The Brady Bunch - General Discussion

[Snow Apple]

Robert Reed hates the role/show but I admire how he didn't let it affect his love for the kids. A lesser man might take it out on them since the kids are the focus of show. He even refused to let them recast Mike in The Brady Brides saying nobody else is giving the girls away at their wedding.

[merylinkid]

they were as close to a family as they could be.   When Robert got sick, according to Florence he called her and said "How am I going to tell the kids?"   Everyone was adults and had moved on, but he still thought about telling them the bad news and how to break it to them.   

[Egg McMuffin]

The best part of the Brady renovation series from a few years back was hearing the kids fondly reminisce about Reed, Henderson, and Ann B Davis.

[mmecorday]

Quote

The best part of the Brady renovation series from a few years back was hearing the kids fondly reminisce about Reed, Henderson, and Ann B Davis.

I remember Maureen McCormick got really emotional talking about Florence Henderson. Her favorite episode was the one about the school talent show where she and Florence performed "Together, Wherever We Go." You can tell that they had a lot of fun doing that.

[chediavolo]

Does anyone know if “A very Brady Christmas” is streaming anywhere?

[Egg McMuffin]

It’s not on Paramount Plus. MeTV is showing it on Sunday the 18th at 3:00 pm.

[chediavolo]

On 12/18/2022 at 2:26 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

It’s not on Paramount Plus. MeTV is showing it on Sunday the 18th at 3:00 pm.

Unfortunately my shitty recording on the Spectrum app was breaking up after every few words. I started over to the beginning & now it won’t let me ff’d. I’ll have to try and let it run through while doing chores today. From what I did see so far, it is incredibly bad! And the house has changed so much. Was it purposely written this way? The scene where Alice talks about Sam leaving her for a younger woman was painful to watch. Still I would love to rewatch all the Brady movies. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, chediavolo said:

From what I did see so far, it is incredibly bad!

It is horrible. Susan Olsen not available to film, so they recast Cindy. The only good thing about this was the flashbacks to the original show, and Carol singing "Come All Ye Faithful" when Mike was trapped. That never fails to bring tears to my eyes or give me goosebumps.

[mmecorday]

I watched "The Voice of Christmas" on Sunday. I am always amazed by the number of Christmas cards the Bradys have. They're everywhere! And the parents didn't seem to have that many friends. Maybe Carol's forgetful aunt kept sending them cards? Also, I cringed when Mike left six-year-old Cindy alone in the line waiting for Santa Claus. That would not fly today.

"He's better than a doctor. He's Santa Claus!"

[GHScorpiosRule]

41 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

He's better than a doctor. He's Santa Claus!"

Ahem.

It's, "He'th better than a doctor. He'th Thanta Clauth!😜

42 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

Also, I cringed when Mike left six-year-old Cindy alone in the line waiting for Santa Claus. That would not fly today.

Not me, because back then, well, in this universe, it was perfectly okay.

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

I am always amazed by the number of Christmas cards the Bradys have. They're everywhere! And the parents didn't seem to have that many friends. Maybe Carol's forgetful aunt kept sending them cards?

Probably Mike's clients or contractors or suppliers who helped build his building designs sent him Christmas cards in order to remind him to use their services again in the coming year. These are the same people who gave his whole family and housekeeper a free trip to King's Island, after all.

[Egg McMuffin]

22 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It is horrible. Susan Olsen not available to film, so they recast Cindy. The only good thing about this was the flashbacks to the original show, and Carol singing "Come All Ye Faithful" when Mike was trapped. That never fails to bring tears to my eyes or give me goosebumps.

Susan has since said that she would have postponed her honeymoon to do the movie, but they offered her a pittance compared to Maureen and Eve (I think she actually said that they “sucked up all the money”). So she didn’t do it.

It’s a shame the movie is so bad. They could have done a light comedy about the kids trying to make it home in time for Christmas, with flashbacks to the original show. But instead they decided to go the dramatic route - giving every kid and Alice their own little dramatic subplot that was miraculously solved by the end of the movie. And Florence Henderson was in full-out ham mode.

The biggest problem with the movie is that Sherwood Schwartz himself wrote it (as he did for the special where the girls got married). He only wrote a couple of episodes of the original series: the pilot and Kelly’s Kids, both arguably the corniest of the series. It’s a shame they didn’t hire someone who had done decent episodes of the series - like Tam Spiva - to do the same for the movie. But Schwartz wasn’t working much at that point, and knew there would be a lot of interest in the movie, so he scripted it himself.

[Egg McMuffin]

Whatever happened to Mike Brady’s first wife.

[Scarlett45]

On 11/9/2022 at 2:18 PM, Snow Apple said:

Robert Reed hates the role/show but I admire how he didn't let it affect his love for the kids. A lesser man might take it out on them since the kids are the focus of show. He even refused to let them recast Mike in The Brady Brides saying nobody else is giving the girls away at their wedding.

 

On 11/9/2022 at 3:09 PM, merylinkid said:

they were as close to a family as they could be.   When Robert got sick, according to Florence he called her and said "How am I going to tell the kids?"   Everyone was adults and had moved on, but he still thought about telling them the bad news and how to break it to them.   

 

On 11/10/2022 at 11:40 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

The best part of the Brady renovation series from a few years back was hearing the kids fondly reminisce about Reed, Henderson, and Ann B Davis.

 

On 11/11/2022 at 10:16 AM, mmecorday said:

I remember Maureen McCormick got really emotional talking about Florence Henderson. Her favorite episode was the one about the school talent show where she and Florence performed "Together, Wherever We Go." You can tell that they had a lot of fun doing that.

So true. All the kids said the set was a great place to be, so safe and secure, and Robert made sure that the children were treated well. He was a great man, it was clear how they all adored him. 

[eel21788]

37 minutes ago, Egg McMuffin said:

Whatever happened to Mike Brady’s first wife.

The woman in the video couldn't have been Mike's first wife. She was a brunette like the boys, and she never lived in the house Mike designed for his blended family.

All we know is she died. When and how was always a mystery.

I do believe she was alive long enough after Bobby was born so that Mike got a vasectomy. That's why he and Carol never produced the "ours" part of Yours, Mine and Ours.

 

Edited December 20, 2022 by eel21788

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 12/19/2022 at 5:07 AM, chediavolo said:

And the house has changed so much. Was it purposely written this way?

That is one thing I think they got right on the Christmas special.  No big remodels, but updating things such as painting the wood trim.

And I get to say it every Christmas:

It's fun to see the 1970's hairstyles and clothes in the original series.

And just as much fun to see the over the top 1980's style!

 

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

That is one thing I think they got right on the Christmas special.  No big remodels, but updating things such as painting the wood trim.

And I get to say it every Christmas:

It's fun to see the 1970's hairstyles and clothes in the original series.

And just as much fun to see the over the top 1980's style!

 

Yes I agree about the specials. It was the same house but with the changes a person would expect in 15yrs. 

[eel21788]

On 12/21/2022 at 3:21 PM, TheLastKidPicked said:

That is one thing I think they got right on the Christmas special.  No big remodels, but updating things such as painting the wood trim.

They did add an additional half-bath behind the stairs across from Mike's study. I'm guessing the space had formerly been a closet.

Edited December 23, 2022 by eel21788

[eel21788]

On 12/17/2022 at 6:35 AM, chediavolo said:

Does anyone know if “A very Brady Christmas” is streaming anywhere?

If you're willing to spend $12, you can get a copy of it from http://dvdlady.com

[chediavolo]

11 hours ago, eel21788 said:

If you're willing to spend $12, you can get a copy of it from http://dvdlady.com

I watched most of it in Spectrum. I wouldn’t spend 2cents to see it! 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Looks like the show is back on the MeTV schedule. Just two episodes instead of four, though.

[Egg McMuffin]

On 12/20/2022 at 4:42 PM, eel21788 said:

The woman in the video couldn't have been Mike's first wife. She was a brunette like the boys, and she never lived in the house Mike designed for his blended family.

Even though the house in the pilot looks completely different, it is meant to be the same house that they lived in for the series (the same way that the Huxtable family has a much different place in the “Cosby Show” pilot). Creative license. The Brady producers didn’t want to build any permanent sets until the series was picked up.

But in the story, the family didn’t all move into a new house together at the beginning of the series. Instead, in the “A Clubhouse Is Not a Home” episode, Carol and the girls are moving their things in (as opposed to the entire family moving in), and the boys and Mike are having to make room for them. In “To Move or Not to Move” (also from the first season), Mike and Carol decide to sell the house since there’s not enough room in the existing house. That’s not a plot they would have done if they had all moved into a new house after the marriage a few months earlier. In the same episode, the boys reminisce about all the great times they’ve had in the house. Alice also comments about she’s been working in the current house so long and is worried she wouldn’t be able to function in a new place.

[Bethany]

I had a chance to catch an episode of this for the first time in years.  It has not stood the test of time for me.  It's from the last season (I think) anyway the one where Greg has stolen the Coolidge High School mascot.  I found the writing and the acting painful to watch.  I can still remember when this show was must see TV for me.

[mmecorday]

Quote

Tuesday at 08:41 PM

I had a chance to catch an episode of this for the first time in years.  It has not stood the test of time for me.  It's from the last season (I think) anyway the one where Greg has stolen the Coolidge High School mascot.  I found the writing and the acting painful to watch.  I can still remember when this show was must see TV for me.

The final season of this show was pretty terrible. I don't mind this episode as much as, say, the one where Cindy thinks she's going to be the next Shirley Temple. Or when Bobby is revealed to be a billiards savant. Both scenarios are pretty unbelievable. 

[Egg McMuffin]

The first part of the last season is good. They have some decent episodes like “Adios Johnny Bravo”, the one where Jan runs for most popular girl, the ice cream parlor one, and the one where Greg and Marcia have the driving contest/bet.

I’ve read that the producers expected the show to be cancelled at midseason. It aired on Friday nights, and ABC cancelled the rest of its Friday night lineup at midseason. But for whatever reason, they picked up the Bradys for the back half of the season. So they had to scramble for scripts. That’s when we got the pool episode, the UFO one, the family thinks Alice and Sam are eloping, Cindy wants to be the next Shirley Temple, etc.

If they could remove about 8 episodes from that final season, it would be better regarded.

[mmecorday]

Quote

I’ve read that the producers expected the show to be cancelled at midseason. It aired on Friday nights, and ABC cancelled the rest of its Friday night lineup at midseason. But for whatever reason, they picked up the Bradys for the back half of the season. So they had to scramble for scripts. That’s when we got the pool episode, the UFO one, the family thinks Alice and Sam are eloping, Cindy wants to be the next Shirley Temple, etc.

The one where the family thinks that Sam and Alice are eloping is pretty high on the ridiculousness meter. The Bradys didn't know the couple getting married and Sam and Alice acted like the elopement was classified information. Typically when a couple elopes, they don't tell anyone about it beforehand. And I hate how Carol freaks out and starts interviewing housekeepers to replace Alice right away. I guess housework would interfere with her needlepoint time. 

[Egg McMuffin]

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

And I hate how Carol freaks out and starts interviewing housekeepers to replace Alice right away. I guess housework would interfere with her needlepoint time. 

LOL. And her sculpting, photography, golfing, strawberry preserve-making, environmentalism (“Save Woodland Park!”), and anti-smoker crusading.

[Snow Apple]

Even if Alice got married, it's so silly to hire a housekeeper for a week or two while Alice goes on a honeymoon. All the kids were old enough to help with housework by then. 

[Fool to cry]

When you first see Robert Reed in another role and he has the thin mustache and speaking a certain way you're amused thinking he's doing a Clifton Webb impression for the part. Then after a while  seeing other roles where he does the same thing you realize "Oh this is how he actually is!" He had to act to play Mike Brady!

Edited March 28, 2023 by Fool to cry

[TheLastKidPicked]

5 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

Then after a while  seeing other roles where he does the same thing you realize "Oh this is how he actually is!" He had to act to play Mike Brady!

 

Robert Reed played a slave owner in the miniseries Roots.

It was jarring to see Mike Brady as a slave owner, and it was supposed to be startling.

The producers wanted to show that even people you admired, people you looked up to, the parents of your best friends could have been slave owners.  

I admire Robert Reed for doing that as he didn't know at the time how people would react.

 

[HyeChaps]

When I was in college in the '70's, everyone on my dorm floor got together to watch an episode of Medical Center where Robert Reed played a character undergoing sex change.  Such anticipation!  If I remember correctly, they did not show him as a woman until the very last seconds, and then only in shadowy silhouette.  Much commentary from a group that watched Brady Bunch in real time, as the same age as Greg and Marcia.

 

[Bethany]

Just saw the episode called Quarterback Sneak and that was more like the Brady Bunch I remember.  Have to say I thought Bobby stole the episode though in terms of "which kid was the best actor".  Marcia, Marcia, Marcia...did she improve later when the various Brady Bunch movies got made?  I can't remember her being as stilted as she was in this episode anyway.

I had to roll my eyes at the little speech Mike gave about winning by cheating.  It sounded exactly like the kind of stuff Mike was saying in the Brady Bunch  movies that lampooned the show.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[MissT]

I love the BB and have watched it since I was a kid and still watch on Pluto at 56 when I want mindless tv background noise.  One of the worse   episodes (IMO) was the second part of the Hawaii trip.  When the boys were in the cave "tied up" by Vincent Price.  They really jumped the shark(as they say) at that point.   It was ridiculous.  I can't roll my eyes that far back.  

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, MissT said:

I love the BB and have watched it since I was a kid and still watch on Pluto at 56 when I want mindless tv background noise.  One of the worse   episodes (IMO) was the second part of the Hawaii trip.  When the boys were in the cave "tied up" by Vincent Price.  They really jumped the shark(as they say) at that point.   It was ridiculous.  I can't roll my eyes that far back.  

And after they found the boys, the Bradys actually invited the professor to their luau!  Speaking of luau, I thought it was lame that the laugh track went into guffaws after every single Brady kid blew the conch shell. It was somewhat like watching another family's home movie with the host family expecting the guests to ROTFL (at their unspoken command) after every time the shell got passed to a family member.

[Fool to cry]

8 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

 

Robert Reed played a slave owner in the miniseries Roots.

It was jarring to see Mike Brady as a slave owner, and it was supposed to be startling.

The producers wanted to show that even people you admired, people you looked up to, the parents of your best friends could have been slave owners.  

I admire Robert Reed for doing that as he didn't know at the time how people would react.

 

The miniseries cast a lot of beloved TV actors like Reed, Lorne Greene, Ed Asner, Chuck Connors, Sandy Duncan and the actor who played Pa Walton as the slave owners and traders. I think this was to keep white viewers from being able to disassociate from them. Also lesser known actors would have been typecast after and their careers suffer.

5 hours ago, MissT said:

I love the BB and have watched it since I was a kid and still watch on Pluto at 56 when I want mindless tv background noise.  One of the worse   episodes (IMO) was the second part of the Hawaii trip.  When the boys were in the cave "tied up" by Vincent Price.  They really jumped the shark(as they say) at that point.   It was ridiculous.  I can't roll my eyes that far back.  

I do like that Mike and Carol respectfully refer to Mr. Hanalai, the man who told the boys about the Tabu legend as an "old gentleman".

[GHScorpiosRule]

14 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

 

Robert Reed played a slave owner in the miniseries Roots.

It was jarring to see Mike Brady as a slave owner, and it was supposed to be startling.

The producers wanted to show that even people you admired, people you looked up to, the parents of your best friends could have been slave owners.  

I admire Robert Reed for doing that as he didn't know at the time how people would react.

 

I KNOW! I was SHOCKED! And also Papa Walton as an evuhl Slave trader!

5 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

The miniseries cast a lot of beloved TV actors like Reed, Lorne Greene, Ed Asner, Chuck Connors, Sandy Duncan and the actor who played Pa Walton as the slave owners and traders. I think this was to keep white viewers from being able to disassociate from them. Also lesser known actors would have been typecast after and their careers suffer.

Ralph Waite. Like I posted above, watching this when I was wee, I was shocked and upset. But Sandy Duncan's character was the worst-she knew teaching Kizzi how to read and write was wrong! Pretending their relationship was equal, when it wasn't and then revealing herself to be the hateful racist she was when Kizzi was sold.

[mmecorday]

Quote

And after they found the boys, the Bradys actually invited the professor to their luau!  Speaking of luau, I thought it was lame that the laugh track went into guffaws after every single Brady kid blew the conch shell. It was somewhat like watching another family's home movie with the host family expecting the guests to ROTFL (at their unspoken command) after every time the shell got passed to a family member.

Having to hang out with those nitwits was probably punishment enough. 

[Blergh]

8 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Having to hang out with those nitwits was probably punishment enough. 

I wonder how Mr. Price compared the BB luau as punishment compared being the Egghead on the original Batman... or being Joan Rivers's husband (!?!) when he played Daddy Walnut to her Mama Walnut in that Carol Burnett Show spoof of The Waltons?

Edited March 30, 2023 by Blergh

[merylinkid]

1 - Vincent Price had an amazing sense of humor.   He was also a lovely, gentle man.

2  -- He laughed all the way to bank each and every time.  

[Fool to cry]

12 hours ago, merylinkid said:

1 - Vincent Price had an amazing sense of humor.   He was also a lovely, gentle man.

2  -- He laughed all the way to bank each and every time.  

If you haven't already please check out His Kind of Woman a 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell with Raymond Burr as the bad guy. Vincent Price plays a hammy movie star. I don't want to reveal more but the third act of the movie has to be seen. He's great. 

[Bethany]

2 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

If you haven't already please check out His Kind of Woman a 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell with Raymond Burr as the bad guy. Vincent Price plays a hammy movie star. I don't want to reveal more but the third act of the movie has to be seen. He's great. 

My favourite role of his is as Shelby Carpenter in 1944's  Laura, probably the quintessential film noire.  Anyone who only knows him from his TV appearances and his horror movies will be surprised at how well he plays the role of the unscrupulous Shelby.

[Bethany]

Today's episode was Jan feeling like she's not good at anything.  They've done this one before, and they've done it better but there were a few moments that worked for me.  Kind of interesting too that they finally gave Jan a talent, and it was for painting, and Eve Plumb grew up to be a very talented painter.  Life imitating art?

I've got to ask the tried and true fans posting here -  what do you think of the acting?  I feel so disloyal to 12 yr old me who used to love this show, but at least in these episodes I've just seen I'd have to say Ann B. Davis is the star actor among the adults and Mike Lookinland is head and shoulders better than any of the other kids with Eve Plumb coming in second.

[Katy M]

9 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

oday's episode was Jan feeling like she's not good at anything.  They've done this one before, and they've done it better but there were a few moments that worked for me.  Kind of interesting too that they finally gave Jan a talent, and it was for painting, and Eve Plumb grew up to be a very talented painter.  Life imitating art?

I don't care for that episode, assuming you're talking about Try try Again, because the rest of the family kept declaring Jan a failure at everything the first 5 minutes of her attempt.

[Bethany]

Just now, Katy M said:

I don't care for that episode, assuming you're talking about Try try Again, because the rest of the family kept declaring Jan a failure at everything the first 5 minutes of her attempt.

YES!  That was so stupid.  She is going to be a drum majorette and has never even twirled a baton before - this even though Marcia supposedly was the bestest drum majorette ever in the history of drum majoretting! - and yes, she broke a window, but that doesn't mean she couldn't have learned how to do it, given longer than 3 minutes!!

[Snow Apple]

Are we supposed suspend our belief and think that Marcia and Cindy were better ballet dancers than Jan? And why was Cindy in that class full of older teen students?

[Egg McMuffin]

Don’t worry about Jan. Within three episodes, she’s gotten so self-confident that she runs in - and wins - the “Most Popular Girl” election (one of the shallower contests I’ve heard of, btw).

[Bethany]

40 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Are we supposed suspend our belief and think that Marcia and Cindy were better ballet dancers than Jan? And why was Cindy in that class full of older teen students?

That was really odd.  Unless this was a ballet just totally for fun there is no way girls Jan and Marcia's age would be in a class with Cindy.  Also unlikely, given their ages, that they would have reached that point in ballet if they didn't have some talent.   

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Egg McMuffin said:

Don’t worry about Jan. Within three episodes, she’s gotten so self-confident that she runs in - and wins - the “Most Popular Girl” election (one of the shallower contests I’ve heard of, btw).

It couldn't have been for wearing that black wig that the salesperson (Marcia Wallace)had tried to discourage her from buying that got her literally laughed out of the party!

[mmecorday]

Hey, but at least Jan won that essay contest!

Oh, wait...

[Egg McMuffin]

14 hours ago, Blergh said:

It couldn't have been for wearing that black wig that the salesperson (Marcia Wallace)had tried to discourage her from buying that got her literally laughed out of the party!

She should have gone for Midnight Temptress