many of its type, doesn't sledgehammer you with its preaching. Worth a watch.