Robert Reed was a jerk to John Travolta during filming of "Boy in the Plastic Bubble"

[TMC]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/brady-bun...110024727.html

Robert Reed, known as the lovable, wholesome dad from "The Brady Bunch," wasn’t eager to play second fiddle to a young John Travolta.

That claim was made by Joel Thurm in his book titled "Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director," where he dished on his time in Hollywood. In it, he detailed the making of the 1976 drama "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble," which starred both Reed and Travolta.

"That film was a labor of love for everybody except Robert Reed," Thurm claimed to Fox News Digital. "For him, it was just a paycheck. He just couldn’t deal with the fact that our short schedule completely revolved around John. The thing is, we just had 17 days to work with John before he had to go back to shooting ‘Welcome Back, Kotter.’ That made it inconvenient for everybody else, but we all understood, and it was totally fine. That’s just what we had to do. But not for Robert Reed."

"He was really a p---- on the set," Thurm alleged. "He was there for one reason. He was there for a paycheck."

"The Boy in the Plastic Bubble," a made-for-TV drama, told the tale of a teen born with immune deficiencies (Travolta) who yearns to leave his germ-free bubble all thanks to the girl next door (Glynnis O’Connor).

In the book, Thurm described Travolta as "a kid" who was "having a ball and very friendly to all members of the cast and crew." It was at a time when the actor was skyrocketing to fame and "couldn’t go anywhere without getting mobbed." As for Reed, Thurm alleged he "was the only annoyance" on the set "who turned out to be a royal pain in the ass."

"Understandably, ‘The Brady Bunch’ had pumped up his ego, and Reed was used to being as important as anyone on the set," Thurm wrote. "But in ‘Bubble,’ he was neither the star nor the center of attention. The shooting schedule depended on John finishing his scenes in the 17 days he was available. All scheduling had to be worked around this. Reed couldn’t handle the demotion. He was sulky, curt and made it all too clear that this job was just a paycheck to him."

Thurm said Reed’s annoyance came to a head – "literally" – on the day when his curly hair had to be straightened and rekinked twice. The laborious task was meant to show his character’s changes in appearance over the years.

"It was a lot of time for him to be on the chair," said Thurm. "And he was miserable – just miserable. And what happened, happened.

In the book, Thurm said he went over to Reed’s dressing room in an attempt to smooth things over. That’s when things allegedly took a turn.

"Reed wound up storming into his dressing room, which, by the way, was equal in all respects to John’s," Thurm wrote. "I followed him and apologized, trying to explain, once again, our ridiculous schedule."

Thurm alleged he offered the grumpy star a back rub – one that turned into more.

"The deed that should not have been done got done," Thurm alleged. "I did leave him in a better mood, but Reed, who was professionally closeted, never looked me in the eye for the remaining few days of shooting and returned to being a pain in the ass… As promised, we finished with John within his 17-day limit."

In the book, Thurm also alleged that he had a less-than-memorable sexual encounter with another closeted actor – Rock Hudson.

"You mean my non-encounter," Thurm clarified. "The important thing is that nothing happened. That’s the reason why the story is funny."

Thurm alleged that in the ‘70s, he attended an industry party where most of the attendees were gay and "lots of liquor was poured." In attendance was his teen idol. He claimed that the "Giant" star caught his eye and made a "follow me" motion to the bedroom upstairs. Thurm insisted that he was "so anxious and nervous" that nothing more occurred – to his embarrassment. Thankfully, he said, Hudson forgot all about it and appeared unfazed as he was gearing up for his latest project.

"It would be years later, probably 10 years later, until I saw him again at my office," said Thurm. "We were casting a cop series called ‘The Devlin Connection’ and he was there. Fortunately, he had no idea who I was, which was just fine with me!"

Hudson passed away in 1985 at age 59 from complications of AIDS. Reed later died in 1992 at age 59. His death certificate indicated he was infected with HIV. In their lifetimes, both men kept their sexuality a secret, knowing it would have derailed their thriving careers.

Over the years, Thurm was involved with several iconic TV shows and films, such as "Rocky Horror Picture Show," "The Golden Girls," "Family Ties" and "Miami Vice." He’s also met numerous stars on the rise along the way. But it was Travolta, who Thurm met when the actor was just 17 years old, that left a lasting impression on him.

"I remembered when he walked into my office in New York – this was before anything," Thurm recalled. "He was just a polite, charming and incredibly handsome young man - he was a star right from the beginning. Even though he was from New Jersey and his name ends in a vowel, he was nothing like the character he would play, Vinnie Barbarino, in ‘Welcome Back, Kotter.’ John Travolta was just one of those people you met and instantly knew he was special, that he was going places."

"In that meeting, we talked about his aspirations," Thurm shared. "He told me that he really wanted to learn how to fly an airplane. It was just a wonderful meeting with this young man with dreams and ambitions. But it was only when he moved to California that things really began to move for him. And I wasn’t surprised. He had that star quality from the start."

While "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" didn’t result in an Emmy nomination for Travolta, Thurm said it led to something much more important. It showed audiences and filmmakers that Travolta could act beyond sitcoms. After that film, Thurm and Travolta worked together in "Grease" and "Moment by Moment."

"What I hope readers get from my book – and it starts at the very beginning – nobody knows anything about how the casting process works," said Thurm. "Casting directors don’t choose the people who wind up with the parts. We suggest, cajole, hammer over the head, twist arms, and do anything that we can to convince the people who make the decisions. But we certainly don’t have the last word."

[just1paul]

Originally Posted by TMC

https://www.yahoo.com/news/brady-bun...110024727.html

Sadly, Robert Reed hated himself for being gay, hence his mood and attitude.

[BestTVever]

Thanks for posting. That's a fascinating story and reveals so much about closeted Hollywood. Maybe they could have asked Travolta for a 3 some Travolta has been accused of allegedly hitting on several male performers in movies he was in.
Gosh, the 70s were such a wild time.

[TMC]

http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEM.../FEBRUARY.html

329. ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 02/26 **3**

It is always fun to discover that the closeted actor who is best known for the big family on television, once hit on this former A+ list actor, when the two made a movie together and the A+ lister was still unknown. The big family actor then made the life of the A+ lister miserable because of the rebuffing of advances. Robert Reed/”The Brady Bunch”/John Travolta/”The Boy in the Plastic Bubble”

[Duster76]

Reed had a history of problems, Sherwood Schwartz indicated he would have done the 6th season of The Brady Bunch without Reed (he had enough of him) had the series been renewed.

In an interview done for the Carson Podcast, Gabe Kaplan indicated that he had starred with Reed in the road company production of Doubles, he and Reed did not get along, Reed quit the show! Here is the really odd thing, opening night in each city after Reed had been replaced in the show he showed up in the audience to watch the play.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by Duster76

Reed had a history of problems, Sherwood Schwartz indicated he would have done the 6th season of The Brady Bunch without Reed (he had enough of him) had the series been renewed.

In an interview done for the Carson Podcast, Gabe Kaplan indicated that he had starred with Reed in the road company production of Doubles, he and Reed did not get along, Reed quit the show! Here is the really odd thing, opening night in each city after Reed had been replaced in the show he showed up in the audience to watch the play.

That's a fascinating story. Equally odd was Reed's obsessive displeasure with Brady scripts and focusing in on tiny details of them being unrealistic. He even refused to appear in a few episodes because he felt so strongly about them.
YET
He had no problem and actually enjoyed the Brady Bunch Hour with ridiculous scripts and silly singing and dancing that even back then made people cringe.
So the story about him showing up at the play is equally inconsistent

[TV Guy]

He also showed up for the filming of the final Brady episode, “The Hair Brained Scheme,” even though the producers wrote him out of it for complaining so much.

I think he was a troubled man. In addition to the issues with his sexuality, I think he was always disappointed that he was not as well regarded as an actor as he wanted to be. And he was an excellent actor. But after The Defenders and The Brady Bunch, he mostly did TV guest appearances and stage work (often road companies).

He loved the Brady kids, though, and they very fondly remember him. That’s how I’d rather think of him.

[Tankeryanker]

^^^
Well said.

[Rich3]

Robert Reed is one of the primary reasons the show has endured. He brought a serious element that helped counteract the silliness. A typical comedic actor would have probably added nothing in that respect.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Duster76

Reed had a history of problems, Sherwood Schwartz indicated he would have done the 6th season of The Brady Bunch without Reed (he had enough of him) had the series been renewed.

In an interview done for the Carson Podcast, Gabe Kaplan indicated that he had starred with Reed in the road company production of Doubles, he and Reed did not get along, Reed quit the show! Here is the really odd thing, opening night in each city after Reed had been replaced in the show he showed up in the audience to watch the play.

It's quite apparent that Robert Reed was embarrassed by The Brady Bunch and really didn't want to be there to begin with. He had just come off of The Defenders, which was considered a high class show, and he felt he was better than a stupid sitcom. If I have my facts straight, Robert did the pilot for The Brady Bunch for the money, never believing it would get on the air. Perhaps, he would have been happy to do a smarter sitcom like The Mary Tyler Moore Show than something from the creator of Gilligan's Island.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

That's a fascinating story. Equally odd was Reed's obsessive displeasure with Brady scripts and focusing in on tiny details of them being unrealistic. He even refused to appear in a few episodes because he felt so strongly about them.
YET
He had no problem and actually enjoyed the Brady Bunch Hour with ridiculous scripts and silly singing and dancing that even back then made people cringe.
So the story about him showing up at the play is equally inconsistent

Robert Reed was said to also have issues with the scripts and direction of the short-lived Bradys revival series from 1990. It has been alleged that had it gotten to a second season, then Mike Brady would've been killed off in a helicopter crash and Carol would've taken his place in the city councilperson seat. That's pretty much how fed up Sherwood Schwartz was with him. I heard that Robert even went to the upper brass at CBS to personally voice his grievances.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by Rich3

Robert Reed is one of the primary reasons the show has endured. He brought a serious element that helped counteract the silliness. A typical comedic actor would have probably added nothing in that respect.

I don't agree with your statement. The reason the show was a hit and has endured was the kids. Reed, Henderson and Davis all contributed equally to the show's success.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by TMC

It's quite apparent that Robert Reed was embarrassed by The Brady Bunch and really didn't want to be there to begin with. He had just come off of The Defenders, which was considered a high class show, and he felt he was better than a stupid sitcom. If I have my facts straight, Robert did the pilot for The Brady Bunch for the money, never believing it would get on the air. Perhaps, he would have been happy to do a smarter sitcom like The Mary Tyler Moore Show than something from the creator of Gilligan's Island.

I think Reed was a very good actor, but he wanted to be more, he wanted to be the star and the creative force behind the product he was in. He has only four directing credits, beginning with season two of The Brady Bunch, he was allowed to direct one episode per season. None of the episodes are standouts, there are mistakes in each one of them and he never had a directing credit again. He has no writing credits and the one pilot he was in that was adult themed, and he was cast as the male lead didn't sell. Like Sherwood Schwartz or not, there is no arguing the fact that he created two series that have stood the test of time. Reed was good at developing characters that were created and written by other people, that's what a good actor does. Reed wanted more, he didn't get it, and he appears to have been endlessly vexed by that fact. There's an old saying, "don't get what you want, want what you get".

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by Rich3

Robert Reed is one of the primary reasons the show has endured. He brought a serious element that helped counteract the silliness. A typical comedic actor would have probably added nothing in that respect.

I agree. But it just was not Robert. Florence too. The parents were such serious actors that it brought an anchor to the bubble gum silly scripts. If they had silly actor parents, the show would have never worked. The kids were good but real life perfect parents was what made the show endure.

[Rich3]

Yes, but it might never have taken off with a different actor, a sillier one. It might have never even made it past the pilot episode.