Theater Thursday - The North Avenue Irregulars

It's Theater Thursday over at Crazy Shenanigans!

There's magic in the memories as great Disney moments are captured right here for you and your family to enjoy. The new preacher in town joins forces with the most unlikely group of organized crime fighters anyone has ever dreamed up -- six lady church members who are dedicated, eager, ready, willing ... everything but organized! The result is an action-packed comic caper that's as funny as any Disney comedy ever filmed!

 (summary from Disney Movie Club)

The new reverend at North Avenue Presbyterian (Edward Hermann) finds himself in a mess when he entrusts the church's sinking fund to Rose Delaney (Patsy Kelly). Unfortunately for the reverend he does not know that her husband is a compulsive gambler who bet the entire fund on the a horse race. Though the reverend finds out about the bet, his attempts at stopping the wager fail miserable. 

That night, rather than giving his regular sermon on the local television broadcast, Reverend Hill starts ranting about illegal gambling and how the local authorities seem to look the other way. This catches the attention of FBI agents and they contact Reverend Hill and ask him to set up a sting operation. None of the men in the congregation are willing to go up against the mob and the reverend is close to giving up when a group of church ladies come forward asking to help. The crew includes, the professional mom, Vickie (Barbara Harris), the bride to be, Annie (Karen Valentine), the rich perpetual single, Claire (Cloris Leachman), the retiree, Rose (Patsy Kelly) and the wife of a small business owner, Cleo (Virginia Capers). 

The crime fighters are faced with failure after failure, which provides for much of the comedy throughout the film. The ladies finally realize that they can't shut down the gambling locations or track down the leaders, they decide to go after the bank itself. The hunt to find the location and the chase that ensues lead to "a wild demolition derby". 

This is not one classified as one of Disney's great films, yet it is one of my favorites. It is full of laughs and, something rare in this world, clean. Below are some videos that feature Cloris Leachman's character in particular.