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…

Porkchops and Applesauce Served Here

The Bradys' Ultra-Modern Living Room

Here is what the entry hall of the REAL Brady Bunch house in L.A. might look like (more or less) from an interior view, which bares very little resemblance to what we saw on the Brady set.

Want to see more? Take my full Brady house tour at Flickr and You Tube.

 

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!

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.

Farrah Fawcett and her poster were an important part of my growing up. For a while, I kind’ve resented Lee Majors! Of course, I didn’t show it the day he and Farrah made an appearance on The Brady Bunch Hour.

The script called for me to act tongue tied when I saw them. I can tell you, I didn’t have to do a whole lot of acting. While it may not be the scene either is best remembered for, I’ll always be thankful I shared the screen with those two TV icons.

Michael and Farrah will be missed.

 

Who will win the first-ever GBP Brady Awards?

Did you catch the Academy Awards recently?  Greg Brady Project friend David H. did, and the sight of all those Oscars being handed out inspired him to propose “the first annual ‘Brady’ awards, honoring outstanding achievements in an episode of The Brady Bunch.”  David suggested six award categories, with all us of collaborating to produce five worthy nominees for each category.  After the nominations are finalized, winners will be decided by popular vote.  We love the idea, David, and so it is that we now officially open the call for nominations for the award categories listed below.  I’m really tempted to serve up a full slate of contenders, but I’m going to limit myself to the honor of choosing the first nominee for each award.  The rest is up to all of you, loyal Brady fans.

BEST ACTOR (any male cast member can be nominated for a specific episode):  I nominate Mike Lookinland for “Bobby’s Hero.”  Not only does he create a credible change of heart for the Jesse James-obsessed Bobby, he conveys real terror (as coached by Lloyd Schwartz) during the fantasy train robbery.

BEST ACTRESS (same for female cast member):  I nominate  Eve Plumb for “The Not-So-Rose-Colored Glasses.”  Eve has a lot of great moments in this one, from her glib dismissal of Marcia’s concern for her eyesight to the tearjerker scene in which Mike learns that Jan has sold her bike to pay for a second family portrait.

BEST WRITING (nominate episodes):  I nominate Brad Radnitz for “Confessions, Confessions,” a beautifully paced episode that peaks in the middle with the famous leaking-vase scene and then builds the tension up again until nearly the last second, keeping the audience wondering if Peter will ever tell the truth.

BEST GUEST STAR PERFORMANCE – MALE:  I nominate Davy Jones for “Getting Davy Jones.”  The sight and sound of the beloved Monkee clasping hand to headpone and warbling “Girl” has been treasured by Brady fans for decades.

BEST GUEST STAR PERFORMANCE – FEMALE:  I nominate Imogene Coca for her eccentric yet endearing performance as “Jan’s Aunt Jenny.”

BEST EPISODE:  Well, I gotta go with the top of my Brady Six for this one.  I nominate my all-time favorite, “Cyrano de Brady.”

And while we’re at it, here’s one more category for us to consider.

BEST CATCH PHRASE:  I nominate “Something suddenly came up,” the all-purpose date-breaker.

And there you have it, the first round of nominations for the 2009 GBP Brady Awards.  Four more slots are open for each category, so hit the “Comment” button and clack away at your keyboard like Scoop Brady on a hot tip!

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

Mark your calendars and rearrange your holiday travel plans for this Monday. Courtesy of the great website SitcomsOnline, TV Land will hold a President’s Day “Brady Bunch” marathon from 10am – 2pm. Here are the episodes you can expect to catch. And for our readers in Milwaukee, the site also reports that Me-TV has added the show to its weekday schedule at 6:30pm. Enjoy!

No fair choosing all six Oliver episodes.

A while back we asked you to name your Brady Six, the sextet of classic episodes that you consider to be the best of the Bunch.  Now it’s time to visit the other end of the spectrum with the Brady Basement.  These are the half-dozen lesser shows that you recognize with a slight sigh of disappointment whenever they air, not because they are inherently bad but simply because they are not great.  Though I truly enjoy all 117 episodes (call me the Father Flanagan of Bradyphiles, but I believe there are no bad Brady Bunch episodes), I am less likely to spend precious Brady Bunch-watching time with the following six installments, presented in the order in which they aired.

The angst of being the youngest one in curls.

EENIE-MEENIE-MOMMY-DADDY

First season episodes of The Brady Bunch stand conspicuously apart from the rest of the series for many reasons:  the kids are so young, the Peppermint Trolley Company warble the opening theme, and storylines focus on whether or not this whole blended-family experiment will succeed.  A more playful tone would eventually emerge, but some of the initial shows get stuck in syrupy drama or lethally sweet cuteness.  This episode has both, with director John Rich pushing Cindy to her most adorable limits and then casting her into the pit of melodramatic despair.  Should she give Mommy the single ticket to her school play?  Should she give it to her new Daddy?  Modern Brady watchers with the benefit of multiple rerun hindsight can only watch helplessly, unable to reach through the TV screen and shake little Cindy out of the dumps.

Mike plays it cool as Bobby runs away.

EVERY BOY DOES IT ONCE

Bobby surpasses Cindy’s despair and adds a dose of self-pity for a foul mood that will reign as The Worst Brady Funk Ever until Jan becomes unhinged in the fifth season (see Try, Try Again).  The source of Bobby’s depression?  He gets carried away watching Cinderella and becomes convinced that Carol is a wicked stepmother.  No amount of evidence to the contrary can persuade him otherwise, and again we viewers are powerless to stop a little Brady from wallowing in misery.

Split screen in Season 3 (…and again in Season 4…and Season 5)

SERGEANT EMMA

Some might say the appearance of a regular cast member in a dual role is a sign that writers are running out of ideas, but there was still plenty of good stuff coming down the Brady pipeline when Ann B. Davis appeared as Alice’s cousin Emma in the third season.  My beef with this episode is that I find the presence of abrasive and bossy Emma nearly as unpleasant as the Bradys do.  Why do they put up with her?  Why?  Why?  Is Alice totally unaware of her cousin’s pushy arrogance?  Whatever the reason, writers would give Robert Reed and Florence Henderson a crack at dual roles in the next season’s “You’re Never Too Old” (still not running out of ideas, though), and the split screen would be employed again in season five’s “Two Pete’s in a Pod,” in which Peter meets his double, Arthur Owens (okay, the idea well was starting to run dry).

Jan’s insufferable bout with her self-esteem.

TRY, TRY AGAIN

Here’s the story:  Jan doesn’t make the cut for the ballet recital.  Jan believes that she has no talent.  Carol suggests tap dancing.  Jan tries it.  Family is annoyed.  Jan believes she has no talent at all.  Marcia suggests baton twirling.  Jan breaks window.  Jan believe she has no talent at all for anything.  Kids start to let her win games of ping-pong, Monopoly and darts to increase her self-confidence.  Jan feels much better.  Mike and Carol get wind of the deceit and make the kids come clean.  Jan is almost suicidal over her lack of talent.  Carol suggests acting.  Jan shows no talent for it – BUT – her flair for painting is serendipitously discovered.  One minute of happy resolution preceded by twenty-four minutes of self-indulgent moping.  The Worst Brady Funk Ever.

Where have all the Bradys gone?

KELLY’S KIDS

“Kelly’s Kids” is not a bad half-hour of television, and one wonders what might have followed had the network picked up this pilot for a Ken Berry spinoff series.  Kudos to Sherwood Schwartz for introducing a socially progressive program that sought to entertain while confronting prejudices about race and adoption in a gentle yet constructive way.  Further compliments go to Todd Lookinland (brother of Mike), whose skillful portrayal of Matt includes one of the most convincing crying scenes by a child actor.  So what’s the problem?  Not enough Brady.  The regular cast and even the reassuringly familiar set of the Brady home make cameo appearances, with the bulk of the plot involving novel characters in new settings.  Midway through, when a weepy variation of the Brady theme underscores a tender scene set at the Kelly house, the effect is bizarre and unsettling (not unlike the “this is wrong” message that flashed through your brain when you first saw Fake Jan).  Bottom line:  A Brady Bunch should be about the Brady bunch.

In which the last shreds of Brady believability are butchered.

TOP SECRET

It was “The Hairbrained Scheme” in which Robert Reed infamously refused to appear due to the implausibility of hair tonic turning Greg’s hair orange.  Surely the same thought of escape must have occurred to him with this episode.  We are asked to believe that Sam wants Mike to draw up preliminary butcher-shop expansion plans in secret because he wants to surprise Alice.  We also must swallow the idea that Bobby is lunkheaded enough to believe Oliver’s wild theory that Sam is a double-agent spy.  The subplot provides little relief as the Brady ladies are convinced that Sam is planning a honeymoon cottage for Alice, the very thought of which sends them  into hyperventilating excitement.  The chopped liver of Brady plots.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

1969-1974:  The Brady Bunch appears in its initial prime-time run.  As I was born in 1968, I am only dimly aware of its existence, but like Mozart played for infants, the show fills the space around my developing neurons and synapses.

1974-1979:  The First Golden Era of Syndication, in which I am exposed to the Brady canon repeatedly until the episodes are more familiar to me than the oral histories of my own family.

1980:  A friend shows me how he uses audio cassettes to record the sound from television shows by dangling a microphone in front of the TV speaker.  His recordings are low-fi and filled with atmospheric noise like kitchen clangings and his sisters chatting.  I immediately employ his technique to preserve a few Bunch episodes.

1981:  My parents stun the family by being among the first on the block to buy a VCR.  It’s a $500 top-loading behemoth with a wired remote that has one function:  pause.  Video cassettes sell for $15 each, and we try to use every inch of tape at the 6-hr. slow speed.

1982:  The Second Golden Era of Syndication, in which I catch Ann B. Davis mentioning in an interview that there were 117 Brady Bunch episodes, the first time I have ever heard this magic number.  Superstation WTBS runs the Bunch right after Leave It To Beaver five afternoons a week; 15 heavily-edited, commercial-paused episodes can fit onto a single videotape, and I’m on my way to capturing all 117.  “The Voice of Christmas” is the most elusive, as it’s always skipped in the syndication package unless it’s December.

1993-1994:  The Columbia House Video Library offers uncut, unedited Brady Bunch episodes by subscription.  Every four to six weeks, I receive a VHS tape containing four thematically grouped shows.  I am ecstatic at their quality and the promise of replacing my heavily-edited syndicated recordings with a pristine collection.  My ecstasy turns to agony, however, when Columbia House discontinues the offer after only 10 tapes, for a 40-episode total that is a mere third of the complete series.

2005-2006:  At long last, the Columbia House VHS letdown is redeemed by Paramount’s release of the entire series in the superior DVD format.  What’s more, the thematic grouping of episodes is ditched in favor of presenting the shows as God intended – by season, in the order in which they originally aired.  Around the world, Bradyphiles finally feel secure ridding themselves of well-worn videotapes.

2008:  The Golden Era of Self-Syndication.  Through the magic of efficient freeware, I am able to convert the Brady Bunch episodes that I purchased on DVD for use on my iPod.  All 117 episodes are on a playlist I have labeled “Brady TV.”  When I enable the shuffle feature, my iPod becomes a miniature Brady Bunch server, calling up random episodes for my entertainment.  I have entered Brady heaven.

2048:  Now an old man, I nevertheless still have all my wits about me, and so I take the plunge and have a 1.5 googlebyte iBrain installed.  Little do my retirement village friends know that I am not merely spending my afternoons staring vacantly out the window;  I am, in fact, watching The Brady Bunch.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

Brady fans, I bring you good news from the world of education.  Those worries that have kept you from sleeping at night, the creeping anxiety that a true appreciation of The Brady Bunch might die with the passing of your generation – I’m here to reassure you that your fears are unfounded.  Oh, I know that too many children today do not know Buddy Hinton from Harvey Klinger.  Yes, I am well aware that the phrases “Oh, my nose!” and “Something suddenly came up” have no special meaning for a depressingly large portion of modern youth.  But I shall not despair.  For I have seen with my own eyes the very evidence that makes me believe The Brady Bunch will be treasured long after its initial audience is gone.

It was the threat of rain that started me on the road to this revelation.  Before dashing off to my job teaching fourth graders, I tossed a Brady Bunch DVD into my bag of graded papers.  If the forecasted precipitation arrived before noon, I would need an acceptable option to keep my class entertained during indoor recess.  Sure enough, we spotted dark skies and a playground full of puddles when the recess bell rang.  I had my makeshift theater ready to go, with a boombox wired to pump out the sound and our trusty LCD projector standing by to splash the vibrant blue opening titles across the length and breadth of our overhead screen.  We arranged our chairs in rows, and soon a familiar theme resounded through the classroom.  Well, familiar to you and me, that is.

Seeing the smiling faces of TV’s most famous blended family and their wacky housekeeper was a total novelty for a number of my students, many of whom had never even heard of The Brady Bunch.  It was clear from the outset that they had no idea what they were watching, as one girl commented that she had never seen “this movie.”  How strange it must have seemed to them, this relic that bears so little resemblance to the various entertainments that fill programming schedules and theaters today.  With no point of reference to prejudice them, they simply accepted it at face value.  It was not retro, it was not kitsch, it was not nostalgic, it was simply a funny program as pure as the day it was first broadcast.  I was stunned by their reaction.

I had chosen to show the “Fright Night” episode, not only because it’s a fun story that features all of the kids, but mostly because I remember counting it as one of my favorites when I was in fourth grade.  I wondered if they would enjoy it as much as I had.  As the episode began, my class sat patiently through the opening sequence of Mike modeling for Carol’s sculpture project.  There were little side conversations breaking out when the camera panned over sleeping Brady girls in the next scene.  From the moment Jan and Cindy spotted a ghost outside their window, however, my students were hooked.  They laughed at the boys celebrating the success of their prank.  They stared with wide eyes as the girls discovered how they had been duped and plotted revenge.  They cheered when Bobby and Peter ran terrified from the attic.  And when Mike and Carol returned home from the art show instead of Alice arriving first, I heard my class emit a collective gasp.  They were as riveted as an I-beam.  When the episode ended, they begged to see more.

And why should I have been surprised, really?  Sibling rivalries, lighthearted pranks, taking a joke too far – these are timeless and universal themes.  It’s what captivated us grown-ups in the first place, isn’t it?  The creators, cast and crew of The Brady Bunch knew how to tell a good story, and if there’s one thing that kids love, it’s a good story.  If what happened in our classroom on a recent rainy morning is any indication, those stories will be enjoyed by many more generations to come.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

The following hypothetical scenario is so explosively controversial that I precede it with an emphatic disclaimer:  I am making this up, and therefore in no way does it confirm or deny the political opinions or lack thereof of the persons involved.  Having said that, I ask you to consider your reaction to an imaginary YouTube clip featuring a 1970’s-era recording studio.  Gathered around a pair of microphones are present-day Brady kids Barry Williams, Mike Lookinland, Chris Knight, Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen and Maureen McCormick, all of them looking considerably older than their last appearance in these surroundings nearly 40 years ago.  They sway and bop their heads, belt out a few sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na’s, and recreate that classic moment when The Brady Six recorded Time To Change.  Their clothes are much like the groovy threads they wore back then, with one notable exception:  they’re all wearing Barack Obama t-shirts.  If such a clip were made, what would your reaction be?  Is it sitcom sacrilege for actors to mix political opinion with their iconic characters?

That’s the question fans of The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days are asking after viewing Ron Howard’s Call To Action, a four-minute political video that debuted on Funny Or Die last week.  The clip features actor and director Howard expressing his desperation over the current political climate, a feeling so profound that he is willing to sacrifice his artistic integrity as a filmmaker to draw attention to his cause.  To that end, he appears in a black-and-white segment in which he and Andy Griffith reprise their roles as Opie and Andy Taylor at the fishin’ hole, followed by a resurrection of Richie and Fonzie in a skit with Henry Winkler.  The familiar characters in these retro bits lend support to the Obama campaign, discredit the current administration and poke fun at Sarah Palin.

Reaction from fans has been mixed.  “OMG, I love that!” reacted Schmoopie, who posts on the Sitcoms Online Happy Days message board, “Not only do he and Henry Winkler (and Andy Griffith, for that matter!) have great tastes in candidates, that was an awesome video!  Hilarious!”

An opposing view was expressed by Miss Crump’s Blackboard member Fillingstation, who posted, “I would think that these 3 gentlemen would have thought of the fans before doing this.  I will never forget what I saw today…I just don’t see what good this may have done.”

At the core of the debate is an issue as fundamental as the separation of church and state:  namely, the separation of actor and character, and the question of whether the ideology of the former should ever be permitted to be expressed by the latter.  Around the fringe of this argument is a repeated sentiment that many fans prefer to keep their memories of favorite shows untainted by anything that might disrupt their enjoyment.  And it doesn’t just have to be political.

“This reminds me of an experience my hubby had many years ago,” posted Miss Crump’s Blackboard member Sweet Tea.  “He was in a business in LA that provided a specific household service.  He had both everyday people as well as celebrities as customers.  His fave was Florence Henderson, she was so kind and friendly.  But, she also was not like Carol Brady (reasons which I shall keep private, though not negative).  This forever changed his view of her on TBB.  He wished he had never known, just like I wish I had never ever ever seen this video.”

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

For this I missed The Brady Brides?

I was twelve years old when The Brady Brides debuted on NBC in the winter of 1981, and nobody could have been happier about it.  The reunion of the entire original cast and the promise of an ongoing series was a wonderful antidote to the bad taste left behind by the notorious Variety Hour.  As far as I was concerned, that failed experiment was just a bad dream, its flying fringe and cheesy Krofft production a forgotten hallucination.  Now the Bradys were back where they belonged in the familiar house that Mike designed, and what’s more, there was the return of Real Jan (surely as God intended).  Naturally, I was a fixture before the color console for a season’s worth of Friday nights.  All except for one, that is.

While I was in the midst of enjoying this improbable resurgence of Brady popularity, my friend Dan noted the comeback of his own retro interest, Jerry Lewis.  Whereas I was known to while away a number of weekday hours engrossed in my umpteenth viewing of Brady Bunch reruns, Dan enjoyed frittering the odd Saturday afternoon by indulging in the hijinks of The Geisha Boy and The Disorderly Orderly.  So when he learned that our local theater was about to screen Hardly Working, the first new Jerry Lewis movie in over ten years, it seemed like a rare chance to catch a new classic in its first run.  He convinced me that the fun and excitement of seeing the film on its opening night would be worth foregoing my regular Friday night engagement with The Brady Brides.

Now, I am well aware of the pathos inherent in anyone feeling pangs of regret over missing an episode of The Brady Brides, no matter how young he might have been at the time.  I don’t think that I regarded it as the pinnacle of entertainment even then, and I certainly perceive its middling-to-low quality today.  But I’m telling you, 12 years old or not, I made a Bad Decision when I gave up a half hour of Brady Brides for the 91 excruciating minutes of Hardly Working.  Yes, it’s that bad.  And I’m no Jerry-hater, far from it.  Why, I enjoy The Nutty Professor with the passion of a French cinephile.  Hardly Working, though, is Lewis at his nadir.

But don’t take my word for it.  Film critic Roger Ebert certainly agreed.  “I was absolutely stunned by the vast stupidity of this film,” he wrote in his review.  “It is not just a bad film, it is incompetent filmmaking.”  Then he gave the knife a twist:  “Once, a very long time ago, Jerry Lewis made me laugh.  I was seven at the time.  He still seems to be making movies for the same audience.”  Ouch!

Ah, regret.  If only I had been born a few years later, if only I could have seen the opening night of Hardly Working when I was seven.  But I was twelve, wise beyond my years, and even as Jerry the mixologist poured a drink on the floor while ogling a bartop dancer, I knew what I was missing.  Yes, it was that bad.