diff --git a/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py
index 75a8a0766a0..1265f79efe9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py
@@ -253,6 +253,26 @@ class Runner(object):
 
         # ensure we are using unique tmp paths
         random.seed()
+    # *****************************************************
+
+    def _complex_args_hack(self, complex_args, module_args):
+        """
+        ansible-playbook both allows specifying key=value string arguments and complex arguments
+        however not all modules use our python common module system and cannot
+        access these.  An example might be a Bash module.  This hack allows users to still pass "args"
+        as a hash of simple scalars to those arguments and is short term.  We could technically
+        just feed JSON to the module, but that makes it hard on Bash consumers.  The way this is implemented
+        it does mean values in 'args' have LOWER priority than those on the key=value line, allowing
+        args to provide yet another way to have pluggable defaults.
+        """
+        if complex_args is None:
+            return module_args
+        if not isinstance(complex_args, dict):
+            raise errors.AnsibleError("complex arguments are not a dictionary: %s" % complex_args)
+        for (k,v) in complex_args.iteritems():
+            if isinstance(v, basestring):
+                module_args = "%s=%s %s" % (k, pipes.quote(v), module_args)
+        return module_args
 
     # *****************************************************
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/runner/action_plugins/normal.py b/lib/ansible/runner/action_plugins/normal.py
index d845fa886f1..8500c6641c3 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/runner/action_plugins/normal.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/runner/action_plugins/normal.py
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ class ActionModule(object):
     def run(self, conn, tmp, module_name, module_args, inject, complex_args=None, **kwargs):
         ''' transfer & execute a module that is not 'copy' or 'template' '''
 
+        module_args = self.runner._complex_args_hack(complex_args, module_args)
+
         if self.runner.noop_on_check(inject):
             if module_name in [ 'shell', 'command' ]:
                 return ReturnData(conn=conn, comm_ok=True, result=dict(skipped=True, msg='check mode not supported for %s' % module_name))