Samuel and Bella Spewacks English adaptation of French playwright Albert Hussons morbidly humorous stage piece My Three Angels was brought to the screen as the heavily laundered but still wickedly funny Were No Angels. The scene is French Guiana, a few days before Christmas. Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray play three Devils Island lifers who escape from the infamous prison and hide out amongst the free colonists. In need of clothing and money, the trio makes plans to rob milliner Leo G. Carroll and his family. Well cut their throats for a Christmas present, Bogie, a convicted forger, remarks laconically. That might spoil ones belief in Santa Claus replies philosophical wife-murderer Ustinov. The three escapees are deflected from their larcenous intent when they grow fond of Carroll, his wife Joan Bennett and their daughter Gloria Talbott. Discovering that Carroll is on the verge of bankruptcy, the convicts offer their services as household help (the sight of Bogie in an apron is worth the admission price in itself). Complications ensue when Carrolls nasty, wealthy cousin Basil Rathbone comes calling to audit the stores books. Not wishing to see the family evicted, the convicts calmly discuss the possibilities of murdering the troublesome Rathbone. They are saved the trouble when Adolphe, the pet poisonous snake owned by Ray, slithers out of its box and accomplishes what the convicts had only contemplated. Adolphe also helps smooth the path of happiness for Carrolls daughter Gloria, who thinks shes in love with Rathbones duplicitous nephew John Baer. From all reports, the set of Were No Angels was a happy one, a fact reflected in the warm, engaging performances of its stars. The film represented the final screen collaboration between star Humphrey Bogart and director Michael Curtiz.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide