Nanny and the Professor
Thanks to Hulu, I am able to introduce my kids to many of the shows I loved as a kid. Most are a cheesy bust, but some are really fun. Alias Smith and Jones, pretty good; Land of the Giants, cheesy-plus.
I faintly recalled a fun show called, or so I thought, Prudence and the Professor which is really Nanny and the Professor (Prudence is the cute young kid).
This mid-seventies show, a combination of Mary Poppins and Bewitched, has the world’s worst opening credits and theme song, but it is shockingly funny. Julia Mills plays an enchanting (and enchanted) nanny of three kids. She plays relentless mind games on the too-serious oldest child Hal; mesmerizes the middle child (Elliot Kircher look-alike); and delights Prudence (played by Kim Richards). It’s a clever play between Science (the Dad), and “miracles” (which is what the studio called the magic of Nanny – probably to avoid the silly controversy Bewitched stirred up).
We’ve watched the first two, but I’m detecting a very subtle Christian evangelical undertone in which no “Christian-ese” is used, but there’s a flavor of Christian principles being put forth. I’m probably imagining it. The kids love the show, though, so we’ll see more, I’m sure.