Search - The Flying Nun - The Complete First Season on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 11/5/2022...

Not my cup of tea even with Sally Field in it but maybe yours!

Sister Bertrille flies onto DVD!

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 03/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Part of the exclusive Screen Gems stable at ABC, THE FLYING NUN completed a triptych of female fantasy shows that had been developed at the network. "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" were still big ratings winners when THE FLYING NUN joined the line-up in 1967.

Based on the writings of Tere Rios, the show told the story of a young Bostonian novice nun called Elsie Ethrington (Sally Field), aka Sister Bertrille, who travels to the Puerto Rican island of San Juan for her first posting at the Convent San Tanco. Sister Bertrille discovers on the windswept island that she has the uncanny ability to fly, thanks to her light physique and the aerodynamic qualities of her cornette. Sister Bertrille attempts to keep her airborne activities under control but the sparky novice always has a nose for trouble, as San Juan's most eligible playboy Carlos Ramirez (Alejandro Rey), the Reverend Mother Plaseato (Madeleine Sherwood), Sister Jacqueline (Marge Redmond) and Sister Sixto (Shelley Morrison) will all soon discover!

Following the premature folding of the ABC-Screen Gems "Gidget" sitcom (also now available in it's entirety on DVD), producers quickly cast Sally Field as the charming Sister Bertrille, cementing her place as one of the most promising young actresses of her generation. Her performance as San Tanco's effervescent and airborne nun earned Field legions of fans. THE FLYING NUN would run for 3 seasons earning great acclaim for Field, the cast and writers who managed to keep a dignified and reverent tone to the series while still remaining true to the sitcom mode which the show was presented in. During most of it's original run on ABC, THE FLYING NUN was featured in a line-up with "Bewitched" and "That Girl".

The first season sets up the characters and scenarios which would blossom and grow in the seasons ahead. The hour-length pilot episode also spawned a hit single, a folk style song Bertrille and the orphan children sing called "Felecidad". Other choice episodes include "Ah Love, Could You and I Conspire?" where Sister Bertrille and the nuns attempt to hide a ditzy moll called Bobbye Starr (Maureen Arthur) from the clutches of her gangster boyfriend; "The Fatal Hibiscus" where Sister Bertrille's future at San Tanco comes under question from the Reverend Mother; and "With Love from Irving" where Sister Bertrille attracts the unwanted affections from a lovelorn pelican. In "The Patron of Santa Thomasina", Sister Bertrille and Sister Jacqueline must use their powers of charm to soothe the angry feud between two neighbouring villages; and the moving "Tonio's Mother" where Sister Bertrille heals the rift between a young boy and his prospective new stepmother.

COMPLETE EPISODE LISTING:

"The Flying Nun" (Pilot) - Sister Bertrille arrives on the island of San Juan and quickly sets about changing the convent's structured lifestyle.

"The Convert" - Disobeying orders, Sister Bertrille flies for the good of the convent.

"Old Cars for New" - Sister Bertrille and Carlos turn the tables on a used car-dealer.

"A Bell for San Tanco" - Sister Bertrille and Carlos salvage a sunken bell for the convent.

"The Fatal Hibiscus" - The nuns learn that Sister Bertrille is leaving and they think she is dying.

"Flight of the Dodo Bird" - Despite training in psychology, a young priest can't cope with the problems of San Tanco.

"Polly Wants a Crack in the Head" - Sister Bertrille tries to find a home for Junior, a salty-tongued parrot.

"Ah Love, Could You and I Conspire?" - A gangster's girlfriend takes refuge in the convent.

"Days of Nuns and Roses" - The Sisters try to raise money by bottling sea grape juice.

"With Love from Irving" - A lovesick pelican causes difficulty between Mother Superior and Sister Bertrille.

"It's an Ill Wind" - Flying important papers to Mother Superior, Sister Bertrille interrupts a mobsters' meeting.

"Young Man with a Cornette" - A little orphan feels he can fly if he wears Sister Bertrille's cornette.

"The Patron of Santa Thomasina" - Sister Bertrille, caught between rival villages, is mistaken for a saint.

"If You Want to Fly, Keep Your Cornette Dry" - Sister Bertrille and her first-graders get lost in a storm while on a picnic.

"The Dig-In" - Sister Bertrille is trapped in a mine with an escaped prisoner.

"Wailing in a Winter Wonderland" - An aged nun longs for a white Christmas and Sister Bertrille is determined to grant her wish.

"With a Friend Like Him" - Sister Bertrille helps accident-prone Brother Paul fix up the convent library.

"Tonio's Mother" - A little boy believes Sister Bertrille is his mother returning from heaven.

"A Fish Story" - Flying aloft, Sister Bertrille becomes a fish-spotter for an old fisherman.

"Hot Spell" - To save his casino from gangsters, Carlos turns it over to the convent.

"My Sister, the Sister" - Carlos falls for Sister Bertrille's sister.

"The Sister and the Old Salt" - Sister Bertrille saves an old landlubber when he sets out on a 1000-mile voyage.

"Cyrano de Bertrille" - Sister Bertrille makes a case for adult education, with an elderly grocer as her first pupil.

"The Reconversion of Sister Shapiro" - A little Jewish girl decides to become a nun just like Sister Bertrille...

"Where There's a Will" - The convent inherits a prizefighter who hates to fight.

"The Puce Alert" - Facing court-martial for high living during Marine Reserve manoueveres, Carlos is saved by Sister Bertrille.

"May the Wind Be Always At Your Back" - A homely teenager gets a crush on Carlos.

"Love Me, Love My Dog" - The convent children adopt a dog...an accomplished pickpocket.

"You Can't Get There from Here" - Sister Bertrille is beached on an island with Carlos and the girl who threw him off his yacht.

I'm so glad that Sony Pictures has issued the first season on DVD, and hope that the other two seasons will follow soon."

Delightful Fantasy Comedy With A Perfectly Cast Young Sally

Simon Davis | 05/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Flying Nun", which premiered in late 1967 has always been a great favourite of mine and really was one of the last of the fantasy comedies which had their heyday in the 1960's. Following on from such legendary shows as the classic "Bewitched", "I Dream of Jeannie", and "The Munsters", this situation comedy about a young novice nun who could fly benefited from not only a totally charming premise but boasted a cast lineup that was second to none. Despite having a popular success with the short lived "Gidget" television series the previous year it was "The Flying Nun", beginning in 1967 that really brought stardom to a very young Sally Field in the role of the perky and often trouble plagued Sister Bertrille. Despite her own misgivings about her involvement in the series Sally Field was perfect casting in the lead role of the air borne nun and with her spunky energetic playing she charmed an entire generation of television watchers, myself included. Ably supported by Madeleine Sherwood as the stern but caring Mother Superior, the delightful Marge Redmond as Sister Jacqueline; Sister Bertrille's accomplice in many crazy schemes, and Shelley Morrison as the English mangling Sister Sixto; these women managed to present comical yet dignified interpretations of women working in the service of God that where above all else extremely likeable. "The Flying Nun", also managed to combine with its broad sitcom humour many moments of great warmth and emotion and really succeeded in humanizing much of the great work carried out by nuns.

The "Complete First Season" of "The Flying Nun", contains all 29 episodes of the 1967-1968 season plus the original pilot which introduces all the characters and the locales that we grew to know so well over the three seasons that the show ran. I believe that all of the episodes maintain a high standard thanks to the talented cast and there definitely some standouts that help illustrate the great charm that this series held for viewers in the late 1960's. Some of my favourites are "Ah Love, Could You And I Conspire", a very funny story about the nuns taking a gangster's girlfriend under their protection with hilarious results. "The Dig In", where Sister Bertrille matches wits with a cynical escaped prisoner, the beautiful "Wailing in a Winter Wonderland", which is a touching Christmas story where Sister Bertrille goes to great lengths to make an elderly Nun's last wish come true, and "The Sister and the Old Salt", where Sister Bertrille becomes the inspiration to an old man who has a very big dream he wants to fulfill. One episode "The Reconversion of Sister Shapiro", which tells of a young jewish girl who wants to be just like Sister Bertrille even contains some clips from Sally Field's previous series "Gidget", in a showing of "old home movies", where Sister Bertrille tries to point out to the young girl the need to live a bit and have some fun before making serious plans about what to do with your life. These and other episodes all contain nice little morals in among their humour which often surprisingly make them quite timely even for today's audiences. In the accompanying interview with Sally Field which is the only extra on the DVD Sally Field talks of her difficulty in working on the series at a time when the world was changing so quickly and certainly this series along with possibly "The Brady Bunch", was really the last of the "cute" series to be produced near the end of the 1960's decade before more harder edged programs such as "MASH", and "All in the family", took television off in a totally different direction. For nostalgia buffs like myself however these fantasy series of the 1960's will always hold special places in our hearts and I never tire of the escapades of the bubbly Sister Bertrille and the Nuns of the Convent San Tanco.

A popular target for those strange books by even stranger authors highlighting supposedly the worst television shows of all time "The Flying Nun", generally makes their "lists", on a regular basis. Often joined by the likes of "My Mother the Car" and "Gilligan's Island", I've often wondered about these people's lack of ability to look beyond the wild premise of the show to see all the great work that went on in the creation of shows like "The Flying Nun". Considering the poor standards on present day television viewers could do alot worse than the harmless antics of Sister Bertrille and her fellow sisters at the Convent San Tanco. For a journey back to a far more innocent time on television "The Flying Nun", makes essential viewing and never fails to leave a big smile on my face at the end of each episode. Hopefully Seasons Two and Three will follow this first season release soon onto DVD so that we can enjoy in full the funny antics of Sally Field and her friends in properly restored prints of this special little series. Enjoy!"

The Flying Nun is hilarious!

M. Dunn | Washington, DC | 09/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thought The Flying Nun was largely forgotten, but given the amount of trashy and low-quality "entertainment" which is flying off the production lines, it warms my heart to see such quality shows like "The Flying Nun" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" being released on DVD. Even the kids enjoyed watching Sister Bertrille, Carlos and the gang. Buy it!"