The Brady Bunch - General Discussion

[mmecorday]

I have tried to block my memories of watching "The Bradys." I don't blame Maureen McCormick for side stepping that enormous turd.

[ctlady]

On 3/30/2021 at 7:57 AM, Kyle said:

I should also mention that the Brady’s Hawaiian vacation inspired me to go to Hawaii myself.

I did not like the Hawaii episodes or any of the other off-location ones (the amusement park) ones.  

[Egg McMuffin]

Then there would have been a new Cindy much earlier than “A Very Brady Christmas.”

[mmecorday]

Quote

Imagine if the actors had been killed by the loose camera on the roller coaster? Either Reed doesn’t demand a test run or is told to “be quiet and just act”. What are the wider effects?

Robert Reed starring in "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour" with just Fake Jan and Rip Taylor.

[JAYJAY1979]

Eve plumb was smart to avoid the variety special...though she did the Brady Brides...which had a cool concept (odd couple..but with 2 newlywed couples)

[smittykins]

I believe “The Brady Girls Get Married/The Brady Brides” was the only sequel to use the entire original cast.

[Egg McMuffin]

Technically “The Brady Girls Get Married” was the only sequel to feature the entire original cast. By the time it morphed into “The Brady Brides”, just Carol, Alice, and the brides themselves appeared from the original cast. Perhaps if it had gone on longer, we would have seen Mike and the other siblings.

[LexieLily]

Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen are all going to be in the same Lifetime Christmas movie this year, Blending Christmas. 

So will Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver) and Jennifer Elise Cox (Fake Jan from The Brady Bunch Movie/Sequel).  

[Egg McMuffin]

Interesting. I wonder if they tried to get Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb.

[Fool to cry]

I think I like season 2 the most. Season 1 has this "Family Affair" vibe while seasons 3-5 feel like "The Partridge Family". 

[mmecorday]

Over time this show became less and less about a blended family and more about the kids' individual ego trips and neuroses. Bobby becoming a billiards savant in the last season is a real low point. Cindy thinking she's going to be the next Shirley Temple is cringe worthy and well.

And yet, I still watch.

[Egg McMuffin]

Oh yeah - you’re right. I think after the first season the blended family angle was pretty much dropped. There’s even an episode where Mike and Carol hear Greg singing, and Carol claims that Greg gets his musical talent from “my side of the family.” Which is patently ridiculous. Or when Jan is running for Most Popular Girl and says that Peter will run her campaign instead of her opponent’s “because blood is thicker than water.”

The only time I remember them inferring the blended family again after the first season - aside from the theme song lyrics - was in the episode where Jan gets glasses and Mike has a portrait of the kids taken as an anniversary gift for Carol. The photographer asks how many years the Bradys have been married and Mike replies “three”. And the photographer wonders aloud, “Three years? Six kids?”

Mike also mentions in “A Very Brady Christmas” how he and Carol brought two families together 20 years ago.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Kyle

[Snow Apple]

A Very Brady Christmas is on Me-TV today.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:17 AM, Snow Apple said:

A Very Brady Christmas is on Me-TV today

We watch the Christmas special every year (and then come here to post about it).

One fun thing we noticed on the re-watch:

We used to make fun of the 1970's decor.  Now we make fun of the 1980's decor!  

Edited November 29, 2021 by TheLastKidPicked

[Egg McMuffin]

I’m a big fan of the series, but I hated “Very Brady Christmas” - way too corny. Of course, it was written by Sherwood Schwartz himself, and he only wrote two episodes of the actual series (one of them, the pilot, is similarly corny). I also hated all the dramatics - major life problems that were solved in just a few scenes. And Florence Henderson had become a full-out ham at this point in her career. I also didn’t need to see those two loser husbands from “The Brady Brides” show up, though I admire the continuity.

[merylinkid]

Not gonna lie, when they all start singing O Come All Ye Faithful at the end and Mike comes out safe from the collapsed building, I cry every year.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

Not gonna lie, when they all start singing O Come All Ye Faithful at the end and Mike comes out safe from the collapsed building, I cry every year.  

Same HERE!

[mmecorday]

Quote

We used to make fun of the 1970's decor.  Now we make fun of the 1980's decor!  

It's hideous, isn't it? I grew up in the 70s and 80s and never noticed how awful everything looked. Thing is, I remember watching "A Very Brady Christmas" the first time and thinking that the home decor updates were on point.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, mmecorday said:

It's hideous, isn't it? I grew up in the 70s and 80s and never noticed how awful everything looked. Thing is, I remember watching "A Very Brady Christmas" the first time and thinking that the home decor updates were on point.

Hey, Even Carol got an update to her wedding ring!

All snark aside, I don't mind that this movie was cheesy or corny. The show itself was corny at times, not to really be taken seriously. Though some episodes I found to be realistic and relatable to me, even when watching in syndication when I was wee.

It's too bad that Susan Olsen wasn't available to reprise her role (married and on her honeymoon when filming this, according to an interview with Olsen when they tried to make this a dramedy and she returned, while Maureen's Marcia was recast), because the recast just wasn't Cindy to me. I loved that the flashback of Cindy telling Mike that Carol would get her voice back by Christmas was from the original show and with Susan Olsen. That scene always makes me smile, sniffle, and get goosebumps.

"He's better than a doctor! He's SANTA CLAUS!"

Gets me. Every time.

What was ridiculous was Bobby saying it was his dream to be a race car driver. Yeah? I don't recall him ever talking about that on the original show. Oh yes, he was an all of a sudden pool shark. Thought THAT was his dream! Oh, wait, no, it was playing for the NY Jets, right? Alongside Joe Namath!

[mmecorday]

I think during the dream sequence when Bobby was jonesing for a trophy, he saw himself as a Indy car champ. At least he didn't grow up to be a neo-Nazi because he was on that track when he was appointed safety monitor at school.

[GHScorpiosRule]

54 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

I think during the dream sequence when Bobby was jonesing for a trophy, he saw himself as a Indy car champ. At least he didn't grow up to be a neo-Nazi because he was on that track when he was appointed safety monitor at school.

Oh yeah. Forgot about that dream. Then again, it's a good thing he decided Jesse James wasn't his idol any more, otherwise, he'd probably grow up to be a bank robber!

[oakville]

On 11/29/2021 at 1:24 PM, TheLastKidPicked said:

We watch the Christmas special every year (and then come here to post about it).

One fun thing we noticed on the re-watch:

We used to make fun of the 1970's decor.  Now we make fun of the 1980's decor!  

I love a Very Brady Christmas ! It's too bad that Susan Olsen couldn't come back for the movie but I loved the concept. I still can't believe that Marcia married Wally. He was out of her league. Peter's relationship with his boss was problematic but I still love seeing everyone together.

[smittykins]

4 hours ago, oakville said:

I still can't believe that Marcia married Wally. He was out of her league.

I would say that she was out of his league.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, smittykins said:

I would say that she was out of his league.

For realzies! As popular as Marcia was, and all the cute guys she dated in high school (yeah, I think Charlie was cute! Doug, who?), she marries this LOSER?!! Same for Jan. What was worse about that horrid series was turning Jan into some 19th century prude, with that bun, that just wasn’t believable to me. At least by the time they made this movie, she looked contemporary!

Edited December 1, 2021 by GHScorpiosRule

[mmecorday]

I think it would have been hilarious to recast Imogene Coca as Jan in "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour." :D

[Columbo]

Watched it recently. Never had seen a episode before but always thought of it as a very cheesy special episode of the week show. Whilst it was kind of cheesy, and there were some special episodes of the week, I actually kind of enjoyed it. It was just amusing harmless family fun.

[Brn2bwild]

On 11/30/2021 at 4:25 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

For realzies! As popular as Marcia was, and all the cute guys she dated in high school (yeah, I think Charlie was cute! Doug, who?), she marries this LOSER?!! Same for Jan. What was worse about that horrid series was turning Jan into some 19th century prude, with that bun, that just wasn’t believable to me. At least by the time they made this movie, she looked contemporary!

They tried to make Marcia the zany live-and-let-live one of the Brady Brides, and it was just weird because she had never been portrayed that way before.  It shows that beyond being popular, the show didn't have a great grasp of Marcia's personality or aspirations.  Like they suddenly went: "Oh no, we have to have her care about things besides dating and school clubs! What shall we do?"

[Katy M]

On 11/30/2021 at 12:03 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

What was ridiculous was Bobby saying it was his dream to be a race car driver. Yeah? I don't recall him ever talking about that on the original show. Oh yes, he was an all of a sudden pool shark. Thought THAT was his dream! Oh, wait, no, it was playing for the NY Jets, right? Alongside Joe Namath!

Yeah, but how old was Bobby during th eoriginal run.  When I was a kid I wanted to be a jockey, an astronaut, a store clerk (still can't figure out why that was my big dream at one point, nothing wrong with it, just a bit odd for a childhood dream), a ballerina (never took a dance class in my life), an actress, and a model. I'm sure Bobby had more than enough time to have a race car driver dream stuck in the middle of everything else.

[mmecorday]

@Katy M, I have you beat. I wanted to run my own employment agency!

Back on topic, I think Bobby was 8 when the series began so he would have been 12 in season 5.

[legaleagle53]

Ready for a shock? Take a look at the Brady kids, Christmas 2021:

 

[SoMuchTV]

15 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Ready for a shock? Take a look at the Brady kids, Christmas 2021:

 

Probably not that much of a shock for dorks who watched “A Very Brady Renovation” recently. And by recently I mean in that year that seems to consist of 2020-2022. Good for them. They seem to be doing great. 

[legaleagle53]

10 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Probably not that much of a shock for dorks who watched “A Very Brady Renovation” recently. And by recently I mean in that year that seems to consist of 2020-2022. Good for them. They seem to be doing great. 

I never saw that, so it WAS a shock for me. I'm roughly Susan's age, and it's just weird to me to think of the "kids" as being old enough to have grandchildren now!

[Egg McMuffin]

They all look well and it doesn’t look like any of them have overdone it with plastic surgery.

[Fool to cry]

I think they all look pretty good. 

Thinking about that episode where they all dressed up in Jazz Age flapper clothes and dancing the Charleston and how it's now the same amount of time from today to then as then was to the 1920s!

 

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Kyle said:

They all look well and it doesn’t look like any of them have overdone it with plastic surgery.

I'm just amazed that they are all still alive! Very few TV shows from their era/genre can say all the child actors are still with us.

[LexieLily]

18 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Probably not that much of a shock for dorks who watched “A Very Brady Renovation” recently. And by recently I mean in that year that seems to consist of 2020-2022. Good for them. They seem to be doing great. 

*raises hand* I watched it mostly for the nostalgia and the house but it was so much more interesting than I thought it would be. 

I have to agree with @eel21788 in being pleasantly surprised that the six 'kids' are still alive and not only are they still with us but for the most part they all seem well-adjusted, now.

[mmecorday]

And Eve Plumb didn't grow up to look like Imogene Coca!

[Blergh]

12 hours ago, mmecorday said:

And Eve Plumb didn't grow up to look like Imogene Coca!

True but she also didn't grow up to be a comedy legend so judge for yourself whether or not she lucked out! 

[SusanM]

11 hours ago, Blergh said:

True but she also didn't grow up to be a comedy legend so judge for yourself whether or not she lucked out! 

Most people though don't grow up to be comedy legends.  Ms Plumb seems to have managed to have a happy life, which is more than many kid stars can say so I'd think she may consider that she lucked out.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 12/27/2021 at 1:14 PM, mmecorday said:

12 hours ago, Blergh said:

True but she also didn't grow up to be a comedy legend so judge for yourself whether or not she lucked out! 

And Eve Plumb didn't grow up to look like Imogene Coca!

Eve is not Imogene. Eve wasn't the one who freaked out that she would end up looking like...Aunt Jenny. That was Jan.

 

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, Paul Q. said:

1971 was a half-century ago, so that's about right.

So if that episode were set in 2022, the family would be practicing their disco moves, and now I feel old

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

So if that episode were set in 2022, the family would be practicing their disco moves, and now I feel old

More like go-go dancing. Wait another five years for disco! 

Ironically, shows nowadays have retro 80's, 70's, 60's, and 50's themes far more than shows in the 80's had 30's, shows in the 70's had 20's, shows in the 60's had 10's or shows in the 1950's had Turn of the 19th to 20th Century themes! 

[mmecorday]

I irrationally hate the episode "Goodbye, Alice, Hello." Alice's feelings are hurt when the kids think she's been squealing on them to Mrs. Brady for their oopsies and they treat her so badly that Alice has to think up another lie for leaving the family (see also: "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"). Alice has a fellow housekeeping friend named Kay who is between jobs and instantly gets hired to be the new housekeeper when Alice leaves after a day's notice. Kay is all business and doesn't want to be the Brady kids' pal. But she does score a hug from Jan when she reveals that Alice is working at the Golden Spoon. Now, this is where I REALLY get pissed off. Alice appears to be the only server working at the cafe. Although all the tables are full and the counter as well, Alice takes her time taking the Brady kids' order and telling them what they should have. When she says "Too much caramel fudge sundae makes too much Marcia" still makes me cringe, given that Maureen McCormick had body issues. And then when the Brady kids are all apologetic about making Alice feel awful, she cries and sits down with them while her boss and the customers are pleading with Alice to do her job. Alice leaves with the kids and tells the boss she's returning to her old job. She's presuming that she's going to go back to her former job in the Brady household even though she lied about the circumstance that led her to leave. And her friend Kay is unemployed again!

[Blergh]

On 1/9/2022 at 10:26 PM, mmecorday said:

I irrationally hate the episode "Goodbye, Alice, Hello." Alice's feelings are hurt when the kids think she's been squealing on them to Mrs. Brady for their oopsies and they treat her so badly that Alice has to think up another lie for leaving the family (see also: "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"). Alice has a fellow housekeeping friend named Kay who is between jobs and instantly gets hired to be the new housekeeper when Alice leaves after a day's notice. Kay is all business and doesn't want to be the Brady kids' pal. But she does score a hug from Jan when she reveals that Alice is working at the Golden Spoon. Now, this is where I REALLY get pissed off. Alice appears to be the only server working at the cafe. Although all the tables are full and the counter as well, Alice takes her time taking the Brady kids' order and telling them what they should have. When she says "Too much caramel fudge sundae makes too much Marcia" still makes me cringe, given that Maureen McCormick had body issues. And then when the Brady kids are all apologetic about making Alice feel awful, she cries and sits down with them while her boss and the customers are pleading with Alice to do her job. Alice leaves with the kids and tells the boss she's returning to her old job. She's presuming that she's going to go back to her former job in the Brady household even though she lied about the circumstance that led her to leave. And her friend Kay is unemployed again!

Let's blame Sherwood Schwartz and, one Milt Rosen  the two who cowrote this episode for being insensitive over Miss McCormick's body issues for putting that tacky, uncalled for (and unfunny) crack in the script having Alice discourage Marcia from ordering the caramel fudge sundae NOT the character of Alice or the late performer Ann B. Davis! I never heard even the slightest hint from Miss McCormick or anyone else that the late Miss Davis was anything besides a supportive adult colleague and good friend to  all the others in the cast despite the challenges of making the show and the then-minor performers' offstage issues! 

Edited January 11, 2022 by Blergh

[Blergh]

12 hours ago, Paul Q. said:

Marcia is an Aunt Lydia, not a feminist role model.

Huh?

 I had to look it up to  that Aunt Lydia was a rather sadistic prison matron in Handmaiden's Tale (which is too bad because I've always liked the name Lydia which was the name a rather enterprising and independent businesswoman in the New Testament).

Marcia may have occasionally been bossy to her younger sisters and even catty to some of her fellow girl acquaintances but that's hardly being close to making Marcia the fictional equivalent to a deliberately cruel mother superior nun who ran an Irish Magdelene Laundry. Besides, Mike, Carol and Alice called her out when she'd start to get too overwhelming to her sisters and let's not forget that Marcia tried out for Greg's Frontier Scouts (the show's version of the Boy Scouts ) and went through the physical challenges just to show her sisters and  other girls  that girls COULD do what boys could do! 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Blergh

[mmecorday]

Quote

Let's blame Sherwood Schwartz and, one Milt Rosen  the two who cowrote this episode for being insensitive over Miss McCormick's body issues for putting that tacky (and unfunny) crack in the script having Alice discourage Marcia from ordering the caramel fudge sundae NOT the character of Alice or the late performer Ann B. Davis!

That's just it -- it was so out of character for Alice to be telling Marcia to lay off the sweets. She never policed the children's eating habits. Hell, one time she was so eager to get freshly baked cookies into the cookie jar, she took them off the baking sheet with her bare hands when they just came out of the oven!

[Snow Apple]

Re Kay losing her job, I always thought Kay worked for different families unlike Alice who only worked for the Bradys, and was just doing Alice a favor by taking the job at short notice. I could be wrong.

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Re Kay losing her job, I always thought Kay worked for different families unlike Alice who only worked for the Bradys, and was just doing Alice a favor by taking the job at short notice. I could be wrong.

No, you're right.

[Egg McMuffin]

I never thought about it, but while Alice was concerned about Marcia and Jan getting fat on caramel fudge sundaes, but she had no problem with Peter eating a donut and didn’t substitute a fruit cup for him. A product of the times.

[Egg McMuffin]

Speaking of the Frontier Scouts, that one has always bugged me. It’s pretty progressive for its time and sends a good message…until the last five minutes, when Marcia proclaims she’s not interested in being a Scout after all, and in the same breath asks Carol if she’s seen the latest fashion magazine. And it wraps up with Mike making a comment about how those silly women are always changing their minds.