History Series / TheFlyingNun

* HollywoodNuns / ChristianityIsCatholic: Played straight in that the show involved nuns in a convent and that they were truly Catholic, with the varying degrees of ages. The show's technical consultant was a U.S. Catholic advisory office for radio and television at the time, whose help made the setting and the characters (save the flying part) authentic and believable. The show was well received by Catholic Church officials.

The star was a young Creator/SallyField (post-''Series/{{Gidget}}''), who played a spunky novice nun assigned to the San Tanco Convent (Daughters of Charity) in Puerto Rico. As a novice, Sister Bertrille, as she was called, wore a white habit robe with a heavily starched winged cornette.

The star was a young Creator/SallyField (post-''Gidget''), who played a spunky novice nun assigned to the San Tanco Convent (Daughters of Charity) in Puerto Rico. As a novice, Sister Bertrille, as she was called, wore a white habit robe with a heavily starched winged cornette.

* OverprotectiveDad: Carlos Ramirez to his adopted, grown-up Korean daughter Kim Ching in "Papa Carlos," when he is initially apprehensive of Kim Ching's potential suitor; he eventually has a change of heart and consents.

Due to some ArtisticLicensePhysics that beggar suspension of disbelief, Sister Bertrille was so petite that she was able to fly in a slight breeze. "When lift plus thrust is greater than load plus drag, anything can fly." And once the breeze caught her cornette...

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Played with in "A Ticket For Bertrille." Bertrille takes one of the orphans with her when she runs some errands. She repeatedly commits minor traffic violations, which the local policeman keeps letting her get away with. But she starts to worry that the orphan is learning that it's okay to break the law, and insists that the policeman give her a ticket. Then Carlos seems him giving her the ticket and flies into a rage, and everything snowballs from there.

* GeneralRipper: Captain Daniel J. "Do or Die" Dolger in "The Puce Albert," where Ramirez is called to reserve duty by the Marine Corps, and Ramirez is suspiciously regarded by Capt. Dolger, the Reverend Mother's cousin who plans to have Ramirez court-martialled, and to make matters worse, while in the middle of war games maneuvers, he thinks that Sister Bertrille is some new-fangled type of aircraft and thinks that the Reverend Mother is working with the enemy as part of a conspiracy, and it takes a tough job of convincing him, as well as a timely wind, to convince Capt. Dolger that Sister Bertrille is for real, and he recovers enough confidence to win the war games and commend Carlos.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being old-fashioned and somewhat strict, the Reverend Mother is a generally kind and reasonable woman who genuinely wants the best for Sister Bertrille and the convent.

* HatOfFlying: Oddly enough, not a magical hat.

* NiceHat: So nice, it lets her fly!

* AbsenteeActor: "The Dumbest Kid In School" is the only episode where Sally Field doesn't appear, in spite of playing the character after whom the series is named.

* FreakyFridayFlip: In "The Return of Father Lundigan," featuring Creator/PaulLynde as Father Lundigan, Sister Bertrille and Reverend Mother Placido are accidentally hypnotized by a dentist, with the Reverend Mother (behaving like Sister Bertrille) believing she can fly, and Sister Bertrille (taking on the Reverend Mother's role), trying to be the sensible one in charge.

* FreakyFridayFlip: In "The Return of Father Lundigan", featuring Creator/PaulLynde as Father Lundigan, Sister Bertrille and Reverend Mother Placido are accidentally hypnotized by a dentist, with the Reverend Mother (behaving like Sister Bertrille) believing she can fly, and Sister Bertrille (taking on the Reverend Mother's role), trying to be the sensible one in charge.

* GeneralRipper: Captain Daniel J. "Do or Die" Dolger in "The Puce Albert", where Ramirez is called to reserve duty by the Marine Corps, and Ramirez is suspiciously regarded by Capt. Dolger, the Reverend Mother's cousin who plans to have Ramirez court-martialled, and to make matters worse, while in the middle of war games maneuvers, he thinks that Sister Bertrille is some new-fangled type of aircraft and thinks that the Reverend Mother is working with the enemy as part of a conspiracy, and it takes a tough job of convincing him, as well as a timely wind, to convince Capt. Dolger that Sister Bertrille is for real, and he recovers enough confidence to win the war games and commend Carlos.

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Lampshaded in "Happy Birthday, Dear Gaspar", when Captain Gaspar Fomento gets word of a birthday party for another Gaspar (a young boy with whom he shares a birthday), and finds out that the party is for Gaspar the boy and the nuns contemplate having a party for both Gaspars:

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: In "The Crooked Convent", after Carlos wins the television which he donated to the raffle and won with one raffle ticket, when Carlos asks Captain Fomento if he suspects a crooked bazaar, Fomento mentions that it was Carlos and not the captain who suggested that the raffle was crooked.

-->'''Sister Bertrille:''' That's not "cry", it's "try."

* OverprotectiveDad: Carlos Ramirez to his adopted, grown-up Korean daughter Kim Ching in "Papa Carlos", when he is initially apprehensive of Kim Ching's potential suitor; he eventually has a change of heart and consents.

* WunzaPlot: It cannot be stressed enough that they wrung ''three seasons'' out of this premise.

* HollywoodNuns / ChristianityIsCatholic: Played straight in that the show involved nuns in a cloister and that they were truly Catholic, with the varying degrees of ages. The show's technical consultant was a U.S. Catholic advisory office for radio and television at the time, whose help made the setting and the characters (save the flying part) authentic and believable. The show was well received by Catholic Church officials.

* WunzaPlot (Nunza?)

* TheOtherDarrin: Psychiatrist Father Lundigan is played by John Astin in his first appearance, but when he returns a season later he is played by Creator/PaulLynde.

* SameCharacterButDifferent: Psychiatrist Father Lundigan is played by John Astin in his first appearance, but when he returns a season later he is played by Creator/PaulLynde.

Every week Sister Bertrille would solve a new problem for the people of San Juan, due to her ability to fly. [[CompetenceZone How this novice can be more effective and nurturing than all the middle-aged experienced nuns at her convent is interesting to note]].

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Played with in "A Ticket For Bertrille." Bertrille takes one of the orphans with her when she runs some errands. She repeatedly commits minor traffic violations, which the local policeman keeps letting her get away with. But she starts to worry that the orphan is learning that it's okay to break the law, and insists that thpoliceman give her a ticket. Then Carlos seems him giving her the ticket and flies into a rage, and everything snowballs from there.

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Played with in "A Ticket For Bertrille." Bertrille takes one of the orphans with her when she runs some errands. She repeatedly commits minor traffic violations, which the local policeman keeps letting her get away with. But she starts to worry that the orphan is learning that it's okay to break the law, and insists that the policeman give her a ticket. Then Carlos seems him giving her the ticket and flies into a rage, and everything snowballs from there.

* HideYourPregnancy: During the series' run Sally Field became pregnant, and since an "immaculate comception" couldn't be written into the show's storyline, the producers used props and scenery to help block any below-the-chest views, and used a stunt double for the flying sequences.

* TheOtherDarrin: Psychiatrist Father Lundigan is played by John Astin in his first appearance, but when he returns a season later he is played by Creator/PaulLynde.
** There may be a possibility that the two Father Lundigans might have been brothers.

* SmurfettePrinciple: Inverted with Carlos as the only male in the main cast.