Nanny and the Professor

Although it has been years since I laid eyes on this show, I remember it fondly as being a whimsically charming diversion. As the fey Phoebe Figalilly, Juliet Mills was lovely and charming in her playing of the magical nanny who brings love into the motherless home of three children and their Professor father played by the always amiable Richard Long. Prudence, Hal and Butch made for an endearing trio of kids, and there were some amusing guest stars such as Elsa Lanchester as Nanny's eccentric Aunt Henrietta. Innocently wholesome entertainment from a bygone era, this little show - which ran just two seasons - contained many heart-warming episodes such as the restoration of an old defunct but ornate water fountain in the city park. Once cleaned-up, restored & in working order, Prudence remarks that the face of the lady figurine now had a smile on it, whereas she used to frown! Richard Long, who played Professor Everett, was a very likeable actor who also played Jarrod Barkley in THE BIG VALLEY. Long tragically succumbed to a heart ailment and died at the relatively young age of 47 in 1974.

Unlike most sitcoms of the period, Nanny and the Professor holds up remarkably well, thanks to intelligent writing and an extremely talented cast. This is true family viewing - Something the kids will enjoy and the parents can get a nod and a wink in as well. The story lines are a bit predictable, and there's always a happy ending, but along the way there are often a few twists and surprises you didn't see coming.

The creators of the show very wisely chose to not add a romance between the title characters. They foresaw the inevitable shark jump that would lead to. Likewise, they never explained Nanny or her powers. They didn't even confirm that her powers existed. Instead they provided plausible alternative explanations for most of what Nanny did. But not always. The result is charming.

This is one of those "lost" shows that never airs anymore, but fortunately there are several "gray market" vendors selling mostly-complete collections of the series. If you have fond childhood memories of the show, or children to share it with, it is well worth the purchase.

I liked this show as a variation of the popular "magic" sitcoms. Nanny never performed outlandish or obvious feats of prestidigitation, but it was obvious that paranormal things happened around her. The most common was Nanny saying "I'll get it," BEFORE the telephone or doorbell rang. In fact, it was never completely clear to the family that she had any powers, a la Gladys Kravitz on "Bewitched," for lack of a better comparison. As the theme song goes "Since the day that Nanny came to stay with us, fantastic things have been happening. Is there really magic in the things she does, or is love the only magic thing that Nanny brings?"

Once it was hinted that although she appeared to be a young woman (20s to 30s) she may have been hundreds of years old. However, this as most things about her background, were never resolved. This was a clear ripoff from the first season of Bewitched. The show had a cute simple animated opening and memorable theme song, as was de rigeur for the decade's magic sitcoms, and of course the 1990s unrelated Fran Drescher vehicle "The Nanny."

I also loved the family's big shaggy dog. I haven't seen this since the reruns in the late 1970s, except for the premiere which was shown once on TV Land around 2000, so I won't comment on the overall writing and production quality. I just remember enjoying it as a kid, and was upset that it was only rerun for a short time.

Return with me, if you will, to Friday night in the fall of 1970...I was 4 years old and remember this show with fond memories. I recall that this was sandwiched between "The Brady Bunch" and "The Partridge Family" on ABC. Many years passed and then in the mid '90s, it reappeared on the FX cable station. Luckily, I recorded some of the episodes and still have them. When I've mentioned this show in the past, my friends didn't recall it. I always remembered Juliet Mills and how I wished I had someone like her in our home. She wasn't a witch, but possessed psychic ability and always had a sweet disposition that was irresistible. I also remember Waldo, the family sheepdog and the rooster, Sebastian. I wish this would get released on DVD for those of us who want a reminder of a simpler time when television was clean and wholesome.

Juliet Mills had a early experience playing a supernatural character long before PASSIONS in this 1970-1971 TV series that also starred Big Valley's Richard Long. The show was well cast and the episodes were generally strong in a lighthearted way, a pleasant way to spend thirty minutes. If you are reading this review along with the others, I will dispense with the normal plot synopsis as the facts of this show are already clear to you. As with most shows that only lasted one or two seasons, this series has been seldom seen since it originally departed from the airwaves. I hope that TV Land or some of the other competing networks for this kind of show will decide to run this again in its entirety, as it is a good clean comedy worth viewing again, and should be a hoot to watch for a serious fan of PASSIONS just for a early glimpse of Juliet Mills!