The Brady Bunch

The Brady Bunch was a US television situation comedy, based around a large blended family. 117 episodes were broadcast between September 1969 and August 1974 on the ABC network. The idea to make the series was partly based on series creator Sherwood Schwartz reading an article that half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce, and partly based on the 1968 theatrical release Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Mike Brady, a widower with sons Greg, Peter, and Bobby and a wisecracking housekeeper named Alice, married Carol Martin (born Carol Tyler), whose daughters were Marcia, Jan, and Cindy. They all moved into a new home designed by Mike and various family problems ensued. Initially scripts focused on the various family member's attempts to adjust to the new blended family. Later, problems of growing teenagers such as school yard rivalries, dating problems, and household squabbles were explored. The show is something of a cultural phenomenon, having lasted in the minds of Americans for over 30 years. It is the show in widest syndication with the longest consecutive airing time in history. Since its first airing in syndication, an episode of the show has been on TV somewhere in the world every single day. This is despite the fact that The Brady Bunch was not a high-rated show during its first run on television. When the episodes were repeated in syndication, usually in early-afternoon slots so kids could watch them when they returned from school, the ratings were much higher, on par with syndication favorites Gilligan's Island and I Love Lucy. The teenage talent on the show spun off singing careers as they toured the USA in the 1970s, calling themselves The Brady Bunch Kids. The house used in exterior shots of the series is located in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, California. The house was only one-story, but a false window was attached to make it look like it had two.

Cast

The cast appeared in an opening title sequence in which video head shots were arranged in a three-by-three grid, with each cast member appearing to look at the other cast members. The sequence has been widely imitated and lampooned since:
Maureen McCormick (Marcia)Florence Henderson (Carol)Barry Williams (Greg)
Eve Plumb (Jan)Ann B. Davis (Alice)Christopher Knight (Peter)
Susan Olsen (Cindy)Robert Reed (Mike)Mike Lookinland (Bobby)

Spinoffs and Sequels

A variety show called The Brady Bunch Variety Hour was spun-off (Eve Plumb was the only actor who declined to be in the series; the role of Jan was recast with Geri Reischl) in 1977 and was canceled after only a handful of episodes were aired. A TV reunion movie called The Brady Girls Get Married, and a spin-off sitcom as well as a dramedy were attempted (The Brady Brides and The Bradys, the latter of which Maureen McCormick refused to be a part of. She was replaced in that series with Leah Ayres). While the reunion movie fueled new interest in the clan, the television shows were not successes and were canceled almost immediately. A 1995 movie, The Brady Bunch Movie placed the original 1970s sitcom characters, with their 1970s fashion sense and 1970s sitcom family morality, in a contemporary 1990s setting, and parodied the resulting culture clash. The resulting movie was successful enough that in 1997 a reasonably well-received sequel, imaginatively titled A Very Brady Sequel, was produced, which made sly comment on the well-documented real-life sexual tension between some of the teenage cast members of the original TV series. In 2002, a telefilm called The Brady Bunch in the White House was produced, which recieved poor reviews.

Albums

During the run of the television show, the cast recorded several albums:
  • Merry Christmas from the Brady Bunch
  • Meet the Brady Bunch
  • Kids from the Brady Bunch
  • The Brady Bunch Phonographic Album
  • Maureen McCormick and Chris Knight from the Brady Bunch
Two very popular songs were "Sunshine Day" and "Keep On." Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch, The
The Brady Bunch is also a derogatory name for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

 

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