It’s
become a bit of a joke in the subsequent years, even though its title
and premise seemingly augur a successful big screen adaptation in these
culturally tapered times, or at least some completely unironic, “red
state”-baiting small-screen telepic. Yes, it’s The Flying Nun,
and it’s quite dated, sure. But there’s a certain perplexing charm
often associated with seeing stars bring their talents to bear in
projects prior to their ability to more fully exercise significant
(read: staid) personal choice, and that can certainly be said of Sally
Field and The Flying Nun.

Starring Field as bubbly,
90-pound novice nun Sister Bertrille, who uses her “jet” cornet and
ability to become airborne to stir up trouble at Convent San Tanco in
Puerto Rico, the series became an unlikely hit after being initially
rushed into production to avert the expiration of a holding deal on its
star. Although her aims are always benevolent, Sister Bertille’s means
are frequently bemoaned by Mother Superior (Madeleine Sherwood),
leaving her fellow nuns (a group including Shelley Morrison, Marge
Redmond and Linda Dangcil) to frequently help cover for her.

All 26 episodes of the show’s second season, spanning 1968 and ’69,
are included here, many of which are written by Arthur Alsberg, who
would go on to pen Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo and Hot Lead and Cold Feet
and give the loose-limbed, ever-jocular pitch and tone of those efforts
a fair workout here. The episodes are fairly self-contained, so the
show runs a little bit hot and cold qualitatively, sailing by thinly on
Field’s charms. Among the more notable episodes are “The Rabbi and the
Nun,” in which the sisters sing “Hava Nagila” at a Jewish wedding in
the convent garden; “Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters,” in which the nun
goes into the bakery business to help raise funds; and “To Fly or Not
to Fly,” in which Bertrille actually tries to stay grounded for
solemnity’s sake. Other shows — involving hypnosis, kleptomaniac
monkeys and kitschy songwriting gambits — come off as either forcedly
wacky or otherwise uninspired.

The Flying Nun: The Complete Second Season is housed on three
discs in two slimline plastic cases, which are in turn stored in a
brightly hued cardboard slipcase. As with the release of its inaugural
season, all the episodes herein are presented in their original
full-frame aspect ratio; audio tracks are in English, Spanish and
Portuguese, with optional subtitles in the latter two languages as
well. Field sat for an interview on the previous DVD release of the
first season, but unfortunately there are no episodic commentaries or
extra material from that sit-down included here, a bummer for those
seeking an additional nostalgic fix. C (Show) C (Disc)