Was Robert Reed Drunk At The End of "My Fair Opponent?"

[Jack1000]

Guys,

This question might have been answered before, but if you watch the tag sequence carefully, you will notice that when Marcia comes home from Senior Banquet Night, Carol asks how it was and Marcia responds affermatively, and Mike says, "good." But you can see Robert Reed is not "all there." It is so obvious to me! According to Barry's, Growing Up Brady book, Reed was known for occasionally going to a local bar outside the Paramount lot, sometimes coming back loaded because he was pissed about something in the script or had some verbal altercation about something.

An example that Lloyd Schwartz cites is that when they rehersed the Myran's maze running scene with Mike and Greg in the garage in"The Impractical Joker." (There is a part where Reed "blows" on Myran to get him to go the other direction in the maze.) I can't see evidence of Reed's displeasure in this scene during the performance of it. But you have to wonder about the tag sequence of "My Fair Opponent." Either Robert didn't care because he was in a bad mood or was drunk. But why would they publish this tag?

Jack

[michaellinn]

I just watched the ending on the DVD, and it seems Robert Reed was tired and didn't show much emotion in that final scene (tag). But he didn't have much to say or do in the ending anyway; he seemed rather bored. Whether he was drunk or not at the time, I have no idea.

[Bachu]

In the episode 'Cindy Brady Lady' when Mike and Carol walk into the family room on Bobby watching Cindy and her date play in the garden Reed calls to Bobby by saying his name but the way he says it sounds really weird. Perhaps a problem with the sound on the original tapes. Anyone else notice this?

[Jack1000]

Originally Posted by Jack1000

Guys,

This question might have been answered before, but if you watch the tag sequence carefully, you will notice that when Marcia comes home from Senior Banquet Night, Carol asks how it was and Marcia responds affermatively, and Mike says, "good." But you can see Robert Reed is not "all there." It is so obvious to me! According to Barry's, Growing Up Brady book, Reed was known for occasionally going to a local bar outside the Paramount lot, sometimes coming back loaded because he was pissed about something in the script or had some verbal altercation about something.

An example that Lloyd Schwartz cites is that when they rehersed the Myran's maze running scene with Mike and Greg in the garage in"The Impractical Joker." (There is a part where Reed "blows" on Myran to get him to go the other direction in the maze.) I can't see evidence of Reed's displeasure in this scene during the performance of it. But you have to wonder about the tag sequence of "My Fair Opponent." Either Robert didn't care because he was in a bad mood or was drunk. But why would they publish this tag?

Jack

I got a GREAT theory for why I believe Reed may have been pissed/or drunk at the end of "My Fair Opponent." We all know that he was a stickler for realism and at the end of this episode Molly Weber and the astronaut who is appointed to be Senior Banquet Night host visit Marcia at home and tell her that because of all the help that she gave Molly that principal Mr. Watkins and he agree that Molly and she should be co-hostesses. No problem for Reed there.

BUT, it is established that the astronaut's name is Col. Dick Whitfield who was supposedly going to the moon on one of the Apollo Missions. Not sure of the actor who played him, (William Wellmen, I think) but the name "Dick Whitfield" was taken from the husband of the Brady kids' on-set teacher and guardian, Francis Whitfield, NOT from a current or former astronaut AFAIK.

If this is true, I could see Reed being less than enthused about the scene:

"There WAS no Col Whitfield on ANY of the Apollo missions, so how could Marcia and Molly be escorted by such a person on Senior Banquet Night?"

Maybe he had one of his get drunk conniptions at Sherwood. Went to the local bar, and came back in a foul mood refusing to do the scene. Sherwood might have made him do it, but since Reed didn't have to say much , IF he was indeed drunk, it wouldn't be very noticable!

Just a theory!

Jack