"Nanny and the Professor" (1970) TV series 1970-1971

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Creators:

AJ Carothers
Thomas L. Miller

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

21 January 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

With a single father and a Mary Poppins-like nanny, how could you go wrong? Nanny brought her psychic brand of magic to families all over the country...

Plot Keywords:

Nanny | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Juliet Mills	...	Nanny (54 episodes, 1970-1971)
Richard Long	...	Professor Everett (54 episodes, 1970-1971)
David Doremus	...	Hal (54 episodes, 1970-1971)
Trent Lehman	...	Butch (54 episodes, 1970-1971)
Kim Richards	...	Prudence (54 episodes, 1970-1971)

Also Known As:

"Nanny Will Do" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: The Nanny and the Professor (#4.10)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Nanny

Subtle Magic

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.