Oh Happy DAY!
It has been 30 years since Whoopi Goldberg starred in Sister Act as Deloris—aka Sister Mary Clarence—the sassy nightclub singer turned nun who transforms a habit-wearing choir of clergywomen while hiding in protective custody. Rumor has it, there’s a third Sister Act in the works. (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit came out in 1993.) While we wait, let’s look back at the smash hit Maggie Smith).
1 DIVINE INTERVENTION Bette Midler was originally cast in the film’s lead role. When she backed out, it went through numerous rewrites—by screenwriters including Carrie Fisher (Postcards From the Edge) and Nancy Meyers (Private Benjamin, Something’s Gotta Give)—before Goldberg took the part.
2 CHURCH AND STATE While Goldberg’s character used the church to hide from her mob boyfriend’s band of goons, it’s actually against government policy to protect witnesses by having them pose as members of the clergy.
3 THE GOSPEL OF SHOWBIZ The soundtrack, which includes the hilarious “My God” (a rewrite of Mary Wells’ Motown hit “My Guy”), spent more than a year on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.
4 SISTER STARLET Goldberg’s character was inspired by real-life actress Dolores Hart (who gave Elvis Presley his first onscreen kiss in 1957’s Loving You). She left Hollywood for the convent at age 24 and remains a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
5 FUN WITH NUNS Filming in Reno, Nev., co-stars Kathy Najimy (Veep) and Wendy Makkena (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) would gamble in their habits between takes and play pranks on hotel staff, like when they ordered room service in costume and had porn playing on the television when it was delivered.