My friends call me Barry. From time to time I also hear the name Greg. Yeah, as in Greg Brady. The Brady Bunch represents a fun time in my life. But it’s only part of the story. There’s more to say and that’s what The Greg Brady Project is all about – a place to say it. So, I’ve invited some friends to join me and share their perspectives on the Brady’s, the 70’s and just about everything else. Now, I’m inviting you…
Make sure to catch Barry tomorrow night along with Tiffany in the premiere of the Syfy original movie “Mega Piranha.” That’s tomorrow night (Sat., April 10) at 9pm/ET (8 Central) on Syfy.
“Mega Piranha” will re-air on April 11 at 1am/ET and May 30 at 9pm/ET.
Saturday morning was a special time around my house when I was very young. On Saturday morning my older brothers and I were allowed to watch what we wanted. I was just three years old but my favorite show was not anything animated. My favorite show was called Fury. Fury starred Peter Graves as a ranch owner, Bobby Diamond as his adopted son and Fury an amazing stallion who loved the young boy. Thus began my passion for horses. Fury was a really strong and smart horse. He knew when people did good deeds and would reward them usually by getting them to where they needed to be. Mostly Fury would only allow the Diamond character, Joey, to ride him. This was pretty amazing stuff for me, a then three year old.
During the time Fury was on the air I was attending kindergarten in my home town (it wasn’t called pre-school then) and I had a girlfriend in my class. I liked to sit next to her when we were doing arts and crafts and I usually made my way near her in the afternoon for nap time. Occasionally we exchanged gum after it had already been chewed by one of us. Our version of french kissing I guess.
Her name is Claudia Graves and I was more than a little impressed when I was having a play date at her house one day, which happened to be just down the street from my own family home, and into the living room walks JIM NEWTON the owner of the Broken Wheel Ranch where Fury lived! It took me a minute to get the concept that Jim Newton was really an actor, Peter Graves and father to my sweetheart Claudia. This just seemed too good to be true and I thought it was so cool that I decided then and there I wanted to be an actor. Several weeks later while visiting at Claudia’s house I had a chance to ask Mr. Graves how he got to be an actor. He said, “I just thought about it.”
Good enough for me. I thought and thought and thought. Finally I thought about doing something about it and asked my parents to let me give it a shot. I started going to classes and acting lessons, got some 8×10 headshots and an agent. I was on my way.
After filming the Brady Bunch Pilot in 1968 and before we actually started filming the regular series in 1969 I had an extraordinary opportunity. I had an audition for a guest starring role in my then favorite TV series, Mission Impossible starring the man who inspired my whole career, Peter Graves. I got that role. Literally a dream come true.
Peter Graves passed away yesterday, March 13th. At the same time I was in Nashville doing what Peter inspired and I still love after all these years; acting onstage in a musical. His passing is a loss millions of people, along with myself feel. I always will be grateful to the wonderful contributions he made as an actor and a person including his remarkable return in the feature film Airplane. He was an inspiration to many and I am grateful for my personal connection with him.
I send out my warmest wishes and condolences to his wife Joan and daughters Kelly Jean, Amanda Lee, and first love Claudia.
The House That Brady Built
As a self-professed “Bradyholic,” my obsession has been with the space that surrounded the Brady cast during production. In addition, the mystique that surrounds the North Hollywood house used only for exterior shots is incredible by anyone’s standards. Really, can you think of any other TV house on this planet that has received such fame and pop culture status?
My curiosity about the Brady Bunch house led me to do some research about ranch-style homes, design trends, and the post-WW2 culture that bred them. These homes came out of a culture of optimism (among other things), a virtue which The Brady’s wholeheartedly stood for.
For me, the iconic Brady Bunch house, both in true form as well as fictional form, represents the American ideal, and I’ve always wondered what they looked like from an insider’s perspective. Curious about both forms (real and fictional) of the house, I began making sketches of all the Brady spaces a number of years ago. Eventually, I acquired a CAD program for my computer which would allow me to bring my sketches to life. Having spent dozens of hours watching reruns of the show, I’ve gradually developed a “virtual tour” of sorts, which are on both Flickr and You Tube. In the virtual tour, Brady fans are given a perspective of what the set of The Brady Bunch may have looked like from an actor’s perspective. Additionally, this virtual tour also takes viewers through the famous Brady Bunch house in North Hollywood.
The whole project was just a chance for me to have fun, explore, and interact with other Brady fans. Now check out the Brady house like you’ve never seen it before…
Adrian Monk’s encyclopedic knowledge of “The Cooper Clan” helps him crack the case.
If you missed the season premiere of Monk last night, then run (don’t walk) over to USA Network while the episode is still available for streaming. You’ll find a show that affectionately satirizes the Brady Bunch phenomenon, from the dedication of trivia-spouting fans to dropped jaws at the most lurid revelations of a tell-all memoir.
In “Mr. Monk’s Favorite Show,” the obsessive-compulsive crime solver is excited at the prospect of meeting Christine Rapp, former child star of “The Cooper Clan.” Rapp has just written a shocking autobiography called “Re-Cooper-ating,” and when her publicity tour is interrupted by an attempt on her life, Monk’s devotion leads to an assignment as her bodyguard. Starstruck and preoccupied with memories of a show that provided an escape from his dysfunctional youth, Monk remains blissfully ignorant of the discrepancies between Rapp and her TV alter-ego, Cathy Cooper…until he finds time to read the book.
Though a number of artistic liberties are taken in the approximation of a certain iconic TV series from the 70’s, Brady fans will find many amusingly familiar references in the details, right down to the episode titles and groovy graphics of a “Cooper Clan” DVD menu. Check it out, and enjoy the pained expression on the face of a “Clan” costar as he endures Monk repeating the former actor’s well-worn catchphrase.
Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!
In my business you have the opportunity to meet some incredible people. While I’ve been lucky enough to work on a lot of different television and theater projects, I owe a lot of those meetings to The Brady Bunch. Some, like Don Drysdale and Joe Namath, were captured on the show for everyone to see. There were others though, that took place after the cameras stopped rolling. Two that come to mind are the day Henry Kissinger stopped by the Brady set, and now more than ever, the day The Brady 6 met The Jackson 5.
As someone who’s done some singing and dancing with his own “brothers and sisters,” I can appreciate just how talented Michael Jackson was and am glad we got the chance to cross paths.
After hanging out over here for the last year and a half, Barry paid me a visit over at my site! In the brand new episode of my retro pop culture podcast, “Just My Show,” the boss and I covered everything from the layout of the Brady house to the back story of the families to Cousin Oliver.
After you hear the show, make sure to check out the five bonus clips, including Barry’s thoughts on having a Brady Bunch fan in The White House.
Have a listen! Hope you guys enjoy it.
See you in Vegas?
I love Las Vegas. For me, the only thing better than going there for a vacation, is working there. Especially when I’m working on the Strip and not only is my name up in lights but a giant 45 foot headshot as well. The best lighting, best sound, best musicians, it’s all there. Such is the wonderful situation I find myself in again this week at Planet Hollywood. As some of you may know, I was invited to be a guest for a couple of weeks last month in the new open ended production of Tony & Tina’s Wedding in the Planet Hollywood Hotel. What a blast. This is hardly what I call working.
First of all I play… “myself.” Actually my “role” is playing a friend of Tina’s father who for the purposes of this wedding night is deceased. He was one of the truck driver’s on my 2001 Broadway National Tour of The Sound of Music. We became good close friends and I visited the family frequently in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Vito, as his wife Josephina refers to him, asked me if anything were to happen to him that I give Tina away on her wedding day and…. that is how I happen to show up on Tony and Tina’s wedding night.
For the uninitiated, the audience members are the guests, the two families, Nunzio’s and Vitale’s, are the wedding party and I spend the evening primarily as a mixer. Now in my case this means I have an opportunity to meet virtually every guest in the house and usually there are about 400 of them. I sit at the tables and eat with the guests, take pictures, talk about the BB and their experiences of growing up with it, I dance with everyone to the rockin group Fusion, dedicate and sing a song to Tina and generally have a great time. Party on. In all my years I have never seen audiences enjoy themselves more. The Wedding is so realistic that on more than one occasion Brides and Grooms come straight from their own nuptials wearing wedding gowns and tuxes and celebrate their reception with us!
Usually I can tell if things are going well when I am invited for a return engagement. So, beginning Friday night the 10th through Thursday night the 16th (with the exception of Sunday) at 6:30 pm I will be giving the lovely Tina Vitale away and mixing it up. If you are looking for a little RnR this upcoming week, I’d love to see you there. You can also catch me at the pool during the day. Viva Las Vegas!
Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!
The magazine that was bold enough to put Variety Hour Bradys on its cover.
Years before personal computers gave everyone the tools to become amateur graphic artists, my adolescent bedroom was adorned with an eye-catching movie poster. A man and two children were painted in the foreground, running toward the viewer while glancing behind them, as if being pursued. Towering over them on the horizon stood massive stone letters spelling out the title of the film: BLOCKBUSTER. Breathless testimonies (…the movie of the year! …the star of the century!) were accompanied by explosions in the sky and a jet soaring overhead. Above the legend Together Again As You’ve Never Seen Them Before! screamed red marquee lettering that proclaimed the stars of this cinematic event: ROBERT REDFORD and…well, and BOB HUNT! Or whatever your name happened to be, if you were a fan of Dynamite magazine and took a few minutes to ferret out the correct letters, lick the gummed backing, and carefully affix them to that month’s bonus poster.
Yes, Dynamite, the short-on-pages (36, including the card stock covers) long-on-content (no ads!) periodical that once competed with other Scholastic titles in those colorful Arrow Book Club fliers you might have brought home from school. So faithfully did I check its little box each month that my mother eventually decided that a subscription made more sense, and soon Dynamite was making its regular appearance among the scant mail I received. I looked forward to every issue, and what kid wouldn’t? With its bonus posters and punch-outs, magic tricks and tips for transforming your dull room into a cool place, Dynamite understood juvenile interests and unfailingly delivered.
‘Only valid for my blog and facebook friends’
Vegas is one of my favorite places. I love the energy and the mix of fun, interesting people. I’m here for the next few weeks performing in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. It’s a great show if I say so myself. We’re having a great time. I worked with the management here to offer a special rate for my friends online. If you can make it simply print this page and head to Vegas.
Hope to see you here!
Barry
‘Look closely, that’s me making my first landing!’
Along the way to reaching a goal there are milestones that must be achieved. I recently took on the goal of becoming a private pilot and I am happy to say I just hit one of those milestones. At some point if you want to swim you have to jump in the water, or if you want to snow ski at some point you must head down the mountain. If you want to fly there comes a time when you need to do it unassisted, without a flight instructor to tell you what to do, and sometimes more importantly, what not to do. That point happened for me this past month.
The first thing I told Joe Justice, my instructor, when we started this process was that I was not in a hurry to hot-rod around the skies. I wanted to take whatever time necessary to reach a level of proficiency that made my first foray above the earth a safe one. That day happened on February 18th. Keeping in mind the aviator’s motto that flying is the second most satisfying experience in the world and LANDING is first. The only inkling I had that the day’s lesson might be different is that Joe made sure I had my log book and picture ID onboard the plane.
Off we went for a couple of loops around the airport, landing and taking off again without stopping. After our second landing he asked me to come to a complete stop because… he wanted to get out of the plane. The moment was here. The moment I had long anticipated. After 42.9 hours of supervised flight time he at least felt I was prepared to fly alone. It was time to solo. Even with butterflies, I felt ready as well.
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Thanks,
Breg
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