Never having seen this on TV, I was "sent" this by Youtube two days ago. There is not much of the series available there, so I am not an expert, but I "see" enough from one full episodes plus clips to get the message. Whether the makers even realised it or not, this has profoundly religious/spiritual/Christian content. The theme song tells us that Nanny brings love more than magic, and it is clear that though this looks similar to "Bewitched" and "Jeannie" or Mary Poppins, the powers here are indeed from love, but - since the Holy Spirit brings love and truth (as well as the mercy, healing and cleansing that derive from that), He offers wisdom and discernment and prophecy, all of which Juliet Mills's Nanny has. And, with the Holy Spirit, the life-art spatial and philosophical boundary is blurred so the benefits of the show come out beyond the screen - the 1960s/1970s temporal boundary was indeed a very specific time of change, but this series sought to keep American kids on track. The name Phoebe is "bringer of light", and Nanny admits that there are "small miracles" surrounding her activity. The theme song admits that Figalilly is a strange name, but it is one that refers to two key plants mentioned directly by the Saviour of the World. The fig had a mixed press with Him, going beyond parable into actions, as He actually killed one stone-dead when it failed to produce fruit at the time He needed it! The lillies of the field are praised for their innocence and beauty, and for the fact that the Creator loves them even though they are in essence "idle". Nanny is far from idle, and one project she works on concerns the car of the family, which is known as "Arabella" - meaning "yielding to prayer". It has the number plate Job423 - and if you look at the Book of Job 42:3, you find Job saying: "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know'". Pretty good and fitting in and of itself, but in the wider context of: "Then Job replied to the Lord: "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted". Nanny says often in the series that there are no impossible things, which also echoes The Bible more or less directly.
In one episode, Nanny stops the Prof from actually hitting his kids after they broke and failed to mend his favourite golf club. She tells him to count to ten (Commandments) before venting his anger. The Prof notes elsewhere that science cannot explain everything, and sees that Nanny goes beyond science.
Interesting that other reviewers notice feelgood and wholesome and so on (and even anachronism for 1970-1971, though remember "Godspell" the great and beautiful movie from British Director David Greene came out in '73 - the same year as "The Exorcist")
Indeed, as we know, in '74 Juliet Mills appears in "Beyond the Door" (also known as Chi Sei? In Italian - meaning "who are you?"). This is a clear and non-random switch for the actress (possibly couched in secular terms of her wishing to avoid typecasting), given that Nanny indeed always DID know who was beyond the door of the Professor's home (it was one of her hallmarks). The "Door" movie is a kind of cross between the aforementioned "Exorcist" and "Rosemary's Baby", because in it the actress has gone from being Juliet to being mother of the D****l's spawn (it is her third child). That character is Jessica (meaning "God is watching") Barrett - meaning "strength of the bear". Again not by coincidence, the Prof in Nanny was named Everett (meaning "strength of the boar")!!!!
Richard Long died a month to the day after the first (Italian) release of "Beyond the Door", while other cast members of the Nanny series had their life problems, sometimes very serious indeed.
And indeed from 1 John 5: 19 we learn (paradoxically, given John's love for the Lord) that: "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the e*il one". Sure enough, the Darkness tries to harm forms of worldly art receiving divine inspiration and achieving transcendence.
There were in fact 3 series of "Nanny" in jjust the two years and it is apparent - from the episode titles at least - that an attempt was made to bring more negative/worldly content in - 3rd-season titles include the words "tangled web", "jinx", "witch", "poltergeist". The first season titles are nothing like that. The last-ever episode is "whatever happened to Felicity?" (felicity means happiness), while the penultimate eposide is "Goodbye Arabella, Hello" (where we can note the aforesaid significance of the car).
The series is known to have lost out because the beautiful relationship portrayed between Mill's beautiful and warm Nanny and Richard Long's handsome and kind Professor never turned sexual. Even though it CANNOT be said it lacked chemistry! The earth(l)y world wanted them to "bring it on", but this particular series was too pure and spiritual for that, God bless it.
As indeed He did.
In one episode, Nanny stops the Prof from actually hitting his kids after they broke and failed to mend his favourite golf club. She tells him to count to ten (Commandments) before venting his anger. The Prof notes elsewhere that science cannot explain everything, and sees that Nanny goes beyond science.
Interesting that other reviewers notice feelgood and wholesome and so on (and even anachronism for 1970-1971, though remember "Godspell" the great and beautiful movie from British Director David Greene came out in '73 - the same year as "The Exorcist")
Indeed, as we know, in '74 Juliet Mills appears in "Beyond the Door" (also known as Chi Sei? In Italian - meaning "who are you?"). This is a clear and non-random switch for the actress (possibly couched in secular terms of her wishing to avoid typecasting), given that Nanny indeed always DID know who was beyond the door of the Professor's home (it was one of her hallmarks). The "Door" movie is a kind of cross between the aforementioned "Exorcist" and "Rosemary's Baby", because in it the actress has gone from being Juliet to being mother of the D****l's spawn (it is her third child). That character is Jessica (meaning "God is watching") Barrett - meaning "strength of the bear". Again not by coincidence, the Prof in Nanny was named Everett (meaning "strength of the boar")!!!!
Richard Long died a month to the day after the first (Italian) release of "Beyond the Door", while other cast members of the Nanny series had their life problems, sometimes very serious indeed.
And indeed from 1 John 5: 19 we learn (paradoxically, given John's love for the Lord) that: "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the e*il one". Sure enough, the Darkness tries to harm forms of worldly art receiving divine inspiration and achieving transcendence.
There were in fact 3 series of "Nanny" in jjust the two years and it is apparent - from the episode titles at least - that an attempt was made to bring more negative/worldly content in - 3rd-season titles include the words "tangled web", "jinx", "witch", "poltergeist". The first season titles are nothing like that. The last-ever episode is "whatever happened to Felicity?" (felicity means happiness), while the penultimate eposide is "Goodbye Arabella, Hello" (where we can note the aforesaid significance of the car).
The series is known to have lost out because the beautiful relationship portrayed between Mill's beautiful and warm Nanny and Richard Long's handsome and kind Professor never turned sexual. Even though it CANNOT be said it lacked chemistry! The earth(l)y world wanted them to "bring it on", but this particular series was too pure and spiritual for that, God bless it.
As indeed He did.