The Trouble with Angels

The rebellious teenagers Mary Clancy and Rachel Devery are students at the St. Francis Academy, a catholic boarding school led by the strict Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell) and her order. The two girls find pleasure in challenging the rules and routines of the school and fill their days with playing pranks, which causes them lots of trouble. But the older the girls get and the more time they spend with the nuns they judge, the more they start to appreciate the commitment and dedication of their teachers.

THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS was the last film Ida Lupino directed, before she turned to television work. Lupino’s previous films were mainly film noirs and thrillers, which put her on the map as a woman director in an industry dominated by men. THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS was the first time she directed a comedy, with a mainly female cast and written by Blanche Hanalis, who based her script on the memoir by Jane Trahey. About this move towards comedy, Lupino said: “It’s a nice change of pace. No blood spilled at all, darling.” Hollywood darling Rosalind Russell plays Mother Superior and the film was so loved that the sequel WHERE ANGELS GO, TROUBLE FOLLOWS was released a year later, this time without Lupino directing.