# My hands are clean. Hey nonny nonny nonny! (Movie ID) \[solved after 4 years\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253 "2010-05-30T02:53:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/1 "2010-05-30T02:53:21Z")
I remember seeing a show, possibly a made-for-TV movie in the early-'70s where a woman/girl is singing: _My hands are clean My hands are clean Hey nonny nonny nonny_ I don’t remember the situation. I think she may have been mentally disturbed. I think her brother(?) had committed a murder and was nervous about being caught. He might have said something to her lilke, ‘You have blood on your hands too!’ prompting the girl’s song – or at least the verse to a song she was already singing. Anyone know what the show was? EDIT: Hm. I’m getting a vibe that it might have been an episode of _Wild Wild West_. Or maybe there was a similar scene in one. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/2 "2010-06-01T14:24:10Z")
It vaguely reminds me of Ophelia from Hamlet for some reason, but that’s all I have. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/3 "2010-06-01T20:15:18Z")
It’s because Ophelia goes crazy and starts singing a “nonny-nonny” song for the king. And the man in her life does have blood on his hands. It reminded me of Hamlet, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/4 "2010-06-01T20:21:20Z")
Wasn’t _Hamlet_ though. It was either an episode of _The Wild Wild West_, or else a ‘present day’ film in the late-'60s to mid-'70s. Or else it was something else. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/5 "2010-06-01T22:56:08Z")
Also stepping in to say it sounds Shakespearian - either Ophelia, or Lady Macbeth. Sorry that’s not much help OP! ---
**Author:** ![Tondo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@Tondo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tondo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/6 "2010-10-10T23:18:29Z")
Did you find an answer to this question? My brother and I watched the show in the early 70’s, I think. We were young and it was disturbing to us. We could not get it out of our heads and still say the phrase to this day. My hands are clean my hands are clean Hey nonny nonny nonny We always wondered later where we saw it. Many years later i was sitting in front the tele and saw it again. I think it is Hawaii 5-0 but can’t find it in any episode list. Interesting that it made a lasting impression on all of us. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/7 "2010-10-10T23:41:17Z")
Nope. Haven’t found out yet. Now that you’ve reminded me of it, I’m thinking it was a contemporary show and not TWWW. I’m getting a vague image in my head of the guy wearing a leather jacket, and the sister sitting in a bed. Again, I’m not at all sure. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/8 "2010-10-11T11:51:58Z")
> [@Girl\_From\_Mars](#): > > Also stepping in to say it sounds Shakespearian - either Ophelia, or Lady Macbeth. Sorry that’s not much help OP! Lady Macbeth’s problem is that her hands _won’t_ come clean. Maybe she would’ve sung a song if she ever managed to get the blood off. 😉 The line is definitely not Shakespeare but the plot of the episode could be inspired by Macbeth. ---
**Author:** ![sugarcone\_family](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@sugarcone\_family](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugarcone_family)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/9 "2011-11-18T02:58:54Z")
I searched this phrase because it has stuck in my head over the years. My sister and I saw the show and were creeped out by it. To this day, some 40 years later, we like to say “nonny, nonny, nonnnny” to each other. It was a modern day show. The lady was in a rocking chair with a pair of scissors. It seems as though she was in a hospital or assylum. There were detectives walking around too. That’s what i can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/10 "2011-11-18T03:55:27Z")
Yep, that sounds familiar. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/11 "2011-11-18T04:32:59Z")
Isn’t it what Pilate says in _The Passion of the Christ_? ---
**Author:** ![JohnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d78d45/32.png) [@JohnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnDude)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/12 "2013-01-31T04:44:20Z")
Wow I remember that as well and was somewhere around 10yrs old at the time. Right around the 1069 to 1071 time period. Creepy. Wasn’t there some secret passages at the institution. Something down the basement and a ventillation shaft outside the building. From what I remember it was a made for TV movie. I wish there were a way to search for these things. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/13 "2013-01-31T16:07:15Z")
Could it be [Two For The Money](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067891/)? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/14 "2013-01-31T17:21:03Z")
I cannot ID the movie, and this probably won’t help, but The Violent Femmes had a 1991 song titled [Hey Nonny Nonny](http://www.allmusic.com/album/why-do-birds-sing-mw0000263363). mmm ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/15 "2013-02-07T21:03:13Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Could it be [Two For The Money](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067891/)? I don’t see a lot of information for the 1972 TV movie. I don’t recall it involving two detectives though. ---
**Author:** ![H3Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/16 "2013-02-07T21:28:26Z")
Can’t help. But I will say around posts #6-12 the conversation began to give me a sense of déjà vu because of how closely it parallels the [thread](http://www.ichorfalls.com/2009/03/15/candle-cove/) in Kris Straub’s [Candle](http://www.ichorfalls.com/2009/03/15/candle-cove/) [Cove](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DarthWiki/CandleCove). Anyway, best of luck finding the source! ---
**Author:** ![BestGuest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@BestGuest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BestGuest)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/17 "2013-03-29T01:03:40Z")
I saw the same show and have the same recollections. I think it was probably '71 or '72 as I think I was probably around 8 or 9 at the time. It’s amazing that this show had such an impact on kids of a certain age, yet no one remembers anything but the girl singing this ditty. I seem to recall that she was being accused of committing or witnessing some type of violent crime. Hope somebody will eventually recall the title. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/18 "2013-03-29T03:28:31Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Isn’t it what Pilate says in _The Passion of the Christ_? Yep, and the Jews reply that the blood can be on their hands and the hands of their descendants, hey nonny noo. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/19 "2013-03-29T03:38:27Z")
An old woman in a wheelchair, a detective or something talking to her. She gets up and tries to stab or strangle someone. She’s still going “nonny nonny” as they restrain her. One of those weird things I saw on boobtube as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253/20 "2013-03-29T13:23:04Z")
> [@BestGuest](#): > > I seem to recall that she was being accused of committing or witnessing some type of violent crime. Hope somebody will eventually recall the title. Yes, I _think_ the brother killed someone and he was trying to make sure the sister wouldn’t talk. I’m pretty sure she didn’t kill anyone. (Pretty sure.) I can’t recall if the murder involved an inheritance, or if the brother was a thief who killed someone. Since he was trying to involve his sister, it kind of points to the former; but I don’t recall them having a lot of money, so it may have been a robbery gone wrong. > [@the\_diego](#): > > An old woman in a wheelchair, a detective or something talking to her. She gets up and tries to stab or strangle someone. She’s still going “nonny nonny” as they restrain her. I’m sure the woman was in her 20s, and she was in a bed when she was singing. But I also remember her shouting ‘Nonny! Nonny! _Nonny!_’ while someone was trying to restrain her. I don’t recall if it was her brother or a cop. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hands-are-clean-hey-nonny-nonny-nonny-movie-id-solved-after-4-years/541253.md?page=2)