The story, as Vincent Canby summarized it in his positive New York Times review, is about "an energetic young Presbyterian minister who mobilizes the women of his parish to fight organized crime in his small, otherwise ideal community."
The screenplay is based loosely on the true story of the Rev. Albert Fay Hill, of New Rochelle, N.Y., as recounted in his 1968 book of the same name. A civil rights and arts advocate who worked with the FBI to combat organized crime in the town, Hill got Duke Ellington and Ravi Shankar to perform at the church and baseball legend Jackie Robinson to preach there. The British release title, Hill's Angels, is a play on his name.
In the movie, the Rev. Michael Hill is joined by a ragtag band of locals, including a soccer mom (before that term was in common use), a divorcee with too much time on her hands and a frazzled housewife, among others. They are played by a cast who, despite their many stage and screen credits, were also well known to audiences at the time for their television work: Edward Herrmann (in Lou Gehrig and FDR TV biopics in 1976 and 1977), Susan Clark (biopics of Babe Didrikson and Amelia Earhart in 1975 and 1976), Karen Valentine (the sitcom Room 222 and her eponymous series in 1975), Michael Constantine (Valentine's Room 222 co-star), Cloris Leachman (despite her Supporting Actress Oscar for The Last Picture Show, 1971, most widely seen as the good-hearted but annoying neighbor on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and in her starring role in the spin-off series Phyllis).
The cast also featured Tony Award winner Barbara Harris and veteran character actress Patsy Kelly, making her final film appearance.
This was the first feature film for director Bruce Bilson, who up to this time was better known for his TV work on such series as Wonder Woman, Alice, S.W.A.T. and The Brady Bunch. After this picture, he went back almost exclusively to TV directing for the rest of his career.
Associate Producer Kevin Corcoran's career began as a child actor, reaching stardom in the Disney films Old Yeller (1957), The Shaggy Dog (1959), Pollyanna (1960), Swiss Family Robinson (1960) and others, including some Disney-produced TV shows. His career behind the camera was launched as associate producer of the studio's Return from Witch Mountain (1978).
One thing that most likely helped earn the film its PG rating was what Canby called "a discreetly violent scene in which a Presbyterian church is fire-bombed." According to imdb.com, there was no film in the camera when the fictional building was blown up so it had to be rebuilt and exploded again.
The real North Avenue Presbyterian Church was never fire-bombed but had fallen into disuse and shabbiness by the time the movie was released. It was sold to the city and stood vacant for more than 30 years until it was bought by Clara and Mariano Rivera. After a $3 million restoration, it was reopened as the home of Refugio de Esperanza, a Pentecostal congregation led by Clara. Mariano, a former pitcher for the New York Yankees, was the last major leaguer to wear the uniform number 42 before it was retired in 2013 in honor of its most famous wearer, Jackie Robinson.
Director: Bruce Bilson
Producer: Ron Miller
Screenplay: Don Tait
Cinematography: Leonard J. South
Editing: Gordon D. Brenner
Art Direction: Jack T. Collis, John B. Mansbridge
Music: Robert F. Brunner
Cast: Edward Herrmann (Michael Hill), Barbara Harris (Vickie), Susan Clark (Anne), Karen Valentine (Jane), Michael Constantine (Marv), Cloris Leachman (Claire)
By Rob Nixon
