The Brady Bunch - General Discussion

[Laura Holt]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I absolutely love "Greg Gets Grounded" as it contradicts the notion that this show was all rainbows, sunshine, and fluffy puppies, and that Carol and Mike never scolded or disciplined* their kids. 

If anything I found Carol and Mike set some pretty high standards for the kids.  It always bothers me that somehow not constantly yelling or punishing kids can be interpreted as being too easygoing.  I notice that attitude towards this show as well as others.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

5 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

If anything I found Carol and Mike set some pretty high standards for the kids.  

I disagree. The one constant over the seasons was both Carol and Mike have said as long as they tried or did their best, that was okay. Like in “Scoop Brady” or whatever the episode name is, Peter let his studying and school work slide for his column. And he nearly failed (D something, whereas F is fail) and he thought writing a snow job would have Mr. price changing the grade. They have never said they expected straight A’s. They weren’t angry at the range of grades the kids got in that episode.

[Laura Holt]

With the caveat that I haven't seen the show for ages what I remember feeling about the parents was that they had high expectations of behavior for the kids and that the kids, for the most part lived up to that.  To me that didn't mean the kids had to have straight As or anything like that just they had to be decent human beings.  What I also liked was that the parents modeled that for the kids - they weren't do as I say, not as I do  parents.

Mike did get into the sermonizing a bit too much but I think that got really exaggerated for comic effect in the movies that came out years later.

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

Mike did get into the sermonizing a bit too much but I think that got really exaggerated for comic effect in the movies that came out years later.

That was the condition for the movies, though. It had to be a spoof and satirize the show.

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

With the caveat that I haven't seen the show for ages what I remember feeling about the parents was that they had high expectations of behavior for the kids and that the kids, for the most part lived up to that.  To me that didn't mean the kids had to have straight As or anything like that just they had to be decent human beings

Well the show is available on two cable networks now: MeTV and the now defunct Decades which has turned into  Catchy Comedy so you can watch them again, if you want.

That said, I don’t think expecting your children to be decent is akin to having high standards. I think Mike and Carol were sometimes too easygoing. Like when Peter was recording private conversations of his brothers and sisters, and all he got was a talking to by them to do it no more. Greg and Marcia decided to teach him a lesson and faked a conversation about their parents giving Peter a surprise party for his good grades. Mike and Carol heard the tape. And what did they do? Gave Peter a surprise party.😒😒😒

So, watching “The Subject Was Noses” and I find Charlie so much more charming and cuter than Doug Simpson (yeah, yeah…the kid from The Sound of Music), who just isn’t my idea of Big Man on Campus. That HAIR! I mean the style. Oh! Here comes the football!!!

OH! And how did I miss the fact that Robert Reed had directed “How to Succeed in Business” the one where Peter gets fired from the bike shop?!

[Laura Holt]

9 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Mike and Carol heard the tape. And what did they do? Gave Peter a surprise party.😒😒😒

I remember that episode!  I guess I felt differently about that.  Peter had been wrong in the first place, of course, but it wasn't up to Marcia and Greg to punish him, especially by being cruel (and at that age this was pretty cruel).  

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, Laura Holt said:

I remember that episode!  I guess I felt differently about that.  Peter had been wrong in the first place, of course, but it wasn't up to Marcia and Greg to punish him, especially by being cruel (and at that age this was pretty cruel).  

Right. But Peter was never punished for what he had done. And agree, Greg and Marcia shouldn’t have done what they did, but they were punished for it. I think. 

My point was that sometimes, Mike and Carol were too easy going.

[januaryman]

Ann B Davis's facial expressions were great in Goodbye Alice Hello - she really got to act instead of just dropping corny jokes. Made you want to punch out Bobby and Cindy. The other lady - Mary Treen - was good as well. Kay had no interest in being part of the family since it blew up in her face the last time she tried it and was content to keep house and leave.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, januaryman said:

Kay had no interest in being part of the family since it blew up in her face the last time she tried it and was content to keep house and leave.

Huh? Kay was only ever in just the one episode. 

I think I want to go see the Grand Canyon again. Do they still do those mule rides to the bottom, I wonder?

[januaryman]

Kay told Alice about having a bad experience with a previous employer and why she doesn't get attached.

[merylinkid]

Kay saw housekeeping as a job.   Where she got to go home at night to live her own life.    Looka t how many times Alice had to re-arrange something personal because the Bradys needed her.   She babysat too if the parents were out.   Which is not housekeeping.   I mean sure she got to go on vacations with them, where she wrangled kids and cooked.    When was her day off on those trips?

Yes, the Grand Canyon still has the mule trips to the bottom.    Someday hubby and I intend to do that.

[mmecorday]

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Yes, the Grand Canyon still has the mule trips to the bottom.    Someday hubby and I intend to do that.

Just make sure you bring a boom box on which to play that iconic whistling musical accompaniment. 

[Laura Holt]

3 hours ago, merylinkid said:

 I mean sure she got to go on vacations with them, where she wrangled kids and cooked. 

And ate separately from them!  Even camping out.  I remember even as a kid thinking that was weird.

[merylinkid]

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

Just make sure you bring a boom box on which to play that iconic whistling musical accompaniment. 

Hubby can whistle it.   Its cool.

TOPIC:   yes Alice was like family but still somehow the hired help.   She would go to sales with Carol but then also have to go back to her little room which she probably had no control  how to decorate, with her tiny little tv.   

[Blergh]

The only bit of 'relaxing' the beloved Alice (by viewers)got to do on those Brady vacations was to not be required to wear her uniform which she wore every waking moment except those rare days off.

She did get to blow the conch withe other eight Bradys at the luau but considering the noises she had to endure before/after ,it's debatable how relaxing that would been for her.

[GHScorpiosRule]

“Room at the Top” was on today and watching the scenes between Greg and Marcia, when she’s crying and then thanking him for letting her have the attic, kept reminding me of the movie Growing Up Brady based on Barry Williams’ book. Because I remember the movie showed how Barry and Maureen kept making out during the filming of that!😂😂😂😂 i can’t UNSEE what I saw in the movie when I watch the episode! And heeeere’s Hank. Greg’s friend in college now. Same dude played the dude tat sold Greg is first lemon of a car and the skeevey Eddie, in the final season who stole the fake football plays book.

[jason88cubs]

Ok serious question

 

Did Alice ever have days off? We would see her go on dates with Sam but did she ever have days off?

 

and what would she do? I mean if shes off is Carol cooking or would Alice help?

 

 

[mmecorday]

Yes, Alice did have days off. In one episode Carol asks her about her day off and Alice told her that she took her aunt to the dentist, played Mahjong with her and then went to bed at 10. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Huh. "Adios, Johnny Bravo", which was the final season's premiere, didn't air yesterday. Nor is it available on Demand. Which is...weird. Because "You're Never Too Young" and "Snow White and The Seven Bradys" did air today. The first where Millicent (who would later turn up on Little House on the Praire) and the second with the play. Wonder why the premiere didn't?

Cindy is SUCH a brat. And even in "You Can't Wim 'Em All" where Bobby didn't study for the test to get on teevee quiz show, the way Bobby acted when he was putting up a teepee? You'd think that he, let alone Cindy and the others, had never met Jimmy or his grandfather less than a year ago.

Then we have Marcia being all "Alice can you make it quick?" when Sam calls in "You're Never Too Young" for...reasons? Why? Because she also wants to know if Millicent has the mumps? Both her and Jan were soooo hungry and wanting more of the pancakes, that right after Millicent called and said she didn't have them, they ALL, including Cindy, leave the pancakes uneaten, or half-eaten, and don't bother to dump it and rinse their dishes. Something that was hammered to the viewers that it was something they did.

Maureen looked like she aged five years between the fourth and final season! Eve, as we've all discussed, clearly BLOOMED over the summer hiatus.

Another thing I noticed was that the fourth season, episodes clearly were aired out of order. The first half, we see Jan has braces; then an episode in between, they're gone, then it seems the last handful of the fourth, they're gone, but the episode before the finale ("You Can't Win 'Em All" I believe it was), she's got the braces again! And of course Marcia only had them for one episode in the first season!

But man, I want some of those dresses from the 20s! They all looked like they were having fun in those dancing scenes, and not acting at all!

[Blergh]

4 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Yes, Alice did have days off. In one episode Carol asks her about her day off and Alice told her that she took her aunt to the dentist, played Mahjong with her and then went to bed at 10. 

Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if Alice either stocked up on lots of sandwiches for the Bradys to eat in her absences or hope Carol knew how to heat up TV dinners.

[januaryman]

Alice had to ask Carol permission to leave the house to go on a date with Sam in "Fright Night".

I watched "Adios Johnny Bravo" yesterday morning.

Edited July 21, 2023 by januaryman

[Blergh]

9 hours ago, januaryman said:

Alice had to ask Carol permission to leave the house to go on a date with Sam in "Fright Night".

 

'Permission?!'

Granted that Alice is Carol's employee but she's a grown person!

Seriously, at most, as a fellow adult occupant of their household, Alice just needed to tell the Parental Bradys where she was going and with whom so they'd have a clue how to reach her in case of emergency- and a spot to start a search in case Alice didn't return within a reasonable amount of time of when she said she'd have been back (and the same would have applied to the both Parental Bradys re Alice) !

Speaking of whacked priorities, in 'The Private Ear' I always thought Mike and Carol wrongly went down on Greg and Marcia when they found out that they were trying to show Peter up via leaving behind fake messages on a tape recorder about a bogus party for Peter.

Peter had earlier eavesdropped on and sabotaged all five of his sibs to battle each other at the dinner table while he smirked at the five-way squabble which got Mike and Carol to simply tell Peter not to eavesdrop again and Peter claimed to agree. Yes, I was with Greg and Marcia that not only did Peter deserve more of a punishment than just a solitary parental lecture against eavesdropping but that that alone wouldn't motivate him to quit doing so. Hence, the older sibs planted fake news about the bogus party for Peter on the tape recorder. Well, Mike and Carol themselves listened to the tape and decided immediately that they needed to punish Greg and Marcia for NOT accepting Mike and Carol's initial judgement against Peter and actually concocted a party FOR Peter.  OK, yes, Greg and Marcia overstepped their bounds a bit here but Peter HAD listened to the tape's fake party news which proved that Mike and Carol's solitary lecture had NOT been enough to put him on the MYOB Path[Mind Your Own Business- acronym credited to the  advice columnist Ann Landers (1918-2002)]  forever and ever but they ignored that part and just focused on punishing their eldest offspring for insubordination.

[mmecorday]

Quote

But man, I want some of those dresses from the 20s! They all looked like they were having fun in those dancing scenes, and not acting at all!

Yes! The dresses the Brady women wore were out of sight! Why can't we have pretty sparkling dresses like that in the 2020s? It's a little depressing to think that at the time that episode was filmed, the 1920s were 50 years in the past. Now the 70s were 50 years ago. Eek!

Quote

Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if Alice either stocked up on lots of sandwiches for the Bradys to eat in her absences or hope Carol knew how to heat up TV dinners.

I'm assuming Carol could cook. She was on her own with her three girls before she met a man named Brady. And we know Mike liked to cook. Remember when he made that feast for the whole fam? Beef bourguignon was on the menu. Fancy!

[merylinkid]

Carol was seen helping with the cooking.   I imagine that cooking for that crowd took a couple people.   On her days' off, Carol did it with the girls' help probably.

As for asking permission, I think that particular night was not her regular day off so it was more arranging for a day off like any other employer/employee.  Not so much permission as making sure it worked with the schedule.

[Egg McMuffin]

On 7/16/2023 at 6:04 PM, januaryman said:

Ann B Davis's facial expressions were great in Goodbye Alice Hello - she really got to act instead of just dropping corny jokes. Made you want to punch out Bobby and Cindy. The other lady - Mary Treen - was good as well. Kay had no interest in being part of the family since it blew up in her face the last time she tried it and was content to keep house and leave.

Ann B. Davis was the real deal. I generally dislike the Snow White episode, except for the part where Alice plays the wicked queen. Davis shows what a great character actor she was.

[Blergh]

11 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Yes! The dresses the Brady women wore were out of sight! Why can't we have pretty sparkling dresses like that in the 2020s? It's a little depressing to think that at the time that episode was filmed, the 1920s were 50 years in the past. Now the 70s were 50 years ago. Eek!

I'm assuming Carol could cook. She was on her own with her three girls before she met a man named Brady. And we know Mike liked to cook. Remember when he made that feast for the whole fam? Beef bourguignon was on the menu. Fancy!

Actually,Carol had been living with her parents  the Tylers after her marriage to the absent/late Mr. Martin ended so for all we know Grandma or even Grandpa Tyler had been the one cooking for the six of them prior to Carol becoming the new Mrs. Brady!

[Laura Holt]

On 7/21/2023 at 11:32 AM, merylinkid said:

Carol was seen helping with the cooking.   I imagine that cooking for that crowd took a couple people.   

It was getting less and less true by the time the Brady Bunch aired, of course, but it was close to a time when having live-in help wasn't just for the rich.  

Edited July 28, 2023 by Laura Holt

[GHScorpiosRule]

Huh. I don't know why I didn't realize this in my many rewatches, but in "The Elopement", it's the first episode where Cindy/Susan is no longer in pigtails, and Cindy now has braces. BUT. Bobby doesn't.

And with the way Marcia's hair is styled (in the beginning, she had her hair pinned), so clearly this was filmed in pieces? The scenes with Bobby/Mike, before he got the braces, and Susan didn't have them; then later, when Cindy/Susan did get braces? Ay yi yi! I'm giving myself a headache here.

And then there's "Miss Popularity" which aired BEFORE the one where Marcia gets her license, yet, there's a line by Marcia, how she'll "drive" around the neighborhood to help Jan win the contest.

Me: Huh?

Oy! Plot must Plot, because in "Try, Try Again" Jan apparently is a clumsy, talentless idiot. Forgetting that she can sing, and dance, and has some skills helping with scenery used in plays! But nooooo.

[Egg McMuffin]

I was watching “The Great Earring Caper,” which begins with Marcia indulging in one of her favorite activities: gazing at herself in the mirror.

Cindy never should have ‘fessed up. She should have played dumb and let Marcia take the blame for losing the earrings. Marcia deserves punishment, just for being full of herself.

[mmecorday]

Quote

Cindy never should have ‘fessed up. She should have played dumb and let Marcia take the blame for losing the earrings. 

Cindy didn't have to play dumb. She WAS dumb. 

I loved Mike and Carol's Antony and Cleopatra costumes. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 8/22/2023 at 12:52 PM, mmecorday said:

Cindy didn't have to play dumb. She WAS dumb. 

I loved Mike and Carol's Antony and Cleopatra costumes. 

AMEN! I can’t decide who is worse: Jan with her jealousy over Marcia or Cindy and her brattiness and sheer dumbness.

Hmmm…(tapping fingers)…Cindy is worse. What with her accusing Bobby of stealing Kitty Carry-All, blurting out secrets, being a tattle tale, her BIG AND SWELLED head when she got chosen to compete on television, snooping and reading Marcia’s diary, and of course the earring caper.

While Marcia did also get a swelled head in “And Juliet is the Sun” or playing dirty tricks-she got punished and/or reaped the repercussions (“The Subject Was Noses”) of those instances.

And rewatching, I had forgotten that the record player in the family room belonged to ALICE. She chose it as her prize when she won the jingle in the Tattle Tale episode and gave it to the family to use. So Marcia getting all bent in ”Good-bye Alice, Hello” when she was punished for forgetting to turn it off or whatever and holding it against Alice, is RICH.

Oh! Totally agree on the love for Mike and Carol’s Marc Antony and Cleopatra costumes!

Edited August 24, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[Snow Apple]

Speaking of the tattle tale episode and winning prizes, it was weird at the end when Alice was counting jelly beans and she didn't write down every 50 or 100. She was in the thousands when she lost count and had to start over.

[JAYJAY1979]

One of the things I liked about the show was that Mike and Carol bantered..and seemed to really enjoy/like one another.

And the ice cream shop episode kind of foreshadowed how Jan, Marcia, and Peter would turn out in adult form.  

Jan being type A, Peter drifting from relationship and job on a whim, and Marcia focusing on raising a family to career.

And Jan was valid in her jealousy of Marcia and it led to some episodes of Jan finding her way and learning to love herself.

[Egg McMuffin]

I loved the parents. They were stern when they needed to be, but they openly showed affection to each other and to the kids. And they both had a good sense of humor.

I contrast them with Ward and June Cleaver, whom I felt were too emotionally distant and hands-off with their kids.

[mmecorday]

Quote

I loved the parents. They were stern when they needed to be, but they openly showed affection to each other and to the kids. And they both had a good sense of humor.

I agree. The only time I felt like Mike are Carol were overparenting was when they went on a date night and left Greg and Marcia in charge of their siblings. But I can understand their concern because the phone line was busy. Greg should have told Jan to keep her phone conversation short to keep the line open in case their parents needed to call them. 

[Egg McMuffin]

Good point on the overparenting. I thought they underparented when they knew that Peter broke the vase and they kept coming up with little schemes to make him admit to it, instead of just confronting him. I guess it worked in the end, but it was pretty silly. They sort of took the same approach with Greg in the “exact words” episode, but he was older than Peter was when he broke the case, so I understood that approach more with Greg.

I did like how Carol broke the news that Marcia was shitcanned from the school play.

Marcia: “I wish Harold’s name wasn’t going to be on the program.”

Carol: “I’m afraid your name isn’t going to be on the program.” BURN!

[Blergh]

Usually, I like Mike and Carol's parenting but I didn't like that time when Peter turned all his sibs against each other via overheard stuff then when Greg and Marcia tried to bait him via claiming a fake party on a tape recorder, Mike and Carol were mad at THEM for not thinking their 'talk' with Peter was punishment enough- and threw Peter a real party just to spite Greg and Marcia (who they let know they were going to be punished for insubordination). Excuse me but Peter DID take the bait which proved that he had NOT quit snooping after the 'rents' talk! 

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 8/24/2023 at 9:34 PM, Blergh said:

Usually, I like Mike and Carol's parenting but I didn't like that time when Peter turned all his sibs against each other via overheard stuff then when Greg and Marcia tried to bait him via claiming a fake party on a tape recorder, Mike and Carol were mad at THEM for not thinking their 'talk' with Peter was punishment enough- and threw Peter a real party just to spite Greg and Marcia (who they let know they were going to be punished for insubordination). Excuse me but Peter DID take the bait which proved that he had NOT quit snooping after the 'rents' talk! 

Yeah, I posted about this up thread. It was ridiculous, that Carol and Mike heard that baited tape and decided to give Peter a party, when they had never planned to do so.

Anyhoo, another thing that bugged me was the series finale.

First no WAY should Marcia and Peter have to fight over who gets the attic. That was going to Marcia based on the ending of that episode. And I don't recall whether Greg was going away to college? Did he apply and get accepted? 

The positives? I really, really like that yellow dress Carol was wearing in the episode where Bobby sprained his ankle. The name is escaping me at the moment. I think she also wore it in a few more episodes.

But I really hate that Robert Reed wasn't in the finale. Like Mike wouldn't have figured out a way to change his business trip so he could attend Greg's graduation. I know, I know, it was behind the scenes issues with Schwartz. I think it was also the reason Mike wasn't in "Good-bye Alice, Hello" episode. Would have really liked to have seen Mike rip into Greg and Peter.

As for "singing is for sissies" in "The Drummer Boy" I guess those morons didn't listen to any bands or pop singers at the time? It was sooooo incredibly stooooopid. And of course, Bobby could sing by the time "Dough Re Mi" came around, eh?

[mmecorday]

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And of course, Bobby could sing by the time "Dough Re Mi" came around, eh?

Good enough to have a solo in "Sunshine Day!" ;) 

Quote

The positives? I really, really like that yellow dress Carol was wearing in the episode where Bobby sprained his ankle.

Carol had a decent assortment of pretty clothes. I love the beautiful, shimmery maxi dress she wears when her old boyfriend Tank pays a visit in the "Quarterback Sneak" episode. Her sleepwear was gorgeous as well. The pink nightgown with the cap sleeves she wears after she and Cindy have their tonsils taken out is a stunner. 

[Egg McMuffin]

There was no reason they had to write in that Mike was out of town during the graduation episode. That exposition - “Too bad your father was out of town and had to miss it” was terrible. All they had to do was write a different tag scene that didn’t focus on the family returning home from the graduation. The rest of the episode took place in the days leading up to graduation, so there’s no reason the finale scene couldn’t have taken place before graduation, too.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I HATE what Catchy Comedy just started doing with the closing credits! It started this week. No longer do we get the squares at the end of the episode before the last commercial break and final Tag. They fade into the last scene while the closing credits run on the lower left hand corner, blocking the screen! And you can’t see the credits. What MORON thought this was a good idea? Oh, wait. I bet it has to do with cost cutting. Nimrods don’t realize that the squares appearing are a staple? At least MeTV hasn’t messed with it. Season 3 started with the Grand Canyon 3-Parter.

[Blergh]

On 8/28/2023 at 3:25 PM, Egg McMuffin said:

There was no reason they had to write in that Mike was out of town during the graduation episode. That exposition - “Too bad your father was out of town and had to miss it” was terrible. All they had to do was write a different tag scene that didn’t focus on the family returning home from the graduation. The rest of the episode took place in the days leading up to graduation, so there’s no reason the finale scene couldn’t have taken place before graduation, too.

Not to mention, the way Carol said it and how Greg reacted to it, Mike might as well have missed having watched a fave TV show with them due to being on the phone.

[Egg McMuffin]

12 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I HATE what Catchy Comedy just started doing with the closing credits! It started this week. No longer do we get the squares at the end of the episode before the last commercial break and final Tag. They fade into the last scene while the closing credits run on the lower left hand corner, blocking the screen! And you can’t see the credits. What MORON thought this was a good idea? Oh, wait. I bet it has to do with cost cutting. Nimrods don’t realize that the squares appearing are a staple? At least MeTV hasn’t messed with it. Season 3 started with the Grand Canyon 3-Parter.

SIgh. Don’t broadcasters get that they chased people to streaming with their endless commercials? It really accelerated when the hour long shows went from a four-act structure to five acts, and sitcoms went from two acts to three acts. After that, the commercials seemed unbearable.

If they’re going to remove the iconic Brady squares, then I’m not interested in the broadcast. I’ll stick to MeTV or Pluto TV (where I think the Brady episodes are unedited).

[GHScorpiosRule]

Came across this and had me laughing!!! And almost a decade later, Christopher Daniel Barnes would play Greg in the movie versions!

Though I've always wondered why they didn't have Susan Olsen in the opening credits?

 

[sistermagpie]

On 9/6/2023 at 2:41 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Came across this and had me laughing!!! And almost a decade later, Christopher Daniel Barnes would play Greg in the movie versions!

 

I remember seeing this at the time and I couldn't believe I was seeing it. I always figured that's what put Barnes in the lead for playing Greg. 

All the Brady men get perms. That way our hair doesn't get in our eyes while we're fixing our bikes. Mystery solved.

[GHScorpiosRule]

32 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

I remember seeing this at the time and I couldn't believe I was seeing it. I always figured that's what put Barnes in the lead for playing Greg. 

All the Brady men get perms. That way our hair doesn't get in our eyes while we're fixing our bikes. Mystery solved.

I think I read somewhere or maybe saw an interview with Barnes, that’s how he got the role. And on a more serious bent, he voiced Peter Parker/Spidey in the 1994 ‘toon.

The funniest part was how everyone got  pulled into the theme and ended up nodding there heads and singing the theme song!

[Egg McMuffin]

The Day By Day episode was done not long after the Very Brady Christmas movie in which Susan Olsen did not appear. And contrary to the reason given at the time (“Susan was on her honeymoon!”), the real reason was money. Susan later said she would have delayed her honeymoon, but they offered her a pittance to appear in comparison to Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb. My guess is she was still annoyed with Paramount and didn’t give them permission to use her image for the Day by Day episode.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 9/14/2023 at 12:43 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

My guess is she was still annoyed with Paramount and didn’t give them permission to use her image for the Day by Day episode.

Huh. I didn't think the actors had any choice when it came to that. 

And so the squares are back before the last tag on Catchy, but they still show the end credits in the bottom left corner during the final tag! So, yay for small linings?

[Egg McMuffin]

Yep. In general, the actors contracts call for (diminishing) residuals but no permission when the show is rerun in its original form. But if the show is reassembled in a different way after the actor is no longer employed by the production company, they have to give permission for their image to be used. And most of them do it free of charge because it’s a good way to get exposure and stay on good terms with the studios that may employ them in the future. But not always.

A few examples I remember: They did a 90210 clip show a few years after the series ended, and they blurred Shannen Doherty’s face in one clip because she didn’t give her permission. Dallas had a storyline in the later years where they were doing a movie based on the Ewings and showed clips from earlier episodes, but nothing with Pam, because Victoria Principal presumably didn’t give permission (she was annoyed with the producers because they tried to claim they fired her, and she got her lawyers to force a retraction). And I remember Entertainment Tonight in its early days doing a story on Bonanza and explicitly saying that Pernell Roberts wouldn’t give permissions for his clips to be used. That was actually pretty funny.

[Egg McMuffin]

I saw “Goodbye Alice, Hello” this morning. I do NOT like how Carol pointed her finger right in Alice’s face when she was demanding that Alice finger the kid who broke the lamp. Disrespectful.

I also thought it was funny that Alice quit her waitress job to go back to the Bradys without even asking Mike or Carol first (yeah, I know Mike was AWOL that episode). What if they thought Kay was a better cook or more efficient or whatever?