They could've done a better job maturing Cindy

[TMC]

It was weird how they kept Cindy so babyish. Marcia and Greg really matured during the series. It was unrealistic for Cindy's look not to change in that many years. Maybe even then, the producers realized that once the youngest child grows up, the show is not as good.

They also did that to Anissa Jones (Buffy on Family Affair) too, but in her case it was two fold, one to keep selling the popular Buffy clothes and second to match Jodie who was her twin and several years younger than her.

Susan Olsen herself felt that she was too old to be doing some of the things that they made her do later on:

http://www.cultfilmfreak.com/susanolsen/

Was there any particular episode that was difficult for you?
The embarrassment of the Shirley Temple episode. I was too old for it. It had been an idea for me to do when I was 8 or 9 but at 12 I looked and felt like a dork singing "Goodship Lollypop".

[Torgo]

That whole Shirley Temple scene was ridiculous, she was way to old to be playing that. It's right up there with Beaver dressing up in the bunny suit.

[Smartboy]

Originally Posted by Torgo

That whole Shirley Temple scene was ridiculous, she was way to old to be playing that. It's right up there with Beaver dressing up in the bunny suit.

Over on the "Gimme a Break!" page, I have started a thread called "Shirley Temple". The purpose of this thread was to write about an episode of that show in which a character made a fool out of herself in very much the same way that Cindy Brady made a fool out of herself in this episode. I would say that, one way that the two situations very very similar is that they both featured a character that had ambition that had no place to go. After I submit this message, I think that I will bring that one to that top of that page just in case any of you guys want to read it.

[Bonniegirl]

I thought Cindy and Mrs. Howell singing and dancing to On a good ship lollipop was funny!

[Smartboy]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

I thought Cindy and Mrs. Howell singing and dancing to On a good ship lollipop was funny!

I can see why you would say that.

[Sunshine Cab]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

I thought Cindy and Mrs. Howell singing and dancing to On a good ship lollipop was funny!

I thought it was funny too in an absurd kind of way.

Cindy helped cinch the deal for Mike and his unnamed company. She should have gotten a surprise party with a table full of presents like Peter did when he spied on his siblings with the tape recorder.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by Sunshine Cab

I thought it was funny too in an absurd kind of way.

Cindy helped cinch the deal for Mike and his unnamed company. She should have gotten a surprise party with a table full of presents like Peter did when he spied on his siblings with the tape recorder.

Off the Shirley Temple topic, but Warren the accordion player from Peter the magician episode always amuses me!!

[TVMakesMeHappy]

She did act too babyish at times. I liked the secret admirer episode. I expected her to want too mature too quickly.
It was silly early on when she couldn't spell and such.

Many often mention the Shirley Temple episode. I don't see that one as so terrible, especially in that day and age. It was different before small children followed entertainers on the internet. Shirley Temple was enjoyed by people of all ages, as shown by the guest appearance of Natalie Schafer.

[Retro4Life]

They obviously did make her stay young far too long.

However, in their favor, I think everybody kind of assumed that the reason they cast Cousin Oliver was specifically because they knew they would soon HAVE to address the aging of the younger kids.

[paul.austin]

Reminds me of how a 6-7 year old Lindsay Ridgeway (Boy Meets World) did the story scenes for the original Tower of Terror ride and when they got around to doing the telefilm remake, she was 12 and it, um... didn't work so well.

[Tweety]

Not sure if this is true, but I have heard that the Shirley Temple episode was an old script that was never used, but they brought it back late in the series when they needed a plot. One one hand, that theory makes sense... on the other, it could be just an excuse for what was at that point a bad idea.

[Smartboy]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Not sure if this is true, but I have heard that the Shirley Temple episode was an old script that was never used, but they brought it back late in the series when they needed a plot. One one hand, that theory makes sense... on the other, it could be just an excuse for what was at that point a bad idea.

Are you saying it was a bad idea because, at the time it was made, Cindy was too old to be in a Shirley Temple type movie or to think that she would? I believe that Cindy is supposed to be eleven years old when this episode was shown. I think that is several years older then Shirley Temple was when she was a childhood star. In any event, is that the point that you are trying to make?

[Donthe2nd]

I think the whole point of the episode was to make Cindy look like a big doofus and they succeeded. Unfortunately it went beyond her character and made the actress feel like a big doofus as well.

[Smartboy]

Originally Posted by Donthe2nd

I think the whole point of the episode was to make Cindy look like a big doofus and they succeeded. Unfortunately it went beyond her character and made the actress feel like a big doofus as well.

That is a very interesting school of thought.

[paul.austin]

adult Susan Olsen's politics are pretty close to adult Shirley Temple's... and Shirley Temple's adult politics made John Wayne look like a Southern Democrat.