User 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.

A tour de force for Hayley Mills, the most gifted juvenile actress of her generation. She makes the contrived material about adolescent escapades in a Catholic girls' boarding school look believable. It's a rarity for a Hollywood comedy to show a teenage girl who is intelligent and sensitive, and director Ida Lupino should be applauded for it.

Mills is ably assisted in her antics by her comrade-in-arms played by June Harding, who shows how to put the awkwardness in adolescence. They also have a truly touching scene together near the end.

The movie is also notable for the best latter-career work of high-strung movie star Rosalind Russell, who gives a restrained performance for a change as the Mother Superior. She uses quite a few arched eyebrows, however.

Watch for a rare cameo by the great Burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee, who plays a dotty instructor of dance and ladylike comportment.

My family and I have always loved this movie and its sequel.

I was really young when it was being filmed here in Pennsylvania and remember seeing the big Christmas tree in front of the castle in the Winter just as you see it in the movie.

June Harding played a wonderful role in this movie as the clumsy, dim witted Rachel. Too bad that her career didn't go further because she had such good potential doing physical comedy. Hayley Mills was terrific as the rebellious Mary Clancy who always took chances and who always got caught. Harding and Mills together getting into all kinds of mischief was really funny.

We took a tour of the castle and its interior a few years back and it looks exactly the same now as it did in the movie and this movie is 38 years old!! The grounds of it have changed very little over the years and the movie served as a time capsule for it. It was formerly known as Lindenwold Castle and is now known as Mary's Home for Children. You can find more information about the castle on the internet.

In this movie the most believable character was played by Mary Wickes who is the epitome of a Catholic School nun. Those of you who attended Catholic school (againt their will or not) will know what I mean.

She was just too realistic and I got a kick out of her wearing those black high top sneakers! !! It was nice to see her reprising her "Nun Role" again in the "Sister Act" movies.

"The trouble with angels" is a funny entertaining movie good for the whole family.

Rachel Devery encounters rebellious Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) a train. The teens are two of the girls on their way to a Catholic boarding school for girls run by the Reverend Mother (Rosalind Russell) and the other nuns. The two best friends cause all kinds of trouble and grow up in the process.

Hayley Mills is trying leave her Disney roles behind. She fits very well with this rebellious character. Even as a Disney princess, she has an impish quality. This movie dials that up a few notches without moving much into her sexuality. It's a touching coming-of-age story without any boy drama. It's probably the best way for Hayley to transition out of Disney.

"The Trouble With Angels" is truly a gem. Ostensibly a comedy about the efforts of two slightly disgruntled, high spirited teenage girls (Hayley Mills and June Harding) to turn a convent school upside down, it combines lighthearted pranks with dry humor, most of the latter supplied by the splendid Rosalind Russell. As the worldly and wise Mother Superior, Rosalind is both amused and unsettled at the stunts her two incorrigible charges pull. The supporting cast is well chosen, with Mary Wickes ("Sister Act") and Marge Redmond ("The Flying Nun") standing out among the faculty nuns. Despite the unexpected appearance of legendary stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, cast as (what else?) a teacher of interpretive dance, both nuns and students are believable. Mills sparkles in her role as devilish Mary Clancy, as does June Harding as Rachel Devery, her neophyte partner in crime. Aided tremendously by a truly beautiful score by the great Jerry Goldsmith, (which has the remarkable ability to blend in with the film AND stand alone as a pleasurable listening experience) and directed with a sure hand by actress/director Ida Lupino, "The Trouble With Angels" is both funny and moving, one of the best family films ever made. Strangely enough, reviews were decidedly mixed (when not downright negative) back when the movie was released in 1966. But it was a sizable hit, and spawned an agreeable sequel ("Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows") two years later. Today, it remains as fresh as ever, and head and shoulders above most of the contemporary family films which followed it.

Another of my favorite classics from childhood was 1966's THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS, a sassy and entertaining comedy from a time long forgotten about two teenagers (Hayley Mills, June Harding) who meet at a Catholic convent school called St. Francis Academy, who become fast friends and cause nothing but headache for the Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell). I remember seeing this movie in the theaters during its original theatrical release and enjoying it immensely. Rosalind Russell and Hayley Mills were both at the top of their game as the protagonists in this comedic cat and mouse game between student and administrator where you know something has got to give at some point and it actually does. Laughs and warmth abide in this entertaining family comedy, the likes of which we will never see again.

There is more TRUTH in this honest and extremely funny movie about two young hellfires coming of age in a convent school than in all the subsequent expose-type movies, like Monsignor, purporting to reveal the truth behind the hypocracies (admittedly there, but extremely exaggerated) of the Catholic church. Having spent 9 years in female-only Catholic school, I must report that this movie strikes not a single false chord. The movie, instead, accurately portrays nicely the relationship a Catholic feels with God.

The girls are rebellious, defiant, and a bit hyperactive, very reminiscent of my own restless youth. The nuns are equally real, reflecting exasperation and frustration when appropriate, but always within proper boundaries.

One amazing thing about this film is the seamless transitions it constantly makes from drama and comedy and back again. Even the physical humor, while screamingly funny, is always contained within real situations. Moments with Rosalind Russell, Camilla Sparv, Marge Redmond, and Marge Redmond are filled with extraordinarily real emotions, and the last 20 minutes seamlessly weaves the serious and the comic into a truthful pastiche which is respectful without ever being preachy, and infused with a heavy dose of Russell's unique personality.

Don't miss the opportunity to share this timeless classic with your daughters!

Mary (Hayley Mills) is sent to a Catholic school in Pennsylvania where she constantly causes problems along with her "follower" Rachel (June Harding). Can Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell) & the other nuns tame these troublemakers before they enter society as adults?

"The Trouble with Angels" (1966) was based on the 1962 biography "Life with Mother Superior" by Jane Trahey, which chronicled her years at an all-girls Catholic high school near Chicago. This explains the low-key approach to the episodic material. In other words, this is a generally realistic drama with several fun moments, but not a zany comedy.

While not in the same league as "The Parent Trap" (1961) and "Pollyanna" (1960), this is still a worthwhile Hayley Mills drama with a few amusing bits. Hayley was 19 during shooting and it's interesting seeing her in the role of a rebel teen in contrast to her bubbly preadolescence of those other flicks. There's still some bubbliness, but she's more cynical here with a wicked sense of humor.

Stunning Camilla Sparv appears as one of the nuns while former burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee shows up as a dance instructor.

The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot in Ambler and Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, with establishing shots of Merion Train Station. Other sequences were done in Southern Cal as follows: Los Angeles (school pool), Beverly Hills (courtyard and other outdoor scenes) and Monrovia (train station scenes).

GRADE: B-/C+

Hayley Mills & Rosalind Russell truly shine in the only accurate portrayal of Catholicism I have ever seen on film. With the popularity of Catholic bashing by today's filmmakers, if this film were remade today, there would be lesbian overtones in the nuns' relationships with each other or the girls would be running off to have sex. Thank "God" none of that is here; I recently rented this movie and my two girls, ages 15 and 8, were glued. The movie is timeless, despite its 60's setting.

After attending Catholic school 12 years, the movie brought back many memories. Yes, we did pranks in our high school - the rigid curriculum leaves a girl no choice. But who can top the ones played by Mary (Mills) and Rachel (June Harding, who succeeds in stealing a few scenes of her own from Mills and Russell)? From spooning bubble bath powder into the sugar bowls before the nuns have tea, to sneaking cigars in the basement where the billowing smoke is seen by an aged nun who calls for the fire department's help, each of Mills "scathingly brilliant ideas" is hilarious.

The movie portrayed nicely the relationship a Catholic feels with God. Totaaly unaware that she is doing so, Mills becomes greatly affected by the lessons Russell, who plays Mother Superior and Dean of Students, is trying to instill in her. To Mills' puzzlement, she is much like Mother Superior, both having been orphans for starters. Mills' defiance is a result of living with a playboy uncle who pays her tuition but does not pay her attention.

But mothers is you are looking for a film that is nice but just a little naughty to keep your daughters interested, this is the one to rent! And they just might learn a little about themselves, too.

Rosalind Russell, Loretta Young, and Irene Dunne were the Catholic triple threat of Hollywood stardom. All of these women were prominent Catholic lay individuals and later on in their careers got to do a little outreach for their religion. I don't think Roz ever served the Catholic cause better than by playing a Mother Superior whose convent runs a Catholic Girl's High School. The kids board there, it's a place for rich men of the Catholic persuasion to dump their teenage daughters.

No one of the students is more aware of it than Hayley Mills and she's one rebellious child. She and her friend June Harding become the Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance of the student body, giving no end of grief to Rosalind Russell and the rest of the sisters.

It is true that Rosalind Russell stated in her memoirs that she and Hayley Mills did not get along in the making of The Trouble With Angels. Quite different from what Maureen O'Hara said about Hayley during the making of The Parent Trap. What a difference six years can make. But in teenage years it's a lifetime of change. Hayley Mills even after finishing her contract with Disney could not escape that image and her youthful appearance worked against her getting really adult parts. Later that year she finally broke the mold with The Family Way back in her native Great Britain. Russell attributed it to hormonal change as well in her life.

This film has some touches of sadness as well unlike the sequel Where Angels Go Troubles Follow. One of the sisters dies unexpectedly and Hayley's life takes an unexpected turn that she would have told you that you were nuts if you didn't see it.

Russell's an old fashioned Mother Superior, but wise and patient with her charges. She's most definitely not Auntie Mame in a habit.

Given all that the Catholic church has recently dealt with you could not make a film like this today. So when this one is run, enjoy it and think of more innocent times.

A heartwarming, poignant, funny film, with first rate performances from the entire cast. Mills and Russell are stand-outs, as is June Harding, as Mills' "stooge". Episodic in its approach, the film manages to build to a totally cohesive climax. Beautifully directed by Ida Lupino, with a great score by Jerry Goldsmith (Poltergeist, Star Trek - The Motion Picture, The Omen, The Mummy). Even in this "sophisticated" world, this film will be enjoyed by the entire family. A hit in its day, spawning a less than satisfying sequel (Where Angels Go Trouble Follows), "The Trouble With Angels" is a wonderful film. See it!

Rosalind Russell is the Mother Superior of a Catholic school invaded by troubled young women Hayley Mills (she's Mary) and her cohort June Harding (she's Rachel). Ms. Mills and Ms. Harding don't want to be in the stuffy convent school; predictably, they become the resident Juvenile Delinquents. Can Mother Superior turn their lives around?

The story is very weak. For 1966, you wonder what all the fuss was about. The girls smoke in the bathroom and boiler room (which is mistaken for a fire). When the girls mention idols Jack Lemmon and Kim Novak, you know the screenplay was not even made contemporary to 1966 (originally, the story took place several decades earlier). And, can you believe a Mother superior plucking and painting her eyebrows quite like Ms. Russell?

But, the movie works. The strength of the players carries you along. Mills and Harding could be smoking pot - it doesn't matter; the message is relayed. Russell's reaction to the girls' band uniforms works for the same reason; the uniforms are not shocking, but you know how Russell feels (note director Ida Lupino's close-up during this scene) . The strength of the performances make "The Trouble with Angels" more successful than it looks on paper.

The theme/ending is very predictable; but, Mother Superior also changes - by the "cocktail dress" scene, her character has become more like her unmanageable twosome.

****** The Trouble with Angels (3/30/66) Ida Lupino ~ Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, June Harding

Mother Superior Rosalind Russell has her hands full with two brats at Catholic boarding school. I wanted to like this more than I did. Russell is good as are the other adults. But the kids just irked me. Hayley Mills in particular was very annoying. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for her bratty behavior. She was like a female Dennis the Menace. She just kept getting into trouble. For some reason there's little time spent on story here. It's like a series of vignettes instead of a cohesive plot as the movie goes from one incident after another with little room to breathe. The comedy is all very broad and seems to rely upon you enjoying the hijinks of Mills and her sidekick (June Harding). Since I didn't enjoy their antics it left me with very little to laugh at. The last half of the movie is a little better as there are more serious and touching moments. However the ending felt pretty contrived. Obviously this is a sentimental and nostalgic favorite for many. I can sympathize with that. I wish I liked it more. But I found it ultimately disappointing.

I am a guy, and I love "The Trouble with Angels"!

Now I feel better, I've admitted it. I remember seeing this as a kid and it made a great impression on me. The end is especially poignant and if you've never seen the movie, it can get to you. Plus, any movie that has a character named "Marvel Anne" is worth a look!

Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell were in better movies in their career, but none I like better than this one.

In 1966, for some sociological reason, Hollywoood offered two films about Catholic convents and female collectives. The first, directed by a man (Lumet's 'The Group'), predictably defined its women by men, sex and neurosis. It hasn't aged well. This wonderful film, written and directed by women, and in which men are ineffectual or caricatured, is truly feminist, and explores less cliched or limiting issues like friendship, loyalty, community, creativity, faith. Clothes are a crucial motif as you would expect, literally and symbolically, visualising the way characters have to negotiate their genders, societies, personalities and future. The film is emotionally generous too, using point of view to highlight the limitations of each character and their growing awareness.

One of my favorites when I was 15, I love this even more now. The movie is whimsical and reverent without being sappy or silly. Some marvelous wit, and surprisingly subtle lampooning of convention. The cameos of Gypsy Rose Lee, Jim Hutton, and Ronnie Troup are all hoots. And June Harding almost manages to steal the film from Ms. Russell and Ms. Mills. Jim Boles, Mary Wickes, and Binnie Barnes are also hysterical in their supporting roles. Good fun and good life lessons for the entire family.

Two high-spirited young students , Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) and Rachel Devery (June Harding), at St. Francis Academy keep things hopping for the challenged Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell) and her staff of bewildered Sisters. The story spans three years and follows the rebel girls and the stiff-upper-lip nuns . She'll Try Anything...including the patience of a saint. Meet Clancy the Fancy - she's first in her class in hip talk, hot jive and holy cow! It's One Heaven of a Movie! It's Heaven in Earthly Entertainment! It's the habit forming comedy the whole family can enjoy!

Most effective dose of funnery and amusement in the nunnery , with a delightful collection of individual nuns gracing a story of two high-spirited adolescents at a convent school . An attractive , cheerful coming-of-age story for two girls who find themselves as students at the St. Francis Academy, a Catholic boarding school for teenagers and their continous frolics , jokes , antics and silly games . The movie was based on the book "Life with Mother Superior", written by Jane Trahey and it was equally based on her high school studies at a Catholic girls day school in Chicago . There's the elderly nun , always asleep , the shy one , having to go out with girls to choose bras , forced to dive in to save non-swimming who have got out of swimming lessons for three years . And the death of a nun one has come to know is a genuinely stirring moment . Hayley Mills gives one of her best acting , while Rosalind Russell is gloriously in control of her dialogue as the Mother Superior and has classic moments when operating on a pupil unable to get her head out of a plaster cast and including other surprising pranks carried out by the two rogue pupils , such as : setting off fire alarms, smoking cigars in the basement, and putting bubble baths in the nuns' sugar bowls. Along with Hayley Mills , here stands out Rosalind Russell , she is everything a Mother Superior should be : understanding but demanding at times , wise and beautiful

The motion picture was persuasively directed by Ida Lupino . She was the only person to both appear in and direct episodes of Twilight Zone (1959), acting in The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine (1959) and directing The Masks (1964). Ida was also the only woman to have directed an episode of the series. Lupino was widely respected as a pioneer for women filmmakers, she was the second woman to be admitted to the Director's Guild , after Dorothy Arzner. Ida was a good filmmaker , she stimulates actors because she knows acting. She was one of the best directors at the time , making nice films , such as : "The Hitch-Hiker" , "The Bigamist" , "Hard fast and beautiful !" , "On Dangerous Ground", "Not Wanted" , "Never Fear" , "Outrage" and this "Never trouble with Angels" that was the final theatrical movie directed by Ida Lupino , she finished her directing career working in television. Rating : 7/10 . Better than average , well worth watching . The flick will appeal to Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell fans.

This is one of my favourite movies. I have even chosen my internet alias after it and been using it for years ! : ))

I enjoy watching it with my daughter immensely

as we laugh a lot.

Then I reach for the tissue box and cry at the end much to her desperation ( come on it's not that sad ! )

The cast is impeccable : Hayley Mills, Rosalind Russell and June Harding are really funny to watch and look like they 've had fun doing the movie together.

The credit title with the little cartoon is the cherry on the cake. As for the soundtrack it sums up the mischief in the two main characters.

I do not recall seeing this as a kid. However, I do recall it being on someone's television set somewhere and seeing just a couple of scenes, maybe only 5 minutes worth during my youth. Yet somehow those 5 minutes have always stayed with me and I've always wanted to see the entire film ever since (that was at least 40 years ago). That and the fact that I've always kind of liked both Rosalind Russell and Hayley Mills, can explain why I have enjoyed this film so much. It must be because when I analyze it, The Trouble with Angels is kind of a weak film. There isn't really that much story going on, mostly just Mills and Harding's hijinks, one after the other stringing everyone along. Nevertheless, I found the film easily warm, pleasant and highly watchable. So, if you're genuinely curious then by all means check it out and see what you think.

I have seen this movie about 50 times over the years, and very

few films have ever struck the chords in my heart that this one does. The chemistry between Hayley Mills and June Harding is fantastic. In many ways, long before Thelma and Louise, I thought this was one of the best "buddy" films for women ever made. This movie also does a nice job of showing the importance of same-sex bonding in the teen years. It is both hilarious and touching, with lots of nice moments between Mills and Russell.

Rosalind Russell does an excellent job conveying the very essences of truth and beauty. And Camilla Sparv is a stand-out in her role, and the always dependable Mary Wickes and Marge Redmond bring all they have to the entertainment.

The Trouble with Angels (1966) : Brief Review -

A scathingly brilliant drama of teenage naughtiness turning into lifetime maturity. I have seen some of actress Ida Lupino's films, but I wasn't aware that she was a good director too. The girl who acted in films like "They Drive By Night" (1940), "The Sea Wolf" (1941), and "High Sierra" (1941) directed a delightful film like "The Trouble with Angels." How!? Glad to know that. And the film isn't disappointing either. The Trouble with Angels is a teenage comedy for all the teenagers who have naughtiness in their blood, especially the girls. Having seen enough classics on boys that were set in an orphanage, school, hostel, and rehabilitation centre, I could understand how strongly girls would have felt this film. It's a comedy, but it has a heart in the right place. The melodrama is missing, which would've only helped with the emotional empowerment of the film. Nevertheless, there is some vibe, some attachment, that makes you love the film and forget the shortcomings. Two high-spirited young students at St. Francis Academy, Mary and Rachel, keep things hopping for the challenged Mother Superior and her staff of bewildered Sisters. They spend the whole graduation process with childhood fun and teenage energy, and they forget that real life starts right after this. Those last moments of maturity come quickly, and let me tell you, it happens to all of us. We spend school and high school days having fun, and suddenly, just before the last semester, we realise that it's all going to end soon. These last few weeks capsulate us with the lifetime maturity that we failed to learn in all those years. Ida Lupino makes you realise that and makes you leave grinning with a slight rush of tears. Hayley Mills, June Harding, and Rosalind Russell are marvelous. The screenplay, dialogue, and message, as well as the outcome, will stay with you and your grown kids.

RATING - 7/10*

By - samthebestest.

Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) gets shipped off to a Catholic boarding school by her guardian, a wealthy, woman-chasing uncle, who doesn't want her around. Almost instantly, Mary makes her feelings about being at the school very clear to the woman in charge, Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell). She, Mary, hates it! Naturally smart and devious, Miss Clancy, with the help of new and only friend Rachel, starts to enact "scathingly brilliant ideas". This includes putting soap bubbles in the nuns' beverages, leading "tours" to the sisters' living quarters, which are strictly private, and much, much more. But, M Sup, having been witness to the teen's uncle's nature, decides not to expel her, only give Mary tons of dishes and chores. Slowly, Mary's attitude to the school begins to change, as she sees the sacrifices the sisters make for others. Especially meaningful to Mary is the day they hold a Christmas party for a women's nursing home and Mary sees how M Sup consoles and hugs a lady whose family doesn't bother to attend. Could there be angels unaware that they are angels? Yes! This is a classic Mills film which also boasts a terrific performance by Russell. Although made nearly 40 years ago, families will still get the biggest kick out of the teens' antics and the meaningful life lessons they learn from the lovely nuns. All supporting cast members are terrific, too, as is the school setting, the costumes, the amazingly great script and the equally fine direction. If you have never heard of the film or you just want to take a stroll down memory lane, Trouble with Angels is superior entertainment for any evening.

Hayley Mills and June Harding are Mary and Rachel, two girls attending St. Francis Academy. Right off the bat, they are already off on the wrong foot with mother superior and sister clarissa, Rosalind Russell and Mary Wickes. Even with all the scrapes they get into, the music always has seems to have whimsy and adventure to it. The trouble they get in is nothing too crazy, and at times they even make friends with the nuns. It's kind of silly, and clearly aimed at a younger crowd. And those who went to catholic school. Its okay. Uncredited role for Tim Hutton. He was also making Walk Don't Run with Cary Grant, but Angels was released first. Story from the life of author Jane Trahey. Seems to be the last full length film directed by Ida Lupino. She acted and directed television after this.

I noticed as I looked through the reviews for "The Trouble With Angels" that most were very, very positive. I saw the movie and was less bowled over...and I think Utgard14 summed it up well when they called the film "The Trouble With Brats"!

The film is about a couple teens, Mary (Hayley Mills) in particular, who have contempt for pretty much everything at the Catholic school they attend. Now, I attended a Baptist school at that age...so I do understand their rebellion. But Mary and her toady, Rachel (June Harding), aren't funny nor do they perform funny pranks. Instead, they're just surly and nasty and seem to have nothing to do with any of their other peers. The school seemed to think they were funny...I just thought they were unlikable brats. Oddly, the one Mary REALLY hates is the Reverend Mother (Rosalind Russell)...a woman who seems to put up with a lot from them and seems to have a decent heart. A great example is when the Reverend Mother tells them about one of the nuns at the school who hid Jewish children during WWII...and was tortured because of this. Mary's reaction? "I HATE the Reverend Mother!!". Huh??

Overall, it's a film that is supposed to be a funny comedy but I just found the two girls mean and unfunny. And, you assume that by the end, they will either kill the Reverend Mother and burn the school to the ground OR be redeemed by the patience and love of the Reverend Mother. Either extreme seem very possible and it's up to you to see which happens...or if some other option occurs.

By the way, I didn't like the sequel, "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows!", though I didn't find the girls so unlikable. I disliked the second film more because it felt too much like a sitcom...though "The Trouble With Angels" could have used a bit of this. I only rated the film a 5 because Russell was very good and the brattiness did subside as the film progressed...otherwise I would have scored it lower.