7.5/10
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69 user 7 critic

The Trouble with Angels (1966)

PG | | Comedy, Family | 30 March 1966 (USA)
Two high-spirited young students at St. Francis Academy For Girls keep things hopping for the challenged Mother Superior and her staff of bewildered Sisters.

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(screenplay), (based on a novel by)
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2 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Sister Celestine
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Sister Clarissa
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Sister Liguori
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Sister Barbara
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Sister Elizabeth
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Sister Ursula
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Sister Margaret
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Sister Prudence
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Valerie
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Storyline

Coming of age story for two girls, Mary Clancy and Rachel Devery, who find themselves as students at the St. Francis Academy, a Catholic boarding school for girls. The story spans three years and follows the girls and their many pranks including setting off fire alarms, smoking cigars in the basement and putting bubble baths in the nuns' sugar bowls. As the girls mature, they gain a greater respect for their teachers and the commitment and devotion required to be a nun, leading one of them to make a life changing decision. Written by garykmcd

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Taglines:

She'll Try Anything...including the patience of a saint See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Family

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

30 March 1966 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Life with Mother Superior  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was based on the book "Life with Mother Superior", written by Jane Trahey. It was based on her high school studies at a Catholic girls day school in Chicago (where she met Mary, who later became Sr. John Eudes) as well as incidents from her studies at Mundelein College in Chicago. Ms. Trahey has since passed away. See more »

Goofs

When Rachel knocks over the bust in the art room, there is already debris on the floor from something else (probably another bust used in a take) and when Rachel goes to pick up the pieces of the newly broken bust, she picks up the stuff that was already there. See more »

Quotes

Mother Superior: Will you please, in the future, remember that St. Francis is not a training school for counter spies.
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Crazy Credits

A halo appears over the A when the Columbia name appears on the torch lady logo. Then, Hayley Mills' "Angel" cartoon appears from behind the A, flies around the screen a bit, then blows out the Columbia torch. See more »

Connections

Followed by Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968) See more »

Soundtracks

The Trouble With Angels
(reprise)
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Lyrics by Ernie Sheldon
Arranged and Orchestrated by Harry Betts
Vocals by The Devils
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User Reviews

 
A surprisingly moving film
13 December 2006 | by See all my reviews

"The Trouble With Angels" starts out as a fairly standard Hayley Mills teen comedy. She and June Harding play the roles of two reluctant students at St. Francis, a Catholic school run by nuns. Rosalind Russell is excellent in the role of Mother Superior as is the rest of the cast.

The story is fairly simple so there isn't much to say about it. The girls are rebellious and play many pranks on the sisters, but gradually, as the movie progresses and the girls reach their final year at St. Francis it transitions gently and believably into a very touching and poignantly bittersweet ending. It never fails to get to me emotionally.

I'm a sucker for a good tear-jerker and in terms of sheer lachrymosity this one rates right up there with "My Dog Skip", "The Return of the King", "The Bishop's Wife", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Born Free" and "The Family Way" and the final episode of "The Flame Trees of Thika" (the last two also starring Hayley Mills). Something about kids and animals and saying goodbye - it always starts the waterworks going for me.

The secret, as always, is to create characters that you really get to know and care about. It also helps to have good music and Jerry Goldsmith wrote a very memorable score for this film.

I highly recommended this movie for kids who haven't yet been jaded by the rubbish that Hollywood produces these days.


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