Interesting Brady Bunch Facts - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

CliffClavin · 07-19-2004, 05:19 PM

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.

TVFactFan · 07-19-2004, 09:21 PM

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

falc04 · 07-22-2004, 12:28 PM

Thanks....good stuff!

ShawnieMac · 07-22-2004, 01:41 PM

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

falc04 · 07-22-2004, 04:23 PM

Quote:

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"!

Tweety · 07-22-2004, 11:38 PM

Quote:

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!

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...

falc04 · 07-23-2004, 10:31 AM

Quote:

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...

Tweety · 07-23-2004, 03:06 PM

Ah yes, now I remember...

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

ShawnieMac · 07-23-2004, 03:22 PM

Quote:

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.

James · 07-24-2004, 01:20 AM

Quote:

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.

hawaii five-o · 07-24-2004, 11:58 AM

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

TV Guy · 07-26-2004, 06:43 PM

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.

sixfingers · 05-04-2008, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

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.

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.

sixfingers · 03-26-2010, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CliffClavin

...
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.

Smartboy · 03-27-2010, 02:09 AM

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!

07-19-2004, 05:19 PM	#1
CliffClavin Yada Yada Yada Senior Member Join Date: May 04, 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,403	Interesting Brady Bunch Facts 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.
	__________________ We owe a lot to Thomas Edison - if it wasn't for him, we'd be watching television by candlelight. - Milton Berle Last edited by CliffClavin; 07-20-2004 at 10:38 AM.

07-19-2004, 09:21 PM	#2
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,007	You forgot to add tha Sanford and Son was responsible for the Brady Bunch being cancelled

07-22-2004, 12:28 PM	#3
falc04 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 12, 2004 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 161	Thanks....good stuff!

07-22-2004, 01:41 PM	#4
ShawnieMac Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 24, 2004 Location: California Posts: 43	Who was Sanford & Son responsible for the Brady Bunch to be cancelled?

07-23-2004, 03:06 PM	#8
Tweety Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 18, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,804	Ah yes, now I remember... You're right, he just gave them an angry look but never said a word. Thanks for the info!

07-24-2004, 11:58 AM	#11
hawaii five-o Book 'Em, Dano Senior Member Join Date: Jun 27, 2003 Location: At home, eating cereal straight out of the box Posts: 1,406	Nobody jump on me if I'm wrong, but I think that it was renewed for the entire 1972-73 season.

07-26-2004, 06:43 PM	#12
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	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.

03-27-2010, 02:09 AM	#15
Smartboy Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 06, 2007 Location: South Orange, NJ Posts: 4,231	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!