Nanny and the Professor (1970–1971) User Reviews

Holds Up Really Well!

[fshepinc · 8/10 · 21 October 2014]

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.

"Since the day that Nanny came to stay with us....."

[motownfn · 7/10 · 20 April 2008]

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 wish I had a nanny like Phoebe Pigalily!

[AaronDog · 8/10 · 18 October 2007]

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!

Subtle Magic

[glassman-4 · 15 January 2002]

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.

A Fun Show That Still Entertains

[AudioFileZ · 6/10 · 20 August 2018]

Remember when TV was both fun and sweet by revisiting Nanny & The Professor. About as simple as a premise could be it's fortunate it was a perfect fit with the cast. The combination made for highly watchable, if silly, TV. This was a golden age of such and we just don't have anything like it today remotely. It's perfect for a weekly fun yarn of just 25-minutes. There's elements of classic family shows like Father Knows Best as well as something more whimsical like Bewitched. For some light good fun this works.

a curious view for todays fans of PASSIONS!

[big_bellied_geezer · 9/10 · 14 May 2006]

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!

Nanny and the Professor

[wsst-1 · 10/10 · 12 September 2007]

I have enjoyed Nanny and the Professor since I was about eleven years old. It's a wonderful show with a touch of magic. Richard Long who played the professor was wonderful as the father of three children who tested the housekeepers before Nanny arrived. After Nanny came they loved her and she them. The show never grows old and I hope that someday that it will be issued out on DVD for a new generation to enjoy. Richard Long was known to many as the oldest son on The Big Valley, a western starring Barbara Stanwyck. He began his career as the young son of Claudette Colbert and Orson Wells in Tomorrow is Forever. I will enjoy the show as long as I can because in my mind it never ages. It is truly a classic.

A bit late for its time.

[Sacqueboutier · 9/10 · 8 July 2016]

An endearingly charming little show starring Juliet Mills (daughter of John Mills and sister to Hayley) as a (somewhat) magical British nanny who suddenly (and unexpectedly) shows up on the doorstep of a college professor to apply for the job of nanny. Through her optimism, charm, and intuition, she immediately sets about setting everything right and solving all of the families problems in 25 minutes every week.

Obviously based on the popularity of Mary Poppins, it was another addition to the "magical" sit-coms of the 60s (Bewitched and Jeannie are the gold standards there). However, unlike those to shows, this one got a bit of a late start. Had it launched five years earlier (and had ABC left it in a better time slot), I believe it would have lasted much longer.

Alas, by the time 1970 rolled around, times and sensibilities had changed. We had experienced a lot of national tragedies (assassinations, Kent State, Manson murders) and were in full knowledge of the Vietnam War, and the idea of having one's problems magically solved in just 30 minutes weekly was becoming more and more unbelievable. Alas, Nanny never really found her footing quite as well as Samantha and Jeannie.

I've been getting reacquainted through GetTV and have enjoyed the little walk through my childhood.

The opening theme song is catchy, but again, not "classic" in any way...a kitschy work hopelessly mired in the 60s pop/rock style.

Possibly the best thing about this show is that it gave us Kim Richards, a precious and precocious little actor who went on to other shows. Alas, she has retired from acting. Best wishes to her and her endeavors.

To by all means try to catch this show. It's light entertainment and pure escapism. You won't be disappointed.

No doubt in my mind!!!!

[Sacqueboutier · 9/10 · 9 April 2019]

Phoebe Figallily was absolutely a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts.

"Soft and sweet/wise and wonderful/ooh, our mystical, magical Nanny!"

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 10 August 2002]

Nanny Juliet Mills (with her magical ESP and London-town dark blue cape and hat) is such a lovely presence on the tube that it's rather a shame her TV series "Nanny and The Professor" doesn't utilize her personal magic more and give us less of Richard Long (sort of a Darrin Stephens to Mills' Samantha) and those squawking kids running up and down the stairs. The quaint laughs that come aren't enough to make the search for bootleg episodes worthwhile. It's blandly-nice, a featherweight diversion with its heart in the right place; yet it never found its audience on ABC prime-time, despite an initially plum spot between "The Brady Bunch" and "The Patridge Family". Even compared to those two squeaky-clean family shows, "Nanny" looks resolutely old-fashioned and square, but Mills is still very lovely.

MARY POPPINS IN THE USA???

[renfield54 · 17 June 1999]

In the background of this show is a romance that can never take place. The adults have no choice but to stick to their assigned roles. This show takes advantage of the popularity of "Mary Poppins". The "nanny" seems to have certain powers over those of the mere mortal. Always subtle, never garish, her 'powers' aid in her care of the widowed professor's children.

A nice little show, especially for the younger set. I, on the other hand, have always admired Juliet Mills. She is wonderful in the part and has charmed me completely in whatever she does.

Romantic tension undercurrent

[xochitl-27838 · 8/10 · 10 August 2020]

I disagree with previous reviewers who found this series to lack a romantic element. Those viewers obviously missed the emotionally fraught episode in which Nanny requested that her mother's wedding dress be shipped to the States from England.

I agree with the previous reviewer who zeroed-in on the fact that this series belongs in an earlier era of film history, rather than being misplaced as it was at the height of the Sexual Revolution. Those who are attuned to the steam build-up which accompanies old-fashioned tales of strict self-governance will understand. Think of the A & E version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and note that their first simple kiss did not occur on camera until the final scene after the honeymoon carriage had departed somewhat out of view of all of the wedding guests. Yet one could scarcely miss the steam that had built up to the proposal scene.

Juliet Mills before the Exorcist rip-off

[gregorycanfield · 10/10 · 24 June 2021]

Nanny and the Professor is a show that I literally haven't seen since I was a kid. My heading refers to the horror movie, Beyond the Door. I mention this because this critically-bashed movie has always been much more accessible than Nanny. I paid a premium price for a fan-made DVD set of Nanny and the Professor. Money well spent! I've watched only the first episode so far, and was delighted. The episode very cleverly establishes the characters and situations right up front. Nanny has some sort of magical powers which are not defined. This is also clever. The character is not presented as a "witch" or a "genie." The "Nanny" character is open to interpretation. A charming, delightful show. It's also nice to see Juliet Mills as I originally knew her.

Love this show!

[mistybrownfield824 · 10/10 · 27 September 2023]

Love this show and would love to see it released on DVD! Everyone call 20th Century Studios and request DVD release!

Wholesome family entertainment with wonderful lessons for young people.

Nanny, Professor Everett, Hal, Butch, Prudence and Waldo the sheep dog were so much fun to watch. Richard Long and Juliet Mills were fabulous in their roles. The children Hal (David Doremus), Butch (Trent Lehman) and Prudence (Kim Richards) were fantastic as the Everett children. Fun plots with each episode that often taught a valuable lesson to viewers. Nanny and the Professor was one of my favorite television shows as a child!

A darned sweet sitcom

[mlbroberts · 9/10 · 25 February 2019]

Nobody was stupid, nobody was ornery. They were just a little lost as a family after the mother died. Richard Long as a professor wasn't quite absent-minded but he was juggling family and career, and his parade of nannies were overwhelmed with kids who were just inclined to get into things that curious, smart kids get into. Then Phoebe Figalilly comes to the door - before the professor even had time to call the agency to get a new nanny. She is sort of Mary Poppins, but her magic is subtle - no nose wiggling to make things disappear or flying via umbrella or anything like that. She knows things she shouldn't know, she can charm even dogs into doing what she wants them to do, and she fills the need that the Professor didn't even realize he had. A faint hint of romance that never comes around, but it's ok - that's not what this show was about. It was just about a family getting some magical help.

As the Professor says in one episode, "Nanny, why is it that my coincidences are a little bit more coincidental that anyone else's?"

Interesting notes - the first pilot for this program starred Juliet Mills but Fred Beir as the Professor, but it did not sell. I was made when The Big Valley was still in production. When The Big Valley ended and Richard Long became available, they filmed a second pilot with him as the Professor and that one sold. Also unusual for a US series, it ran two calendar years, from January 1970 to the end of December 1971 (two half seasons and one full season).

Limited for a time in being liked and appreciated.

[Stebaer4 · 3/10 · 12 October 2015]

My Mom,Mary said it got canceled for being too much of a takeoff on Mary Poppins I then told My Older Brother J.Kevin this and he then had said to me "Oh no People liked it but it got too silly."Also then as I added to that "Too quickly."Then my Mom agreed to that last part that I'd added to it.

At first it was on Friday night and sandwiched between "The Brady Bunch"and"The Partridge Family."But then for the following season it switched to Monday Nights and got canceled half way through the TV Season.

Then The Following 2 Falls all of the cast would get to reunite to supply their voices for 2 one hour cartoon features on The abc Saturday Superstar Movie.

Truthfully,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a."Ste"of Framingham,Ma.

P.S. As I've told before on this site I got Ste as The result of My Older Brother J.Kevin,who's mentioned above,being a year older than me and unable to say Stephen at the time and of which is why I couldn't be brought up to prefer Stephen.

Some facts about the show.

[SanDiego · 20 September 2003]

This show was a mid-season replacement in January of 1970 (15 episodes), picked up in the fall of 1970 for a complete run thru March 1971 (24 episodes) and picked up again in the fall of 1971 where it ran until December (15 episodes).

During those three seasons ABC had another wholesome entry in the magic sitcom genre (that already included Bewitched and The Flying Nun) this time inspired by the success of Mary Poppins whereas we find a magical nanny (think ESP to the max power) who comes to help a widower raise his children. Whereas shows like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie frequently played on the romantic relationship or sexual tension between the two leads (there was even some sexual tension between The Flying Nun's novice nun Sister Bertrille and playboy Carlos Ramirez!), Nanny and the Professor had virtually no character development and the plots began to repeat themselves. Wheras Mary Poppins had a mother in the household the TV show wisely dealt with a father only. While this left the door open for romantic involvement and possible marriage (think Eight Is Enough), this simply was not to be.

Charming as the characters were, they just didn't grow as a family. Bewitched kept interest over the years first by watching the newlywed couple cope with their differences, having their first child, and eventually raising two children.. I Dream of Jeannie moved from sexual tension to engagement to marriage. The big dilemma that was built into Nanny was that the show had two young attractive adults living together under the same roof with young impressionable children. Any sign of sexual tension would have been taboo in 1970 (Jeannie at least lived in a bottle) so they kept the character of Phoebe "Nanny" Figalilly uninterested in Professor Harold Everett and kept a goofy look on the Professor as he got ready with dates uninvolved with the show or his character.

The show eventually played to its only audience that could care less in the social aspects of the plot, young children, when it finished off it's run as a Saturday morning TV cartoon in 1972 (original cast members providing the voices). When shows got canceled in those days that's where they went, funny as it may seem now. From Gilligan's Island to Welcome Back Kotter from Happy Days to Punky Brewster and even TV favorites Mr. T and Gary Coleman animation was the ghostly graveyard of sitcoms.

ESP Note: Juliet Mills wasn't the only actress from this show to play a role where the character has ESP. Six-year-old Kim Richards who played the young Prudence Everett had a long run in television as a child actress but is best known as Tia, the girl with ESP, in Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return to Witch Mountain (1978). She also played a young woman with ESP in her self-produced film Escape (1990).

The Paraclete at work for the Kids of America

[jrarichards · 10/10 · 2 April 2023]

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.

Charming little sitcom with a magical twist

[willowgreen · 13 February 2003]

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.

gosh, what memories...

[peeweefan · 3 March 2001]

I had almost forgotten about this show from my early teen years, until i downloaded the TV theme off the net... and I was transported back immediately. Another fine ABC show that I recall, from approx the same era, was called the Smith Family (NOT Family, with Kristy McNichol), starring Henry Fonda... Seems like ABC had a good run of luck with many good shows during that era.

Some interesting facts about this "lost forever" series

[raysond · 3 October 2004]

Let me put down some interesting facts about this seldom seen series from the early 1970's,which is in some terms "lost forever in the vaults of classic TV shows",and here's why....................

The series "Nanny And The Professor" was a mid-season replacement that premiered on ABC-TV in January of 1970(15 episodes),and was picked up for the fall schedule in September of 1970 where it ran for one season during its complete run thru March of 1971(24 episodes),and was picked up again for its second season in September of 1971,where it ran until its final episode of the series in December of 1972(15 episodes). It is also to point out that the series finished itself off as an animated Saturday Morning Cartoon that ran from September of 1972 to January of 1973 on the same network,where the original cast members providing the voices. It was also made into an full-length animated TV-movie that premiered in 1972 during ABC's Super Saturday Morning Theatre.

It was during those two seasons(1970-1972),that the network ABC had another wholesome entry in the magic sitcom genre at(which included the shows "Bewitched",and "The Flying Nun"-were on the same network)were inspired by the hugely successful entourage of the classic 1964 Disney film "Mary Poppins" which starred Julie Andrews. Also to point out that "Nanny And The Professor" came out during the explosion of the bubblegum era of shows as well that were basically on the same network which included "The Brady Bunch",and also "The Partridge Family",and another magical sitcom as well,"The Ghost And Mrs. Muir".

The overall storyline of "Nanny And The Professor" is based on a widower father-figure(played by Richard Long of the TV series The Big Valley),who is raising three kids of his own,hires a English nanny with magical powers who comes over to help the widower raise his children. The English Nanny and The Professor per say,were established as basically employer/employee since they have virtually no character development whatsoever,especially not even a simple plot for romantic development between the characters nor a time for possible marriage,and this simply was not to be which the producers of the series should have left the door open on some kind of predictment here in which somewhere during the duration of this series where the father-figure would walked down the aisle of martial bliss(think of several episodes that had this:"My Three Sons"? "Eight Is Enough?" "The John Forsythe Show"?).

Charming as these characters were,it just didn't click within the series bounds which to a point they didn't grow into a very happy family,but still it was a charming little sitcom that didn't get to prosper,even though it ran for two seasons. Also to point out there was no sexual tension whatsoever within the characters since it was strictly taboo from network television in 1970. However,the producers along with the writers of this sitcom made sure that the character of Nanny uninterested in the Professor,but the show centered around her and his three young impressionable children,the young boys Hal and Butch and their little sister Prudence,since this was strictly an family oriented show. As for the characters Juliet Mills was lovely and charming as the English Nanny Phoebe Figalilly who brought a wonderful display of magic to the show,and Richard Long was just superb as the father-figure Professor Everett,and as for the children Kim Richards was just six-years old,is cute as a button and just as sweet as she can be as little Prudence Everett....And who can forget that great big shaggy dog they had?

After this series went off the air in 1972,it was never heard from again,until the Christian Broadcasting Network(CBN),begin showing these episodes back in the mid-1980's,and the last time they aired it was on TV Land's Showcase back around in the Spring of 2000. As it was back then.when shows like this got cancelled back in those days,that's where they went,since it was that way then and its that way now. Let's face shows like "That Girl","Julia","The Doris Day Show","Happy Days", "Welcome Back Kotter","Chico And The Man",to "Perfect Strangers",and

"Blossom",not to mention "Punky Brewster",and even our animated TV favorites like "Mister T","The Gary Coleman Show","Muhammad Ali",and "The Adventures Of The Brady Kids" went toward the ghostly graveyard of sitcoms and lost forever cartoons.

There is a note here to where Juliet Mills' character on the show had a sense of ESP,but she did and she even took it to the next level of her career,and it costs her dearly in one of the biggest mistakes of her career,the pathetic daytime soap-opera PASSIONS.

Kim Richards was a HUGE child actress during the 1970's and way into the early 1980's who was best known for several guest appearances on several TV shows and her theatrical features,namely her biggest flicks from Disney where she played a character with ESP in Disney's Escape To Witch Mountain(1975),and the sequel Return To Witch Mountain(1978),not to mention playing a tough biker chick with ESP too in Tuff Turf(1985),and again in her self-produced film Escape(1990).

Richard Long,after this series starred in another family-oriented sitcom and tragically passed away to heart failure in 1974 at the young age of 47.

The American Mary Poppins

[Sargebri · 11 December 2003]

This show was part of ABC's classic Friday night block of sitcoms from the early 1970's. To me Nanny was a more subtle version of "Bewitched". However, whereas "Bewitched" was very much into visual effects, the magic of this show was more subtle and didn't really need the special effects. Also, Juliet Mills was perfectly cast as Phoebe Figalilly (aka Nanny). This could almost have been a foreshadowing as some thirty years later she would play another lady with magical powers in the person of Tabitha Lenox in the daytime soap Passions. However, where Tabitha is pretty much a villain, Phoebe was all sweetness and light.

Some interesting facts about this "lost forever" series

[raysond · 3 October 2004]

Let me put down some interesting facts about this seldom seen series from the early 1970's,which is in some terms "lost forever in the vaults of classic TV shows",and here's why....................

The series "Nanny And The Professor" was a mid-season replacement that premiered on ABC-TV in January of 1970(15 episodes),and was picked up for the fall schedule in September of 1970 where it ran for one season during its complete run thru March of 1971(24 episodes),and was picked up again for its second season in September of 1971,where it ran until its final episode of the series in December of 1972(15 episodes). It is also to point out that the series finished itself off as an animated Saturday Morning Cartoon that ran from September of 1972 to January of 1973 on the same network,where the original cast members providing the voices. It was also made into an full-length animated TV-movie that premiered in 1972 during ABC's Super Saturday Morning Theatre.

It was during those two seasons(1970-1972),that the network ABC had another wholesome entry in the magic sitcom genre at(which included the shows "Bewitched",and "The Flying Nun"-were on the same network)where inspired by the hugely successful entourage of the classic 1964 Disney film "Mary Poppins" which starred Julie Andrews. Also to point out that "Nanny And The Professor" came out during the explosion of the bubblegum era of shows as well that were basically on the same network which included "The Brady Bunch",and also "The Partridge Family",and another magical sitcom as well,"The Ghost And Mrs. Muir".

The overall storyline of "Nanny And The Professor" is based on a widower father-figure(played by Richard Long of the TV series The Big Valley),who is raising three kids of his own,hires a English nanny with magical powers who comes over to help the widower raise his children. The English Nanny and The Professor per say,were established as basically employer/employee since they have virtually no character development whatsoever,especially not even a simple plot for romantic development between the characters nor a time for possible marriage,and this simply was not to be which the producers of the series should have left the door open on some kind of predictment here in which somewhere during the duration of this series where the father-figure would walked down the aisle of martial bliss(think of several episodes that had this:"My Three Sons"? "Eight Is Enough?" "The John Forsythe Show"?).

Charming as these characters were,it just didn't click within the series bounds which to a point they didn't grow into a very happy family,but still it was a charming little sitcom that didn't get to prosper,even though it ran for two seasons. Also to point out there was no sexual tension whatsoever within the characters since it was strictly taboo from network television in 1970. However,the producers along with the writers of this sitcom made sure that the character of Nanny uninterested in the Professor,but the show centered around her and his three young impressionable children,the young boys Hal and Butch and their little sister Prudence,since this was strictly an family oriented show. As for the characters Juliet Mills was lovely and charming as the English Nanny Phoebe Figalilly who brought a wonderful display of magic to the show,and Richard Long was just superb as the father-figure Professor Everett,and as for the children Kim Richards was just six-years old,is cute as a button and just as sweet as she can be as little Prudence Everett....And who can forget that great big shaggy dog they had?

After this series went off the air in 1972,it was never heard from again,until the Christian Broadcasting Network(CBN),begin showing these episodes back in the mid-1980's,and the last time they aired it was on TV Land's Showcase back around in the Spring of 2000. As it was back then.when shows like this got cancelled back in those days,that's where they went,since it was that way then and its that way now. Let's face shows like "That Girl","Julia","The Doris Day Show","Happy Days", "Welcome Back Kotter","Chico And The Man",to "Perfect Strangers",and

"Blossom",not to mention "Punky Brewster",and even our animated TV favorites like "Mister T","The Gary Coleman Show","Muhammad Ali",and "The Adventures Of The Brady Kids" went toward the ghostly graveyard of sitcoms and lost forever cartoons.

There is a note here to where Juliet Mills' character on the show had a sense of ESP,but she did and she even took it to the next level of her career,and it costs her dearly in one of the biggest mistakes of her career,the pathetic daytime soap-opera PASSIONS.

Kim Richards was a HUGE child actress during the 1970's and way into the early 1980's who was best known for several guest appearances on several TV shows and her theatrical features,namely her biggest flicks from Disney where she played a character with ESP in Disney's Escape To Witch Mountain(1975),and the sequel Return To Witch Mountain(1978),not to mention playing a tough biker chick with ESP too in Tuff Turf(1985),and again in her self-produced film Escape(1990).

Richard Long,after this series starred in another family-oriented sitcom and tragically passed away to heart failure in 1974 at the young age of 47.