- A new preacher in town joins forces with an unlikely group of crimefighters: six dedicated church ladies who are ready, but not necessarily equipped--to help.
- When crooks set up operations in a traditional town, a minister and a group of church ladies are willing to do anything, no matter how wacky, to get them out.—Erin Hunt <thehunts@nr.infi.net>
- Michael Hill has just been hired as the new reverend at North Avenue Presbyterian, he and his two adolescent children Carmel and Dean moving to New Campton, California into the house next to the church in the process. Michael finds he has many hurdles to overcome. There is a dwindling congregation, his main job to increase church membership. Anne Woods, the church secretary and daughter of the previous longtime reverend who retired, likes the way things have always been done at the church, which includes she and her father having chaired all the church committees in an "if you want things done, do it yourself" mentality. He finds that she is partly right in that many of the congregants, while well meaning, indeed would bungle such responsibility even if they did have an interest. In running the church, he finds that he runs into what he considers a bigger problem in the town as a whole, namely that there exists illegal gambling on a large scale by organized crime, in essence what he believes controls the town administration. After hearing Michael passionately speak, albeit impromptu in place of what was supposed to be a standard prayer, against the illegal gambling on a televised public service announcement, he gets chastised by Anne and the church presbytery for politicking. However, special investigators Marv Fogleman and Tom Voories with the Treasury Department, ask, on the sly, for Michael's help in breaking up the organized illegal gambling in New Campton, all they wanting being a few trustworthy men to make a few bets at the known bookie sites and testify as such in court. With none of the male congregants willing to get involved, Michael is only able to provide five female congregants, and one honorary "female" member, they a disparate bunch but eager to do their part. Despite Marv's belief that the six may be able to pull it off in the crime syndicate never suspecting a bunch of "ditzy" women, they instead bungle things so badly as to get Marv to the point of a nervous breakdown. With or without the Treasury Department support, Michael and his six "operatives" decide to aim for what will be the most damaging but most difficult aspect of the syndicate to locate and shut down, namely their "bank". With Michael already a known from the PSA and as the six become more and more known to the crime syndicate, their lives may be placed into jeopardy in their entirety, from their relationships to friends and family who are on a need to know basis, to their livelihoods including Michael's, to their lives. The church itself may also be placed at risk if Max Roca, the head of the syndicate, feels they as a collective are becoming too much of an irritant. Roca may not however understand the determination of the group and what is actually driving their motivation.—Huggo
- Reverend Michael Hill (Edward Herrmann) and his two children arrive in a mid-sized California city as the new minister at North Avenue Presbyterian Church. The secretary/music director for the church, Anne (Susan Clark), is wary of the changes Hill intends to implement. Hill wants to get people involved, and asks the elderly Mrs. Rose Rafferty (Patsy Kelly) to handle the church's sinking fund.
On his first Sunday, Hill learns from Mrs. Rafferty that her gambling husband Delaney (Douglas Fowley) bet all the sinking fund money on a horse race. Hill delivers a sermon less than 15 seconds long, then rapidly escorts Mrs. Rafferty out the church as astonished worshipers watch. She leads him to the bookie, hidden behind a dry-cleaning shop, and meets Harry the Hat (Alan Hale, Jr.), who recommends that Hill let the bet ride. Hill's horse loses and he is thrown out of the betting parlor. Hill summons the police, but the booking joint has been skillfully removed.
That evening, Hill delivers a tirade against the organized crime in the city during a local television broadcast. He is chastised by his presbytery superiors for the tirade, and is urged to go out and build church membership in the area. His only success is with a rock band called Strawberry Shortcake, who he recruits to "jazz up" the music at church. As a result, Anne resigns as music director.
A few days later, two treasury agents for the US government arrive: Marvin Fogleman (Michael Constantine) and Tom Voohries (Steve Franken). They want Hill to help them close down the town's gambling racket by recruiting some men from the church to place bets that the agents will watch. Hill cannot find any men to help, but hits upon the idea of using women. Hill calls together five women from the church whom include; Rose Rafferty; single mother Vicki Simms (Barbara Harris); man-hungry divorcee Claire Porter (Cloris Leachman); bride-to-be and career woman Jane Adams (Karen Valentine); and Cleo Jackson (Virgina Capers), who's husband owns a mechanic garage.
Over the next day, the five women attempt to place bets in the company of the Treasury agents, but with disastrous clumsiness as their covers are blown due to their ineptness and bad luck.
The team changes tactics to try to go after the "bank" that the gangsters use, tailing the mob's deliverymen through town while Hill coordinates using a map at the church office and keeping in touch by CB radio in the ladies cars. Delaney is forced to dress up as a woman to accompany his Rose since his wife does not drive. But after a few days of loosing the delivery car, two gangsters subsequently appear at the church during services and identify the women.
Anne discovers the operation, even as Hill defends the Irregulars as keeping the gangsters off balance. After Hill refuses to back down from calling off the operation, Anne resigns from the secretary position. Later that night, the gangsters bomb the church.
Hill is shocked at the gangsters' act, and seems ready to give in, but to his surprise, Anne wants to join the fight. They do so, and continue to hammer the gangsters' movements around town. Meanwhile, Hill receives word that the pulpit has been declared vacant and North Avenue will be discontinued as a church entity.
Dr. Victor Fulton (Herb Voland), a representative from presbytery, arrives to discuss the closure with Hill. Anne picks up two more presbytery representatives at the airport whom are Dr. Rheems (Ruth Buzzi) and Rev. Samuels. But while driving them to the church, she recognizes one of the mob's deliverymen in a passing trailer and realizes she may be able to find the bank. She tracks the deliveryman to an isolated warehouse compound. Within minutes, all the Irregulars besiege the place as the gangsters attempt a frantic escape with their bank. A "demolition derby" ensues, the crooks are stopped, and the evidence is seized.
The following Sunday, Hill's congregation gathers outside the gutted church while he delivers news of the indictments against the mob and of the closing of the church. However, Dr. Fulton steps in to proclaim that North Avenue has a new lease on lifeit will be rebuilt. The youthful band starts the music again as everyone rejoices.
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By what name was The North Avenue Irregulars (1979) officially released in India in English?
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