Robert Tilton
03-01-2002, 08:10 AM
Due to popular demand, I will now extrapolate the raw data on one of the most Surrealistic Experiences in Brady Bunch of all time:
The Ghost Town.
Let us review what last took place in Brady Bunch Spectrum Analysis of the Grand Canyon Episode: Part 1
Amen.
When last we left off, the Brady Family that is Grid had been informed that they were going to Grand Canyon for Rest and Recreation. As mentioned in my episode ratings, the 1st of Part 1 was a Cure for Insomnia (like Cheers) because it mainly consisted of "getting to Grand Canyon". Mike had told Bobby that they would learn about the Hopi, the Navajo, etc. Native Americans and Heritage later.
A Brady Word Study was done (see Part 1) where it was mentioned briefly how Sherwood & company organized the Original Jump the Shark Moment (ghost town) and of course the episode proper (Parts 1, 2, and 3).
They drove towards GC w/the intention of getting camp set up & then we pick it up at the gas station where Brady Debate occurs & the Kids received Brady Confirmation that a trip to Ghost Town was OK or in Brady Grid Decade Impaired Vernacular "Groovy!" and "Out of sight!".
Amen.
And then I brought up the idea of a "Dallas Style' Dream Sequence where the "Ghost Town" NEVER EXISTED in My Version of the Show & my Opinions of such.
Caught up now? Goody.
Without further ado, we are now at the Ghost Town (last of Part 1) where I will outline a few problems w/the Concept as brought forth in my Mind's Eye. No, not the song by the Christian Gospel Artists "The Newsboys" but in My Brain. Begin:
1: The Brady Bunch were pretty prosperous during this point (All Points Really) of Brady Living. Mike was an architect, Alice was a Housekeeper (signifying Prosperity), and Carol was Carol (what DID Carol do all day when Mike was at Work?). Their chances of stopping at the Ghost Town were Questionable. I'm sure that the Grand Canyon accomodations were 1st Class.
Now I will concede that it was Possible To An Extent to make a Brief Stop to examine the sights, etc. Staying there, however, was done Only Because of Brady Grid Confirmation (all of Brady Family looks at Mike) and Per their Contract and IMO ONLY! was very Unlikely.
Staying at the Ghost Town Briefly to have a Tour (museum perhaps w/Backus would have worked here.) and let the kids play (Western Scene on Stagecoach) would have been OK, but alas the plot went South
2: Jim Backus. Thurston Howell III. A decent actor to be sure, but alas, an actor of CheeseWiz in this ep. He played a Prospector called Zechariah. Now THIS was a Major Major Question Mark. For:
3: It was 1970s setting for Brady Grid. Prospecting for Gold was strictly a late 18th Century/early 19th Century kind of thing. Amen. And it definitely DOES NOT FIT with Real Life Brady Grid Living. This was done strictly for comedy value only; in fact the Whole Ghost Town scene was. This was WAY Out of Place for the designated set time of this show (1970s). But concentrating on Backus here, we learn more Nuggets of CheeseWiz.
4: Where did he live? It was desert!
5: Where did he eat? (besides mooching off of Brady Grid) This is BAD Continuity for in 1800s AND 1970, eating places were common. As you can see in this ep, however, No Restaurants, etc Were To Be Found! And I daresay, w/out the Brady Bunch compassion, he would have Died in the arid wasteland.
6: But THIS is REALLY BAD Continuity for Brady Bunch! Jim Backus played the Part of the Prospector AND Mike's boss Mr. Matthews. As somebody on Jump the Shark said, even an 8-year-old could pick up on that! This More and More Convinces the Man of Barnes that a Dream Sequence style event was taking place here.
7: Jesse James DID NOT go to Arizona. That "Jesse James was here" story was fake & bogus to begin with. James only went as far west as the Dakota Territories at the Most. I highly doubt Arizona was in his area.
8: The Jesse James plot was lame anyway (Opinion). "Oh Neato, Jesse James was here and he wrote on the wall of the jail!" Very Stupid. It suggests that the Brady Bunch Hero Worship consisted of Ughs (Thugs!) and Hows (Howitzers!) which is to say Bad Guys such as James for example! Very un Brady Like. Though there is another episode, Bobby's Hero, where Jesse James was Prominent. And what do you know! I have a Spectrum Analysis on that. Amen. And you better bet THAT Episode dealt w/the James issue w/Maturity & Intelligence. Moving on:
9: ALL OF THE BRADY BUNCH WAS LED INTO THE JAIL BY THE PROSPECTOR. By now you could tell this plot was going Nowhere. Duh, couldn't the kids have gone in & the parents stayed outside?
10: Now Brady Bunch is in Jail. Pick up on this:
Mike remarked that the bars might be rusty enough to yank out. Then he pulls on the jail doors. But the doors were Solidly Shut! Come on!!! This ghost town had been around for over 100 Years! Why would the iron be so solid after all that time; its not logical? Did Mr. Howell install Brand New Iron Doors a la the doors in Mayberry's "Maximum Security Fife Cells"? And the Bradyologist says "No he didn't." Which leads to:
11: TAKING OFF SOCKS & SHOES in a Bit of Slapstick Crapolia. I looked at those feet and said 'Ewww' when Brady Bunch did that. The plan was simple. They would try to escape w/a Creative Master Plan. Half marks for creativity. For the "rope of socks" would have worked to drag the key towards them along the floor. That part was right. BUT how would they get the Key?
12: BY THROWING THEIR SHOES AT THE PEG W/THE KEY. I wonder how many takes they took before they realized "this is dumb". None of course. For (of course) they hit the key w/the VERY LAST SHOE (Ooooh Drama!) and used the rope of socks to pull the key towards them.
13: They're out of the cell and realize something's Missing. What could it be? THE CAR!!! Dingbat Prospector had Driven the car Away! It is assumed he stole it. Have Mercy. I need not tell All Nations, Tongues, and Kindreds on the Usenet the obvious problem here. But I will, for the kids. An 1800's Prospector can NOT Drive a 1970s Station Wagon. Case closed. Next.
14: End of Part 1: Mike & Peter go for help 20 miles down the road. Strange things start to occur; i.e. Alice plows the word "Help", Cindy & Mrs B try to get H20 from an old well, etc. I will attribute this to the Heat Index and leave this alone; besides it was Funny in a Happening Kind of Way (just like Brady Bunch Sequel scenes). Righteous. But:
15: Greg is left to look after the "Brady Grid' as 2nd Man of the House. But he sets a bad example for CheeseWiz Planning (bad script perhaps?). His plan is to take the batteries from a flashlight and try to install them into an old time rotary phone to call for help. Very smart. But a Minor problem. The phone rang but it was Cindy in another scene w/a Diff'rent Phone! Now how did that other phone get to working? Can you say "Prop Man!".
Thank God Mike brought back the station wagon (w/Backus) to the site just as the Most Sensible Idea of Building a Fire & Attracting Attention was about to take place (girls gather wood). Then one last point:
16: The Bradys' learn the 'Gold Claim' could be there's in part. Mike of course said No, for that's how the whole mess got started in the first place. Amen.
The rest of Part 2 was Righteous in this order:
Driving through Grand Canyon Park
Seeing Grand Canyon (Togetherness was very evident & the Philosophy was good when they brought up GC)
The quick look at the old Railroad Station.
Indian Raindance. Righteous.
We'll pick up "Spectrum Analysis Part 3" w/the ride down the mules to the canyon bottom & other Character Developments: Kids get lost, family unit, helping young Jimmy, etc.
Part 2 of Grand Canyon Grading:
Ghost Town: C + - despite my Nitpicking (to establish that it 'wasn't Brady' in Life Living)
Rest of Part 2: A +
This concludes Analysis Spectrum.
Grand Canyon Experiences (w/Ghost Town Thesus)
Amen.
The Ghost Town.
Let us review what last took place in Brady Bunch Spectrum Analysis of the Grand Canyon Episode: Part 1
Amen.
When last we left off, the Brady Family that is Grid had been informed that they were going to Grand Canyon for Rest and Recreation. As mentioned in my episode ratings, the 1st of Part 1 was a Cure for Insomnia (like Cheers) because it mainly consisted of "getting to Grand Canyon". Mike had told Bobby that they would learn about the Hopi, the Navajo, etc. Native Americans and Heritage later.
A Brady Word Study was done (see Part 1) where it was mentioned briefly how Sherwood & company organized the Original Jump the Shark Moment (ghost town) and of course the episode proper (Parts 1, 2, and 3).
They drove towards GC w/the intention of getting camp set up & then we pick it up at the gas station where Brady Debate occurs & the Kids received Brady Confirmation that a trip to Ghost Town was OK or in Brady Grid Decade Impaired Vernacular "Groovy!" and "Out of sight!".
Amen.
And then I brought up the idea of a "Dallas Style' Dream Sequence where the "Ghost Town" NEVER EXISTED in My Version of the Show & my Opinions of such.
Caught up now? Goody.
Without further ado, we are now at the Ghost Town (last of Part 1) where I will outline a few problems w/the Concept as brought forth in my Mind's Eye. No, not the song by the Christian Gospel Artists "The Newsboys" but in My Brain. Begin:
1: The Brady Bunch were pretty prosperous during this point (All Points Really) of Brady Living. Mike was an architect, Alice was a Housekeeper (signifying Prosperity), and Carol was Carol (what DID Carol do all day when Mike was at Work?). Their chances of stopping at the Ghost Town were Questionable. I'm sure that the Grand Canyon accomodations were 1st Class.
Now I will concede that it was Possible To An Extent to make a Brief Stop to examine the sights, etc. Staying there, however, was done Only Because of Brady Grid Confirmation (all of Brady Family looks at Mike) and Per their Contract and IMO ONLY! was very Unlikely.
Staying at the Ghost Town Briefly to have a Tour (museum perhaps w/Backus would have worked here.) and let the kids play (Western Scene on Stagecoach) would have been OK, but alas the plot went South
2: Jim Backus. Thurston Howell III. A decent actor to be sure, but alas, an actor of CheeseWiz in this ep. He played a Prospector called Zechariah. Now THIS was a Major Major Question Mark. For:
3: It was 1970s setting for Brady Grid. Prospecting for Gold was strictly a late 18th Century/early 19th Century kind of thing. Amen. And it definitely DOES NOT FIT with Real Life Brady Grid Living. This was done strictly for comedy value only; in fact the Whole Ghost Town scene was. This was WAY Out of Place for the designated set time of this show (1970s). But concentrating on Backus here, we learn more Nuggets of CheeseWiz.
4: Where did he live? It was desert!
5: Where did he eat? (besides mooching off of Brady Grid) This is BAD Continuity for in 1800s AND 1970, eating places were common. As you can see in this ep, however, No Restaurants, etc Were To Be Found! And I daresay, w/out the Brady Bunch compassion, he would have Died in the arid wasteland.
6: But THIS is REALLY BAD Continuity for Brady Bunch! Jim Backus played the Part of the Prospector AND Mike's boss Mr. Matthews. As somebody on Jump the Shark said, even an 8-year-old could pick up on that! This More and More Convinces the Man of Barnes that a Dream Sequence style event was taking place here.
7: Jesse James DID NOT go to Arizona. That "Jesse James was here" story was fake & bogus to begin with. James only went as far west as the Dakota Territories at the Most. I highly doubt Arizona was in his area.
8: The Jesse James plot was lame anyway (Opinion). "Oh Neato, Jesse James was here and he wrote on the wall of the jail!" Very Stupid. It suggests that the Brady Bunch Hero Worship consisted of Ughs (Thugs!) and Hows (Howitzers!) which is to say Bad Guys such as James for example! Very un Brady Like. Though there is another episode, Bobby's Hero, where Jesse James was Prominent. And what do you know! I have a Spectrum Analysis on that. Amen. And you better bet THAT Episode dealt w/the James issue w/Maturity & Intelligence. Moving on:
9: ALL OF THE BRADY BUNCH WAS LED INTO THE JAIL BY THE PROSPECTOR. By now you could tell this plot was going Nowhere. Duh, couldn't the kids have gone in & the parents stayed outside?
10: Now Brady Bunch is in Jail. Pick up on this:
Mike remarked that the bars might be rusty enough to yank out. Then he pulls on the jail doors. But the doors were Solidly Shut! Come on!!! This ghost town had been around for over 100 Years! Why would the iron be so solid after all that time; its not logical? Did Mr. Howell install Brand New Iron Doors a la the doors in Mayberry's "Maximum Security Fife Cells"? And the Bradyologist says "No he didn't." Which leads to:
11: TAKING OFF SOCKS & SHOES in a Bit of Slapstick Crapolia. I looked at those feet and said 'Ewww' when Brady Bunch did that. The plan was simple. They would try to escape w/a Creative Master Plan. Half marks for creativity. For the "rope of socks" would have worked to drag the key towards them along the floor. That part was right. BUT how would they get the Key?
12: BY THROWING THEIR SHOES AT THE PEG W/THE KEY. I wonder how many takes they took before they realized "this is dumb". None of course. For (of course) they hit the key w/the VERY LAST SHOE (Ooooh Drama!) and used the rope of socks to pull the key towards them.
13: They're out of the cell and realize something's Missing. What could it be? THE CAR!!! Dingbat Prospector had Driven the car Away! It is assumed he stole it. Have Mercy. I need not tell All Nations, Tongues, and Kindreds on the Usenet the obvious problem here. But I will, for the kids. An 1800's Prospector can NOT Drive a 1970s Station Wagon. Case closed. Next.
14: End of Part 1: Mike & Peter go for help 20 miles down the road. Strange things start to occur; i.e. Alice plows the word "Help", Cindy & Mrs B try to get H20 from an old well, etc. I will attribute this to the Heat Index and leave this alone; besides it was Funny in a Happening Kind of Way (just like Brady Bunch Sequel scenes). Righteous. But:
15: Greg is left to look after the "Brady Grid' as 2nd Man of the House. But he sets a bad example for CheeseWiz Planning (bad script perhaps?). His plan is to take the batteries from a flashlight and try to install them into an old time rotary phone to call for help. Very smart. But a Minor problem. The phone rang but it was Cindy in another scene w/a Diff'rent Phone! Now how did that other phone get to working? Can you say "Prop Man!".
Thank God Mike brought back the station wagon (w/Backus) to the site just as the Most Sensible Idea of Building a Fire & Attracting Attention was about to take place (girls gather wood). Then one last point:
16: The Bradys' learn the 'Gold Claim' could be there's in part. Mike of course said No, for that's how the whole mess got started in the first place. Amen.
The rest of Part 2 was Righteous in this order:
Driving through Grand Canyon Park
Seeing Grand Canyon (Togetherness was very evident & the Philosophy was good when they brought up GC)
The quick look at the old Railroad Station.
Indian Raindance. Righteous.
We'll pick up "Spectrum Analysis Part 3" w/the ride down the mules to the canyon bottom & other Character Developments: Kids get lost, family unit, helping young Jimmy, etc.
Part 2 of Grand Canyon Grading:
Ghost Town: C + - despite my Nitpicking (to establish that it 'wasn't Brady' in Life Living)
Rest of Part 2: A +
This concludes Analysis Spectrum.
Grand Canyon Experiences (w/Ghost Town Thesus)
Amen.