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Change of Habit, Part 2
Elvis' thirty-first and last film as an actor was "Change of Habit",
shot in 1969.
Elvis' character, Dr. John Carpenter, works closely with three
social workers who have arrived to assist him in his inner-city
neighborhood clinic. He is unaware until late in the film that the
ladies are, in fact, nuns. They are part of an experimental program,
working in the community without revealing their identities as nuns,
wearing regular clothes instead of their nun's habit (traditional
robe and headdress) - thus the title of the film, "Change of Habit".
The point of the program is to see if they could, perhaps, be more
effective in connecting with inner-city citizens and serving their
needs by blending into their community.
The cinematographer was the award-winning Russel Metty, whose work
can also be seen in "Imitation of Life", "That Touch of Mink", "Bus
Riley's Back In Town", "Madame X", and "Thoroughly Modern Millie".
He was nominated for an Academy Award for "Flower Drum Song" and won
one for "Spartacus".
The film editor was Douglas Stewart, who won an Academy Award for
"The Right Stuff" and was nominated for Emmy Awards for "Rich Man,
Poor Man" and "The Bold Ones".
Makeup was done by Bud Westmore of the famous Westmore family of
makeup artists.
Hair styles were done by Larry Germain, who was nominated five times
for Emmy Awards, winning one for his work in the 1979 version of
"The Miracle Worker".
One of the nuns, Sister Irene Hawkins, was played by singer/actress
Barbara McNair. Born in Chicago and raised in Wisconsin, Ms. McNair
is a formally trained musician. She moved to New York and worked as
a secretary until she established herself as a talented singer,
performing in such notable nightclubs as The Purple Onion, The
Persian Room of the The Plaza Hotel and, in Los Angeles, The Coconut
Grove. She made her Broadway debut in a musical called "The Body
Beautiful". She starred in her own TV series "The Barbara McNair
Show" and has had many acting roles in film and television. In 1972,
she co-authored a beauty book called "The Complete Book of Beauty
For the Black Woman". Recently, she has been on stage in Europe
appearing in "Sophisticated Ladies", a celebration of the music of
Duke Ellington.
Sister Barbara Bennett, was played by Jane Elliot. You might
recognize Ms. Elliot from her many roles in television, most notably
her long-running role of the villainous Tracy Quartermaine in the
popular soap opera "General Hospital". She has been nominated three
times for a Daytime Emmy Award for her work in that role, winning in
1981. She has been nominated five times for Soap Opera Digest
Awards, winning twice.
The late Leora Dana played Mother Joseph. She was a character
actress who was often seen in the 1950's on programs such as "Kraft
Television Theatre", "The Philco Television Playhouse" and
"Masterpiece Playhouse". She had roles in such films as "Some Came
Running", "Pollyanna" and "The Boston Strangler".
Longtime character actor Regis Toomey played Father Gibbons. His
career in films reaches back to 1929. He had many roles in ffilm and
television. Among them was a recurring role as Dr. Barton Stuart on
both the "Green Acres" and "Petticoat Junction" television series.
Edward Asner has a small part in this film as police officer Lt.
Moretti. Very early in his career, Mr. Asner played an uncredited
role in the Elvis film "Kid Galahad". In 1970, he assumed the role
that would make him famous - the character of Lou Grant on the
now-classic television series "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". When that
long-running show ended, he reprised the role on his own "Lou Grant"
TV series. Asner had powerful roles in the TV mini-series "Rich Man,
Poor Man" and "Roots". He has been nominated fifteen times for Emmy
Awards, winning seven, and he has been nominated eleven times for
Golden Globe Awards, winning five. He received the Screen Actors
Guild Life Achievement Award in 2002. Recently, he has been working
on projects not yet released, including "The Commission" and "Elf".
Robert Emhardt was an actor known for playing the villain. "Change
of Habit" of was no different. In it, his characther is idenified as
"The Banker", a merciless loan shark wielding his evil influence
over the community. However, in the Elvis movie "Kid Galahad" he
played the likable cook Maynard, connoisseur of corned beef.
The female vocal group The Blossoms had appeared with Elvis in his
1968 TV special "Elvis". The group also performed with him on
musical numbers in "Change of Habit". Among the members for both
gigs was Darlene Love, who later made a name for herself as a solo
performer and an actress. One of her better known acting roles is
that of the wife of Danny Glover's character in the series of
"Lethal Weapon" movies starring Glover and Mel Gibson.
Several other actors in "Change of Habit" had roles in other Elvis
films. David Renard played Colom in this film and was an uncredited
photographer in "Fun In Acapulco". Troy Melton was an uncredited
"2nd. underling" in this film and an uncredited poker player in "It
Happened At The World's Fair". Stella Garcia played Maria in this
film and an uncredited senorita at Torito's in "Fun In Acapulco".
Caitlin Wyles played an uncredited "2nd. stiletto deb" in this film
and Marlene Standing Rattle in "Stay Away Joe".
John Macaluso played an uncredited teenager in this film while 11
years earlier in 1958 he was an uncredited teenager in "King
Creole".
Look carefully and you'll see actor A. Martinez in a small
uncredited role as a teenager. Mr. Martinez is known today for his
Emmy Award winning role as Cruz in the television soap opera "Santa
Barbara", as well as his recent roles on "For The People", "General
Hospital", "Profiler", and "L.A. Law". Also a singer, Martinez, made
his public singing debut in a talent competition. But, singing took
a back seat to acting. His debut album was released this year. |
