April 17, 2025 • 41 mins
Hail, holy Queen enthroned above; O Maria! Hail, mother of mercy and of love, O Maria!
Triumph, all ye cherubim. Sing with us, ye seraphim! Heav'n and earth resound the hymn
Salve, salve, salve, Regina!
Let the clapping begin!
Sister Act isn’t just a comedy. It’s a celebration of sisterhood, resilience, and the joys you find in unexpected places. It brilliantly flips the script on the traditional representation of nuns, when lounge singer and mobster's girlfriend, Deloris van Cartier, is thrown into the world of convent life after witnessing a murder. Instead of the serene and pious behaviour expected of her, she brings a vibrant, modern flair to the convent that has everyone questioning their notions of faith and community.
The new Sister Mary Clarence's vibrant personality clashes with the strict convent rules. From her unique take on the church choir to her interactions with the stern Reverend Mother who, of course, puts her in charge of the choir.
Sister Act's iconic soundtrack not only makes you want to sing along, but also showcases how the power of gospel and Motown can turn a group of nuns into a sensational choir, transforming traditional Catholic hymns into toe-tapping gospel hits.
But Sister Act wasn't always intended as a starring vehicle for Whoopi Goldberg, and nor did the screenplay end up how it started, but it did lead to the writer, Paul Rudnik, visiting a convent in rural Connecticut, hoping to meet with the only Catholic nun to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
I would love to hear your thoughts on Sister Act !
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Episode Transcript
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(02:50):
Hi, everyone. I'm Em andwelcome to Verbal Diorama, episode
295. Sister Act. This is thepodcast that's all about the history
and legacy of movies you know,and movies you don't. That blends
in like nuns in a casino.Welcome to Verbal Diorama. Whether
you're a brand new listener tothis podcast and welcome back regular
(03:11):
returning listeners, thank youfor being here. Thank you for choosing
to listen to this podcast. Iam, as always, so happy to have you
here for the history andlegacy of Sister Act. And if you
are a regular returninglistener, thank you so much for continuing
to listen to and support thispodcast. This podcast has been going
for over six years now andover 290 episodes. And that would
(03:35):
not have happened without yourcontinued support. So thank you so
much. It genuinely means somuch. And I cannot believe the 300th
episode of verbal Diorama isright around the corner. The last
episode that I did was onSonic the Hedgehog. And really the
only similarity between thatmovie and this is that they're both
(03:57):
kind of fish out of watercomedies and they both start with
an S. And that's really theonly way to link Sonic the Hedgehog
with Sister Act. Now, when Iwas a kid, I saw Sister act for the
first time and I fell in love.Genuinely. I'm not joking with the
idea of becoming a nun. Now,obviously, I didn't really understand
(04:17):
the whole murder subplot.Because to me, this was a story about
a fabulous singer who becomesa nun and has a great time singing.
I love the soundtrack. And Ilistened to it constantly when I
was a child. Bear in mind aswell, my family weren't Catholic.
I'd never met a nun. And theonly nuns in my town taught at the
local Catholic school. But Idecided I really wanted to be a nun
(04:41):
because it looked fun. Andobviously that idea was quashed pretty
quickly when my parentsexplained that nun life isn't all
fun trips to Reno and singinggospel music. But this movie is fun
trips to Reno and singinggospel music with a little bit of
mild peril on the side. Sohere's the trailer for Sister Act.
(07:00):
Reno lounge singer Deloris VanCartier is embroiled in an affair
with married mobster VinceLaRocca. After witnessing Vince murder
an informant, Dolores runs tothe police. Lt. Eddie Souther decides
that Deloris needs to go intowitness protection and places her
at St. Catherine's Convent inCalifornia, where she will live as
a nun until her safety isguaranteed. Deloris, now Sister Mary
(07:25):
Clarence, butts heads with thetraditional Reverend Mother who assigns
her to direct the church'sseemingly hopeless choir. After several
rehearsals, where she bringsthe best out of several nuns, the
choir debuts both atraditional hymn and a gospel influenced
version. While the ReverendMother is irate, the Monsignor is
delighted. Over time, thechurch's congregation grows and the
(07:47):
nuns begin to involvethemselves in the community more
frequently. But with Vince'strial approaching, he becomes more
desperate to find Deloris andputs a bounty on her head, leading
to a corrupt officer inSouther's department telling Vince
where she is. Let's runthrough the cast. We have Whoopi
Goldberg as Deloris VanCartier, aka Sister Mary Clarence,
(08:10):
Maggie Smith as ReverendMother Kathina, Jimmy as Sister Mary
Patrick, Wendy McKenna asSister Mary Robert, Mary Wicks as
Sister Mary Lazarus, Harveykeitel as Vince LaRocca, Bill Nunn
as Lt. Eddie Souther andJoseph Marr as Monsignor O'Hara.
(08:31):
Sister act was written byJoseph Howard and was directed by
Emil Ardellino. The humbleCatholic nun is more prolific on
screen than you might think.Sister act is the obvious choice,
along with obviously the Soundof Music. But let's just run through
a couple of nun based movies.There's also Nuns on the run from
(08:52):
1990, the nuns story from1959, the bells of St. Mary's from
1945, heaven knows, Mr.Allison from 1957, Black Narcissus
from 1947. And if you wantsomething a bit less wholesome, what
about the Nun from 2018 andits sequel, the Nun 2 from 2023.
(09:14):
Also coming out in 2023, theCate Blanchett drama the New Boy
Deliver Us and sister death.In 2024, we had immaculate and the
First Omen. There's none.Cinema likes More than nuns. I am
just waiting for the MCU tointroduce a nun superhero. The sisters
who looked after Matt Murdockas a child don't count. So the idea
(09:38):
for Sister act started, likeall good ideas do, with drag writer
Paul Rudnick. And yes, Irealize that's not the name at the
top, but I'm going to becoming to that. He was trying to
come up with an idea for ascreenplay in the late 80s and kept
thinking about drag.Specifically why men dressing up
as women was funnier thanwomen dressing up as men. Think of
(10:00):
Some Like It Hot, the smart,socially aware, gender swapping comedy
of the 50s, starring MarilynMonroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
And Barbara Stanwyck's Oscarnominated role in Ball of Fire. So
he started to think of thefunniest disguise for a woman. And
then, blessed with some holydivine imagination, his thoughts
turned to nuns and how nunsare represented in media. Usually
(10:23):
quiet and heavily committed totheir faith, but also as dictatorial,
sexually repressed and scary.His words, not mine. He called this
script Sister Act. He tookSister act to producer Scott Rudin
and together they agreed.There was one actor who they wanted
for the main part. She was oneof the biggest comedy actors of the
80s, had signed a threepicture deal with Disney to star
(10:46):
in movies produced by its newTouchstone Pictures division. She
set up her own productioncompany with Bonnie Bruckheimer,
the ex wife of JerryBruckheimer. I'm not talking about
Whoopi Goldberg, I'm talkingabout Bette Midler. She'd starred
in Ruthless People andOutrageous Fortune and her production
company was based at Disney.So Scott Rudin set up a meeting in
(11:08):
New York between him and PaulRudnick and one of the studio executives.
Rudnick pitched Sister act anda deal was struck incredibly quickly.
He wrote a two page treatmentstating that Sister act was to be
a satire of sugar familyperennials like the Sound of Music,
the Singing Nun, the FlyingNun, the Trouble With Angels and
(11:28):
its sequel, Where Angels GoTrouble follows basically any mainstream
nun movies with older nunsoffering their wisdom to younger,
guitar strumming rebel nuns.Sister Act's heroine, Perry Van Cartier
would be a pop singer. Shewould be sexy, she would wear sequins
and she would take refuge in aprissy Catholic convent, converting
(11:49):
the nuns to her way ofthinking. And in a meeting with Disney
executives at Disney hq,everyone was praising Sister act,
eager to get it made as soonas possible, agreeing that Bette
Midler would be perfect andthat they all love nuns because who
doesn't love nuns. After hisreturn to New York, Rudnick finished
the first draft. There werequestions, though, once he turned
(12:12):
it in. Now that Bette Midlerwas thinking about playing the part,
the film could turn into afull fledged musical, which was great
because singing nuns arebetter than mutant nuns. But what
should she sing? Originalsongs or go with the classics? Terry
was a showgirl and feelstrapped in the convent. Could she
sneak some of the nuns out toa drive in movie? Somewhere a bit
(12:35):
less nun, like. Like a bar ora brothel? Could they get some product
placement in there forMcDonald's? Could the nuns drink
or take drugs for comedypurposes? How about showing sex?
It makes sense that Terry'simposed chastity would be a source
of humour. But what aboutwomen who've taken a vow of celibacy?
And what if the nuns were sosexy that a male character might
(12:58):
start to fancy one of them?But all these questions and the potential
answers started to cause aconcern for Bette Midler. She worried
about her image. Playing a nunwas bad enough, but a naughty nun
was something else. Clearly,they needed intense research on convent
life, and a year into theproject, it was suggested that Rudnick
(13:18):
do exactly that properresearch at a convent. He ended up
at the Abbey of Regina Laudisin Bethlehem, Connecticut, the home
of former actress DoloresHart, who had debuted starring opposite
Elvis Presley in loving you in1957, starred in 10 films in five
years, including another withElvis and then after meeting Pope
(13:41):
John the 22nd, while making1961's Francis of Assisi in Rome.
Hart left Hollywood and herfiance don Robinson in 1963 to become
a nun, taking her final vowsin 1970, a documentary film about
Hart's life, God Is the BiggerElvis, was a nominee for the 2012
(14:01):
Academy Award for BestDocumentary Short Subject. Hart attended
the 2012 Academy Awards forthe documentary, her first red carpet
Oscar event since 1959. MotherDolores Hart is currently 86 and
the only nun who is a memberof the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences. Rudnik wasassigned private quarters in the
(14:24):
rural old buildings of theAbbey of Regina Laudis, nestled in
woods and pastures. ReginaLaudis was a cloistered order, and
you couldn't just call up nunsfor random conversation. Since they
received no funding from theVatican, they supported themselves
by running a farm, a dairy, apottery studio and a small gift shop
selling ceramics, organic skincreams, greetings cards and their
(14:47):
own cd. Titled Virgin Martyrs,the Regian Laudice nuns would pray
regularly and attend eightservices a day. Rudnick spent two
days with the nuns, attendingprayer services and briefly talking
to the Mother Superior, whowas told he was researching a novel
about a woman seeking a moreprayerful life within convent walls
(15:08):
rather than the actual plot ofSisteract and all the sinful behaviour
contained within life atRegina. Now this was a life that
was slowly becoming extinct inAmerica. Convents and monasteries
were closing and being soldoff, and those that remained had
an average age of a nun, wellpast retirement age. In the early
20th century, a young womanwas expected to get married and her
(15:30):
employment options werelimited. So becoming a nun could
actually be a route toindependence. Post the feminist age,
the options open to women athome and the workplace were much
greater. Many Catholic ordersattempted to modernize their missions,
including the traditionalhabitat. The point of a habit wasn't
to stand out, it was to stayhumble. After the Second Vatican
(15:52):
Council between 1962 and 1965,which aimed at revolutionising the
Christian faith, adaptingchurch practices to new circumstances
and fostering dialogue andunderstanding between Catholics and
other Christian denominationsand religions, the council produced
16 documents, includingconstitutions, decrees and declarations
(16:13):
that addressed various aspectsof church life and its relationship
with the world. This includedallowing Mass to be spoken in local
languages instead of Latin,promoting peace and justice through
addressing social andpolitical issues and promoting dialogue
and understanding between allfaiths. Following this, many religious
(16:33):
orders re evaluated theirmissions and dress, leading to some
abandoning traditional habitsand allowing nuns to wear modest
everyday clothing. However,some religious orders do still insist
on traditional habits. PaulRudnick would leave the convent after
a couple of days and return toNew York, reading a 1985 non fiction
(16:53):
book on the way home about howthe cloistered life of devout faith
was a sanctuary for gay womendespite how their sexuality intersected
with their vocations. Many hadturned to becoming nuns in order
to live freely. But theCatholic Church caught on and would
separate lesbian couples inconvents. The book is called Lesbian
Nuns Breaking Silence byRosemary Curb and Nancy manahan and
(17:16):
contains 51 accounts oflesbian nuns and ex nuns. It's apparently
a very good book. Rudnickshared his experiences with the Sisters
of Regina Laudis at his nextmeeting with Disney and wrote a few
more drafts until his contractexpired and Disney chose not to renew
it, instead hiring Jim Cashand Jack Epps Jr. The writing team
(17:38):
behind Top Gun, to change thelocales and put the heroine in more
jeopardy. Bette Midler's fearsof her public image being tarnished
by playing a nun, as well asnot getting her choice of director,
she wanted Pedro Almodovar ledto her choosing to back out the project
and Disney put it on holdwhile they looked for a new lead.
(17:59):
Cher, Tracey Ullman andMadonna were all considered. Meanwhile,
Whoopi Goldberg won the BestSupporting Actress Oscar for her
role in Ghost and her profilein Hollywood received a boost. Producer
Scott Rudin had worked withher before and suggested her for
the lead role, offering her $2million to play the lead. Scott Rudin
(18:20):
had also worked with EmileArdellino before on his Oscar winning
documentary about Jacquesd'amboise. He Makes me Feel Like
Dancing. His most famous movieat that point was Dirty Dancing,
and he'd worked for Disneypreviously on Three Men and a Little
Lady. Once Goldberg was onboard, Disney asked Rudnick to return
to the project, mostly becauseCash and Epps script wasn't great
(18:42):
and Goldberg requested thecharacter's name be changed from
Terry Van Cartier to DelorisVan Cartier. Sadly not after the
inspirational nun who Rudnickhad tried to find in that convent
just because she liked thename Deloris. The script called for
a cast of supporting nuns ofall ages and sizes and all the women
(19:03):
who auditioned were asked toprepare a song. The film's musical
director was Marc Shayna, whohad not only worked with Bette Midler
for years, he was admired forhis many film schools from Beaches
to When Harry Met Sallythrough to Misery and City Slickers.
Later he wrote the score forHairspray to audition for the many
singing nun roles. Shaimanbrought with him dozens of veteran
(19:24):
Broadway cabaret and recordingartists, including Mary Wicks, who
had starred opposite BingCrosby in White Christmas as Sister
Mary Lazarus. Wicks would passthree years after Sister Act's release.
Shaman also brought in awardwinning Broadway performer Susan
Johnson, who'd end up as choirnun number six. The supporting cast
(19:46):
would be rounded out byKathina Jimmy as Sister Mary Patrick,
newcomer Wendy McKenna asnovitiate sister Mary Robert and
double Academy Award winnerMaggie Smith as the Reverend Mother.
The script was under nearconstant rewrites with Rudnick's
original idea becoming morewatered down with more emphasis on
comedy. Because WhoopiGoldberg was a comedian first and
(20:07):
foremost and the fish out ofwater comedy suited her. They wanted
less sex, more friendshipmontages, less drugs, more Dolores
teaching the nuns about lifeand the nuns teaching her in return.
Even the police liaisonofficer love interest was watered
down and it would becompletely removed by the finished
film released. Dolores marriedlover Vince would be played by Harvey
(20:30):
Keitel, but Disney spent agesdeadlocked over the casting of Lieutenant
Eddie Sober as to whether thecharacter should be white or black,
with one executive suggestingEdward James Olmos as a compromise,
who is neither black norwhite, but Latino. The rewriting
process would lead Rudnick toquit. He wouldn't hear from Disney
(20:50):
again until late 1991, whenthe final script was sent to him.
But it resembled very littleof his original idea, and he asked
for his name to be removedfrom the credits. When Disney refused
to do that, he suggested apseudonym. Firstly R. Shasable, after
Reverend Shazable, the priestin Oscar Wilde's the Importance of
Being Earnest. Then simplyGoofy, which Disney also didn't like.
(21:14):
He chose the name JosephHoward from a character from a story
he'd written, plus hisbrother's middle name. And that's
why Paul Rudnick is notcredited as Paul Rudnick and instead
is credited as Joseph Howard.Now, obviously, when Whoopi Goldberg
joined the production, thescript said that she would lead the
choir of nuns, as well asperform as Dolores, the lead singer
(21:37):
of the Ronelles, in a show inReno. Goldberg, however, didn't know
how to sing. Rather than dubher vocals like for some of the characters,
Goldberg and Mark Shaman gottogether, and Shaman taught her how
to sing, and she dedicatedherself to her singing lessons. Shaman
also hired Jennifer Lewis andCharlotte Crossley to play Dolores
(21:58):
Ronelles, and they supportedGoldberg's vocals and re recorded
some Motown classics thatwould form the basis of the soundtrack.
That doesn't mean Goldberg hadan easy time on the movie, though.
She and Disney squabbled overeverything, including rehearsal schedules,
character development and thedirection. Production commenced without
a completed script inSeptember 1991, finishing in December
(22:21):
1991. And over the course offilming, no less than half a dozen
screenwriters would take turnspolishing the script, including Carrie
Fisher, Robert Harling andNancy Myers. It was a constant battle
against time and budget, withscreenwriters sometimes writing scenes
only a day ahead ofproduction. Sister act was filmed
on location in San Francisco,Reno and Los Angeles, with the Moonlight
(22:45):
Lounge exteriors shot atNevada Club, North Virginia Street,
Reno. The interiors atFitzgerald's Casino, just down the
road. The Reno police stationin the movie was actually Reno's
main post office. St.Catherine's Convent was actually
St. Paul's Catholic Church inno Valley, San Francisco. The production
had to dress the surroundingsto make it appear run down. The majority
(23:07):
of interiors of the churchwere filmed at the First United Methodist
Church in Hollywood. But themain body of the church, in which
the choir ends up performingfor Pope John Paul II, is the real
St. Paul's Catholic Church.Whoopi Goldberg and script doctor
Carrie Fisher were friends,and Fisher was also friends with
Disney Studios chairmanJeffrey Katzenberg. And there was
(23:29):
no love lost between Goldbergand Katzenberg. It was Katzenberg
who wanted a black loveinterest. Goldberg wanted to audition
white actors, and Goldbergwould regularly call up Fisher to
complain about Katzenberg.Fisher suggested she avoid fighting
with Katzenberg and suggestedshe send him a hatchet for him to
bury on both of theirbehalves. So Whoopi Goldberg did
(23:52):
in fact send JeffreyKatzenberg a hatchet, and in return,
he sent her a pair of brassballs. As many of the cast were older
ladies, Goldberg noticed thatas the star, she was treated slightly
differently. She noticed someof the women were struggling financially
and clearly they hadn't beencompensated for their time in a way
they deserved. Goldberg wouldsay in an interview with Vulture
(24:15):
that, quote, the ladies hadn'tgotten everything I thought they
should have gotten. The nuns,they were older women. They were
women who I felt should beable to go and have dinner and not
be worried about paying hotelsor whatever it was. This group of
women was indeed a sisterhood.And Whoopi Goldberg would take matters
into her own hands by gettingsick, which shut production down
(24:39):
for a couple of days until thematter was sorted and the older women
were compensated accordingly,by which time Goldberg got better.
Goldberg denied going onstrike for her castmates, instead
saying to Vulture, I got sick.I would never go on strike, but if
my coughing and sneezingcoincided with our brief problem,
(25:01):
but they fixed it and it wasgreat. More issues would arise after
the movie's release, too. In1993, actress Donna Douglas and her
partner Kurt Wilson sued theWalt Disney Company, Whoopi Goldberg,
Bette Midler, their productioncompanies and creative artists agency
for $200 million, allegingthat the movie was based on their
(25:23):
book A Nun in the Closet.Douglas and Wilson argued that they
had written a screenplay basedon the book in 1985 and that it had
been sent three times, in 1987and 1988, to Disney, Goldberg and
Middler. More than 100comparisons between the film and
and the novel screenplay wascited in the lawsuit as proof of
(25:44):
plagiarism. In an effort towin the case, Douglas and Wilson
turned down a $1 millionsettlement offer in 1994. A judge
would award in Disney and theother defendants favour, though,
and it would also receive alawsuit from an actual nun. Former
Catholic nun Delois Blakely,previously known as Sister Noelita
(26:05):
Marie, sued Sony Pictures andthe Walt Disney Company in November
2011. Arguing that Sister actwas based on her 1987 autobiography,
the Harlem Street Nun. Sheclaimed that after writing a three
page synopsis, a movieexecutive showed interest in the
film rights. She sued forbreach of contract, misappropriation
(26:26):
of likeness, and unjustenrichment. Blakely then dropped
the initial lawsuit in January2012 in order to file a more comprehensive
lawsuit with the New Yorksupreme court in late August 2012,
requesting $1 billion indamages from Disney. The New York
Supreme Court dismissed thecase with prejudice in early February
(26:47):
2013, with Blakely receivingno money it is now time to segue
somehow into the obligatoryKeanu reference of this episode.
And if you don't know whatthat is is where I link the movie
that I'm featuring with KeanuReeves for no reason other than he
is the best of men. Now, Keanudid attend a Catholic boys school
for a year to play hockey, buthe also famously played John Constantine,
(27:11):
who is damned to hell forattempting suicide. And the moody
Constantine is full ofCatholic imagery, possibly some nuns,
but honestly, it's been a fewyears since I watched it. That was
for episode 26, all the wayback in 2019. But I would highly
recommend the movieConstantine. It's a great movie and
wholly underrated as well.Now, I cannot talk about Sister act
(27:34):
without talking about theincredible soundtrack to Sister act
when I rewatched this moviefor this episode, because I rewatch
all of the movies for all ofthe episodes, I just sat there with
a huge smile on my faceclapping and singing along to the
music. Genuinely, I adore thissoundtrack so much. And the soundtrack
(27:55):
is a medley of classic Motownremixed to be more religious or Catholic
hymns remixed to be more bopslike Hail Holy Queen, which dates
back to the Middle Ages.Motown's first female top 40 star,
Mary Wells, originated the1964 hit My Guy composed by Smokey
Robinson, which obviouslybecame my God. Peggy March's 1963
(28:19):
hit I Will Follow him became asong suitable for introduction to
the Pope. Peggy March was only14 years old when she originally
recorded it and became theyoungest female artist to have a
US Number one single. If MySister's in Trouble by Lady Soul
was the only song uniquelycreated for the Sister act soundtrack.
The black and white musicvideo also features the film's actors,
(28:42):
including Whoopi Goldberg. Thescore for Sister act, as I mentioned,
was composed by Marc Shaiman,and the singing voice for Sister
Mary Robert was provided byAndrea Robinson. The soundtrack album
was certified platinum inAustralia and gold in Canada, Germany
and the us. I have to add thatI didn't buy the soundtrack. I recorded
(29:03):
it off the TV with a taperecorder like I did for a lot of
movies in the late 80s andearly 90s. Sister act would be released
on 29 May 1992 in the US andit would immediately hit number two
at the domestic box officebehind Lethal Weapon 3. It would
stay at number two for fourweeks in total and would stay in
(29:25):
the top 10 for 16 weeks. Onits $31 million budget, Sister act
would gross $139.6 milliondomestically in the US and $92 million
internationally for a totalworldwide gross of $231.6 million,
becoming the eighth highestgrossing film worldwide of 1992.
(29:47):
It also became the top videorental of 1993 in the US as well.
And obviously if you'relooking for a sweet musical comedy
about a witness to a crimehiding out from killers in a convent,
there's none better thanSister Act. Or at least that's the
summary on Rotten Tomatoes,which has Sister act at a 73% rating.
(30:07):
Sister act would also receivetwo Golden Globe nominations for
Best Picture, Musical orComedy and Best Actress in a Musical
or Comedy. For WhoopiGoldberg, it would lose the former
to the Player and the latterto Miranda Richardson for her role
in Enchanted. April Sockhow,also nominated for Best Actress that
year, Geena Davis for A Leagueof Their Own and Meryl Streep in
(30:30):
Death becomes her threeincredible performances in movies
from 1992. In 1993, Sister Act2, Back in the Habit was released
with Goldberg and much of theoriginal cast returning alongside
newcomer Lauryn Hill. Yes,that Lauryn Hill as well as James
Coburn and Broadway iconSheryl Lee Ralph, among others. While
(30:52):
it wasn't as much of acommercial and critical success as
Back in the Habit has become acult classic in recent years, with
many notable people coming outand admitting it inspired them to
get into music or acting,including artists like Leanne Havas,
Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudsonand Harry Styles. In December 2020,
Goldberg revealed she'd signedon for Sister Act 3 with Tyler Perry
(31:17):
serving as producer. InJanuary 2023, during an appearance
on the Loose Women talk show,Goldberg mentioned she was holding
the part of Mother Superiorfor Maggie Smith, saying they could
shoot whenever was the mostconvenient for the two time Academy
Award winner. Maggie Smithunfortunately passed away on 27th
(31:37):
September 2024 aged 89 and theproduction adjusted the plan for
Sister Act 3 following herdeath. The script is apparently completed
and Whoopi Goldberg confirmedas much in March 2025, saying she
hoped it would happen sometimethis year. In the meantime, Sister
act the Musical had a regionalpremiere in 2006 in Pasadena, California,
(32:01):
with the original West Endproduction opening in June 2009 at
the London Palladium. StarringPatina Miller. Whoopi Goldberg played
the Reverend Mother in theWest End production of the musical.
For a few weeks, the stagemusical wasn't allowed to use the
Motown music, so Alan Menkencame and wrote a whole new score
for the production. PatinaMiller also played Dolores in the
(32:24):
Broadway run in 2011, andCynthia Erivo played Dolores in the
UK tour in 2011. Some ordersof nuns are becoming extinct, but
for now they live on in ourpopular culture. And the narrative
around nuns has shifted overthe years from the wholesome, family
friendly nuns of the 60s and70s, like Maria from the Sound of
(32:47):
Music or Sister Birchill inthe 1960 sitcom the Flying Nun, or
the comedic backgroundcharacter like the singing nun in
1974's airport 1975 or the nunSinging Nun in Airplane, the spoofed
airport 1975, amongst others.Nuns seem to inhabit multiple genres
(33:07):
of film, and now horror seemsto be the nuns sanctuary choice.
But horror and the CatholicChurch go hand in hand. In real life,
a lot has happened under thesupposed safety and sanctuary of
the Catholic Church, with manypeople reporting decades of sexual
abuse in monasteries andconvents. There were a range of scandals
(33:27):
in America, Ireland, Australiaand elsewhere dramatized in films
like the Magdalene sisters in2002 and Philomena in 2013, which
mark a decisive turn away fromwholesome and happy nuns to convents
as places of abuse andneglect. Nevertheless, this is a
movie that made me want to bea nun for about five minutes. And
(33:50):
honestly, this movie stillbrings me so much joy. I'll admit
I love this one more than thesequel. It's just so wholesome. I
thought Whoopi Goldberg wasthe epitome of cool, and when Maggie
Smith passed last year, in acareer spanning seven decades for
me, she was the ReverendMother and she was Granny Wendy in
Hook, and they were what mademe fall in love with her. RIP to
(34:13):
a legend Religion cansometimes be an easy target for Hollywood,
and Catholicism was only eversomething I learned from movies.
From people confessing theirsins in church to Holy Communion
to thinking convent life wasjust full of gospel music. And this
is your typical traditionalvalues, such as from the Reverend
Mother to the version ofcontemporary faith, being a nun for
(34:36):
many is an honorable callingto devote yourself to your faith
and to receive genuine joy inhumble service to God. And this movie,
while being a comedy, doesn'tspeak down to that. These nuns can
be in service to God and theircommunity and also sing their praises
in a modern way. Ultimately,Sister act is a movie about women
caring for other women on theindividual and collective kindness
(34:59):
of women. That even if yourcalling is to God, you still ultimately
love and care for other women.That race and sexuality don't come
into it. Nobody in this moviecares that Dolores is a black woman.
There are no race jokes, nocomments. It's not nasty, cruel or
diminishing. And when one oftheir own is in trouble, the nuns
think nothing of putting theirlives in danger to help their sister.
(35:23):
This movie is about nuns, butmore than that, it's about the power
of winning together. Dolores,on her own was in danger, but Dolores
sequestered with a group ofwomen is power. And not only that,
but put a black woman incharge of the music and amazing things
can happen. Which just speaksto the decades and decades of white
artists taking inspiration,slash stealing from black artists.
(35:46):
Dolores Van Cartier could havebeen Terry Van Cartier, a white woman
played impeccably, I'm sure,by Bette Midler, but it wouldn't
have had the same culturalimpact. To see a black woman in this
role made it iconic, notbecause it was written for a black
woman, but because it wasn'twritten for a black woman. This isn't
a culture clash between whitewomen and black women, but a culture
(36:08):
clash of Dolores secular waysand the Sisters, more traditional
religious ones. And honestly,many movies could learn a lesson
from Sister act in how todepict women, especially women of
a certain age. I love thismovie with all my heart, but I am
really glad I didn't become anun. It's just not my calling. Thank
(36:30):
you for listening as always. Iwould love to hear your thoughts
on Sister act and thank youfor your continued support of this
podcast. If you want to getinvolved and help this podcast grow
and reach more people, youcould leave a rating or review wherever
you found this podcast. Itreally does help other people find
this podcast. You can tellyour friends and family about this
podcast or about this episode.And you can also find me across social
(36:53):
media at Verbal Diorama whereyou can like posts, you can share
posts, and you can comment onposts as well. The next episode is
going to be quite a big oneactually. It's one that I've been
teasing for a little while onsocial media and it's one that when
I did tease it for a littlewhile on social Media. It got quite
a strong reaction to how manypeople were really looking forward
(37:16):
to hearing the episode. In1934, a space adventure comic strip
was published aiming tocompete with the already established
Buck Rogers. That comic stripwas Flash Gordon and it would go
on to become a space operainfluence. Later comic strips, superheroes
and other space operas likeStar wars. But in 1980 it became
(37:39):
a cult classic movie that isstill absolutely incredible to watch
today. Join me next episodefor the history and legacy of Flash
Gordon. I cannot wait to dothis episode and I hope you cannot
wait either. But you only haveto wait a week, so really not that
long. And as I always say,this podcast is free and it always
(38:00):
will be free. But because itis not free to make a podcast, this
podcast does rely on thegenerous help from people who enjoy
and listen to this podcast. Noone is ever under any obligation
to contribute to this podcast.I am an independent creator who does
everything on her own. I donot have a team of people to help
me with editing or socialmedia. I am literally just one person.
(38:24):
I do all the research forthese episodes on my own as well.
And if you do enjoy what I doand if you have some spare pennies,
you could financially supportthis podcast to be able to continue
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You can go toverbaldiorama.com tips and give a
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(38:47):
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(39:12):
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too.
Hi, everyone. I'm Em andwelcome to Verbal Diorama, episode
295. Sister Act. This is thepodcast that's all about the history
and legacy of movies you know,and movies you don't. That blends
in like nuns in a casino.Welcome to Verbal Diorama. Whether
you're a brand new listener tothis podcast and welcome back regular
(03:11):
returning listeners, thank youfor being here. Thank you for choosing
to listen to this podcast. Iam, as always, so happy to have you
here for the history andlegacy of Sister Act. And if you
are a regular returninglistener, thank you so much for continuing
to listen to and support thispodcast. This podcast has been going
for over six years now andover 290 episodes. And that would
(03:35):
not have happened without yourcontinued support. So thank you so
much. It genuinely means somuch. And I cannot believe the 300th
episode of verbal Diorama isright around the corner. The last
episode that I did was onSonic the Hedgehog. And really the
only similarity between thatmovie and this is that they're both
(03:57):
kind of fish out of watercomedies and they both start with
an S. And that's really theonly way to link Sonic the Hedgehog
with Sister Act. Now, when Iwas a kid, I saw Sister act for the
first time and I fell in love.Genuinely. I'm not joking with the
idea of becoming a nun. Now,obviously, I didn't really understand
(04:17):
the whole murder subplot.Because to me, this was a story about
a fabulous singer who becomesa nun and has a great time singing.
I love the soundtrack. And Ilistened to it constantly when I
was a child. Bear in mind aswell, my family weren't Catholic.
I'd never met a nun. And theonly nuns in my town taught at the
local Catholic school. But Idecided I really wanted to be a nun
(04:41):
because it looked fun. Andobviously that idea was quashed pretty
quickly when my parentsexplained that nun life isn't all
fun trips to Reno and singinggospel music. But this movie is fun
trips to Reno and singinggospel music with a little bit of
mild peril on the side. Sohere's the trailer for Sister Act.
(07:00):
Reno lounge singer Deloris VanCartier is embroiled in an affair
with married mobster VinceLaRocca. After witnessing Vince murder
an informant, Dolores runs tothe police. Lt. Eddie Souther decides
that Deloris needs to go intowitness protection and places her
at St. Catherine's Convent inCalifornia, where she will live as
a nun until her safety isguaranteed. Deloris, now Sister Mary
(07:25):
Clarence, butts heads with thetraditional Reverend Mother who assigns
her to direct the church'sseemingly hopeless choir. After several
rehearsals, where she bringsthe best out of several nuns, the
choir debuts both atraditional hymn and a gospel influenced
version. While the ReverendMother is irate, the Monsignor is
delighted. Over time, thechurch's congregation grows and the
(07:47):
nuns begin to involvethemselves in the community more
frequently. But with Vince'strial approaching, he becomes more
desperate to find Deloris andputs a bounty on her head, leading
to a corrupt officer inSouther's department telling Vince
where she is. Let's runthrough the cast. We have Whoopi
Goldberg as Deloris VanCartier, aka Sister Mary Clarence,
(08:10):
Maggie Smith as ReverendMother Kathina, Jimmy as Sister Mary
Patrick, Wendy McKenna asSister Mary Robert, Mary Wicks as
Sister Mary Lazarus, Harveykeitel as Vince LaRocca, Bill Nunn
as Lt. Eddie Souther andJoseph Marr as Monsignor O'Hara.
(08:31):
Sister act was written byJoseph Howard and was directed by
Emil Ardellino. The humbleCatholic nun is more prolific on
screen than you might think.Sister act is the obvious choice,
along with obviously the Soundof Music. But let's just run through
a couple of nun based movies.There's also Nuns on the run from
(08:52):
1990, the nuns story from1959, the bells of St. Mary's from
1945, heaven knows, Mr.Allison from 1957, Black Narcissus
from 1947. And if you wantsomething a bit less wholesome, what
about the Nun from 2018 andits sequel, the Nun 2 from 2023.
(09:14):
Also coming out in 2023, theCate Blanchett drama the New Boy
Deliver Us and sister death.In 2024, we had immaculate and the
First Omen. There's none.Cinema likes More than nuns. I am
just waiting for the MCU tointroduce a nun superhero. The sisters
who looked after Matt Murdockas a child don't count. So the idea
(09:38):
for Sister act started, likeall good ideas do, with drag writer
Paul Rudnick. And yes, Irealize that's not the name at the
top, but I'm going to becoming to that. He was trying to
come up with an idea for ascreenplay in the late 80s and kept
thinking about drag.Specifically why men dressing up
as women was funnier thanwomen dressing up as men. Think of
(10:00):
Some Like It Hot, the smart,socially aware, gender swapping comedy
of the 50s, starring MarilynMonroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
And Barbara Stanwyck's Oscarnominated role in Ball of Fire. So
he started to think of thefunniest disguise for a woman. And
then, blessed with some holydivine imagination, his thoughts
turned to nuns and how nunsare represented in media. Usually
(10:23):
quiet and heavily committed totheir faith, but also as dictatorial,
sexually repressed and scary.His words, not mine. He called this
script Sister Act. He tookSister act to producer Scott Rudin
and together they agreed.There was one actor who they wanted
for the main part. She was oneof the biggest comedy actors of the
80s, had signed a threepicture deal with Disney to star
(10:46):
in movies produced by its newTouchstone Pictures division. She
set up her own productioncompany with Bonnie Bruckheimer,
the ex wife of JerryBruckheimer. I'm not talking about
Whoopi Goldberg, I'm talkingabout Bette Midler. She'd starred
in Ruthless People andOutrageous Fortune and her production
company was based at Disney.So Scott Rudin set up a meeting in
(11:08):
New York between him and PaulRudnick and one of the studio executives.
Rudnick pitched Sister act anda deal was struck incredibly quickly.
He wrote a two page treatmentstating that Sister act was to be
a satire of sugar familyperennials like the Sound of Music,
the Singing Nun, the FlyingNun, the Trouble With Angels and
(11:28):
its sequel, Where Angels GoTrouble follows basically any mainstream
nun movies with older nunsoffering their wisdom to younger,
guitar strumming rebel nuns.Sister Act's heroine, Perry Van Cartier
would be a pop singer. Shewould be sexy, she would wear sequins
and she would take refuge in aprissy Catholic convent, converting
(11:49):
the nuns to her way ofthinking. And in a meeting with Disney
executives at Disney hq,everyone was praising Sister act,
eager to get it made as soonas possible, agreeing that Bette
Midler would be perfect andthat they all love nuns because who
doesn't love nuns. After hisreturn to New York, Rudnick finished
the first draft. There werequestions, though, once he turned
(12:12):
it in. Now that Bette Midlerwas thinking about playing the part,
the film could turn into afull fledged musical, which was great
because singing nuns arebetter than mutant nuns. But what
should she sing? Originalsongs or go with the classics? Terry
was a showgirl and feelstrapped in the convent. Could she
sneak some of the nuns out toa drive in movie? Somewhere a bit
(12:35):
less nun, like. Like a bar ora brothel? Could they get some product
placement in there forMcDonald's? Could the nuns drink
or take drugs for comedypurposes? How about showing sex?
It makes sense that Terry'simposed chastity would be a source
of humour. But what aboutwomen who've taken a vow of celibacy?
And what if the nuns were sosexy that a male character might
(12:58):
start to fancy one of them?But all these questions and the potential
answers started to cause aconcern for Bette Midler. She worried
about her image. Playing a nunwas bad enough, but a naughty nun
was something else. Clearly,they needed intense research on convent
life, and a year into theproject, it was suggested that Rudnick
(13:18):
do exactly that properresearch at a convent. He ended up
at the Abbey of Regina Laudisin Bethlehem, Connecticut, the home
of former actress DoloresHart, who had debuted starring opposite
Elvis Presley in loving you in1957, starred in 10 films in five
years, including another withElvis and then after meeting Pope
(13:41):
John the 22nd, while making1961's Francis of Assisi in Rome.
Hart left Hollywood and herfiance don Robinson in 1963 to become
a nun, taking her final vowsin 1970, a documentary film about
Hart's life, God Is the BiggerElvis, was a nominee for the 2012
(14:01):
Academy Award for BestDocumentary Short Subject. Hart attended
the 2012 Academy Awards forthe documentary, her first red carpet
Oscar event since 1959. MotherDolores Hart is currently 86 and
the only nun who is a memberof the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences. Rudnik wasassigned private quarters in the
(14:24):
rural old buildings of theAbbey of Regina Laudis, nestled in
woods and pastures. ReginaLaudis was a cloistered order, and
you couldn't just call up nunsfor random conversation. Since they
received no funding from theVatican, they supported themselves
by running a farm, a dairy, apottery studio and a small gift shop
selling ceramics, organic skincreams, greetings cards and their
(14:47):
own cd. Titled Virgin Martyrs,the Regian Laudice nuns would pray
regularly and attend eightservices a day. Rudnick spent two
days with the nuns, attendingprayer services and briefly talking
to the Mother Superior, whowas told he was researching a novel
about a woman seeking a moreprayerful life within convent walls
(15:08):
rather than the actual plot ofSisteract and all the sinful behaviour
contained within life atRegina. Now this was a life that
was slowly becoming extinct inAmerica. Convents and monasteries
were closing and being soldoff, and those that remained had
an average age of a nun, wellpast retirement age. In the early
20th century, a young womanwas expected to get married and her
(15:30):
employment options werelimited. So becoming a nun could
actually be a route toindependence. Post the feminist age,
the options open to women athome and the workplace were much
greater. Many Catholic ordersattempted to modernize their missions,
including the traditionalhabitat. The point of a habit wasn't
to stand out, it was to stayhumble. After the Second Vatican
(15:52):
Council between 1962 and 1965,which aimed at revolutionising the
Christian faith, adaptingchurch practices to new circumstances
and fostering dialogue andunderstanding between Catholics and
other Christian denominationsand religions, the council produced
16 documents, includingconstitutions, decrees and declarations
(16:13):
that addressed various aspectsof church life and its relationship
with the world. This includedallowing Mass to be spoken in local
languages instead of Latin,promoting peace and justice through
addressing social andpolitical issues and promoting dialogue
and understanding between allfaiths. Following this, many religious
(16:33):
orders re evaluated theirmissions and dress, leading to some
abandoning traditional habitsand allowing nuns to wear modest
everyday clothing. However,some religious orders do still insist
on traditional habits. PaulRudnick would leave the convent after
a couple of days and return toNew York, reading a 1985 non fiction
(16:53):
book on the way home about howthe cloistered life of devout faith
was a sanctuary for gay womendespite how their sexuality intersected
with their vocations. Many hadturned to becoming nuns in order
to live freely. But theCatholic Church caught on and would
separate lesbian couples inconvents. The book is called Lesbian
Nuns Breaking Silence byRosemary Curb and Nancy manahan and
(17:16):
contains 51 accounts oflesbian nuns and ex nuns. It's apparently
a very good book. Rudnickshared his experiences with the Sisters
of Regina Laudis at his nextmeeting with Disney and wrote a few
more drafts until his contractexpired and Disney chose not to renew
it, instead hiring Jim Cashand Jack Epps Jr. The writing team
(17:38):
behind Top Gun, to change thelocales and put the heroine in more
jeopardy. Bette Midler's fearsof her public image being tarnished
by playing a nun, as well asnot getting her choice of director,
she wanted Pedro Almodovar ledto her choosing to back out the project
and Disney put it on holdwhile they looked for a new lead.
(17:59):
Cher, Tracey Ullman andMadonna were all considered. Meanwhile,
Whoopi Goldberg won the BestSupporting Actress Oscar for her
role in Ghost and her profilein Hollywood received a boost. Producer
Scott Rudin had worked withher before and suggested her for
the lead role, offering her $2million to play the lead. Scott Rudin
(18:20):
had also worked with EmileArdellino before on his Oscar winning
documentary about Jacquesd'amboise. He Makes me Feel Like
Dancing. His most famous movieat that point was Dirty Dancing,
and he'd worked for Disneypreviously on Three Men and a Little
Lady. Once Goldberg was onboard, Disney asked Rudnick to return
to the project, mostly becauseCash and Epps script wasn't great
(18:42):
and Goldberg requested thecharacter's name be changed from
Terry Van Cartier to DelorisVan Cartier. Sadly not after the
inspirational nun who Rudnickhad tried to find in that convent
just because she liked thename Deloris. The script called for
a cast of supporting nuns ofall ages and sizes and all the women
(19:03):
who auditioned were asked toprepare a song. The film's musical
director was Marc Shayna, whohad not only worked with Bette Midler
for years, he was admired forhis many film schools from Beaches
to When Harry Met Sallythrough to Misery and City Slickers.
Later he wrote the score forHairspray to audition for the many
singing nun roles. Shaimanbrought with him dozens of veteran
(19:24):
Broadway cabaret and recordingartists, including Mary Wicks, who
had starred opposite BingCrosby in White Christmas as Sister
Mary Lazarus. Wicks would passthree years after Sister Act's release.
Shaman also brought in awardwinning Broadway performer Susan
Johnson, who'd end up as choirnun number six. The supporting cast
(19:46):
would be rounded out byKathina Jimmy as Sister Mary Patrick,
newcomer Wendy McKenna asnovitiate sister Mary Robert and
double Academy Award winnerMaggie Smith as the Reverend Mother.
The script was under nearconstant rewrites with Rudnick's
original idea becoming morewatered down with more emphasis on
comedy. Because WhoopiGoldberg was a comedian first and
(20:07):
foremost and the fish out ofwater comedy suited her. They wanted
less sex, more friendshipmontages, less drugs, more Dolores
teaching the nuns about lifeand the nuns teaching her in return.
Even the police liaisonofficer love interest was watered
down and it would becompletely removed by the finished
film released. Dolores marriedlover Vince would be played by Harvey
(20:30):
Keitel, but Disney spent agesdeadlocked over the casting of Lieutenant
Eddie Sober as to whether thecharacter should be white or black,
with one executive suggestingEdward James Olmos as a compromise,
who is neither black norwhite, but Latino. The rewriting
process would lead Rudnick toquit. He wouldn't hear from Disney
(20:50):
again until late 1991, whenthe final script was sent to him.
But it resembled very littleof his original idea, and he asked
for his name to be removedfrom the credits. When Disney refused
to do that, he suggested apseudonym. Firstly R. Shasable, after
Reverend Shazable, the priestin Oscar Wilde's the Importance of
Being Earnest. Then simplyGoofy, which Disney also didn't like.
(21:14):
He chose the name JosephHoward from a character from a story
he'd written, plus hisbrother's middle name. And that's
why Paul Rudnick is notcredited as Paul Rudnick and instead
is credited as Joseph Howard.Now, obviously, when Whoopi Goldberg
joined the production, thescript said that she would lead the
choir of nuns, as well asperform as Dolores, the lead singer
(21:37):
of the Ronelles, in a show inReno. Goldberg, however, didn't know
how to sing. Rather than dubher vocals like for some of the characters,
Goldberg and Mark Shaman gottogether, and Shaman taught her how
to sing, and she dedicatedherself to her singing lessons. Shaman
also hired Jennifer Lewis andCharlotte Crossley to play Dolores
(21:58):
Ronelles, and they supportedGoldberg's vocals and re recorded
some Motown classics thatwould form the basis of the soundtrack.
That doesn't mean Goldberg hadan easy time on the movie, though.
She and Disney squabbled overeverything, including rehearsal schedules,
character development and thedirection. Production commenced without
a completed script inSeptember 1991, finishing in December
(22:21):
1991. And over the course offilming, no less than half a dozen
screenwriters would take turnspolishing the script, including Carrie
Fisher, Robert Harling andNancy Myers. It was a constant battle
against time and budget, withscreenwriters sometimes writing scenes
only a day ahead ofproduction. Sister act was filmed
on location in San Francisco,Reno and Los Angeles, with the Moonlight
(22:45):
Lounge exteriors shot atNevada Club, North Virginia Street,
Reno. The interiors atFitzgerald's Casino, just down the
road. The Reno police stationin the movie was actually Reno's
main post office. St.Catherine's Convent was actually
St. Paul's Catholic Church inno Valley, San Francisco. The production
had to dress the surroundingsto make it appear run down. The majority
(23:07):
of interiors of the churchwere filmed at the First United Methodist
Church in Hollywood. But themain body of the church, in which
the choir ends up performingfor Pope John Paul II, is the real
St. Paul's Catholic Church.Whoopi Goldberg and script doctor
Carrie Fisher were friends,and Fisher was also friends with
Disney Studios chairmanJeffrey Katzenberg. And there was
(23:29):
no love lost between Goldbergand Katzenberg. It was Katzenberg
who wanted a black loveinterest. Goldberg wanted to audition
white actors, and Goldbergwould regularly call up Fisher to
complain about Katzenberg.Fisher suggested she avoid fighting
with Katzenberg and suggestedshe send him a hatchet for him to
bury on both of theirbehalves. So Whoopi Goldberg did
(23:52):
in fact send JeffreyKatzenberg a hatchet, and in return,
he sent her a pair of brassballs. As many of the cast were older
ladies, Goldberg noticed thatas the star, she was treated slightly
differently. She noticed someof the women were struggling financially
and clearly they hadn't beencompensated for their time in a way
they deserved. Goldberg wouldsay in an interview with Vulture
(24:15):
that, quote, the ladies hadn'tgotten everything I thought they
should have gotten. The nuns,they were older women. They were
women who I felt should beable to go and have dinner and not
be worried about paying hotelsor whatever it was. This group of
women was indeed a sisterhood.And Whoopi Goldberg would take matters
into her own hands by gettingsick, which shut production down
(24:39):
for a couple of days until thematter was sorted and the older women
were compensated accordingly,by which time Goldberg got better.
Goldberg denied going onstrike for her castmates, instead
saying to Vulture, I got sick.I would never go on strike, but if
my coughing and sneezingcoincided with our brief problem,
(25:01):
but they fixed it and it wasgreat. More issues would arise after
the movie's release, too. In1993, actress Donna Douglas and her
partner Kurt Wilson sued theWalt Disney Company, Whoopi Goldberg,
Bette Midler, their productioncompanies and creative artists agency
for $200 million, allegingthat the movie was based on their
(25:23):
book A Nun in the Closet.Douglas and Wilson argued that they
had written a screenplay basedon the book in 1985 and that it had
been sent three times, in 1987and 1988, to Disney, Goldberg and
Middler. More than 100comparisons between the film and
and the novel screenplay wascited in the lawsuit as proof of
(25:44):
plagiarism. In an effort towin the case, Douglas and Wilson
turned down a $1 millionsettlement offer in 1994. A judge
would award in Disney and theother defendants favour, though,
and it would also receive alawsuit from an actual nun. Former
Catholic nun Delois Blakely,previously known as Sister Noelita
(26:05):
Marie, sued Sony Pictures andthe Walt Disney Company in November
2011. Arguing that Sister actwas based on her 1987 autobiography,
the Harlem Street Nun. Sheclaimed that after writing a three
page synopsis, a movieexecutive showed interest in the
film rights. She sued forbreach of contract, misappropriation
(26:26):
of likeness, and unjustenrichment. Blakely then dropped
the initial lawsuit in January2012 in order to file a more comprehensive
lawsuit with the New Yorksupreme court in late August 2012,
requesting $1 billion indamages from Disney. The New York
Supreme Court dismissed thecase with prejudice in early February
(26:47):
2013, with Blakely receivingno money it is now time to segue
somehow into the obligatoryKeanu reference of this episode.
And if you don't know whatthat is is where I link the movie
that I'm featuring with KeanuReeves for no reason other than he
is the best of men. Now, Keanudid attend a Catholic boys school
for a year to play hockey, buthe also famously played John Constantine,
(27:11):
who is damned to hell forattempting suicide. And the moody
Constantine is full ofCatholic imagery, possibly some nuns,
but honestly, it's been a fewyears since I watched it. That was
for episode 26, all the wayback in 2019. But I would highly
recommend the movieConstantine. It's a great movie and
wholly underrated as well.Now, I cannot talk about Sister act
(27:34):
without talking about theincredible soundtrack to Sister act
when I rewatched this moviefor this episode, because I rewatch
all of the movies for all ofthe episodes, I just sat there with
a huge smile on my faceclapping and singing along to the
music. Genuinely, I adore thissoundtrack so much. And the soundtrack
(27:55):
is a medley of classic Motownremixed to be more religious or Catholic
hymns remixed to be more bopslike Hail Holy Queen, which dates
back to the Middle Ages.Motown's first female top 40 star,
Mary Wells, originated the1964 hit My Guy composed by Smokey
Robinson, which obviouslybecame my God. Peggy March's 1963
(28:19):
hit I Will Follow him became asong suitable for introduction to
the Pope. Peggy March was only14 years old when she originally
recorded it and became theyoungest female artist to have a
US Number one single. If MySister's in Trouble by Lady Soul
was the only song uniquelycreated for the Sister act soundtrack.
The black and white musicvideo also features the film's actors,
(28:42):
including Whoopi Goldberg. Thescore for Sister act, as I mentioned,
was composed by Marc Shaiman,and the singing voice for Sister
Mary Robert was provided byAndrea Robinson. The soundtrack album
was certified platinum inAustralia and gold in Canada, Germany
and the us. I have to add thatI didn't buy the soundtrack. I recorded
(29:03):
it off the TV with a taperecorder like I did for a lot of
movies in the late 80s andearly 90s. Sister act would be released
on 29 May 1992 in the US andit would immediately hit number two
at the domestic box officebehind Lethal Weapon 3. It would
stay at number two for fourweeks in total and would stay in
(29:25):
the top 10 for 16 weeks. Onits $31 million budget, Sister act
would gross $139.6 milliondomestically in the US and $92 million
internationally for a totalworldwide gross of $231.6 million,
becoming the eighth highestgrossing film worldwide of 1992.
(29:47):
It also became the top videorental of 1993 in the US as well.
And obviously if you'relooking for a sweet musical comedy
about a witness to a crimehiding out from killers in a convent,
there's none better thanSister Act. Or at least that's the
summary on Rotten Tomatoes,which has Sister act at a 73% rating.
(30:07):
Sister act would also receivetwo Golden Globe nominations for
Best Picture, Musical orComedy and Best Actress in a Musical
or Comedy. For WhoopiGoldberg, it would lose the former
to the Player and the latterto Miranda Richardson for her role
in Enchanted. April Sockhow,also nominated for Best Actress that
year, Geena Davis for A Leagueof Their Own and Meryl Streep in
(30:30):
Death becomes her threeincredible performances in movies
from 1992. In 1993, Sister Act2, Back in the Habit was released
with Goldberg and much of theoriginal cast returning alongside
newcomer Lauryn Hill. Yes,that Lauryn Hill as well as James
Coburn and Broadway iconSheryl Lee Ralph, among others. While
(30:52):
it wasn't as much of acommercial and critical success as
Back in the Habit has become acult classic in recent years, with
many notable people coming outand admitting it inspired them to
get into music or acting,including artists like Leanne Havas,
Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudsonand Harry Styles. In December 2020,
Goldberg revealed she'd signedon for Sister Act 3 with Tyler Perry
(31:17):
serving as producer. InJanuary 2023, during an appearance
on the Loose Women talk show,Goldberg mentioned she was holding
the part of Mother Superiorfor Maggie Smith, saying they could
shoot whenever was the mostconvenient for the two time Academy
Award winner. Maggie Smithunfortunately passed away on 27th
(31:37):
September 2024 aged 89 and theproduction adjusted the plan for
Sister Act 3 following herdeath. The script is apparently completed
and Whoopi Goldberg confirmedas much in March 2025, saying she
hoped it would happen sometimethis year. In the meantime, Sister
act the Musical had a regionalpremiere in 2006 in Pasadena, California,
(32:01):
with the original West Endproduction opening in June 2009 at
the London Palladium. StarringPatina Miller. Whoopi Goldberg played
the Reverend Mother in theWest End production of the musical.
For a few weeks, the stagemusical wasn't allowed to use the
Motown music, so Alan Menkencame and wrote a whole new score
for the production. PatinaMiller also played Dolores in the
(32:24):
Broadway run in 2011, andCynthia Erivo played Dolores in the
UK tour in 2011. Some ordersof nuns are becoming extinct, but
for now they live on in ourpopular culture. And the narrative
around nuns has shifted overthe years from the wholesome, family
friendly nuns of the 60s and70s, like Maria from the Sound of
(32:47):
Music or Sister Birchill inthe 1960 sitcom the Flying Nun, or
the comedic backgroundcharacter like the singing nun in
1974's airport 1975 or the nunSinging Nun in Airplane, the spoofed
airport 1975, amongst others.Nuns seem to inhabit multiple genres
(33:07):
of film, and now horror seemsto be the nuns sanctuary choice.
But horror and the CatholicChurch go hand in hand. In real life,
a lot has happened under thesupposed safety and sanctuary of
the Catholic Church, with manypeople reporting decades of sexual
abuse in monasteries andconvents. There were a range of scandals
(33:27):
in America, Ireland, Australiaand elsewhere dramatized in films
like the Magdalene sisters in2002 and Philomena in 2013, which
mark a decisive turn away fromwholesome and happy nuns to convents
as places of abuse andneglect. Nevertheless, this is a
movie that made me want to bea nun for about five minutes. And
(33:50):
honestly, this movie stillbrings me so much joy. I'll admit
I love this one more than thesequel. It's just so wholesome. I
thought Whoopi Goldberg wasthe epitome of cool, and when Maggie
Smith passed last year, in acareer spanning seven decades for
me, she was the ReverendMother and she was Granny Wendy in
Hook, and they were what mademe fall in love with her. RIP to
(34:13):
a legend Religion cansometimes be an easy target for Hollywood,
and Catholicism was only eversomething I learned from movies.
From people confessing theirsins in church to Holy Communion
to thinking convent life wasjust full of gospel music. And this
is your typical traditionalvalues, such as from the Reverend
Mother to the version ofcontemporary faith, being a nun for
(34:36):
many is an honorable callingto devote yourself to your faith
and to receive genuine joy inhumble service to God. And this movie,
while being a comedy, doesn'tspeak down to that. These nuns can
be in service to God and theircommunity and also sing their praises
in a modern way. Ultimately,Sister act is a movie about women
caring for other women on theindividual and collective kindness
(34:59):
of women. That even if yourcalling is to God, you still ultimately
love and care for other women.That race and sexuality don't come
into it. Nobody in this moviecares that Dolores is a black woman.
There are no race jokes, nocomments. It's not nasty, cruel or
diminishing. And when one oftheir own is in trouble, the nuns
think nothing of putting theirlives in danger to help their sister.
(35:23):
This movie is about nuns, butmore than that, it's about the power
of winning together. Dolores,on her own was in danger, but Dolores
sequestered with a group ofwomen is power. And not only that,
but put a black woman incharge of the music and amazing things
can happen. Which just speaksto the decades and decades of white
artists taking inspiration,slash stealing from black artists.
(35:46):
Dolores Van Cartier could havebeen Terry Van Cartier, a white woman
played impeccably, I'm sure,by Bette Midler, but it wouldn't
have had the same culturalimpact. To see a black woman in this
role made it iconic, notbecause it was written for a black
woman, but because it wasn'twritten for a black woman. This isn't
a culture clash between whitewomen and black women, but a culture
(36:08):
clash of Dolores secular waysand the Sisters, more traditional
religious ones. And honestly,many movies could learn a lesson
from Sister act in how todepict women, especially women of
a certain age. I love thismovie with all my heart, but I am
really glad I didn't become anun. It's just not my calling. Thank
(36:30):
you for listening as always. Iwould love to hear your thoughts
on Sister act and thank youfor your continued support of this
podcast. If you want to getinvolved and help this podcast grow
and reach more people, youcould leave a rating or review wherever
you found this podcast. Itreally does help other people find
this podcast. You can tellyour friends and family about this
podcast or about this episode.And you can also find me across social
(36:53):
media at Verbal Diorama whereyou can like posts, you can share
posts, and you can comment onposts as well. The next episode is
going to be quite a big oneactually. It's one that I've been
teasing for a little while onsocial media and it's one that when
I did tease it for a littlewhile on social Media. It got quite
a strong reaction to how manypeople were really looking forward
(37:16):
to hearing the episode. In1934, a space adventure comic strip
was published aiming tocompete with the already established
Buck Rogers. That comic stripwas Flash Gordon and it would go
on to become a space operainfluence. Later comic strips, superheroes
and other space operas likeStar wars. But in 1980 it became
(37:39):
a cult classic movie that isstill absolutely incredible to watch
today. Join me next episodefor the history and legacy of Flash
Gordon. I cannot wait to dothis episode and I hope you cannot
wait either. But you only haveto wait a week, so really not that
long. And as I always say,this podcast is free and it always
(38:00):
will be free. But because itis not free to make a podcast, this
podcast does rely on thegenerous help from people who enjoy
and listen to this podcast. Noone is ever under any obligation
to contribute to this podcast.I am an independent creator who does
everything on her own. I donot have a team of people to help
me with editing or socialmedia. I am literally just one person.
(38:24):
I do all the research forthese episodes on my own as well.
And if you do enjoy what I doand if you have some spare pennies,
you could financially supportthis podcast to be able to continue
for the foreseeable Future.There are two ways you can do that.
You can go toverbaldiorama.com tips and give a
one off tip. Or you can go toverbaldiorama dot com patreon and
(38:47):
you can join the incrediblepatrons of this podcast. They are
Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek,Kat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott,
Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack,Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, so Keb, Pete,
Heather, Danny, Ali, Stu,Brett, Philip M, Michelle, Zenos,
Sean, Rhino, Philip K, Adam,Elaine, Kyle, and Aaron. If you want
(39:12):
to get in touch with me, youcan email verbaldioramail.com you
can say hello, you can give mefeedback or suggestions. Or you can
go to verbaldiorama.com andyou can fill out the little contact
form. And you can also findarticles that I do@filmstories.co.uk.
too.
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