The Flying Nun

This series was cute and funny during its original run -- but I was a kid going to Catholic school and maybe I was biased. But watching it now on TVLand, it's amazing that it still works. I think it's very nicely photographed, the music is wonderful, and probably the main thing is, that while it doesn't present a realistic portrayal of most of Latin America, it really doesn't talk down to or stereotype the characters either. So what if they all speak such magnificent English????

I grew up with this really cute series from the late 1960's, starring one of my favourite actresses, Sally Field. Back when I was a teenager, every girl's actress heroines were Sally Field, Patty Duke (The Patty Duke Show), and Hayley Mills (The Parent Trap and many other movies).

The series portrays the adventures of an airborne nun, Sister Bertrille, at the hilltop Convent San Tanco in Porto Rico. The fresh faced young sister is able to fly due to the combination of her light 90 pound weight, the elaborate, stiffly starched bird wing-like cornette of her habit, and catching whatever breeze chances to be blowing. She's a bubbly, free spirited young novice, whose unusual methods often bring her into conflict with the convent's more traditional & stern Reverend Mother. Other convent sisters also appear in the show, including her sidekick, Sister Jacqueline. The well intended Sister Bertrille endeavours to use her aviation skills to help people in trouble, but more often than not, instead gets HERSELF into trouble. She frequently runs into the charming casino playboy, Carlos Ramirez, disrupting his romantic activities with beautiful women. In fact, quite often Sister Bertrille requires Ramirez, who is the owner of a local disco and also a patron of the convent, to come to her rescue.

Sister Bertrille's adventures are many and varied. She has been mistaken for an enemy aircraft, had a pelican fall in love with her, inadvertently landed in the middle of a mobster's meeting, and ascended to the clouds to bring snow for a Norwegian nun's white Christmas. Occasionally she crash lands into a tree or whatever, but simply picks herself up and carries on.

True, nuns can't really fly so some complain that this program involves too unbelievable a premise. To them I would respond that the ideas behind other popular comedies of the 1960's aren't exactly realistic either, for example...Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, and Hogan's Heroes, to name but a few.

Sally Field is cast in the whimsical role of Sister Bertrille and makes this series fly in more ways than one. This versatile and talented star of Gidget later went on to a brilliant movie career with Oscar winning dramatic roles in Norma Rae & Places of the Heart, also starring in countless others including one of my favourite romantic comedies, Murphy's Romance. Yes, we do indeed really like her, and any success achieved by this series is undoubtedly due to Sally Field's legendary charm and appeal.

This show is simply pure whimsical and heartwarming fun. Pity there aren't more mindless but wholesome TV programs like it these days.

This show was about a NUN who because found she could fly given her unique habit, light weight and the correct atmosphereic conditions. Ok the main premise of the show is pure 1960's hokey but this show is so much more than just a story about a flying nun. This show reveals most clearly the real nature of humanity and, trying in the face of adversity. The Flying Nun because it was so elemental and, simplistic in its delivery was perfect for me, a very anti-social disabled kid needing to learn why love is always stronger than hate and, why trying even when you know you will fail is always better than doing nothing.

Sister Bertille's heart was always filled with good. She always remained upbeat when all the rest of the world was down. She always fought for those in need. Sister Bertille taught me to always find the good in people even when the bad was so much in evidence. Sister Bertille taught that hope was always present in the depths of despair and, wisdom was born in every pain. Sister Bertille taught that good was its own reward even if a world stands against you. Sister Bertille taught the power of a quiet conviction. Most of all Sister Bertille never lost her joy for life and, living.

The most important thing one must have in living is a joy for life and your one true mission in life is to keep your joy for living and, loving and, never ever let anyone steal it this is the real message of Sister Bertille in the Flying nun and, its a message of timeless importance. Be weak enough to love and, strong enough to cry hold tight to your joy in life and, you too might fly. Well thats wht I got from it. Only show that always makes me cry like a baby and, I am not given to such things easily.

"The Flying Nun" was developed by Screen Gems writer Bernard Slade ("Bewitched", "The Partridge Family") from a book by Tere Ríos titled "The Fifteenth Pelican". Following the cancellation of "Gidget", ABC rushed to get Sally Field into her second starring sitcom- a role she was reluctant to accept and grew to hate. Field later stated that she was not treated with respect by some of her directors, and at times more like a prop. The hour-long pilot was filmed on location in San Juan, Puerto Rico with shots used as the series' opening and closing. The series hit the ground running as an instant hit but ratings dropped throughout the first season. The producers tried to compensate by changing the comedic format to broad slapstick in the second season before returning in the third and final season to its sweet, heart over laughs, light nature. During its run, co-star Marge Redmond, who also narrates each episode, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Reflecting upon the series after recently watching each episode, "The Flying Nun" was a ludicrous sitcom in an era of ludicrous sitcoms. Unfortunately, it was nowhere as sophisticated as "Bewitched", as endearing as "I Dream of Jeannie", as affable as "Mister Ed", or even matching the entertaining level of "Gilligan's Island". "The Flying Nun" was a series continually searching for its identity, reformatted each season. It struggled to find the balance between heart and laughs, but the rare times it did was very enjoyable. Plot lines were often dry and predictable, and at times completely misguided and lacking execution. Episodes excelled when it combined an engaging plot, clever dialogue, the warmness of the convent's heartfelt work, and well-placed comedy. Some of the best were feel-good offerings and those focused on being touchingly dramatic, especially "Antonio's Mother".

I felt it was easy to see that Sally Field was struggling to get into her role as Sister Bertrille early in Season One. But when she did embrace it audiences were rewarded with the warm, good-natured personality they came to admire in her similar character of "Gidget". Sister Bertrille serves as a great role model for everyone, hopefully inspiring them to be a better, more caring person. She had nice chemistry with Alejandro Rey, helping make Carlos' exasperated character relatable. Madeleine Sherwood played her sage, straight-laced superior very well as a figure who adhered to policies but made every effort to do the right thing. Emmy-nominated Marge Redmond sets up situations nicely through narration and as a sounding board for Sister Bertrille. Shelley Morrison's Sister Sixto was the most dependable source of comedy with her mispronoucation of the English language giving whole new meaning to situations. Vito Scotti's Police Captain Fomento was the focus of Season Two's new slapstick approach, but it was often too forceful and strained.

"The Flying Nun" would have perhaps been better served as an uplifting dramatic series in the vein of "Touched by an Angel".

This show is quite simply an inspiration for the soul. It is always morally uplifting (forgive the pun, it was not intentional) to watch Sally Field as Sister Bertrille, the spunky, spirited, warm hearted nun who just happens to be able to fly, because of her light weight and because of the aerodynamics of the cornette that she wears. Of course, this is not in any way realistic; how could a little cornette generate over 90 lbs. of lift except in gale force winds? However, this is not what matters; in fact I think it only adds to the magic of the show. The point of the series is to show what humans are like at their best; Sister Bertrille is so upbeat that everyone is cheerfull when she is present (that is, except for Carlos when she wants him to do something for the convent, but even he gets over it). As I said above, Sally Field was perfect as Sister Bertrille (I wonder what it was like for her to constantly be a character who, for all intents and purposes, did not have much of a social life), but the central supporting actors were excellent as well. I feel that Alejandro Rey deserves special mention for his performance of Carlos Ramirez, the suave playboy who gets nervous whenever Sister Bertrille is even in the same room. In the first season, the guest stars were also excellent; for example, there was the well respected Celia Lovsky, who in Science Fiction circles is famous for her performance of T'Pau, in the classis episode "Amok Time" of Star Trek, and there was also Elinor Donahue, who among other things played Elie Walker in the first season of the Andy Griffith Show. Unfortunately, in later episodes, the guest stars were not of this high quality: it seems to me as if most of them overdid their parts, making them unrealistic and somewhat icky sweet. Despite this, The Flying Nun is a show that one can always get enjoyment and inspiration out of, if one watches it in the proper frame of mind. Unfortunately, nowadays most people with their pessimistic, jaded outlook on the world are unable to appreciate the magic of this show. Perhaps this is why TV Guide placed this series in their list of 50 worst shows of all time (when I saw Flying Nun and Hogan's Heroes on that list, I thought to myself, WHAT???, but now that I realise why they did that, I can only lament on the state that this world has come to). If only TV Land placed this wonderful show at a more accessible time, rather than the late night slot that they have it on now ! (I have heard that TV Land is going to take this show off the air as of September. I can only pray that this will not be the case.)