WE'RE NO ANGELS (1955) Tarnished halos

In WE’RE NO ANGELS, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and raspy-voiced Aldo Ray, are dandy as prison escapees who one Christmas talk themselves into jobs as helpers to a bumbling storekeeper, his wife and love-sick daughter. Leader Bogart is a cutthroat and master forger; Ray carts around a tiny poisonous snake named Adolph; and Ustinov likes the ladies a wee bit too much. Remarks Bogart, revealing his real plan for the unsuspecting family, "We'll cut their throats for a Christmas present," to which Ustinov wryly replies, "That might spoil one's belief in Santa Claus." But thanks to the magic of Christmas and cinema, the three become reformed (sort of) and solve all the family's problems (including the unwelcome visit of the shop's tyrannical owner, played with wicked verve by Basil Rathbone). Oh, and the "angels" wind up taking themselves back to prison. Lots of fun!