Change of Habit is a 1969 American crimedramamusical film directed by William A. Graham, and starring Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore. Written by James Lee, S.S. Schweitzer, and Eric Bercovici, based on a story by John Joseph and Richard Morris, the film is about three Catholic nuns, preparing for their final vows, who are sent to a rough inner city neighborhood dressed as lay missionaries to work at a clinic run by a young doctor. Their lives become complicated by the realities they face in the inner city, and by the doctor who falls in love with one of the nuns.
The film was produced by Joe Connelly for NBC Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Filmed on location in the Los Angeles area and at Universal Studios during March and April 1969, Change of Habit was released in the United States on November 10, 1969. It spent four weeks on the Variety Box Office Survey, peaking at #17.
Change of Habit was Elvis Presley's 31st and final film acting role and stars as a professional man for the only time in his career. His remaining film appearances were in concert documentaries. The film was Moore's fourth and final film under her brief Universal Pictures contract; she did not appear in another theatrical movie until Ordinary People in 1980. Moore and Edward Asner, who also appears in the film playing a police officer, went on to star in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which premiered in September of the following year. In this film, however, Moore and Asner shared no scenes together.
Plot
Dr. John Carpenter is a physician in a ghetto clinic who falls for a co-worker, Michelle Gallagher, unaware that she is a nun.
Dr. Carpenter heads a clinic serving an underprivileged community in a major metropolis with an ethnic Puerto Rican population. He is surprised to be offered assistance by three women. Unknown to him, the three are nuns in street clothing who want to aid the community but are afraid the local residents might be reluctant to seek help if their true identities were known. The nuns are also facing opposition from the rude and arrogant priest from the local parish. Dr. Carpenter and the nuns are shown dealing with a non-verbal autistic girl named Amanda, a boy with a severe speech impediment, and a man beaten by loan shark enforcers. The nuns at times are sexually harassed by loiterers as well as an attempted rape scene.
Carpenter falls for Sister Michelle Gallagher, played by wholesome Mary Tyler Moore, but Sister Michelle's true vocation remains unknown to Dr. Carpenter. She also has feelings for the doctor but is reluctant to leave the order. The film concludes with Sister Michelle and Sister Irene entering a church where Dr. Carpenter is singing to pray for guidance to make her choice.
Notable plot points
Autism
In the film, the character of Amanda, a young autistic child, is believed to be the first portrayal of autism in a film by name.[1][better source needed] It accurately portrays the common misdiagnosis of deafness and once Amanda's autism is defined, she is treated with a therapy that was then quite common: Rage Reduction therapy, also known as Attachment therapy. This treatment has since fallen out of favor, now considered pseudoscientific.[2][3][4] Indeed, the scene was supervised by Robert Zaslow, known as the father of rage reduction therapy. Zaslow is credited as an additional member of the film's crew as "(supervisor: rage reduction scene - as Dr. Robert W. Zaslow)"[5]
Folk music at Mass
In an era when Folk Mass was just catching on, Elvis' character is seen playing guitar and singing "Let Us Pray" in an early depiction of folk music at Mass.[6]
By 1969, Presley's future in Hollywood was under threat. Although still financially successful, mainly due to the "make 'em quick, make 'em cheap" attitude of Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's films had been making less profit in recent years.[7] When Parker had struggled to find any studio willing to pay Presley's usual $1 million fee, he struck a deal with NBC to produce one feature film, and a TV special entitled Elvis. NBC would pay Presley $1.25 million for both features, and Parker was happy in the knowledge that he was still able to earn $1 million for his client.[8]
The film Change of Habit had been announced in 1967, with Mary Tyler Moore signing up in October 1968.[9] It was considered a Moore vehicle until January 1969 when Presley signed on to take the lead role.[9]
Although set in New York City, the film was shot in the Los Angeles area and at the Universal Studios lot during March and April 1969. It was released nationwide in the United States on November 10, 1969.
Mary Tyler Moore and Edward Asner would soon become co-stars of her self-named The Mary Tyler Moore Show, one of television's enduring hits from 1970 to 77. In Change of Habit, however, they shared no scenes.[10]
In 1973, four years after Change of Habit, the issue of mass with guitar and off duty nuns without habits would again be brought up in All In The Family episode "Edith's Conversion."
As of October 2024, Jane Elliot, who played Sister Barbara, is the last surviving main cast member still living.
Reception
A. H. Weiler of The New York Times reviewed the film on a double bill with House of Cards and noted that both were "merely exemplary of professional technique and dialogue rather than memorable characterization and emotion."[11]Variety wrote that "its intriguing idea has a well-enough-constructed plotline to flesh out its premise for good family fare ... Presley displays his customary easy presence."[12]Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Today we're simply too much aware how agonizing social injustices can be for them to be treated with the breezy, jaunty touch of simple-minded light comedy ... to watch all this frantically bouncy, thoroughly bogus business is as discomforting as listening to chalk screech across a blackboard."[13]
Change of Habit holds a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on ten reviews, making it Presley's worst-received film on the site.[14]
A song recorded at American, "Rubberneckin'", would be used in the film and subsequently issued as the b-side of RCA single 47-9768 "Don't Cry Daddy" in conjunction with the movie premiere.[17] Four songs would be recorded at the soundtrack sessions, of which "Let's Be Friends" would not be used in the film. The four songs would be released commercially on budget albums, "Let's Be Friends," the title track "Change of Habit," and "Have A Happy" on Let's Be Friends the following year, with "Let Us Pray" issued on the 1971 album You'll Never Walk Alone.[18]
Some reference sources erroneously list an outtake from the earlier Presley film, Charro!, "Let's Forget About the Stars" (a song also released on the Let's Be Friends album), as being a song recorded for Change of Habit.[19]
^Robert W. Zaslow Filmography: Additional Crew (1 credit) 1969 Change of Habit (supervisor: rage reduction scene - as Dr. Robert W. Zaslow) IMDB accessed September 9, 2022
