10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you know who George Glass was, you might be a Brady-addict, November 1, 2007
This review is from: The Brady Bunch - Complete Series Pack (Seasons 1-5) (DVD)
I am proud to be a Brady-addict!!! You can be a Brady-addict, too... It's really easy...
...If you know who George Glass was, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know why Jennifer Nichols dumped Greg, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know why Jan rubbed a lemon on her face, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know why Greg had to hide Raquel, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know who Phil Packer was, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know who made fun of Cindy's lisp, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know the names of Alice's two siblings, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know why Alice quit working for the Brady's, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know the name of Mike's boss, you might be a Brady-addict. If you know which Brady boy had a passionate on-screen kiss, you might be a Brady-addict. If you've seen "The Brady Kids,"
Brady Bunch Variety Hour, "The Brady Brides,"
Brady Home Movies,
Very Brady Christmas, "The Brady's" and
Still Brady After All These Years: A 35TH Anniversary Reunion Special you might be a Brady-addict...
"The Brady Bunch" is only the best sitcom that ever made it to American TV. I grew up watching this classic program and can proudly say that I know every single show by heart. I can see a show for just a split second and know the exact and precise plot; is this a gift or a curse? But, that doesn't mean these shows ever get boring. There's always room for "The Brady Bunch" because this happy family can bring a smile to anyone's face.
The late and much-loved Robert Reed played the Brady patriarch, Mike Brady. Mr. Brady was always the sense of reason. Every time I see him I instantly think of Carol saying, "Whatever your father says." Or, I think of the kids saying to Mike (after he kindly put them in their place, so to speak), "I never thought of it like that..." Robert Reed was an awesome actor. Because he played the part very seriously. He didn't care that it was only a kid's show. No, to him it was a real family. And, not too many guys can pull off a perm but Mike looked pretty hot. Before joining "The Brady Bunch," Robert Reed was on the classic '60s detective drama, "The Defenders."
Speaking of hot, Florence Henderson was one hot mama; playing Carol Brady née Martin (and her maiden name was Tyler.) It was never established, but I have always believed that Carol was widowed. She wasn't divorced, because at a time in American culture this was still a controversial subject. (Of course in the
The Brady Bunch Movie / A Very Brady Sequel, she is a divorcée, but that's certainly not the same storyline.) Carol was the world's best mom. She was always there for her kids, but she didn't baby them. Carol treated all of her kids like adults. One of my favorite eps with Carol was during the ep "Every Boy Does It Once." Bobby wanted to run away because he didn't feel needed or wanted, and Carol says, "it's a big world out there; you didn't think I was going to let you go alone." Since, "The Brady Bunch" Flo has kept busy. She had a couple talk-shows and has acted in movies. She even wrote a cookbook,
Florence Henderson's Short-Cut Cooking: America's Favorite Mom Helps You Get Dinner On The Table Fast. But no matter what she does, she will always be most loved for being Carol Brady.
A member of the Brady Family that is tremendously underrated is Alice Nelson (Ann B. Davis.) I just loved Alice. What can I say about Alice that you don't already know? She was always there when the Brady's needed her and never around when they didn't. But she wasn't viewed as a "maid." Nope, Alice was a bona fide member of the family. Alice was seamstress, chef, nursemaid, listener, friend and at times even surrogate mother for the entire Brady Family. I don't think the Brady's could ever survive without Alice and Alice could never survive without them. And didn't Alice's dishes always look so good? I don't think she cared about carbs or fat-grams. There's also a great cookbook that Ann B. Davis wrote,
Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook. In the '50s Ms. Davis was best known as the lovable, "Schultzy" from her two-time Emmy-winning role on "The Bob Cummings Show."
Greg was the oldest Brady brother, played by Barry Williams. Greg enjoyed singing, playing the guitar, baseball, and surfing. And Greg was always girl-crazy. One of my favorite eps with Greg is "Our Son, the Man." This is the one where Greg moved into Mike's den and gets a "groovy" new outfit to impress a senior at school. There are many books about "The Brady Bunch," but Barry Williams wrote the very best book that I have ever read,
Growing Up Brady : I Was a Teenage Greg. Barry, aka Johnny Bravo, even had his own CD:
Return of Johnny Bravo.
Marcia was the oldest Brady girl, played by Maureen McCormick. For lack of a better word, Marcia was perfect. She was a cheerleader, a writer on the school newspaper and she had more friends and boyfriends than she knew what to do with. She also had the most perfect blonde hair in the world. Marcia also had a really beautiful voice, remember when she sang? In 1997 Maureen played country-singer, Barbara Mandrell in a critically-acclaimed movie. Maureen even released music into the `90s that has somewhat of a country flair,
When You Get a Little Lonely. And, earlier this year Maureen was on "Celebrity Fit Club" and got into fit shape! I understand Maureen is currently writing a book that will be out next year!
Peter (Christopher Knight) was probably the most thoughtful Brady boy. He was always around to lend a helping hand and he always felt remorse when he did something wrong. Remember "The Personality Kid" ep? Peter tries to come up with a new personality because he is afraid that no one likes him. But he learns that even saying "pork chops and applesauce" can't buy him friends if he doesn't like himself first. Of course, Chris Knight is well-known now by an entirely new generation, thanks to "The Surreal Life" and his very popular reality-show, "My Fair Brady."
Jan, aka Marcia's little sister (Eve Plumb) was one of my very favorite Brady's. I always felt bad for Jan. She had to spend her entire childhood living in Marcia's shadows. Jan tried everything to branch-out and be her own person; she tried being a pom-pom girl, a painter, a tap dancer and even a writer. All with no success; because Jan was always the perpetual loser. Of course Jan uttered the most famous lines on "The Brady Bunch," when she said, "Marcia, Marcia Marcia." Don't worry Jan, I still love you. After "The Brady Bunch" ended, Eve became the "Brady" who was most reluctant to talk about her past. She even branched out into many different roles which were the complete opposite of the sweet and shy Jan. She was in the '79 movie Little Women. One of Eve's best roles was playing a nun in a series of eps on "The Facts of Life."
Bobby was the youngest Brady boy, played by Mike Lookinland. Bobby was the type of kid that a parent had to always watch because he was slick. He would do something when no one was looking. He also had a tendency to snitch; remember when he became a safety-monitor and started using his authority to his own advantage by busting all of his bothers and sisters, not to mention the kids at school?
Speaking of snitches, Cindy Brady was the youngest Brady child; played by the considerably more intelligent Susan Oleson. This child was purely dumb a as a doorknob which only made her more funny than the rest. Cindy also had an incredibly large mouth; she would repeat anything and everything she (over)heard. She was referred to as "the baby" at least once by Marcia and I think that was more because of the way she behaved than because of her actual age. Before being cast as cute Cindy, Susan had a bit part in one of The King's last movies, The Trouble with Girls.
And rounding out the cast is Sam "the butcher" Franklin (played by the legendary character actor, Allan Melvin also famous for another ground-breaking '70s sitcom, All in the Family - The Complete First Season.) And, towards the end of Season Five, Cousin Oliver (child character actor, Robbie Rist) joined the family. Also members of the extended Brady Family were Tiger the Dog (real name: Tiger) and Fluffy the Cat (pilot ep, only) (real name: unknown.) Cindy also got a couple of rabbits in the last ep that she wanted to sell, named Romeo and Juliet (real names for both: who cares.)
It really is hard to say who my favorite character is because I feel like I know them all so well. They Brady's are like a member of my own family. How can I choose one over the other? I suppose if I had to choose, I would pick Jan and coming in at a close second would be Cindy and Alice, tied.
"The Brady Bunch" was always extremely educational for children. I started watching "The Brady Bunch" in the late `80s when I was 7 or 8 and it really taught me a lot. I didn't come from a large family, but perhaps I learned from "The Brady Bunch" the importance of family and the importance of sharing with others. I also learned more basic lessons in history. For example, when my family went to HI, I already knew about Pearl Harbor & the USS AZ (courtesy of "The Brady Bunch.") I also learned about Early American History, specifically...
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