TMC
10-22-2022, 10:22 PM
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a41627909/the-brady-bunch-alice-nelson-ann-b-davis/
In the decade after The Bob Cummings Show, Ann starred in several TV shows and movies, and in 1969, she was cast as Alice Nelson, but The Brady Bunch producers had no idea what an integral part of the family the character would become, thanks to the actress’s interpretation.
"Dad didn't create 'Alice.' She was Ann B's own creation,” said Lloyd Schwartz, TV producer and writer, about his father and the show’s creator, Sherwood Schwartz, to the San Antonio Express-News. "He just wanted a funny housekeeper. But he got a whole lot more. America got a whole lot more. I got a lot more. I got a lifetime friend."
Years later, Ann shared the backstory she had created for Alice, drawing inspiration from her own life. “I decided that my twin sister was going to be a doctor who couldn’t afford school, so I started doing maid’s work so she could afford to go to college," she told the Archive of American Television in 2004.
Given that Ann had a twin sister and she did have early aspirations of becoming a doctor, this backstory makes sense, but she never revealed it to any of her cast members, only looping in Lloyd. Although Ann didn’t create a more expansive backstory for Alice, it was enough for her character to stay loyal to the Brady family.
"I cared very much about this family. It was my family…I would’ve died for any single one of them," she explained.
In the decade after The Bob Cummings Show, Ann starred in several TV shows and movies, and in 1969, she was cast as Alice Nelson, but The Brady Bunch producers had no idea what an integral part of the family the character would become, thanks to the actress’s interpretation.
"Dad didn't create 'Alice.' She was Ann B's own creation,” said Lloyd Schwartz, TV producer and writer, about his father and the show’s creator, Sherwood Schwartz, to the San Antonio Express-News. "He just wanted a funny housekeeper. But he got a whole lot more. America got a whole lot more. I got a lot more. I got a lifetime friend."
Years later, Ann shared the backstory she had created for Alice, drawing inspiration from her own life. “I decided that my twin sister was going to be a doctor who couldn’t afford school, so I started doing maid’s work so she could afford to go to college," she told the Archive of American Television in 2004.
Given that Ann had a twin sister and she did have early aspirations of becoming a doctor, this backstory makes sense, but she never revealed it to any of her cast members, only looping in Lloyd. Although Ann didn’t create a more expansive backstory for Alice, it was enough for her character to stay loyal to the Brady family.
"I cared very much about this family. It was my family…I would’ve died for any single one of them," she explained.