The Runner Stumbles (1979)

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writer:

Milan Stitt (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Father Rivard is a priest in a small, economically depressed coal mining town. Working on what he thinks is a "controversial" work...

Plot Keywords:

Nun | Priest

Cast

Dick Van Dyke	...	Father Brian Rivard
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Sister Rita
Maureen Stapleton	...	Mrs. Shandig
Ray Bolger	...	Monsignor Nicholson
Tammy Grimes	...	Erna Webber
Beau Bridges	...	Toby Felker
Allen Nause	...	Prosecutor
John Procaccino	...	Amos
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Larry Buck	...	Fire chief
Ted D'Arms	...	Sheriff
Bill Dore	...	Judge
Jock Dove	...	Doctor McNabb
Jim Doyle	...	Matt Webber
Billy Jayne	...	James
Casey Kramer	...	Marie
Katherine Kramer	...	Sophie
Zoaunne LeRoy	...	Sister Martha
Sister Marguerite Morrissey	...	Sister Immaculata
Kendall Kay Munsey	...	Louise Donnelly
Don Riley	...	Maurice Prindle

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Ellensburg, Washington, USA

Company:

Melvin Simon Productions

Trivia:

The final feature film appearance by Ray Bolger.

Possible spoilers

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Milan Stitt adapted the screenplay for THE RUNNER STUMBLES from his own stage play, which was allegedly based on a real-life incident from early in the 20th century. The play and movie both fall into a couple of genres: courtroom drama, murder mystery, memory play, and theological dispute over the nature of God. It deals with a troubled Catholic priest who falls in love with a nun and goes on trial for her murder, with a novice defense attorney in his corner.

In adapting this easily controversial play for the screen, Milan Stitt reduced several of the original characters drastically (e.g., Amos the jailer, the prosecuting attorney, and Monsignor Nicholson) and created a few new ones (the general store owner, the elderly bedridden nuns, the "women of the coal mines", etc.) In the movie, a little too much time is spent on the three leads (Father Rivard, Sister Rita, and the housekeeper Mrs. Shandig) while the supporting characters are afforded little screen time. After a while, this grows a little tiresome.

I enjoyed seeing the gifted comedian Dick Van Dyke playing it straight in a change-of-pace serious dramatic role. He deserves credit for trying to stretch himself as an actor. He plays a man who entered the clergy for the wrong reason: to escape from a dreary home life.

Kathleen Quinlan's portrayal of Sister Rita worked for me, although Stitt's screenplay deletes at least one line that helps to delineate the character in the play. Sister Rita refers to the students that she teaches by saying something like, "Sometimes I wish the children would fall down and hurt themselves so that I could nurse them back to health."

Maureen Stapleton deserves praise for her efforts as the devoted and illiterate housekeeper who suffers anguish by going against her own principles and lieing to a member of the clergy.

The play, and subsequently the movie, contain little comic relief, if any at all. While the movie may not be as good as its source material, it is interesting at times, but the individual parts of this movie are better than the whole. The movie contains mild violence, mild language, and no nudity, although adult themes are present.

I recommend THE RUNNER STUMBLES for it's curiosity value, but I think that the play is better. Judge for yourself.