The Trouble with Angels (film)

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

The Trouble with Angels
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIda Lupino
Written byBlanche Hanalis
Based onLife with Mother Superior
1962 memoir
by Jane Trahey[1]
Produced byWilliam Frye
StarringRosalind Russell
Hayley Mills
Binnie Barnes
Gypsy Rose Lee
Camilla Sparv
Mary Wickes
June Harding
CinematographyLionel Lindon
Edited byRobert C. Jones
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • March 30, 1966 (1966-03-30)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million
Box office$4.1 million (rentals)[2]

The Trouble with Angels is a 1966 American comedy film about the adventures of two girls in an all-girls Catholic school run by nuns. The film was the final theatrical feature to be directed by Ida Lupino and stars Hayley Mills (her first post-Disney film role), Rosalind Russell, and June Harding.

The film's cast includes Marge Redmond (who would play a nun in the television series The Flying Nun, which premiered the following year) as math teacher Sister Liguori, Mary Wickes (who reprised her role in the sequel Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows and later played a nun in the film Sister Act and its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit) as gym teacher Sister Clarissa, and Portia Nelson (who played a nun in The Sound of Music the previous year) as art teacher Sister Elizabeth. Burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee appears in a small role. An uncredited Jim Hutton appears briefly as the principal of a competing school.[3]

A sequel, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows, starring Stella Stevens, was released in 1968, with Russell, Barnes, Wickes and Dolores Sutton all reprising their roles as nuns.

Plot

[edit]

In 1960s Pennsylvania, Mary Clancy, a rebellious teenager, is sent to St. Francis Academy, a Catholic boarding school for girls run by an order of nuns. On the train to the school, she meets Rachel Devery, a quieter classmate. The two quickly become friends and begin challenging the school's rules and routines.

Shortly after arriving, Mary and Rachel stage pranks, including giving unauthorized tours of the cloister and tampering with food in the sisters' dining room. These acts repeatedly land them on dishwashing duty, which brings them into closer contact with the nuns. Rachel writes to her former school principal to express dissatisfaction with St. Francis Academy's discipline and curriculum. His visit prompts a philosophical discussion with Reverend Mother about educational reform, but no changes are made.

As the year progresses, Mary begins to observe the nuns more closely. She learns that Sister Ursula, often mocked for her German accent, had once protected Jewish children from Nazis during the World War II. She also notices Reverend Mother performing quiet acts of kindness, including feeding birds at dawn. These moments prompt Mary to question her assumptions about the convent and its residents.

Comedic episodes continue throughout the school year. The hiring of a sophisticated dance instructor and a failed cement casting experiment add levity to the girls' experience. However, deeper emotional themes emerge. A visit to a retirement home unsettles Mary, who is confronted with the challenges of aging and mortality. Later, a smoking incident leads to a fire alarm and campus-wide panic. Reverend Mother considers expelling the girls but ultimately allows them to return after meeting Mary's emotionally distant guardian.

In their final year, Mary and Rachel join the school band and work to win a regional competition to raise funds for the school. Reverend Mother, initially hesitant, rents uniforms to support their efforts. The girls win the competition, signaling a shift in their relationship with the school.

During the Christmas break, Mary remains at the academy and quietly observes the sisters at midnight mass. A private conversation with Reverend Mother reveals her personal journey into religious life. These interactions influence Mary's growing appreciation for the nuns' spiritual commitment.

The students are later shocked by the sudden death of Sister Ligouri. Rachel accuses Reverend Mother of being emotionally detached, though Mary witnesses her grieving privately in the chapel. Mary also learns that Sister Constance is leaving the school to teach at a leper colony, further reinforcing the depth of the sisters' dedication.

At graduation, Reverend Mother announces the names of students who will remain at the convent to begin their novitiate. Mary is among them. Rachel is surprised by the decision but comes to accept it. In their final exchange, Mary jokes that Rachel may return to join her. Reverend Mother dryly replies, "If she does, I quit".

Cast

[edit]

The Nuns:

The Girls:

  • Hayley Mills as Mary Clancy
  • June Harding as Rachel Devery
  • Barbara Hunter as Marvel-Ann
  • Bernadette Withers as Valerie
  • Vicky Albright as Charlotte
  • Patty Gerrity as Sheila
  • Vicki Draves as Kate
  • Wendy Winkelman as Sandy
  • Jewel Jaffe as Ginnie-Lou
  • Gail Liddle as Priscilla
  • Michael-Marie as Ruth
  • Betty Jane Royale as Gladys
  • Ronne Troup as Helen
  • Catherine Wyles as Brigette

The Outsiders:

Life with Mother Superior

[edit]

The Trouble with Angels was based on the 1962 book Life with Mother Superior by Jane Trahey, about her own high school years at a Catholic school near Chicago, Illinois, in the 1930s. While in the memoir the school was portrayed as a boarding school outside the city, Trahey attended what is now Providence St. Mel School, which was a day school. Many of the incidents mentioned in the book were based on Trahey's experiences at Mundelein College in Chicago. The character of Mary Clancy (Mills), who came up with the "most scathingly brilliant ideas," was based on Jane's friend, Mary, who later became Sister John Eudes Courtney, a Sinsinawa Dominican nun (1922–2017).[4]

The Washington Post called it "wonderful fun".[5] The book became a best seller.[6]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

In June 1962, the film rights were purchased by Ken Donnellon and Jacqueline Babbin who knew Trahey in advertising. Donnellon said he wanted the film to be seen through the eyes of one of the young nuns.[7]

They were unable to make the film. In August 1963 Ross Hunter was pursuing the novel; he wanted Loretta Young, Jane Wyman, Barbara Stanwyck and Virginia Grey to play nuns and Patty Duke and Mary Badham to play students.[8]

In September 1964, the film rights were acquired by Columbia Pictures. The film was assigned to producer William Frye who had a multi-picture deal with the studio.[9] Frye's original choice for the role of the Mother Superior was Greta Garbo, whose last film appearance was in 1941; Garbo rejected the producer's offer of $1 million to star in the film.[10] In November 1964, Frye approached Hayley Mills to appear and she eventually signed on the following May.[11] Ultimately, the role of the Mother Superior went to Rosalind Russell, who said: "I have been around nuns my whole life and I wanted to do justice with them".[12]

Frye hired Ida Lupino to direct; at the time Lupino was mostly working on action and suspense programs for television and had not directed a predominantly female cast for a while. Lupino said "It's a change of pace".[13]

Filming

[edit]

Filming began in August 1965 under the title Mother Superior.[14] The title was changed to The Trouble with Angels the following month out of fear there were too many other "nun" movies at the time (e.g. The Singing Nun).[15]

"We are shooting it in color but the prevailing colors will be stark black and white and charcoal grey. Then there will be sudden slashes of bright color – a turquoise swimming pool, a green meadow. The possibilities of color are fantastic. And the picture will be warm and funny. And it's such a nice change – no blood spilled at all, darling", said Lupino.[14]

The St. Francis Academy in the film was filmed on location at what was formerly known as St. Mary's Home for Children and is presently known as Lindenwold Castle in Ambler, Pennsylvania.

All interior shots were filmed at Columbia Studios at Sunset & Gower in Hollywood. Most exterior shots were filmed at the Greystone Mansion, which at the time was being leased by the City of Beverly Hills to the American Film Institute. The exterior track-side train/depot scenes (at the opening and closing of the movie) were shot at the former Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway depot in Monrovia, California featuring ALCO PA's. The station is now a stop on the Metro A Line. However, the opening establishing shot of the train station was filmed at the Merion Train Station in Merion, Pennsylvania. The film was budgeted at $2 million.[16]

Camilla Sparv made her debut as a nun.[17]

Before shooting began, Rosalind Russell was asked by an old school friend, now a mother superior in St. Louis, to attend a fundraiser for a Catholic girls' school she was starting. Russell proposed that her upcoming film would be "the ideal fundraiser" and convinced Columbia to hold the premiere in St. Louis. The world premiere and a reception were held at St. Louis's Fox Theatre with ticket proceeds going to the school's building fund.[18][19]

At the time of filming, Mills was 19 years old, while Harding was 28. Both characters would have aged from 14 to 17 during the three years covered in the plot.

In October 1965 Jerry Goldsmith signed to do the music.[20] The animated titles were produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises.

Reception

[edit]

The film marked a departure for Mills, who was attempting to emerge from her juvenile leads in Walt Disney-produced teen comedies as a comedic actress. Her character was rebellious and seen smoking onscreen.

Critical

[edit]

The Trouble with Angels enjoyed good reviews, although Variety was critical: "An appealing story idea—hip Mother Superior nun who outfoxes and matures two rebellious students in a Catholic girls' school—has lost impact via repetitious plotting and pacing, plus routine direction....Graduation finds Mills in character switcheroo to which Catholic audiences will long since be alerted".[21]

Box office

[edit]

The film earned enough box-office success to warrant a sequel (Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows).[22] Russell said: "I think it proves there's a place for the family picture, the sort of picture you can take the kiddies to and which isn't pure corn".[23] Filmink pointed out it proved "once again that Hayley Mills was box-office outside Disney."[24] However she opted not to reprise her role as the progressive protagonist in the sequel and was replaced by Stella Stevens, who played Sister George, a new foil to Rosalind Russell's Mother Superior.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Schiro, Anne-Marie (April 25, 2000). "Jane Trahey, Ad Executive And Author, Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1966", Variety, 4 January 1967, pg 8.
  3. ^ Vagg, Stephen (20 August 2025). "Not Quite Movie Stars: Jim Hutton". Filmink. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Sister who was inspiration for 'The Trouble With Angels' character dies". Crux. Catholic News Service. January 5, 2018. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. ^ Eustus, Amber. “Pens P.S. To H.S. Diploma”. The Washington Post and Times-Herald. October 28, 1962: F7.
  6. ^ Kramer, Carol. “Life with Jane Trahey Is One Comedy After Another”. Chicago Tribune. February 28, 1971: e2.
  7. ^ Weiler, A.H. (June 3, 1965). "LOCAL SCENE: 'OH DAD". New York Times. p. 125. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Hopper, Hedda. “Looking at Hollywood: Ross Hunter Makes Millions for Studio”. Chicago Tribune. August 5, 1963: b3.
  9. ^ Nuccio, Sal. “Advertising: Woman's Wit in a Man's World”. The New York Times. September 3, 1964: 38.
  10. ^ Zierold, Norman J (1969). Garbo. Stein and Day. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-8128-1212-1.
  11. ^ Hopper, Hedda. “Stark Party Opens Gay Holiday Season”. Los Angeles Times. November 28, 1964: B7.
  12. ^ Thomas, Bob. “Roz Is Glad They Never Saw Her as Sexily Symbolic”. The Washington Post and Times-Herald. September 12, 1965: G3.
  13. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (November 2, 1965). "Nun's the Word in Movie Trend". The Los Angeles Times. p. 53.
  14. ^ a b Bart, Peter (March 7, 1965). "Lupino, the Dynamo". The New York Times. pp. X7. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Hopper, Hedda. “Looking at Hollywood: Elvis Shows His Gratitude to Filmdom”. Chicago Tribune. September 27, 1965: b4.
  16. ^ comic-films.com Archived May 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Martin, Betty. “MOVIE CALL SHEET: Columbia Buys 'Good, Evil'.” Los Angeles Times. July 30, 1965: D11.
  18. ^ Dick, Bernard F. (September 18, 2009). Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell. University Press of Mississippi. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-60473-139-2. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  19. ^ Shaw, Robert. “Roz Reunited With College Classmate.” Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1966: d17.
  20. ^ Martin, Betty. “'Waterloo' Set Next Year”. Los Angeles Times. October 7, 1965: D16.
  21. ^ "The Trouble with Angels". Variety. December 31, 1965. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  22. ^ "Profit Marks Set By Campbell Soup". The New York Times. May 27, 1966. p. 61. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  23. ^ Lilliston, Lynn. “Roz Russell: A Peripatetic Happening: PERIPATETIC ROZ RUSSELL”. Los Angeles Times. June 16, 1967: c1.
  24. ^ Vagg, Stephen (March 19, 2022). "Movie Star Cold Streaks: Hayley Mills". Filmink. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
[edit]