464 girls and boys were interviewed by producer Sherwood Schwartz to find the Brady kids.


In addition to the albums recorded by the Brady kids, there was an album featuring only Maureen McCormick and Christopher Knight. It was a commercial failure.


'Reed, Robert' was written out of the final episode because he refused to appear in it. It was no secret that Reed hated his role of Mike Brady and it was not the only time he was written out of an episode.


The theme song during the first season, unlike subsequent seasons, was not sung by the Brady kids, but by a group known as The Peppermint Trolley Company.


We saw the Brady's bathroom many times, but not once did we see a toilet. The popular joke was that the Bradys are so good, clean, and wholesome that didn't even go to the bathroom. The truth is, they had intended putting a toilet in the bathroom, but the network censors wouldn't them.


Sherwood Schwartz originally wanted Gene Hackman for the role of Mike Brady, but Hackman wasn't considered well-known enough at the time.


Tiger, the Bradys' dog disappeared after the second season of the show. In reality, Tiger ran away and supposedly got hit by a car. The reason the dog house remained was because one of the studio lights fell and burned a hole in their beloved Astro-turf, so they moved the dog house to cover up the burn hole.


Joyce Bulifant was the original choice for the role of Carol Brady.


Even though this show stayed on for five seasons, it never was a ratings hit. The highest it ever got was number 34 in the Nielsens, but stayed on the air due to its popularity among children.


The Brady kids attended Westdale High School, Filmore Junior High and Clinton Elementary School.


The Brady's next door neighbors, the Ditmeyers, were talked about, but only Mr. Ditmeyer was seen on one occasion.


The girls originally had a cat named Fluffy, but it was only seen in the pilot. The cat was gone by the time the second episode aired.


Originally, both Mike and Carol were going to be divorcees. However, when the concept was announced, A.B.C. was very much against it. It was then decided to make Mike a widower and leave Carol the divorcee.


Carol's last name from her previous marriage was Martin.


Even though Greg dated a lot, you never actually saw him kiss any of the girls he went out with.


The only Brady kid to have a kissing scene was Bobby.


The Bradys all drove Chrylser Corporation vehicles (until the final season). Mike Brady drove a 1968 Dodge Polara convertible in the pilot; a 1969 Plymouth Fury III in years one and two; a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible in year three; a 1972 Plymouth Barracuda convertible in year four (actually, a modified 1971 model), and a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice convertible in year five. Carol, on the other hand, drove only two vehicles: a 1970 Plymouth Satellite wagon, and a 1971 Plymouth Satellite wagon (which took the "bunch" on their infamous Grand Canyon trip). The vehicles were loaned to Paramount by the Chrysler Corporation for filming. Incidentally, the 1969 Plymouth Fury III convertible that "Mike Brady" drove was recently restored to showroom condition.


The house used for exterior shots, which was normally seen at the beginning of every episode, was located in North Hollywood, California. Since the series ended, the owners of the home have erected an iron fence, let heavy shrubbery grow to cover much of the front, and have suffered numerous trespassers. They also refused to let producers use the home for exterior shots in the subsequent films in the 1990s.


The name of the Brady kids' singing group was the Brady Six. However, in one episode they temporarily changed it to the Silver Platters.


The word "sex" was not mentioned until the final episode of the series.


Carol's maiden name before she married her first husband was Tyler.


Due to its (suprisingly) marginal ratings, the show was never renewed for a whole season until its last season on the air (1973-74). During its first four seasons, it was only renewed for thirteen weeks at a time. Several members of the cast have admitted that, when they finished taping thirteen weeks worth of shows, there was always an air of apprehension while they waited to see if ABC would renew the program or not.


'Robert Reed' , who famously disliked his role as Mike Brady, claimed he only took the part because producer Sherwood Schwartz told him the show would be a serious, boundary-pushing look at modern family life.


The names of Mike's and Carol's previous spouses were never mentioned on the show. In fact, the only time a picture was shown of Mike's first wife was in the very first episode.


Even though it was widely known that the show was set in the Los Angeles suburbs, the name of the town the Brady's lived in was never mentioned.


The character 'Mike Brady' was ranked #14 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).


The house used for the exterior shots of the home in the opening sequence, as well as various points throughout the show's run, is 11222 Dilling St., Studio City, California.

Sanford and Son was responsible for the Brady Bunch being cancelled.

You forgot to add tha Sanford and Son was responsible for the Brady Bunch being cancelled

Thanks....good stuff!

Who was Sanford & Son responsible for the Brady Bunch to be cancelled?

Who was Sanford & Son, and why were they responsible for the Brady Bunch to be cancelled?

Sanford and Son was on at the same time The Brady Bunch was on, during the 5th season. Most people felt this sitcom was more grounded in reality than the "Bunch". Hence, they were getting killed in the ratings.

But, as we all know, "The Brady Bunch" has aged much better than "Sanford & Son"!

Originally posted by CliffClavin
464 girls and boys were interviewed by producer Sherwood Schwartz to find the Brady kids.

Joyce Bulifant was the original choice for the role of Carol Brady.

The Brady kids attended Westdale High School, Filmore Junior High and Clinton Elementary School.

The Brady's next door neighbors, the Ditmeyers, were talked about, but only Mr. Ditmeyer was seen on one occasion.

The only Brady kid to have a kissing scene was Bobby.

The word "sex" was not mentioned until the final episode of the series.

'Robert Reed' , who famously disliked his role as Mike Brady, claimed he only took the part because producer Sherwood Schwartz told him the show would be a serious, boundary-pushing look at modern family life.

Even though it was widely known that the show was set in the Los Angeles suburbs, the name of the town the Brady's lived in was never mentioned.





I love Brady trivia - great post, Cliff!

Just a few comments:

I wonder how many of the 464 kids went on to have careers in show business...I understand that the choice for Bobby came down to Mike Lookinland and another kid who ended up being on "Here Come the Brides", or some other show like that... I also heard that there were two sets of kids picked for the Brady Kids...one set of blond girls, one set of brunette girls, one set of blond boys, and one set of dark-haired boys...and the final casting would be decided when the roles for the parents were cast... since Florence Henderson was blond and Robert Reed had dark hair, Barry, Chris, Mike, Maureen, Eve and Susan were picked, instead of the other blond boys and brunette girls... It sure was nice seeing Eve Plumb grow up! :loveya:

I always am fascinated by casting choices that almost were... and just thinking about how different the show would have been with Joyce Bullifant and Gene Hackman as Carol and Mike...wow, I can't even come close to picturing that .... Joyce maybe, but Gene...no way!


I'm drawing a complete blank....do you remember in which episode Mr. Dittmeyer appeared? And did he have a speaking part?

Yes, Bobby was the only Brady child to recieve an on-screen kiss...and from Melissa Sue Anderson yet! Not bad, Bobby!

Re: The word "sex"...it was spoken by Cousin Oliver... "You know, Cindy (or was it Bobby?)... I think your Mother has a problem discussing sex" was his line.


Wouldn't you love to have been a fly on the wall as Schwarz tried to explain to Robert Reed how "serious" the show would be? Wow, those must have been interesting negotiations!

Re: The name of the town... true, it was never mentioned on the show... I wonder if it could have been "Westdale"... after all , that was the name of the local High School. Most high schools are either named after people or the town in which they're located... Clinton Elementary was probably named after Clinton Avenue, the street the Brady's lived on, and Fillmore Jr High was probably named after 13th US President Millard Fillmore (though I can't for the life of me imagine why)...Maybe the town was called Westdale...

I'm drawing a complete blank....do you remember in which episode Mr. Dittmeyer appeared? And did he have a speaking part?

I don't remember the name of the episode, but it was the one where Carol and Cindy have to get their tonsils out. The family is suppose to go fishing on Mr. Phillips boat, so they practice casting in the backyard. At the end of the episode, Carol casts her line too far (into Mr. Dittmeyer's yard), and Alice pulls him up entangled on the line. He looks mad, but never speaks a word...

Ah yes, now I remember...

You're right, he just gave them an angry look but never said a word.
Thanks for the info!

Originally posted by falc04
Sanford and Son was on at the same time The Brady Bunch was on, during the 5th season. Most people felt this sitcom was more grounded in reality than the "Bunch". Hence, they were getting killed in the ratings.

But, as we all know, "The Brady Bunch" has aged much better than "Sanford & Son"!

Yeah, I figured as much...when I intially read the statement, I wondered what Sanford and Son had to with the demise of the Brady Bunch. Then, I knew that Sanford and Son did run Fridays nights as well as the Brady Bunch.

Originally posted by CliffClavin
Due to its (suprisingly) marginal ratings, the show was never renewed for a whole season until its last season on the air (1973-74). During its first four seasons, it was only renewed for thirteen weeks at a time. Several members of the cast have admitted that, when they finished taping thirteen weeks worth of shows, there was always an air of apprehension while they waited to see if ABC would renew the program or not.

I thought that during the final season ABC originally ordered a half season's worth of episodes, thinking it would be canceled midway through the season. I also thought that explained the "low energy" episodes towards the end. :eek: :confused:

Nobody jump on me if I'm wrong, but I think that it was renewed for the entire 1972-73 season.

James and Hawaii, you're both right. The original poster is simply cutting and pasting information from imdb.com, which as we all know frequently contains errors.

I thought that during the final season ABC originally ordered a half season's worth of episodes, thinking it would be canceled midway through the season. I also thought that explained the "low energy" episodes towards the end. :eek: :confused:

Barry Williams said that Snooperstar was an unused script for the 1st or 2nd season and that it was revived because of a shortage of scripts for the unexpected 2nd half of the 5th season.

...
Sanford and Son was responsible for the Brady Bunch being cancelled.

Though Sanford and Son has often been blamed for the demise of Brady Bunch, most people who have taken a serious look at the issue agree that there would have been no sixth season even without competition from Sanford and Son.

On several replies to this thread, people have speculated about what would have been if this actor had gotten this part or that actress had gotten that part. Well, a very similar thing had happened in the early eighties. Helen Hunt was considered for the part of Katie Kinisky from "Gimme a Break!". How different do you guys think that things would have been had she gotten the part? Do you think that she would have been good in the role? What do you think her career would have been like after the show ended? Do you think that she would have been typecast and thus had a hard time finding work in later life. Do you still think that she would have landed the role of Mrs. Buchman from "Mad About You" in the early nineties? About two weeks ago, I started a thread called "Woodland Park". In this thread I compared the "Brady Bunch" episode "Double Parked" with a third season "Gimme a Break!" episode called "Samantha's Protest". I would say that these two situations were very similar. However, I ended my post with a joke about one thing that happened in the later that would have been very out of place in the former! The thing that I said would have been very out of place would be for any female Brady to put her hands, her bosoms or her crotch where they do not belong! Incidentially the character who did this on "Gimme a Break!" was, in fact the character that Helen Hunt was considered for! Well, given the types of decent, respectable roles that Helen has since played, I would have a hard time picturing her doing such a thing either!

You forgot to add tha Sanford and Son was responsible for the Brady Bunch being cancelledAnd I dont know why!!!

Sandford and son was a totally different show!!!!!! -- BRADY BUNCH WAS VERY GOOD for what they were!!!!!!


I didnt know Mike wasnt in the last episode!!!! (I guess I didnt see that one -- WHAT WAS THE SHOW TITLE??)

I didnt know Mike wasnt in the last episode!!!! (I guess I didnt see that one -- WHAT WAS THE SHOW TITLE??)

The Hair-Brained Scheme

Regarding Mike and Carol's previous marriages......

Mike was always intended to be a widower,Carol was the only one Sherwood
intended to be a divorcee.

Also the actress was never identified, That picture of Mikes first wife in the pilot episode was a picture of one of the actresses who were submitted for the role of Carol.



Actresses Kathleen Freeman and Monty Margetts were being considered for Alice.

I loved Kathleen Freeman but I don't think I could see her as Alice,Kathleen roles personalities were pretty much brash....

I also don't know if I would've liked Joyce as Carol,Hearing that high-pitched voice week after week would've been a bit annoying.

JMHO

I don't remember the name of the episode, but it was the one where Carol and Cindy have to get their tonsils out. The family is suppose to go fishing on Mr. Phillips boat, so they practice casting in the backyard. At the end of the episode, Carol casts her line too far (into Mr. Dittmeyer's yard), and Alice pulls him up entangled on the line. He looks mad, but never speaks a word...

That was SO funny!!! And Carol called Mr. Phillip's boat a broken down barnacle barge!!! :lol:

The Hair-Brained Scheme

Mike was also missing from "Goodbye, Alice, Hello" (where Alice left because the kids called her a squealer, and her friend, Kay, filled in as maid).

That was SO funny!!! And Carol called Mr. Phillip's boat a broken down barnacle barge!!! :lol:

This episode, from Season 2, was titled "The Coming-Out Party". Mike Lookinland didn't appear on it, as this was during a time when each of the kids was left out of an episode, but the practice stopped before Barry Williams was left out of any episode, so he was in every Brady Bunch episode, along with Florence Henderson (who did make only a quick 1-scene appearance in "The Big Sprain") and Ann B. Davis.

Something I can't figure out - if ABC frowned on both Mike and Carol being divorced from previous spouses, then how is it that they were ok with not only Carol being a divorcee, but the father of the girls not being in their lves at all? So we have to assume he just left all of them? I guess I thought they were both widowed.

Something I can't figure out - if ABC frowned on both Mike and Carol being divorced from previous spouses, then how is it that they were ok with not only Carol being a divorcee, but the father of the girls not being in their lves at all? So we have to assume he just left all of them? I guess I thought they were both widowed.
Plus, Mike Brady adopted all of the Brady girls. He wouldn't be able to adopt them unless the bio dad gave his permission. So even more proof that the bio dad of Marcia, Jan and Cindy was a loser deadbeat.

The Hair-Brained Scheme
it was the one where Peter sold Greg some hair (something) something that you put on your hair-and it turned Gregs hair orange and it was the day before his high school graduation, or prom or something.
Anyway Robert Reed refused to do it because it was "so ridiculous".

The 5th season episode "Kelly's Kids" was the only episode where Mike and Carol's marriage wasn't joked upon by distant relatives and other folks, as Ken acknowledges Carol adopting the boys and Mike adopting the girls.

Carol was never explicitly referred to as being divorced on the show. So, just by watching the show, you could infer that she was a widow.

Director Oscar Rudolph had trouble sometimes with the younger kids. He would move the kids to their marks on-set without telling them what he was doing. He felt young kids could not follow directions well. One time he didn't like Susan Olson's wardrobe and just started taking her clothes off "Like I was a little mannequin," Susan said. Assistant Director Alan Rudolph is director Oscar Rudolph's son.

Susan also had trouble with producer Howard Leeds. In the first season they used dye for Cindy's hair and it started falling out. The hairdresser showed Mr. Leeds what was happening with Susan's hair, and Howard said, "If it gets worse, We'll cut off the hair and slap a wig on her head." She walked away, crying.


Jack

Yikes, never have heard that about Oscar Rudolph's interactions with Susan Olsen, or the difficulty with Howard Leeds, for that matter. Creepy stuff, indeed. I feel bad for Susan! These behind-the-scenes stories can be a little unsettling sometimes.

it was the one where Peter sold Greg some hair (something) something that you put on your hair-and it turned Gregs hair orange and it was the day before his high school graduation, or prom or something.
Anyway Robert Reed refused to do it because it was "so ridiculous".

It was Bobby, not Peter.

[QUOTE=Jack1000]Susan also had trouble with producer Howard Leeds. In the first season they used dye for Cindy's hair and it started falling out. The hairdresser showed Mr. Leeds what was happening with Susan's hair, and Howard said, "If it gets worse, We'll cut off the hair and slap a wig on her head." She walked away, crying.


This sounds like the Hairdresser walked away crying. I hope little Susan didn't hear the comment. IF Mr Leeds said this to Susan, He should been use a little more tact.

I saw a video a couple of weeks ago that said when it came time to do the spin-offs (can't remember which one), Florence Henderson gave them one condition for her to come back: that they give Carol a job. (She was a real estate agent, if my memory serves me.)

Susan also had trouble with producer Howard Leeds. In the first season they used dye for Cindy's hair and it started falling out. The hairdresser showed Mr. Leeds what was happening with Susan's hair, and Howard said, "If it gets worse, We'll cut off the hair and slap a wig on her head." She walked away, crying.


This sounds like the Hairdresser walked away crying. I hope little Susan didn't hear the comment. IF Mr Leeds said this to Susan, He should been use a little more tact.

In Barry's book, Growing up Brady, he says Mr. Leeds did make the wig comment to Susan. Barry says he had one frightening Brady Bunch on-set experience:

It was during filming in Season 1 and shooting the episode, "Eeenie Meanie Mommy Daddy", (The episode where Cindy has only one ticket for her school play and is caught between which parent to take.) Barry had a scene involving a baseball bat and John Rich was directing. He's a veteran who also did such shows as All in the Family. Known to be demanding on set. He and Robert Reed never got along.

In his book, Growing up Brady, Barry says that when you weren't on set you could either be in the studio school classroom or hang out on break, and for some reason that day, John Rich did not know where Barry was when it was time to do his scene, and it was the assistant directors' job to get the actors when they were needed on set.

The assistant director that day missed his assignment to get Barry for his scene and he runs to the schoolroom and Barry's there. "Mr. Rich wants you on set....pronto!" The assistant director's out of breath because he's trying to cover up his error of not getting Barry to the set on time. That is one of the AD's jobs on-set.

John Rich just thinks Barry's deliberately late and he's got Barry's baseball bat in his hand. "Your late! Where were you?" Barry said, "In the schoolroom, I didn't get a call." Mr. Rich yells, "When I want you here, I want you here five minutes ago, not ten minutes from now!" He throws the bat at Barry. Luckily, Barry saw it coming and says his aim wasn't close. (The bat broke when it hit the ground.) Barry says for the first and only time in his career, he walked off the set.

Jack

Some years ago, I saw a TV interview with Sherwood Schwartz and he said that if ABC had renewed the series for a sixth season, he would have demanded Robert Reed be replaced. He also said he was prepared to suggest Lyle Waggoner (The Carol Burnett Show) as the replacement.

Florence Henderson recently did an interview for something called The Carson podcast and she said The Brady Bunch was filmed during the summer months so the kids could attend public school like regular kids throughout the school year.

Robert Reed didn't so much hate the show as hate the often quite bad scripts, given his acclaim in the 1960's as a dramatic actor on tv I can understand how he would find a lot of these episodes a comeback.

I always got the impression that Sherwood Schwartz was kind of an unpleasant guy and a bit of a tyrant given his remarks about Reed and also Tina Louise. (There's also more than a touch of homophobia in his remarks about Reed.) Of course the other cast members of TBB and GI respected him and did not criticize him given his old age but now that he is deceased I wouldn't be surprised to read some less than flattering comments about him from his casts.

I thought Schwartz sounded homophobic as well, but I guess the guy was from a different era of time. But I think the extent of the homophobia was limited to the fact that he wanted the Brady Bunch to be family show and he was afraid of Reed's lifestyle ever became public, it would damage the show. Of course, it hasn't.

As for Tina Louise, she was simply less-than-pleasant to be around. She hated GI and tried many times, unsuccessfully, to be released from her contract. Years later, she said GI killed her acting career.

now that he is deceased I wouldn't be surprised to read some less than flattering comments about him from his casts.
He's been dead for four years. Where are the unflattering comments?

I thought Schwartz sounded homophobic as well, but I guess the guy was from a different era of time.
His comments and behavior after Reed's death didn't strike me as homophobic as much as they struck me as crass and greedy. The guy's corpse wasn't even cold yet, and Schwartz was worrying about how it might damage the syndication money.

Some years ago, I saw a TV interview with Sherwood Schwartz and he said that if ABC had renewed the series for a sixth season, he would have demanded Robert Reed be replaced. He also said he was prepared to suggest Lyle Waggoner (The Carol Burnett Show) as the replacement.
He was actually planning to kill off Mike Brady's character, had there been a sixth season.

He was actually planning to kill off Mike Brady's character, had there been a sixth season.

Mom's favorite husband. She always said, "Don't shoot guns in the house".

I thought Schwartz sounded homophobic as well, but I guess the guy was from a different era of time. But I think the extent of the homophobia was limited to the fact that he wanted the Brady Bunch to be family show and he was afraid of Reed's lifestyle ever became public, it would damage the show. Of course, it hasn't.

As for Tina Louise, she was simply less-than-pleasant to be around. She hated GI and tried many times, unsuccessfully, to be released from her contract. Years later, she said GI killed her acting career.

I remember on some biography Schwartz said he didn't care that Reed was gay, he just didn't approve of him picking up men instead of having a relationship. He said he told him to find a boyfriend or two and live happily.

I don't remember the name of the episode, but it was the one where Carol and Cindy have to get their tonsils out. The family is suppose to go fishing on Mr. Phillips boat, so they practice casting in the backyard. At the end of the episode, Carol casts her line too far (into Mr. Dittmeyer's yard), and Alice pulls him up entangled on the line. He looks mad, but never speaks a word...


That was friggin' hilarious!!!:lol: :D