Shedding light on the relationship between Sherwood Schwartz and Robert Reed - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Marvo301 · 09-09-2010, 06:28 PM

I'm currently reading the book "Brady Brady Brady" by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd Schwartz. I've come across a couple of quotes that I think shed some light on how Sherwood felt about Bob Reed. The first one speaks volumes by what it doesn't say and the second by what it does say. The first quote regarding casting of the series is:

"All in all, we were lucky with the cast. Florence Henderson was wonderful and a dream to work with. Ann B. Davis was wonderful and a joy on the set. The six kids were wonderful and always willing to go the extra mile. And Bob - well, eight out of nine isn't bad."

The second quote is specifically about Bob Reed.

"In spite of all the problems that Bob caused, he provided a strong father figure for the Brady Bunch. The image of the father on television comedy shows has taken a beating, but Mike Brady was there for his kids offering wisdom and guidance. Robert Reed brought qualities of integrity and honesty to the role. That cannot be denied, so as much pain as he caused us, I'm glad Robert Reed was Mike Brady."

It's interesting that although Sherwood admitted that Bob Reed was a trouble maker and a pain he believed that the positive attributes Bob brought to the role outweighed the negatives. I give Sherwood and Lloyd a lot of credit for putting up with all of Bob Reed's nonsense because they believed it was in the best interests of the show for Bob Reed to play Mike Brady.

70s show watcher · 09-09-2010, 07:20 PM

ive always thought the sherwood came across in interviews like that he thought robert was a very nice person but that the clashes in theory about comedy is what led to most of the trouble between them loyd on the other hand seemes to have a very very strong dislike of robert period

Mr. Television · 09-09-2010, 07:33 PM

I'm glad he said that because it's true. Mike Brady was one of the greatest fathers in sitcom history and Robert Reed has to be given credit for that. The fact that he played the role so well despite the fact that he had problems with the storylines and such proves what a great actor he was. Sherwood could have had it worse. Ask the producers of Roseanne and Grace Under Fire.

MickeyMac · 09-09-2010, 07:49 PM

Sherwood Schwarts and Robert Reed were not buddies for sure. This shows that Schwartz has class to give Reed his props.

Marvo301 · 09-09-2010, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

Sherwood Schwarts and Robert Reed were not buddies for sure. This shows that Schwartz has class to give Reed his props.

Exactly what I was thinking. Very classy on Sherwood's part!

treky · 09-10-2010, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

I'm glad he said that because it's true. Mike Brady was one of the greatest fathers in sitcom history and Robert Reed has to be given credit for that. The fact that he played the role so well despite the fact that he had problems with the storylines and such proves what a great actor he was. Sherwood could have had it worse. Ask the producers of Roseanne and Grace Under Fire.

also my cousin, who produced "THAT 70'S SHOW", "THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN" and currently does "COMMUNITY". He says that the "COMMUNITY" cast is a big pain in the *** ecspecially Chevy Chase who he says is "a real *******". And most of the "70'S" cast was the same way, but the "THIRD ROCK" cast was the complete opposite.

lucyandethel · 09-10-2010, 07:58 PM

Maybe this will shed some light on Schwartz and Reed's relationship, too:

I know someone who knew Robert Reed pretty well. Here was the skinny. Essentially, Robert Reed received a percentage of the gross profits from "The Brady Bunch". Somehow or another, his agent and his good relationship with Paramount landed him this deal. Occasionally, the stars of a series can get these deals and Reed was considered the star, even above Florence Henderson. Sherwood Schwartz was not pleased, feeling he owned the show 100% outright, excluding justified profits to Paramount Pictures. Because Reed owned a percentage of the show, albeit very small, he wanted to participate in the development of show ideas and scripts and tried to get his ideas on how the show should be done taken into consideration. Schwartz was not receptive of Reed's ideas and at one point, Schwartz made it clear that as far as he was concerned, Reed was just an "actor". This enraged Reed who had ill-feelings toward Schwartz the rest of his life.

On the flipside, Robert Reed became a millionaire off "The Brady Bunch" so there wasn't much need for him to have cared one way or another.

sixfingers · 09-13-2010, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

I'm glad he said that because it's true. Mike Brady was one of the greatest fathers in sitcom history and Robert Reed has to be given credit for that. The fact that he played the role so well despite the fact that he had problems with the storylines and such proves what a great actor he was. Sherwood could have had it worse. Ask the producers of Roseanne and Grace Under Fire.

The fact that you have to look hard for on screen evidence of Robert Reed's disdain for the role does indeed speak well of his acting ability.

sixfingers · 09-13-2010, 12:16 AM

It has been speculated that the bad feelings between Schwartz and Reed account for the hiccup in the season 4 squares being left in.

Jude The Obscure · 09-13-2010, 03:31 PM

^Left in on what??

Bachu · 09-13-2010, 06:05 PM

In the opening credits, watch Reed during his sequence with the boys and I think as he goes to look at Greg he hiccups. I watched those credits for years and never noticed until someone pointed it out. Lots of shows have these type of bloopers though. Susan is seen scratching herself in one set of credits just as her square fades in. I forget which season. Perhaps 2.

Tweety · 09-14-2010, 06:10 AM

I believe that, a few years ago, someone here posted the text of an actual letter that Reed wrote to Schwartz (who's now 93 years of age, btw) which actually explained the different types of "comedy" in great detail and how certain types just don't go together. That was one of Reed's problems with the show. "Slapstick" didn't "go together" with some of the other things the show was doing, but Schwartz tried to put the different types together in ways that Reed didn't like.

There is also Reed's disagreement with a number of things he thought were unrealistic.

Bachu · 09-14-2010, 07:44 AM

I think some of these letters are in Barrys book Growing Up Brady.

Jude The Obscure · 09-20-2010, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bachu

In the opening credits, watch Reed during his sequence with the boys and I think as he goes to look at Greg he hiccups. I watched those credits for years and never noticed until someone pointed it out. Lots of shows have these type of bloopers though. Susan is seen scratching herself in one set of credits just as her square fades in. I forget which season. Perhaps 2.

oh that? I never thought of it as a big deal....

Bachu · 09-23-2010, 04:35 PM

Me neither. I don't know that the reason sixfingers gave is proof though, just his opinion?

09-09-2010, 06:28 PM	#1
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	Shedding light on the relationship between Sherwood Schwartz and Robert Reed I'm currently reading the book "Brady Brady Brady" by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd Schwartz. I've come across a couple of quotes that I think shed some light on how Sherwood felt about Bob Reed. The first one speaks volumes by what it doesn't say and the second by what it does say. The first quote regarding casting of the series is: "All in all, we were lucky with the cast. Florence Henderson was wonderful and a dream to work with. Ann B. Davis was wonderful and a joy on the set. The six kids were wonderful and always willing to go the extra mile. And Bob - well, eight out of nine isn't bad." The second quote is specifically about Bob Reed. "In spite of all the problems that Bob caused, he provided a strong father figure for the Brady Bunch. The image of the father on television comedy shows has taken a beating, but Mike Brady was there for his kids offering wisdom and guidance. Robert Reed brought qualities of integrity and honesty to the role. That cannot be denied, so as much pain as he caused us, I'm glad Robert Reed was Mike Brady." It's interesting that although Sherwood admitted that Bob Reed was a trouble maker and a pain he believed that the positive attributes Bob brought to the role outweighed the negatives. I give Sherwood and Lloyd a lot of credit for putting up with all of Bob Reed's nonsense because they believed it was in the best interests of the show for Bob Reed to play Mike Brady.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

09-09-2010, 07:33 PM	#3
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,128	I'm glad he said that because it's true. Mike Brady was one of the greatest fathers in sitcom history and Robert Reed has to be given credit for that. The fact that he played the role so well despite the fact that he had problems with the storylines and such proves what a great actor he was. Sherwood could have had it worse. Ask the producers of Roseanne and Grace Under Fire.
	__________________ Sonny

09-14-2010, 06:10 AM	#12
Tweety Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 18, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,804	I believe that, a few years ago, someone here posted the text of an actual letter that Reed wrote to Schwartz (who's now 93 years of age, btw) which actually explained the different types of "comedy" in great detail and how certain types just don't go together. That was one of Reed's problems with the show. "Slapstick" didn't "go together" with some of the other things the show was doing, but Schwartz tried to put the different types together in ways that Reed didn't like. There is also Reed's disagreement with a number of things he thought were unrealistic.
	__________________ Straight, and VERY proud of it. No, that's OK, I don't need a parade.

09-09-2010, 07:20 PM	#2
70s show watcher Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 20, 2008 Location: between point place and studio 8 h Posts: 4,548	ive always thought the sherwood came across in interviews like that he thought robert was a very nice person but that the clashes in theory about comedy is what led to most of the trouble between them loyd on the other hand seemes to have a very very strong dislike of robert period

09-09-2010, 07:49 PM	#4
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,004	Sherwood Schwarts and Robert Reed were not buddies for sure. This shows that Schwartz has class to give Reed his props.

09-10-2010, 07:58 PM	#7
lucyandethel Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 18, 2009 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 435	Maybe this will shed some light on Schwartz and Reed's relationship, too: I know someone who knew Robert Reed pretty well. Here was the skinny. Essentially, Robert Reed received a percentage of the gross profits from "The Brady Bunch". Somehow or another, his agent and his good relationship with Paramount landed him this deal. Occasionally, the stars of a series can get these deals and Reed was considered the star, even above Florence Henderson. Sherwood Schwartz was not pleased, feeling he owned the show 100% outright, excluding justified profits to Paramount Pictures. Because Reed owned a percentage of the show, albeit very small, he wanted to participate in the development of show ideas and scripts and tried to get his ideas on how the show should be done taken into consideration. Schwartz was not receptive of Reed's ideas and at one point, Schwartz made it clear that as far as he was concerned, Reed was just an "actor". This enraged Reed who had ill-feelings toward Schwartz the rest of his life. On the flipside, Robert Reed became a millionaire off "The Brady Bunch" so there wasn't much need for him to have cared one way or another.

09-13-2010, 12:16 AM	#9
sixfingers John Alan Elson Senior Member Join Date: Feb 22, 2008 Location: Sacramento Posts: 1,491	It has been speculated that the bad feelings between Schwartz and Reed account for the hiccup in the season 4 squares being left in.

09-13-2010, 03:31 PM	#10
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	^Left in on what??

09-13-2010, 06:05 PM	#11
Bachu Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 10, 2005 Posts: 809	In the opening credits, watch Reed during his sequence with the boys and I think as he goes to look at Greg he hiccups. I watched those credits for years and never noticed until someone pointed it out. Lots of shows have these type of bloopers though. Susan is seen scratching herself in one set of credits just as her square fades in. I forget which season. Perhaps 2.

09-14-2010, 07:44 AM	#13
Bachu Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 10, 2005 Posts: 809	I think some of these letters are in Barrys book Growing Up Brady.

09-23-2010, 04:35 PM	#15
Bachu Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 10, 2005 Posts: 809	Me neither. I don't know that the reason sixfingers gave is proof though, just his opinion?