“If they ever got organized, it would be a crime!”

The voice from the heavens must have proclaimed, “Build an ensemble of talented comedic actors and they will come” - for the success of 1979’s The North Avenue Irregulars was in no small part due to the brilliant cast in one of Disney’s funniest live-action films ever produced. Starring Edward Herrmann, Karen Valentine, Susan Clark, Barbara Harris, Cloris Leachman, Patsy Kelly, Ruth Buzzi, and for good measure, the skipper himself, Alan Hale, The North Avenue Irregulars treated moviegoers to a comedy of biblical proportions.

The Rev. Michael Hall, an enthusiastic widowed minister has recently been assigned to the North Avenue congregation. He promptly enlists the women of the parish to help him with the various responsibilities, a move that has serious consequences. When parishioner Rose’s husband gambles away the church’s funds at the local racetrack, the reverend is forced to try and retrieve their money. Much to his dismay, he uncovers an organized crime ring and soon enlists his female followers into The North Avenue Irregulars, a vigilante crime-fighting group eager to take a bite out of crime.

Based on a book by Albert Fay Hill (a minister himself,) The North Avenue Irregulars would become a big hit for Disney, perhaps one of the funniest live-action films the company would produce in the 70s. It lives on today in video and DVD releases, charming new generations with a memorable ensemble cast that can only be described as divine.