While it is a tad overlong, The Trouble with Angels is a nice film. The story is a well-constructed one, with a cosy and somewhat poignant conclusion, and the pace is brisk enough. The production values are very nice and the music is pleasant. The script has wit and edge, and Ida Lupino's directing style thankfully prevents The Trouble with Angels from falling into predictability. The acting is very good. Hayley Mills is naughtier than she usually is, and delivers a great performance. Debuting June Harding nearly steals her thunder, while Rosalind Russell steals every scene she's in, and Mary Wickes and Binnie Barnes are strong too. Overall, this is a nice film and definitely worth a watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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.

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.