Born in 1893, Jesslyn Fax was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned several decades. In The Trouble with Angels (1966), she brings a delightful presence to the film, contributing to its whimsical exploration of the lives of two mischievous girls at a convent. Known for her memorable role as the elderly Miss Hearing Aid in Rear Window (1954), Fax's work in cult cinema like The Trouble with Angels highlights her ability to blend humor with heart, making her a notable figure in the genre.
The Trouble with Angels
The movie is set at St. Francis Academy, a fictional all-girls Catholic boarding school in Pennsylvania, operated by an order of nuns. Rosalind Russell plays the Mother Superior, who spends the movie at odds with Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills), a rebellious teenager, and her friend Rachel Devery (June Harding). The episodic story line follows the young women through their sophomore, junior and senior high-school years as they pull pranks on the sisters and repeatedly get into trouble. Both girls almost get expelled for smoking in a bell tower. Although Mary spends much of her time at St. Francis resenting the authority of the Mother Superior and puzzling over why any woman would choose the life of a nun, as time goes on she is touched by examples of the sisters' dedication, devotion, kindness, love, and generosity, and begins to see that their life is one of fulfillment, not deprivation. Mary receives "the call" senior year and, after graduation, remains at the school to begin her novitiate in the order.
