My theory about the house where the show was filmed, is that it is/was located inside a studio warehouse, and it was a real 2 story house (not the residential split level home shown in opening shots), and may still exist today. I also think that Sherwood Schwartz has requested the actors and crew to remain silent about the reality of the house and to propogate the conspiracy that the sets were temporarily set up. But to me the house just looks too real to be temporary sets.

One scene showed Mike and Carol in their bedroom with Mike opening up a glass door in their room to let in fresh air. This means that some kind of patio or terrace balcony must have been outside their bedroom, probably overlooking the backyard patio, which is really sort of on the side of the house. The mysterious doors shown around the perimeter of the parents' bedroom may have been accessways to the terrace, if not simply closets.

Alice's bedroom is the mysterious thing. I believe it was located on the other side of the little family room adjacent to the kitchen. However, it was shown in separate episodes opening to both a hallway and to the laundry room.

Does anyone else have their own theories or any other facts I haven't mentioned?

It sure looked like a real house to me, too.

My theory about the house where the show was filmed, is that it is/was located inside a studio warehouse, and it was a real 2 story house (not the residential split level home shown in opening shots), and may still exist today. I also think that Sherwood Schwartz has requested the actors and crew to remain silent about the reality of the house and to propogate the conspiracy that the sets were temporarily set up. But to me the house just looks too real to be temporary sets.

One scene showed Mike and Carol in their bedroom with Mike opening up a glass door in their room to let in fresh air. This means that some kind of patio or terrace balcony must have been outside their bedroom, probably overlooking the backyard patio, which is really sort of on the side of the house. The mysterious doors shown around the perimeter of the parents' bedroom may have been accessways to the terrace, if not simply closets.

Alice's bedroom is the mysterious thing. I believe it was located on the other side of the little family room adjacent to the kitchen. However, it was shown in separate episodes opening to both a hallway and to the laundry room.

Does anyone else have their own theories or any other facts I haven't mentioned?
the exterior of the home that they always showed IS A REAL HOUSE. an elderly couple I believe live there. I think it's studio city, but will have to double check that. The indoor was a stage, as was the garage, driveway, backyard, etc. But that is a real house.

I remembered correctly. It is in Studio City. As a matter of fact, my boyfriend, worked as a roofer on a building that was not that far from this house. He told me he had to pass this street ( I didn't believe him). His Boss confirmed that it was true.

http://davidbrady.com/times/latbrady.html


here's another link:
http://www.la.com/attractions/sightseeing/thebradybunchhouse/290

Irene, thanks for the link. But they never filmed the show inside that house. I'm referring strictly to the stage house.

I believe the stage house was a major construction. And there may have been other aspects to the house that we never saw, that were built but never used in the show, such as the upstairs terrace.

Of course, I could also be wrong about all of this.

The stage house was used in an early "Happy Days" episode, although poorly disguised.

It was also used in an "X-Files" episode about some guy with a strange power to recreate the house with his mind. I only saw the end of the episode and they used the same interiors, but I don't know how much of the house they showed. I'd like to see it again.

Irene, thanks for the link. But they never filmed the show inside that house. I'm referring strictly to the stage house.

I believe the stage house was a major construction. And there may have been other aspects to the house that we never saw, that were built but never used in the show, such as the upstairs terrace.

Of course, I could also be wrong about all of this.
oh yeah, of course the interiors were a stage. They said the stage house would never even "fit" in the real house they showed because the "real" house is small inside. They wouldn't film inside a real house for a sitcom like that. Back in those days you could go to Universal Studios and see all the stages for each different production such as Brady Bunch, Bionic Woman, etc.

Yes. The upstairs window shown on the front of the real house was fake also. The night shots that showed a light in the upstairs window before an upstairs night scene were created by a window/lamp attachment that was placed on the outside of the house.

The interiors of the stage house were not really that big. The front room was kind of large, but the rest of the downstairs was very narrow compared to a normal sized house.

I hope this was a gag post. Really.

The house used in the establishing shots was a real house that was one floor.

The house used in the studio had both the upper and lower level on the same level in the studio. The set house did look solid and real but it was supposed to to make you believe in it. Do you think they went into space to film Star Trek?

Look at the episode in the second season where Marcia gets a date with Harvey Klinger. We see her rush through the hall, across the living room and into the kitchen in one shot. To film that they would have had to remove the walls with the patio doors in both the living room and kitchen set. For nearly all kitchen and family room scenes they would have had to remove the fake walls with the patio doors to film.

I hope this was a gag post. Really.

The house used in the establishing shots was a real house that was one floor.

The house used in the studio had both the upper and lower level on the same level in the studio. The set house did look solid and real but it was supposed to to make you believe in it. Do you think they went into space to film Star Trek?

Look at the episode in the second season where Marcia gets a date with Harvey Klinger. We see her rush through the hall, across the living room and into the kitchen in one shot. To film that they would have had to remove the walls with the patio doors in both the living room and kitchen set. For nearly all kitchen and family room scenes they would have had to remove the fake walls with the patio doors to film.
Um, I think Rich was asking a good question and putting a real post. We know all that. Just read the initial post again. I know the inside was a set. The outdoor shot of the home is a real home. It is not two-story. Rich knows that. He states that in his post. this was no gag.:rolleyes:

As a matter of fact there is an article abt the Brady Bunch House and other tv show locations. I will make a thread abt that in the general sitcoms forum.

The Christmas movie show the contiguous downstairs set in one scene at the beginning.

What's so hard to believe about a two-story house? If we can send a man to the moon we can build a two story set. It saves ground space. There were many scenes in the series showing the upstairs bedrooms above the backyard.

The Christmas movie show the contiguous downstairs set in one scene at the beginning.

What's so hard to believe about a two-story house? If we can send a man to the moon we can build a two story set. It saves ground space. There were many scenes in the series showing the upstairs bedrooms above the backyard.
Yeah, it's not so hard. As a matter of fact, if you look at I love Lucy episodes, they easily went from one room to another with the same camera, or two different cameras without a break. Desi Arnaz invented the three camera device. It used to be ONE Camera. Thanx to him, you have many cameras with many shots, with and without cutting. You could even see the actual walls separated from each set. There was a scene when Lucy went from the baby's room all the way to the kitchen NON-STOP.

Marcia running in from the front door (not the hallway) thru the living room into the kitchen is very easy considering she didn't have to do any sharp turns. It was one long shot.

Marcia running in from the front door (not the hallway) thru the living room into the kitchen is very easy considering she didn't have to do any sharp turns. It was one long shot.
To get the wide shot of Marcia running through the house they would have had to move the patio walls.

I always thought that when shows went from room to room but showing the outside of set walls in the process that it distracted from the reality of the show. Could you imagine if they had done that with the boys passing from their room, through the bathroom and into the girls room. Not a good thought. They once did this shot in Sister, Sister when the twins both got a room of their own seperated by a bathroom Brady style.

Although some shows do have sets that have a partial two level structure (none spring to mind though) it would make lighting a problem. Most shows are lit from from above with a couple of lights at floor level.

The Brady Bunch did have some good shots that gave the impression that the house was a real two story house but that is the magic of television.

The episode where Bobby nearly falls from the girls bedroom window is a case in point. For the close ups where the camera looked out through the girls window into the garden I believe that they must have suspended a fake wall above the set. For the wide shots where the window was in the background I believe that they would have had a painted backdrop. The editing/filming of that scene is very good (but then it was directed by Robert Reed).

Bachu, the "lighting" problem in using real houses is a myth. Most movies and shows are filmed in real houses, unless they are filmed in front of a live audience.

Bachu, I suspect you are a joker yourself and are attempting to use this thread just to create controversy. You have not presented any facts, just unbelievable statements. At least I call my own ideas a theory.

You may want to check the rules of the forum before you continue this violation.

Bachu, the "lighting" problem in using real houses is a myth. Most movies and shows are filmed in real houses, unless they are filmed in front of a live audience.

Bachu, I suspect you are a joker yourself and are attempting to use this thread just to create controversy. You have not presented any facts, just unbelievable statements. At least I call my own ideas a theory.

You may want to check the rules of the forum before you continue this violation.
Rich, I couldn't help but think of adult movies as I was reading your post. Mainly because most, if not all, are filmed in actual houses. Anyhoo, I know what you mean abt your thread. Which is why I posted the link that I did. I guess one has to really understand the behind stuff to get a grasp of what is done for a show. Especially nowadays, you can easily fool the audience with so much technical stuff, camera shots, computer editing, etc. It really is amazing. I think I did read somewhere abt the stage home of the Brady's having a "two-story" set for long shots etc.

I've already noted the Christmas movie showing the downstairs contiguous set, interior and exterior.

The episode where Bobby was afraid of heights and watching the others from his bedroom window shows the two story set. I guarantee you the shots of Bobby were not a "painting".

Both of these facts blow your entire theory out of the water.

Get lost.

Irene, thanks for mentioning the two-story set. If you can find out the source, I would like to see it too.

Guys, some of you need to chill (just a little). I am not here to attack anyone. Some of you believe it was a two story set. Some of us (myself included obviously) don't.

I believe that the hall at the top of the stairs led no where. Once the kids ran up the stairs the director said cut and later that day/week they would move to the upstairs set on the same studio floor.

I believe (and the episode Getting Gregs Goat supports this belief) that the door you could see from the boys room across the hall was the door to the parents bedroom. When you where in the parents bedroom you never saw the door to the boys bedroom and in fact the hallway outside the parents room when looking out of the open door often changed. Also, characters would often leave the parents bedroom to go down stairs but would often turn left when they left the room which would have taken them to the girls room and not the stairs so they could go downstairs.

Re: Bobby and his bird. I know Bobby is not a painting. But lets look at that episode. Imagine the house is real. You walk up the Brady stairs, take a right and then a left and stop. You would find yourself looking down the hall. The boys bedroom is on the right. The parents bedroom is on the left. The girls bedroom is at the end of the hall. If you went into the boys room and looked out of the window you would not see the back garden. You would be looking at the neighbours garden. Take a left instead and you would be in the parents bedroom. Their window looks out into the same direction as the girls room.

So when Bobby looked out of his bedroom window and saw everyone in the garden the producers cheated the shot. The boys bedroom doesn't even look out onto the garden.

Again, look at the episode where Bobby hangs onto the ledge outside the girls room. We can see a mix of the studio set and the painting backdrop (depending on the angle) and you can see the garage and I think the dog kennel from the girls bedroom window. The boys bedroom window looks out to the right of the house but the back garden is on the left and slight rear of the house.

There is a great Bewitched site on the net which highlights the fake second level of that house on the set. Use the following link and read the first paragraph. I believe the Brady house worked in a similar fashion.

http://www.1164.com/set/index.html

Most shows are filmed on soundstages for the interiours. When Buffy started the only set for the Buffy house was Buffys bedroom. With season two they built the rest of the interiour of the house. You are given a tour of the set as one of the extras.

They can very simply move walls, furniture etc to get the shot they want.

The parents' door was opposite the girls' door but closer to the boys' room. The hallway itself was oddly shaped, probably like a hexagon or octagon.

The goat episode used a phony straight hallway in a scene that was supposed to show the goat running out of the parents' bedroom.

Whether the upstairs sets were really upstairs, I don't think there's enough information to say. Some people claim that it was downstairs. My own theory from observation is that it's possibly upstairs, and also, that the upstairs set would fit very easily over the downstairs set.

Think about the attic. It was definitely above ground because you always saw the stairs leading down away from it, when seen from inside the room. This is evidence that there was at least one set above ground level.

Bobby was probably looking out the girls room. I don't even know if there was a window in the boys' room. When you are standing at the front door you could see straight up the stairs. Looking down and to the left is the side backyard. Imagine going left from the upstairs hallway towards the girls' room. The girls' room was in the corner as was their door. One of their windows overlooked the side of the house into the side backyard. The girls room was the same shape as the den and one of their windows was level with the downstairs window in the den.

The driveway was apparently at an angle from the street, as was the side of the house. This was probably done to give it a modern, less traditional look.

The upstairs hallway was straight, however the girls bedroom door was at an angle. They used the correct hallway for the 'Goat' episode.

Remember the episode where Mrs Brady wrote an article for a womans magazine? Mike woke up and found himself alone in bed. The scene fades between a shot of him getting out of bed and coming out of the parents bedroom door on the hallway set that was part of the boys/girls bedroom/bathroom set. He looks up and down the hall and then walks forward and goes to open the boys bedroom door which is opposite the 'fake' (fake because the parents bedroom was on another part of the soundstage) parents bedroom door. We then cut to the boys bedroom as the door opens and Mike peers in.

In the fourth season episode where Marcia and Greg argue about the attic room there is a great shot of Marcia (after being called to answer the phone) walking through the door that leads to attic. In one single shot the camera tracks her as she leaves the doorway to the attic room, walks past the door to the girls room, the door to the hall closet (used in the 'Goat' episode), the bathroom door and the boys door. She next appears at the top of the stairs before walking down them. The attic doorway did not appear until the episode 'Night Fright.' In the season 2(?) episode where Greg gets Mikes den as his own room, Mike tells Carol that he cannot convert the attic as its only about two feet tall. For the sake of the 'Night Fright' episode the house suddenly got a third level.

The attic room was on some sort of raised set because of the stairway that you can see.

In 'Growing Up Brady: I was a teenage Greg' Barry Williams says in the notes for the episode 'The Babysitters;' "...all the "downstairs" rooms, garage, driveway, front door, and backyard were indeed connected, and laid out toegther as they appeared on TV, while the upstairs rooms (and later the attic) were housed in another area of the soundstage."

Anyone here see that Partridge Family behind the scenes movie? There is a scene where the ginger haired boy is ordered to his room by his screen mother. After walking part way up the staircase he turns around and says that the stairs do not lead anywhere.

Another show is The Golden Girls. There was a hallway visable from the living room that led to all the bedrooms. However, the bedrooms were on another set because if you laid the plans out you would see the one bedroom would occupy a large part of the kitchen and another would occupy a lot of the garden set that was visable through all those large windows that they had at the back of the living room.

Bachu, you are making assumptions based upon what you've chosen to believe. I've seen episodes that support otherwise even more strongly. You aren't even open to the possibility that it was different.

I've seen shots showing both the inside of the parents' bedroom and the children's hallway in the same shot. It would be very easy to put up a fake wall outside a room in another episode to resemble a different type of hallway.

Just because there's a line in the script from an earlier season saying that an attic was "only two feet tall" doesn't mean that the house set was not actually built with an attic. Like I've said before, they may have built things that they never chose to use, such as the upstairs terrace.

Just because other shows have used different types of sets doesn't mean the Brady house was exactly the same as those. In those shows you never even saw a panoramic view of the room, such as the downstairs Brady's, so they were clearly different types of sets.

Yes, the Brady house was a set and not a real house, and I'm sure it looked very strange compared to real houses. But it was also clearly different and unique from most sets.

'Bachu, you are making assumptions based upon what you've chosen to believe.'

But so are you. We both are.

'I've seen episodes that support otherwise even more strongly.'

Ditto my argument as well.

'You aren't even open to the possibility that it was different.'

I am always open to another viewpoint. But, if that viewpoint does not ring true in my head I cannot take it on board as fact.

'I've seen shots showing both the inside of the parents' bedroom and the children's hallway in the same shot. It would be very easy to put up a fake wall outside a room in another episode to resemble a different type of hallway.'

The hallway visible from the parents bedroom rarely looked the sameway twice. In one of the Brady motion pictures I remember seeing the hallway from the parents room and it was nothing like what had been seen on tv. Even the view from the girls room was different in the movies.

'Just because there's a line in the script from an earlier season saying that an attic was "only two feet tall" doesn't mean that the house set was not actually built with an attic. Like I've said before, they may have built things that they never chose to use, such as the upstairs terrace.'

Although we never saw it, in the episode where Mike designed the 'pink' factory the episode did feature a shot looking into the parents room with Mike opening either a big sliding window or some sort of patio door. Later episodes 'suggested' a large window to me in the long run as Mike and Carol had a desk that sat under the window or in front of a possible patio door leading onto a terrace.

'Just because other shows have used different types of sets doesn't mean the Brady house was exactly the same as those. In those shows you never even saw a panoramic view of the room, such as the downstairs Brady's, so they were clearly different types of sets.'

All shows have their variations. I was suggesting alternative examples.

'Yes, the Brady house was a set and not a real house, and I'm sure it looked very strange compared to real houses. But it was also clearly different and unique from most sets.'

I agree with you here. Mike did have his own style.

Yes, there was (and is) a real Brady house. I've seen it in person.
Top photo is a pic I took back in April, 2003 and on the bottom is how the house looked during the series.

The house is located deep inside a residential area, west of Vineland Ave and north of Ventura Blvd. The hill behind the house is south of Ventura Blvd.

The house is actually in North Hollywood, but it's less than one mile from the border of Studio City.

Yes, there was (and is) a real Brady house. I've seen it in person.
Top photo is a pic I took back in April, 2003 and on the bottom is how the house looked during the series.

The house is located deep inside a residential area, west of Vineland Ave and north of Ventura Blvd. The hill behind the house is south of Ventura Blvd.

The house is actually in North Hollywood, but it's less than one mile from the border of Stuio City.
Hi Fleet:
The original poster knows abt the house; I also put links referencing this on page one of this thread. But he (the poster) was referencing to the "interior" of the house.

... yup, I recently visited the house that was used for the outside stock shots for the Brady residence in N. Hollywood/Studio City. House is off Lankershim, from the 134 (Ventura Freeway?). There might be an easier way to access, but I'm from N.Y.!

Most people visiting Vegas drive to So. Cal. to visit that house, right? I thought so... <ahem> I did the 275 mile hike - that's dedicated, eh?

Bigger trivia Q... where the Hell was that ice cream shop (or was it the diner Alice worked at)... I have not seen that episode lately, but I remember a quaint eatery against the hills in a 3 second scene... Hhmmm...

... yup, I recently visited the house that was used for the outside stock shots for the Brady residence in N. Hollywood/Studio City. House is off Lankershim, from the 134 (Ventura Freeway?). There might be an easier way to access, but I'm from N.Y.!

Most people visiting Vegas drive to So. Cal. to visit that house, right? I thought so... <ahem> I did the 275 mile hike - that's dedicated, eh?

Bigger trivia Q... where the Hell was that ice cream shop (or was it the diner Alice worked at)... I have not seen that episode lately, but I remember a quaint eatery against the hills in a 3 second scene... Hhmmm...
and you didn't come by and say hello????? how rude!!!:snob: :lol: :lol:

...I wish I could have!

Actually, my lovely wife had to go (OK, she BEGGED to go) to Vegas for biz, I tagged along. Hotel was paid for, as were a few nice dinners, etc. I got to F around all day long, but I'm not into losing $40/minute, so I got creative!

Did a little map search, and the drive wasn't THAT bad. I loved every minute of it... wide open road (for the most part), simply fun to see things I have never before. I was looking for a good place to eat near "The" house, but nothing really stood out.. didn't want to take the time for Wolfgang's "Spago"... but maybe i should have :*)

Maria (the wife) is having a convention in L.A. in less than a year - guess who's going again?

Maybe La Jolla this time...

...I wish I could have!

Actually, my lovely wife had to go (OK, she BEGGED to go) to Vegas for biz, I tagged along. Hotel was paid for, as were a few nice dinners, etc. I got to F around all day long, but I'm not into losing $40/minute, so I got creative!

Did a little map search, and the drive wasn't THAT bad. I loved every minute of it... wide open road (for the most part), simply fun to see things I have never before. I was looking for a good place to eat near "The" house, but nothing really stood out.. didn't want to take the time for Wolfgang's "Spago"... but maybe i should have :*)

Maria (the wife) is having a convention in L.A. in less than a year - guess who's going again?

Maybe La Jolla this time...
sounds like you had a wonderful time!!!! good for you. Yeah, La Jolla is awesome. So beautiful.

Hi Fleet:
The original poster knows abt the house; I also put links referencing this on page one of this thread. But he (the poster) was referencing to the "interior" of the house.
Yes, I know. I just thought a recent photo of the house was long overdue. ;)

... yup, I recently visited the house that was used for the outside stock shots for the Brady residence in N. Hollywood/Studio City. House is off Lankershim, from the 134 (Ventura Freeway?). There might be an easier way to access, but I'm from N.Y.!

Yes, the 134 is the Ventura Freeway. You did the right thing, taking the freeway. It would have taken a lot longer using surface streets!

...Do you think they went into space to film Star Trek?



You mean they DIDN'T???? :eek2:

I've already noted the Christmas movie showing the downstairs contiguous set, interior and exterior.

Get lost.

You do realize that the original set was dismantled in 1974, don't you?

The Christmas movie used a brand new set, built to look like the original.