Nanny et le professeur

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.

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.

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.

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!

Very charming and cute show, though it had definitely run its course by the time it was canceled after 54 episodes. I think if it had continued, it would have started to become stale. However, in spite of its short run, I believe it was at least as good as other "magical" shows like "Bewitched", and "I Dream of Jeannie". Better, really, because Phoebe's powers were always downplayed, and there was no annoying sub-plot involving sexual tension between her and "The Professor". Strictly G-rated stuff, though not in a cloying or naive way.

I was born the year "Nanny" came out, so I can only remember watching it in syndication. I also remember having a crush on Juliet Mills! She is still a beautiful woman, in her mid-60's. So is her younger sister, Hayley.

Juliet was perfectly cast here, in the role of Phoebe, the quintessentially English nanny with a touch of magic. She was basically a down-to-Earth version of Mary Poppins. I also loved her giant pea coat and hat, which were incorporated into the animated opening sequence, a la "The Partridge Family" opening, which involved a partridge and eggs.

Richard Long, who played "The Professor", had previously played the character of "Nick" in 'Big Valley'. A few years after "Nanny" was canceled, he died of a heart attack, even though he was only in his 40's.

Kim Richards, such a cute kid, went on to co-star with Ike Eisenmann in the "Witch Mountain" movies, ironically, playing a child with psychic powers! She grew up to be a gorgeous woman, too.

It is unfortunate that Trent Lehman (Butch) hung himself at the age of 20, in 1982. He had run into some tough times, including having his apartment burglarized, and chose to deal with it by hanging himself from a fence at his old elementary school. A sad ending to a very brief life.

On a happier note, David Doremus went on to achieve some success later on with The Waltons, and I believe he has had a fairly active career ever since.

Great show, overall. They don't make 'em like this anymore!