The Brady Bunch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Brady Bunch | |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Running time | approx. 23:00 (per episode) |
| Creator(s) | Sherwood Schwartz |
| Starring | Robert Reed Florence Henderson Barry Williams Maureen McCormick Christopher Knight Eve Plumb Mike Lookinland Susan Olsen Ann B. Davis |
| Opening theme | The Brady Bunch Theme |
| Country of origin | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 26, 1969–March 8, 1974 |
| No. of episodes | 117 |
| IMDb profile | |
The Brady Bunch is an American television situation comedy, based around a large blended family. The show originally aired from 1969 to 1974 on the ABC network, and was subsequently syndicated across the world.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
[edit] Origins
Sherwood Schwartz, creator of the series, conceived the idea for the series after reading an article that a growing share of the marriages in the United States involved children from a previous marriage. Despite the similarities between the series and the 1968 theatrical release Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, the original script for The Brady Bunch (which was titled Yours and Mine at that early stage) predated the script for the film. However, the success of the film was likely a factor in the network ordering the series.
[edit] Plot
Mike Brady, a widowed architect with sons Greg, Peter, and Bobby, married Carol Martin (née Tyler), whose daughters were Marcia, Jan, and Cindy. The daughters took the Brady surname. Schwartz wanted Carol to have been a divorcée. The network objected to this, but a compromise was reached whereby no mention was made of the circumstances in which Carol's first marriage ended.
The new family, including Mike's housekeeper Alice, moved into a new home designed by Mike. Episodes in the first season chronicled the family learning to adjust to its new circumstances and become a unit, as well as typical childhood problems such as dating, rivalries and family squabbles.
Subtle references to larger societal problems occasionally found their way into the dialogue. In one social-issue episode, season two's "The Liberation of Marcia Brady," Marcia explores the oppression of the Brady women and sets out to prove a girl can do anything a boy can.
Mike did much of his architectural work in an office/design studio within the house, an apparent way of lending some realism to the way in which sitcom dads seem to be almost always at home while nonetheless earning a good living.
The theme song penned by Schwartz quickly communicated to audiences that the Bradys were a blended family though from the second season on scripts tended to deemphasize the fact, with a few exceptions. In the episodes, "Not So Rose Colored Glasses" and "Jan's Aunt Jenny," mention was made that Mike and Carol had been married for three years. In "Kelly's Kids," the Bradys' adoptions were referenced when their neighbors, the Kellys, adopted three boys of different races.
[edit] Original run and subsequent success
The Brady Bunch was not a highly rated program during its primetime run (it never placed in the top 25 in the five years it aired) and was cancelled in 1974. Despite its less than stellar primetime ratings and having won no awards, the show has become a true cultural phenomenon, having lasted in the minds of Americans and in syndication for over 35 years. The series has spawned several sequel series on all three traditional major U.S. networks, two theatrical and three made-for-TV movies, a touring stage show, and countless specials and documentaries on both network and cable TV.
Since its first airing in syndication in September 1975, an episode of the show has been broadcast somewhere in the US and abroad every single day of every single year through at least 2006. It was also shown on ABC in the daytime during the summer months from July 9, 1973 to August 29, 1975. (The only time the show was off television was from August 1974 when the prime time and daytime runs ended until October 1974 when the daytime reruns on ABC resumed in most markets.) When the episodes were repeated in syndication, usually appearing every weekday in late-afternoon and early evening slots so children could watch the episodes when they returned from school, the program became widely popular and achieved iconic status among those who were too young to have seen the series during its prime time run.
According to Schwartz, the reason the show has become a part of Americana despite the fact that there have been other shows that ran longer, rated higher, and were critically acclaimed is that the episodes were written from the standpoint of the children. The Bradys also comprised a harmonious family (compare that to the Bunkers or the Simpsons or any number of dysfunctional television families). In fact, the producers had a form letter they sent to children wanting to run away from their own families and live with the Bradys. It has also been noted that the Bradys, while not wealthy, lived well by middle class standards, having a live-in housekeeper and taking frequent trips.
The children on the show began singing careers as they toured the USA in the 1970s, calling themselves The Kids from the Brady Bunch, although only Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick have stayed in the music business as of 2005, and Christopher Knight readily admits he has no singing talent.
[edit] Cast
Main article: Characters of The Brady Bunch Image:Bradybunchdvdseason4.jpg The regular cast appeared in an opening title sequence in which video head shots were arranged in a three-by-three grid, with each cast member appearing to look at the other cast members. The sequence has been widely imitated and lampooned since.
A recurring character was Alice's boyfriend, Sam Franklin (Allan Melvin), the owner of a local butcher shop. (By the time of The Brady Girls Get Married, a made-for-TV movie in 1981, Alice and Sam were married.) Sam is sometimes perceived to have appeared in many of the show's episodes. While he is frequently mentioned in dialogue, Sam actually appears in only eight episodes, although his appearances span all the seasons.
Although many actors who become type-cast into the roles they played on a particular series sometimes resent this, it is exactly the opposite with the actors and actresses who played on the Brady Bunch series. Recently on a TV Land documentary, the actors revealed that they all remain close friends, and most have remained in regular contact with one another. On several episodes of Christopher Knight's reality show series, My Fair Brady, Barry Williams made guest appearances, and gave advice on Chris' ongoing relationship issues. Knight also invited Williams, Susan Olsen, and Mike Lookinland to a wedding party, during which most of his time was spent hanging out with them, away from the party, and he stated that it was important that his fiance accept that his Brady Bunch friends are an important part of his life.
[edit] Cousin Oliver
In 1974, during the show's final season, the producers decided to add a younger character, Cousin Oliver (Robbie Rist), to balance that the children were now all 12 and over (Barry Williams was 19 during the show's final season). In the episode in which Oliver was introduced ("Welcome Aboard"), Carol explained that Oliver's dad took a four-month engineering assignment in a South American jungle where there would be no schools. Oliver appeared in the series' last six episodes; ratings were not boosted enough to keep the show from being cancelled. Because of this, Cousin Oliver is sometimes jokingly referred to as the character who "killed the Brady Bunch" and is overwhelmingly viewed as the main reason for The Brady Bunch "jumping the shark"
[edit] The Bradys' dog, Tiger
The dog that played Tiger was hit by a car and killed early in the first season. When a replacement dog proved problematic, the producers decided the dog would only appear when essential to the plot. Tiger appeared in about half the episodes in the first season and about half a dozen episodes in the second season. His last appearance was in "What Goes Up," which aired in 1971. Eventually, the dog was phased out altogether. According to Barry Williams, the doghouse remained because it was needed to cover holes caused by a falling stage light in the artificial backyard. The premiere also had the first and last appearances of the Brady's other pet, "Fluffy" the cat, who belonged to the Brady girls.
[edit] The Brady house
[edit] House setting
The house used in exterior shots (which bears little relation to the interior design of the Bradys' home) is located at 11222 Dilling St., North Hollywood, within the city limits of Los Angeles, California. According to a 1994 article in the Los Angeles Times, the San Fernando Valley house was built in 1959 and selected as the Brady residence because series creator Schwartz felt it looked like a home where an architect would live.
The real house is a split-level ranch home. A false window was attached to the front's A-frame section to give the illusion it had two full stories during filming of the series' many establishing shots, all of which took place before the program debuted.
The address of the house in the series was given as 4222 Clinton Way (or Avenue). Although no city was ever specified, it was presumed from references to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Rams, and a Hollywood movie studio, among others, that the Bradys lived in suburban Southern California. In "Eenie, Meenie, Mommy, Daddy" there is an establishing shot of the Dixie Canyon Avenue School, located in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. Snow or cold weather was never shown.
In the years since the show first aired, those who have owned the house have had problems with visitors who trespass on the property to peep into the windows (perhaps expecting to see an interior that looked like the set of The Brady Bunch), or who even came to the front door asking to see the fictional Bradys. As a result, the property has been extensively re-landscaped, so someone casually driving by most likely would not recognize it as the house shown in the TV show. For many fans, however, it is indeed still recognizable as the Brady house.
Contemporary establishing shots of the house were filmed with the owner's permission for the 1990 TV series The Bradys. The owner refused to restore the property to its 1969 look for The Brady Bunch Movie in 1995, so a façade resembling the original home was built around an existing house.
[edit] House exterior
The Brady house has a rather skimpy rear yard, actually made of artificial turf, crowded with assorted play equipment and the doghouse that had a fluffy canine occupant in the first two seasons only. There is also a brick barbecue, seen in actual use twice: First in the third season in the episode "Dough Re Mi" when Greg approaches Alice as she puts raw hamburger meat on it (you can see fake smoke rising from the grill which was actually dry ice) — perhaps in preparation for supper. The second time was on the 4th season's "How To Succeed In Business", but which Mike was cleaning up in anticipation of use in one episode. Also, there is a seesaw, at least in one episode in which Bobby and Cindy attempted to set a world-record. The "garage", actually a carport, had storage areas and a workbench. Boys' and girls' clubhouses seem only to appear in an early episode. The side of the yard opposite the garage has a gate, where it leads to is not clear. The Ditmeyers are the neighbors living behind the fence next to the driveway.
Rear access to the house consisted mainly of three sliding glass doors (with no apparent lock in "A Camping We Will Go"), although in "Sorry, Right Number", Alice and Sam exit in a manner that implies that there is another rear exit near Alice's room and the laundry room. This was referred several times throughout the series run as the "service porch"- which viewers saw once when Bobby tried out the washing machine and filled the service porch with suds. The patio doors seem to provide access to at least three rooms: the family room, kitchen/breakfast nook, and the dining room. One of the least known facts about the backyard doors and windows is that they have all had their panes removed to prevent reflections from the studio lights. Viewers can see this movie trick revealed when the curtains occasionally sway through the frame whenever the sliding glass doors are opened and shut.
[edit] House interior
[edit] Kitchen
The kitchen has a fixed island with range, sink and other counter space, while two ovens are on the wall behind it. The rear counter has more counter space (including various countertop appliances), plenty of cupboards and lower cabinets, and another sink. A small utility closet sits in one corner, next to the side-by-side refrigerator/freezer; a small chalkboard often hung on the outer door in later seasons. There was also an indoor grill, next to the two ovens, that was never used during any episode. The grill enclosure appears to have a built-in skylight, although it is probably from a lightbulb.
There is also a table with seating room for six ; this is where the Bradys often ate their breakfast, lunch and snacks. In the movie "A Very Brady Christmas," the tiled back wall of the kitchen is replaced with glass bricks over at least a portion. This was but one example of the myriad continuity problems the show endured as it was generally understood that Alice's bedroom presumably existed behind this same wall. The glass bricks in the movie suggested that Alice's room either no longer existed, or that Alice's bedroom had glass bricks like the kitchen, or that it was actually off to the side behind the kitchen; a microwave oven can also be seen in place of one of the ovens. In the earlier days, the kitchen was a vibrant orange.
[edit] Alice's room/Service porch
Behind the kitchen is Alice's room (presumably with her own bathroom) and a service porch, which was changed several times throughout the series run. There was no other downstairs bathroom until A Very Brady Christmas. However, there was believed to be a bathroom to the left as Mike's study was to the right.
[edit] Dining/Living Room/Mike's study
The dining room (which has seating room for all eight Bradys plus Alice) is an extension of the living room; it also contained a china hutch. The living room is furnished with two green chairs, a couch, and a coffee table, where a telephone sat. There is also a console television set, which was never used in the series (except in a promo photograph). Adjacent to one of the chairs is a fireplace, that was used in at least 4 episodes. A drink bar (where Mike mixed alcoholic beverages) was seen in only one first-season episode. Directly beneath the staircase is a raised area, which contained a small pirate-type chest. Below and adjacent to the staircase sat a wood chest, and upon it sat a decorative horse sculpture (the one that figured heavily into the plot of A Very Brady Sequel).
There are two first-floor raised areas: an entry vestibule to a pair of double front doors (this area also contained a walk-in coat closet); and another raised area for the staircase and the entrance to Mike's study.
Mike's study is separated from the living room by a half-height stone wall, atop of which are two square red-brick columns (which most likely represented the chimneys for the two fireplaces) plus closable wooden shutters for privacy. The study has only one entrance to it. Fixtures in this room include Mike's drafting table (with ample storage for his supplies), a hutch containing a bookcase for his reference materials, an end table, a phone, and a couch and a couple of leather "occasional" chairs. The study also has its own fireplace, situated diagonal of the one in the living room. Carol sometimes lounges in the study while Mike is working there.
Greg was allowed to turn the study into his bedroom, as seen on one episode, "Our Son, the Man," and decorated it in gaudy early 1970's fashion, with lava lamps, beads, and various psychedelia. Mike reclaimed his study at the end of that episode.
[edit] Family room
On the other side of the kitchen is the family room, where the family frequently entered the house (through the sliding patio doors). Many of the family meetings took place in this room. The room was furnished with a snack bar (which protruded into the kitchen and contained a rotary-dial phone), a recreation table (with four chairs), a pair of chaise lounges and a portable 19-inch color television set (purchased by the kids with trading stamps in the episode "54/40 and Fight!"). Midway through the second season, a stereo hi-fi system was added (which Alice had won in a contest). A medium-sized picture window allowed a view into the back yard.
[edit] Upstairs
At the top of the stairs, there is a dog leg to the right and then left again. A door at the top of the stairs was never opened (except in A Very Brady Christmas, although the inside of the "room" itself was not shown), but if you study and follow the floor plan carefully, you'll conclude that this "mystery door" leads into one of Mike and Carol's bedroom closets! Mike and Carol's bedroom is off to the left of this hall, and directly across from the boys' bedroom; they had a queen-size bed with a phone on a nightstand on one side and a dedicated master bathroom. Behind Mike and Carol's bed existed what appears to be something of a dressing area (featured briefly in the episode "The Grass is Always Greener"). In this dressing area sat a modern dresser. At the right side of the hallway are the boys' bedroom, the children's shared bathroom and the girls' room; each bedroom opened into the bathroom via wooden sliding doors. If you look carefully, you will notice the Bradys have no toilet (and contrary to popular belief, the toilet is not just out of the shots, as the bathroom counter takes complete space between the walls, thus the toilet cannot be there).
A door toward the end of the hallway opens to a stairway up to the spacious attic.
The upstairs hallway also has a walk-in linen closet, which contains a heating duct that allows anyone to listen in on conversations taking place in the attic/Greg's room.
[edit] Other rooms
In the season 2 episode "Our Son, the Man" the attic was dismissed as a potential bedroom for Greg because there was not enough vertical space. However, that issue was forgotten by the season 4 episode "A Room at the Top," in which Greg and Marcia each compete to turn the attic into their own bedroom. Greg prevails and his attic bedroom is seen throughout season 5, notably in "Getting Greg's Goat," during which Greg hides Coolidge High's mascot (a goat named Raquel) in his bedroom. Greg's attic room has a sink, but no shower or tub was shown, so Greg still had to use the downstairs bathroom that the other siblings used for that purpose.
No basement was ever seen; however, in the episode "Confessions, Confessions", Peter assigns Greg the "punishment" of hosing down the window screens and storing them in the cellar. The basement also presumably contains the fuse box, which switches the Bradys' electricity on and off.
[edit] The Bradys' cars
During the first two seasons, of the Brady family's motor vehicles were supplied by Chrysler Corporation: a blue 1969 Plymouth Fury III convertible (which Mike drove) and a light brown 1969 Plymouth Satellite station wagon (with license plate number 746 AEH<ref name="Wilcox">Wilcox's Soaps & More TV Character Address and Trivia Book (2004), (obtained here).</ref>).
For the 1971–1972 season, the Bradys obtained new vehicles, once again supplied by Chrysler Corporation: a blue 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible and a brown 1971 Plymouth Satellite Regent station wagon. The 1971 Barracuda was modified during the 1971–1972 season into a 1972 model, with the addition of that year's particular grille and tail light combination (interestingly, the Chrysler Corporation never produced a 1972 Barracuda convertible). Greg, who by this time had his driver's license, sometimes drove Mike's convertible. Greg briefly owned his own vehicle, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, but the car proved to be a lemon.
The Bradys kept the 1971 Plymouth station wagon throughout the rest of the series. This vehicle played a central role in the episode "The Fender Benders". However, Mike kept switching cars, which by the 1972–1973 season, were supplied by General Motors. These were as follows:
- 1972–1973 - A blue 1972 Chevrolet Impala convertible.
- 1973–1974 - A maroon 1973 Chevrolet Caprice Classic convertible with white interior during the first half of the season. Starting with 1974 episode, "The Driver's Seat" and continuing through the remainder of the series, the convertible is a red 1974 Chevrolet Caprice Classic convertible with black interior (with license plate number TEL 635<ref name="Wilcox" />).
There are two known surviving "Brady Bunch" cars: The blue 1969 Plymouth Fury III convertible (which has been completely restored) and the modified 1971–1972 Plymouth Barracuda (which was found in 2001 in extremely poor condition and is under restoration by its current owner). The whereabouts of the remaining vehicles are not known.
During A Very Brady Christmas, Mike's car is a 1988 Chrysler LeBaron convertible; the family station wagon is not seen.
In The Bradys, Mike continues to drive the same car as in A Very Brady Christmas. The family station wagon (which a drunken Marcia attempts to drive) is a 1990 Buick Estate wagon.
[edit] The Bradys' phones
Shortly after Mike and Carol married, they discovered that one phone line was not sufficient. In the episode "Sorry, Right Number," a second phone line was installed for the kids to use; however, the continuing battle over monopolizing led to time limits, and cheating on the time limits. Mike arranged to have a payphone installed, but some of the kids fought for extra money after using up their own. In the end, however, the kids learned responsibility, and the payphone was removed, but not before Mike nearly lost a lucrative contract between his company and a London firm; he had been forced to use the payphone when the other phones were in use and he absolutely needed to make the call. Mike was just about to confirm the appointment with the company's president, Mr. Crawford, when the operator cut in... and Mike didn't have enough money to continue the call. Crawford—wondering about the financial stability of Mike's company—began to cancel the deal when Mike managed to get in edgewise the information that the payphone was in his home and then the reason for it. Crawford realized he had similar problems teaching his teenaged children about responsibility, and agreed to meet Mike to discuss the deal, which was salvaged. In his book Growing Up Brady, Barry Williams noted that he has met many parents who were inspired to install a payphone, thanks to that episode.
Even as of 1974, Mike Brady had not ordered Touch Tone service, and the family continued to make do with dial service, much to cousin Oliver's consternation ("Top Secret", Feb 15, 1974).
The Brady home phone number was never consistent, even with two phone lines in the house. In the episode where Greg and Marcia babysat for the younger children, Carol was seen dialing home using the number 222-1126. However, not long afterward, Jan had the operator call to "check to make sure the phone set rings", calling 762-0799. In the episode "Coming Out", Mike appeared to be dialing 223-2223 (or, less likely, 334-3334). And, in "The Big Little Man", Bobby dialed yet another number (not entirely visible). These all broke the mold of using 555 (or KLondike 5) numbers, but were consistent with I Love Lucy use of recognizable exchanges like MUrray Hill and CIrcle. The episode "Mail Order Hero", however, showed the number to be 555-6161.<ref name="Wilcox" />
On TV Land reruns of The Brady Bunch, several of the numbers to the non 555-numbers are edited out—presumably to cut down on prank calls by naïve viewers who believe they really are calling the fictional Bradys.
Presumably, the area code is a consistent 213, which applied to nearly the entire greater Los Angeles area until 1983 when 818 (San Fernando Valley) was added. If the Bradys in fact lived somewhat further away, they may have been 714 or 805, but the many in-references put the Bradys in comfortable reach of Los Angeles.
[edit] The Bradys' doctor(s)
When all six children get the measles, Carol calls her doctor, Dr. Porter (Marion Ross), while Mike calls his doctor, Dr. Cameron (Herbert Anderson). Reasoning finally that they could have two doctors, they learn that the two have combined their practices, but neither doctor ever is seen again. Dr. Howard attends to Carol and Cindy when they get tonsillitis, and again when Marcia is nervous about starting high school.
Anderson is best known for his portrayal of Henry Mitchell in the Dennis the Menace TV series from 1959 to 1963. Ross later played Mrs. Cunningham on ABC's Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.
[edit] Music recordings
During the run of the television show, the cast recorded several record albums:
- Merry Christmas from the Brady Bunch
- Meet the Brady Bunch
- Kids from the Brady Bunch
- The Brady Bunch Phonographic Album
- Maureen McCormick and Chris Knight from the Brady Bunch
Two very popular songs were Sunshine Day and Keep On. The two songs were performed in the fourth-season episode Amateur Nite, which originally aired January 26, 1973.
[edit] Spin-offs and sequels
Several sequels to the original series were made, featuring all or most of the original cast.
[edit] The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
A variety show called The Brady Bunch Variety Hour was spun-off in 1977. It was canceled after only nine episodes. Eve Plumb was the only regular cast member from the series who declined to be in the series, and the role of Jan was recast with Geri Reischl. The entire cast took part in sketches and musical numbers, including the very non-musical Reed and Davis (in one memorable bit, a game-for-anything Reed even appeared in drag as Carmen Miranda ). Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, the sibling team behind HR Pufnstuf, Donny and Marie and other glitzy variety shows and children's series of the era, this show was an infamous disaster that has been much parodied since and enjoys an avid cult following. The show was intended to air every fifth week in the same slot as The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, but ended up scheduled sporadically throughout the season, leading to very inconsistent ratings, since fans could not remember when it was on or more likely saw a promo with Mike and Carol stating "The Brady Bunch Hour won't be seen this week, but we will back again soon."
[edit] The Brady Girls Get Married/The Brady Brides
A TV reunion movie called The Brady Girls Get Married and a spin-off sitcom were produced in 1981 and aired on NBC. The reunion movie featured the entire original cast; this would prove to be the only time the entire cast worked together on a single project following the cancellation of the original series. The ensuing series (titled The Brady Brides) featured Maureen McCormick (Marcia) and Eve Plumb (Jan) in regular roles. The series had Marcia and Jan both married and both couples living together. The clashes between Jan's uptight husband, Phillip Covington III (a college professor who was several years older than Jan), and Marcia's more slob of a partner, Wally Logan (a salesman who could never seem to keep a job), were the pivot on which many of the stories were based.
[edit] A Very Brady Christmas
A second TV reunion movie A Very Brady Christmas featured all the regular cast (except Susan Olsen; the role was played by Jennifer Runyon), as well as three grandchildren, Peter's girlfriend, and the spouses of Greg, Marcia and Jan (Nora, Wally and Phil, respectively).
Mike is still an architect, and Jan has followed in his footsteps to become one herself; Carol is a realtor; Greg is a physician; Marcia is a stay-at-home mom; Peter works in an office; Cindy is in her last year of college; Bobby was in graduate school studying for business but dropped out to drive race cars.
After a series of pratfalls to get the family together, everyone comes home harboring various secrets (e.g., Jan and Phil are considering separation; Wally is out of work again, having lost his job in a merger at his toy company; Greg's wife Nora wants to spend Christmas with her family; Cindy felt pressured to come home in lieu of a skiing trip with her college friends; Peter feels inferior to his girlfriend, who is also his boss; and Bobby hasn't revealed his leaving college for a racing career). Alice, meanwhile, temporarily moves back in with Mike and Carol after her husband, Sam, runs off with another woman. (Allan Melvin did not reprise the role; he had retired from acting and was replaced in a single scene by Lewis Arquette.)
Even Mike has problems: Contractor Ted Roberts, wanting to save money on a downtown office complex project (at 34th St. and Oak) where Mike is the architect, demands that he redesign the building to omit important safety specifications. Mike advises against it and causes his firm to lose Roberts' services. On Christmas Day, the building crumbles, and Roberts (unable to contact anyone at the new firm he hired), must rely on Mike to find what caused the building's structure to become unstable. While inside, the building continues to crumble, trapping Mike and two security guards inside. Of course, everyone turns out okay, and Alice and Sam reunite.
The movie, which aired on CBS in December 1988 to high ratings, renewed interest in the Brady clan and set out the current careers and family situations which were continued in The Bradys.
The fact that this movie aired on CBS gave the Bradys a rare feat: the original show and reunions aired on all of the "big 3" networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC.
[edit] The Bradys
The dramedy series The Bradys was produced in late 1989, and premiered on February 6, 1990; Maureen McCormick decided not to participate in this series, and her role of Marcia was filled by Leah Ayres.
With this short-lived series, came a brand new opening sequence and theme song. The visual still features the familiar blue squares it has featured through the original series, and reunions (with the exception of the variety hour) then they all divide and move off-screen in different directions as there are current episodic clips with the actors names on the box they contain and a clip (from the Brady Bunch 1969 opening) of each actor superimposed in the back of a colored backdrop as a full clip opens up afterwards. Florence Henderson and Robert Reed appears side to side, the rest of the cast appears solo. After the last cast member (which is Mike Lookinland's "Bobby") is seen the familiar squares move back on screen with Ann B. Davis appearing her spot and then her clip blinks out and the squares divide staying on screen this time with the title appearing in the familiar title area (Alice's space).
The theme music used an instrumental version for the network run and a lyrical version for reruns. The theme lyrics no longer featured the "That's the way we all became The Brady Bunch" lyrics and also the theme was no longer sung by The Brady Kids, it was performed by the Brady mom Florence Henderson.
TV critics dubbed this thirtysomething-style dramedy: "Bradysomething".
[edit] Specials, documentaries, and other revivals
The Brady Bunch has met with a remarkable amount of television coverage, although most of this did not happen until the series had been off the network for more than 20 years.
- The Brady Kids, animated 22-episode series, aired 1972–74, about the Brady kids living in a tree house without any adults but with various pets. The first 17 episodes feature the voices of all six Brady kids, but Barry Williams and Christopher Knight are replaced for the last five episodes due to a contract dispute. Known mostly for the 1st animated appearence of the DC Comics superheroine , Wonder Woman .
- The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl, 1973. Aired on Saturday morning on ABC. The kids sing in the famous Los Angeles venue, while Robert Reed and Ann B. Davis watch from box seats.
- Donny and Marie Show, ABC, October 1, 1976. Florence Henderson, Maureen McCormick, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen appear as their Brady characters on an episode of Donny and Marie Osmond's variety show, without permission of the copyright owners of The Brady Bunch. They appear in several comedy sketches and the kids sing Cole Porter's We Open in Venice.
- The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, ABC, November 28, 1976. From the producers of Donny and Marie comes this special. It leads to The Brady Bunch Hour as a series on ABC.
- The Brady Bunch Hour, ABC, January–May 1977 (8 episodes). Details above.
- The Brady Girls Get Married, NBC, January–February 1981 (made for TV movie shown in three parts). Details above.
- The Brady Brides, NBC, February–April 1981 (7 episodes). Details above.
- The Love Boat," ABC, circa 1984. Although the name 'Brady' is not mentioned, Robert Reed and Florence Henderson appear in a cameo and talk about how they can take a cruise since the kids are all grown up. Other famous TV couples appear in the episode.
- A Very Brady Christmas, CBS, December 18, 1988. The highest-rated TV movie of the 1988–89 television season.
- Day by Day: A Very Brady Episode, NBC, February 5, 1989. Robert Reed and Florence Henderson reprise their roles as Mike and Carol in this episode of a short-lived sitcom starring Linda Kelsey and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Other Brady veterans appear, including (a then pregnant) Maureen McCormick. In the episode, a teenage boy in the family (Christopher Daniel Barnes) dreams he's Chuck Brady, and escapes to the Bradys' world after he is yelled at for his poor scholastic habits (he was watching a Brady marathon); however, Chuck's dream comes apart when various Bradys begin repeating comments made only a few minutes earlier. Art came to imitate life when Barnes was cast as the new Greg Brady in the theatrical Brady Bunch movies in 1995 and 1996.
- Free Spirit: The New Secretary, ABC, December 10, 1989. Although the name Brady is never mentioned, Robert Reed and Florence Henderson play a couple seeking a divorce in an episode of this short-lived sitcom about a witch (Corinne Bohrer) working as a nanny to a widowed lawyer.
- The Bradys, CBS, January–March 1990 (six episodes). Details above.
- Bradymania: A Very Brady Special, 1993. Based loosely on Elizabeth Moran's book Bradymania, this special was hosted by Florence Henderson and include clips comparing Brady behavior with that on other sitcoms.
- The Brady Bunch Movie, 1995. Theatrical release. A parody of the original series. Most Brady veterans appear in cameos, except for deceased Robert Reed. Scenes with Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen were shot, but were cut from the final film.
- A Very Brady Sequel, 1996. Theatrical release. Same cast as previous.
- Brady Bunch Home Movies, May 23, 1995. During the original series run, Robert Reed gave each of the juvenile cast members an 8 mm movie camera. This special includes footage the Brady kids shot in those days and is their tribute to Reed. Susan Olsen was executive producer.
- Groovin' with the Bradys, 1998. A 1998 special produced by VH1.
- Attack of the Bradys, 1998. Another VH1 special.
- E! True Hollywood Story: The Brady Bunch, June 6, 1999. Members of the cast retell their anecdotes for the benefit of this E! Network series, including an extensive discussion of Robert Reed's homosexuality.
- Unauthorized Brady Bunch: The Final Days, May 16, 2000. A made for TV movie looking at the making of The Brady Bunch focusing on the final season which was marred by dissension among the cast pertaining to their business arrangements and the creative direction of the show.
- Growing Up Brady, May 21, 2000. A made-for-TV movie of Barry Williams's hit 1992 book.
- Pop-Up Brady, VH-1, July 18, 2001. Several episodes of The Brady Bunch with textual commentary added in the form of on-screen balloons.
- The Weakest Link, NBC, September 24, 2001. All members of the Brady cast, except Reed and Davis, compete on this game show, including Robbie Rist, who joked during introductions, "I hope I don't kill this show, too!" Topics included Brady trivia.
- The Brady Bunch in the White House, November 29, 2002. Made-for-TV movie parody in the mould of The Brady Bunch Movie but with a mostly new cast.
- The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady after All These Years, September 29, 2004. Reunion special featuring entire surviving cast, hosted by Jenny McCarthy.
- My Fair Brady, 2005. A reality TV series starring Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry (The first America's Next Top Model Winner) and their relationship post a stint on VH1's The Surreal Life. Barry Williams and Florence Henderson appear in the series as well.
- Coming Together under One Roof, 2005. Sherwood Schwartz narrates this documentary about the creation of The Brady Bunch for the DVD release of the first season.
- Biography: The Brady Bunch, A&E Network, June 24, 2005. A&E's popular documentary program, having earlier profiled both Florence Henderson and Robert Reed, devotes an episode to the series.
- The Brady Bunch Cast Back in Hawaii, 2005. Florence Henderson, Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen go back to Hawaii and meet up with Don Ho.
[edit] Robert Reed vs. the producers
Robert Reed became increasingly jaded about appearing in the series, as he felt that his Shakespearean training would mean nothing after being typecast in the "Mr. Brady" role. He frequently fought with producers to make changes in the show's scripts in order to remove what he felt were unbelievable scenes or dialogue. Despite his battles, he was allowed to direct several episodes, "The Winner" and "The Big Little Man" (1971), "How To Succeed In Business" and "Getting Greg's Goat" (1973).
Reed did not appear in a 1972 episode, "Goodbye Alice Hello," although his absence from this episode has never been explained. By the final season, his arguments with the producers led to his absence from the series finale, "The Hair-Brained Scheme", (because he believed a key plot point was too implausible to be believed). In addition to "The Hair-Brained Scheme," Barry Williams' autobiography, Growing Up Brady, contains two of Reed's negative critiques of the episodes "The Impractical Joker" and "And Now a Word From Our Sponsor" (1971).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
- The Brady Bunch at the Internet Movie Database
- www.bradyresidence.com*Encyclopedia of Television
- bradyworld.com - online resource for The Brady Bunch
- The Canonical Brady Bunch Episode Guide
- Chateau Brady (Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 1994)
- Bradymaniac's Supergroovy Pagede:Drei Mädchen und drei Jungen
