1 "Who would suspect a bunch of ding-a-ling dames?"
Disney studios ended its family-friendly filmmaking in 1979 with two films: "Unidentified Flying Oddball" and "North Avenue Irregulars." While "U.F.O" is a silly time-waster, "North Avenue Irregulars" remains a personal favorite, with an outstanding cast enlivening thin (and let's face it, dated) material and delivering loud and frequent laughs. Feminists will object strongly to the female stereotypes, but most everyone else will ignore the silliness of it all and find much to enjoy in this fast-paced lark.
The Rev. Mike Hill (Edward Herrmann) has just taken over as pastor at North Avenue Presbyterian Church, much to the displeasure of Anne Woods (Susan Clark), whose father recently retired as pastor. The rest of the flock includes daffy housewife Vicki (Barbara Harris), dippy (and apparently wealthy) old maid Claire (Cloris Leachman), ditsy engaged debutante Jane (Karen Valentine) whose fiance Howard is an insufferable mama's boy, dotty elderly couple Rose and Delaney Rafferty (Patsy Kelly and Douglas V. Fowley) and apparently the only level-headed member of the congregation, matronly African-American Cleo (Virginia Capers). In his first decision as pastor, Mike decides to get the confrontation involved in church business by delegating responsibility, so he puts Rose in charge of the "church sinking fund." Unfortunately, his plans backfire when Delaney loses the money in a horse race, so Mike angrily confronts the bookie, Harry the Hat (Alan Hale Jr., the skipper from "Gilligan's Island"), and demands he give the money back, but instead he's humiliated and thrown out on the street. A trip to the police proves fruitless, so he decides to take matters into his own hands by using his televised Sunday morning sermon to blast the city's out-of-control organized crime and corrupt officials. His tirade catches the eye of Treasury agent Marv Fogelberg (Michael Constantine) who enlists Mike to set up a sting operation in order to catch syndicate boss Max Roca (Joseph Campenella). When he can't convince any of the city's men to help, he enlists the help of his churchladies, whose pluck he admires. At first Marv resists, then warms to the idea, after all, he says, "Who would suspect a bunch of ding-a-ling dames?"
What follows is a series of laugh-out-loud confrontations between the bumbling churchladies (including Delaney in drag) and the frazzled crooks, and at least one jarring act of violence that snaps Anne out of her daze and angers her enough to join the gang. And with the exception of that one act, everything is played for silly laughs and the crooks are so hapless even when Vicki brings her kids along on a stakeout and car chase noone ever seems to be in real danger. What makes everything work so well is the cast, who all seem to be having a great time. There isn't a weak link among the performers, but there are standouts, especially Herrmann, who plays a refreshing change-of-pace, a religious authority figure who isn't crazy, judgmental or a member of the moral right, so much as a nice and decent guy and concerned citizen doing what he thinks is right; Clark, who simply is incapable of giving a bad performance, and Harris, who seems to be having a blast playing an atypical (for her) brain-dead loon. Capers (who sadly passed away a couple of months ago) also makes a strong impression and has one hilarious scene where she chases a crook while pushing a baby carriage. (An additional note on the casting: look closely at the young girl playing Mike's daughter Carmel; she's Melora Hardin, who grew up to play the beautiful and sexy woman murdered by President Gene Hackman's secret service detail in Clint Eastwood's "Absolute Power.")
Other highlights include another of veteran Disney composer Robert F. Brunner's bouncy musical scores that really propels the action and will stick in your head for hours (if not days), an above-average animated opening credits sequence, and a very funny last-minute appearance by Ruth Buzzi as a CB-addicted church official. Unfortunately, once again a '70's Disney film ends with that tired plot contrivance: a car chase/demolition derby that kids will enjoy but adults will find as old and tired as it was when the Keystone Kops did it in the silent movie days. But up until this point, the film scores a comedic bullseye.
One note about Disney's DVD presentation: like most of Disney's films of the era, it was filmed in 1:66:1 widescreen format. However, Disney has cropped the top and bottom of the picture so that it fits on 1:85:1 widescreen TV screens, which seems to be a wide-spread practice with DVD transfers nowadays. (I've discovered this in Universal and MGM/UA releases as well.) They get by with this by labeling the DVD as presented in 1:85:1 anamorphic widescreen "enhanced for widescreen TVs." So purists beware: you're getting widescreen format but losing the top and bottom of the picture. I find this annoying but less annoying than fullscreen, since you don't get the headache-enducing pan-and-scan effect and there is less important picture information lost on the top and bottom of the screen. Either way, nobody seems to have caught on to this, so I thought I'd pass it on. At least Disney has cleaned up the picture and "North Avenue Irregulars" looks better on this DVD than the grubby VHS version. **** (out of *****) for the film, **1/2 for the DVD, which features no extras whatsoever.
2 A Great Disney Classic
This movie is one of my top 5 all time favorite movies. I hope my girls will find it just as entertaining when they are a little older. I think it is a wonderful light hearted comedy that makes me laugh every time I watch it. Cloris Leachman is especially hilarious in this film. They just don't make them like this anymore.
3 North Avenue Irregulars
A Disney Classic at its best. Great that Disney releasing the old time films like this one about a man of the cloth and the church people trying to save their church from being torn down. The only problem is that Disney needs to release these older titles to a wider range of stores and many of use end up special ordering or ordering on line because they can't find them in their stores.
4 Local Grannies Cleans Up Neighborhood
This film is very entertaining and definitely for all audiences. A group of elderly ladies forms a "neighborhood watch", or better a "neighborhood clean-up crew". They join forces to rid their formerly "nice neighborhood" of the trash that gives it a bad name.
Fearless and determined, the "North Avenue Irregulars" (played by many familiar comediennes) show the bad guys who's boss and reclaim their "turf". Many laughs, and a timely message: Don't let the scum take over your neighborhood!****
5 Funny Comedy about Quirky Church-goers
I have never laughed so hard at such a funny comedy. The movie is about the North Avenue Presbyterian Church, when a church member bets the entire church sinking fund on a horse race and loses. This makes the rest of the church members go on a secret mission to tear up the underground gambling ring in their city. It is a very funny movie and worth the money to add to your collection.
6 A Disney riot!
Seldom does anything from Disney disappoint, and "The North Avenue Irregulars" doesn't. A sheer comic delight based on the premise of a group of church-going women setting off to undo small-town mob infiltration, the film packs some true rib-ticklers. In his role of the church's miniser, Edward Herrmann shows a rare comic side that, when first shown, was an about-face from his splendid dramatic work in the "Franklin and Eleanor" duo. But Herrmann is clearly upstaged by his supporting cast of distaffers, which is what this film calls for, and Cloris Leachman and the late Patsy Kelly are riotous! She has one of the film's best scenes with two confederates who try vainly to catch a suspected mob figure, running a refreshment stand, in a taped confession. Turning the recorder on only to get the Andrews Sisters' version of "Roll Out the Barrell" is nothing but splendid comedy. In sum, the film is one of those hidden gems that doesn't give us any serious social message or calls attention to the state of the status quo and instead gives us a welcome relief from all that serious stuff.
7 Light-hearted, have a good time movie.
I loved this movie. I liked Barbara Harris from Disney's "Freaky Friday" and Hitchcock's "Family Plot." I also loved Karen Valentine from "Room 222" television series. Ruth Buzzi is always hilarious but Cloris Leachman stoled the show. There is a car chase that is simpy hilarious, and thanks to Cloris Leachman, I was doubled over in laughter for the whole scene. This is simply a light-hearted, have a good time movie.
8 I've Seen This Movie Before
This movie has DISNEY written all over it. Before Disney branched out with other production companies and started making more action films with less humor, these characters knew how to take a bite out of crime in their own hilarious way.
May I suggest you see MARY POPPINS; it's ONE of the BEST DISNEY live films yet mixed with some animation. But if you want more humor, see WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. PPPLEEEASE!!!
9 Absolutely Hilarious!
I watched this great Disney movie as a child and was hooked ever since! The screwball antics of these church ladies is shocking and funny! "Roll Out The Barrel!"
10 Angels go undercover...
Well, not real angels. Six church ladies go undercover in an attempt to place illegal bets in order to shut down gambling in their town.
Reverend Mike Hill (Edward Herrmann)is the ambitious new minister at North Avenue Presbyterian Church. In his first attempt to raise money, he fails and the money they do have falls into the wrong hands and is bet on a horse race.
So, in order to get the money back, he heads to the bookie joint. When he can't get his money back, he decides to shut them down.
The car chase portions lost my interest now and then, because the movie turns into basically a car chase. If you can overlook that aspect, you will enjoy the movie. It does have some very funny parts to it that actually, only adults would get.
The ladies are a hoot!
11 One of my absolute favorite Disney movies
I first saw this movie at the theatre as a kid and I have loved it ever since. My mother taped it off of the Disney Channel and it has been watched so many times that the tape is worn out. It's a step back to where you could find a clean cut movie that children can watch without wondering what they are going to see that they shouldn't.
12 FANTASTC
hen I was 11,I asked a friend if I could watch it on HBO at her place.I saw it 11 or 12 times in one month.Now that it's back on home video,I will never miss it again.
13 Great fun all around
In Australia, this movie is titled "Hills Angels", and I think that is a much better title and certainly describes the very funny female characters in this film. When confronted by a seemingly unsolvable gambling problem that is running amok in his town, instead of acting like a politician or a sociologist by blaming this, that, and the other for it, a minister, with the help of some spunky parishioners, resolves to DO something about it other than lament over it, and in the process provides viewers with some great entertainment and good clean fun that has become extinct in the graphically violent action movies of today. If I had children, I would not have any problem with them watching this movie and as a matter of fact, I saw it for the first time when I was 4 (I'm now 25)!
14 Underrated Disney Comedy
To me, this is the best movie to come out of Disney's dry spell of the '70's (when it released such stinkers as "Million Dollar Duck" and "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo") . . terrific fun for the whole family. Edward Herrmann (who I normally find an unbearably annoying actor) is quite good as a pastor who finds himself fighting organized crime when one of his church members gambles away church money. (True, he should be angry at the church member, but our reverend believes in tackling the ROOT of the problem). After Herrmann speaks out against organized crime publicly, two FBI agents come to him and ask him for his help in going undercover to expose these gangsters. He asks for help from his congregation, and the only ones who will aid him are 6 indomitable females (Patsy Kelly, Virginia Capers, Barbara Harris, Cloris Leachman, Karen Valentine, and - later - Susan Clark). You'll relish every second that you see all of the ladies on the screen, especially the scatterbrained soccer mom Harris (her funniest scene takes place in a grocery store, as she spies on one of the pickup men); the constantly-primping Leachman; and tough-as-nails Capers. Features a cute cameo by Ruth Buzzi as part of a church committee out to remove Herrmann (she ends up joining the ladies to fight the criminals). Unfortunately, I find that the film suffers when nervous Fed Michael Constantine leaves the project in the Reverend's hands; his exasperated scenes with the ladies are among the most enjoyable in the film. Another small drawback is the cutesy way in which the movie treats organized crime . .you'll never believe for a second the gangsters are really out to hurt these ladies. The film's final moments, a "demolition derby" of sorts, will delight kids. I can remember absolutely loving this film as a kid . . I'm positive one day Disney will remake it (hopefully they do it justice).
15 They don't make them like they used to
I am a 28 year old mother of 4, ages ranging from 3 to 10. This was a family favorite when I was a child and now I enjoy it with my children. I never tire of the good clean humor and still laugh out loud. Our favorite scene is "Klunker" pushing the baby carriage down the sidewalk. Comedy, action, the good guys win, and the man of faith is not portrayed as an idiot. Bravo! Bravo!
16 A familiar funny
First time i watched this movie just because Barbara Harris was in the cast, then i realized it was simple and funny, already from the first scenes in which the man painting the church risked to fall down! I watched it about 30 times...but i'll go on
17 great flick for kids & adults alike!
This has been a favorite of my family for years. It contains all the exciting elements of today's action films without the gratuitous violence and graphic violence.
18 True Disney Fashion
I saw this movie recently and forgot how funny it was.. there are many high points of the film,one being the films appearing stars. I thought the funniest scene was that at the hotdog/sandwich stand where Patsy Kelly,Barbara Harris, and Virginia Capers were to make a bet, then spoil it when the tape recorder sounds off "Roll Out The Barrel" This,i feel, was the most absolutely funniest part of the film!! All in all, a good time.. I also recommend "Freaky Friday" which stars Barbara Harris, Patsy Kelly, and a young tomboyish Jodie Foster.. this film is a must also..
19 Great movie!
This movie is so funny! Strawberry Shortcake rules! Buy it
20 One of my all-time favorites.
This is one of the funniest live-action Disney films ever. My mother used to take this movie out from the library for me when I was little, and I loved it. A few months ago, I checked to see if they still had it, and they did, even though the case is beat up. Edward Herrmann is one of my favorite actors, and he's great as Reverend Hill. The rest of the class is great too. My favorite scene: When Douglas Fowley as Delaney is hanging from the bell tower. Buy this film before they stop selling it!!!
21 A true guilty pleasure!
I am not ashamed to say I love this film. It is good, clean fun, and absolutely hilarious. It is one of the few films that me and my mom both like. The cast is outstanding, especially Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine, Ruth Buzzi, and Cloris Leachman. I never tire of watching this movie. I call this a guilty pleasure because while most serious film lovers would never even consider this film for a Top Films List, I would. Few films make me laugh like this one.
22 A laugh-out-loud, fun film for the entire family!
Laughter is contagious during this movie
23 This is a fun movie for the entire family!
This film has a very recognizable and appealing cast. My 4 year old son and my 94 year old grandmother both enjoyed it.
24 A fun movie
This is a classic often over-looked Disney film of the 70s. The acting is very good- especially Cloris Leachmann and Ed Herrmann. Much of the comedy is light-hearted and well executed. The sound is a little bit "tinny" but it does not extract from the film all that much. A very fun car chase is towards the end of the film - one not easy to forget!
25 This is a 'feel good' movie
This is the kind of movie you watch when you are down in the dumps and need a pick-me-up. Cloris Leachman is fabulous. A good verses evil movie that shows what a group of church women can do against the mob when they have God one their side. Truly He does work in mysterious ways! One of Disney's best!
