User Reviews

Francine Fowler (Eileen Baral) interrupts the boys' baseball game and shows them up by popping a homerun. At the university, Professor Everrett (Richard Long) meets his new colleague Dr. Elizabeth Carlson (The Joey Bishop Show, Falcon Crest). She is an uppity, obnoxious feminist with a chip on her shoulder who is only interested in promoting feminism. Mrs. Fowler (Patsy Garrett) wants her daughter made captain of the boys baseball team and has made a uniform that says "Francine and Her No Fowlers". She also wants Francine to tap dance during the games in hopes of catching the attention of a TV personality. Hal (David Doremus) discusses his frustration at the dinner table of how Francine is "pushing where she is not wanted". His father, the professor, prophetically states, "the world is changing and there is going to be a lot more like her coming along". When the professor leaves papers that was to be given to Dr. Carlson at home, Nanny (Juliet Mills) volunteers to take them to her. Nanny introduces herself as a housekeeper to Dr. Carlson, prompting the feminist to say, "I wish there were more like you. We women who have to leave home or want to leave home to work need women like you to take our place." Dr. Carlson tells Nanny that she can't get through to the professor and that Nanny must be using an approach she hasn't tried. In fact her attitude has given Professor Everrett the opposite reaction- now having an old-fashioned attitude. Francine sits down with Nanny to discuss how she's now become unlikable. Nanny wisely tells her there's a right way and a wrong way to go about things. At the baseball tryouts, Nanny's implied magic causes havoc. When Dr. Carlson walks through the park with her children, her dog runs away. In pursuing it, she neglects her young son who comes into the hands of Professor Everett, leaving him to watch after the baby. Perhaps the experience will give them both a different perspective.

The episode is a good reminder that feminism can never be "equality" so long as one views women's rights higher than male rights. In the same light, women can't be stereotyped as homemakers; there are many women today who are at the zenith of happiness being a homemaker and many women happy thriving in the business sector. A relevant message for today.

I'm not sure how to take this episode. The Professor and Hal are both dealing with women they think are invading their turf. Hal doesn't like that his constant nemesis/love interest Francine Fowler can play baseball better than he can. The Professor's new colleague is a woman who is forceful and non-nonsense - he sees her as a retired marine - and while he supports women's rights in theory, he can't stand Dr. Carlson.

My discomfort with this episode is that Nanny interferes in her magical way to make Francine's baseball prowess fail her so that she can get along better with Hal and a newfound potential boyfriend (who turns out to be Dr. Carlson's son). On the other hand, the Professor gets to know Dr. Carlson better when he discovers she is a widow with three sons and has no choice but to go charging into a man's world to support her family. On the third hand, perhaps that's what the problem is whenever a certain group of people try to make it in the mainstream of a culture dominated by men of a certain kind who don't want you in their realm.