Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968)

"Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" is a sequel, of sorts, to 1966's charming "The Trouble With Angels". This sequel stays with the nuns of St. Francis and their school for girls. This time there is a spirited young nun named Sister George (Stella Stevens) who manages to talk the bishop into allowing a trip across the country to California to join into a big protest rally. This is the 1960's, you see, and the church is taking a more activist role and trying to get involved in society. Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell) disapproves, of course, but when the bishop speaks she has to obey. "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" is a movie dealing with this trip across the country.

There are several returning characters from "The Trouble With Angels" in this movie, but "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" is less a sequel than an entirely different movie with a couple of common characters. Mother Superior and several of the nuns have returned, as have Mary Clancy's incredibly annoying cousin Marvel Ann (Barbara Hunter). This time Marvel Ann is a much more sympathetic character and something of a trouble maker with her friend Rosabelle (Susan St. James). This is a huge change for the character.

The point of this movie seems to be less about the students, or even the nuns, but the assorted misadventures they get into travelling by bus across the country. The rally is even beside the point. Unfortunately "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" is missing so much of the charm that made "The Trouble With Angels" such a wonderful movie. This one isn't really bad, but it suffers greatly in comparison to a vastly superior movie about a spoiled kid and the lessons of faith that can be found even when one isn't looking for it. In this movie faith is almost besides the point and the characters didn't have to be nuns or students in a religious school. They could have been anyone on a cross country trip. That's a shame.

"Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" did not drag at all, but it just didn't live up to "The Trouble With Angels". It does stand well enough on its own, and Rosalind Russell is always a treat, but this isn't something that I can recommend, especially to fans of "The Trouble With Angels." This movie really feels the lack of Hayley Mills.

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