Have y'all ever wondered this about the attic room? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Elizabeth B. · 01-05-2003, 03:50 AM

I was watching the "Who gets the Attic?" ep last night, and this occurred to me:

That is a BIG attic! Don't you think that Mike, being an architect and all, could have put up a partition wall down the middle, and then BOTH Marcia and Greg would have their own rooms?

That kind of project would take about a few days at the most to complete (less if you paid someone else to do it!), and it would have given them two extra rooms to the house, as well as relieving the overcrowding problem in the kids' rooms!

If Mike wanted to do the project himself, it could have been the basis of another episode, like the ones when they put up wallpaper in the girls' room and when they re-papered Mike and Carol's room.

Can't you just see Alice right now, trying to put up sheetrock and handling a nail-gun?

Janice · 01-05-2003, 09:10 PM

Your idea certainly makes sense in the real world, but in the sitcom world, it probably wouldn't have worked.
I posted a question similar to this on the Leave It To Beaver board a while back. I was curious why Wally and Beaver shared a bedroom when there were four bedrooms in the house (two guestrooms, no less!).
Someone replied that it was most likely kept that way because, and I quote:
"But it's true that a lot of interaction, scheming, and narration and summation diaglog takes place in Wally's and Beaver's room which would not if they had separate rooms."
I'm guessing the reason is similar on The Brady Bunch.

¤I Love Clay Aiken¤ · 01-06-2003, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Elizabeth B.
Can't you just see Alice right now, trying to put up sheetrock and handling a nail-gun?

LOl

. Maybe she could staple up Cousin Oliver too!!

No my Olly!!

Well.. they shared a room in the movie, and you saw what that lead to! LOl.

I think itd be funny if they shared a room.. look @ Janices quote.. theyd have a lot of good episodes if they shared a room!

Janice · 01-06-2003, 02:46 AM

You'd think Mike the big-shot architect would figure out a way so his 6 kids wouldn't have to share a bathroom.

Kitt · 01-06-2003, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Janice
You'd think Mike the big-shot architect would figure out a way so his 6 kids wouldn't have to share a bathroom.

Yep, I'd say the bathroom situation was a real problem.

As a kid with two brothers, though, I remember my oldest brother feeling lonely and left out. He had a room of his own while my other brother and I shared a room. So practicality is not the only thing to consider. Beaver and Wally shariing a room was a bonding thing that they (even in a real life scenario) would prefer to having their own rooms.
Didn't Greg move into Mike's office once? And then he got lonely and moved back in with his brothers?

Janice · 01-06-2003, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kittflynn
Yep, I'd say the bathroom situation was a real problem. As a kid with two brothers, though, I remember my oldest brother feeling lonely and left out. He had a room of his own while my other brother and I shared a room. So practicality is not the only thing to consider. Beaver and Wally shariing a room was a bonding thing that they (even in a real life scenario) would prefer to having their own rooms.
Didn't Greg move into Mike's office once? And then he got lonely and moved back in with his brothers?

That's a good point Kitt. Some kids want to share a room. As for Greg, I do recall a storyline where he made Mike's office look groovy as his bedroom. I don't recall how the episode ended though.

Czas na Zywiec · 01-06-2003, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ¤MsConanOBrien¤
Well.. they shared a room in the movie, and you saw what that lead to! LOl.

Not a good idea putting up a sheet, lol. They should have taken the treehouse apart and used that instead.

Elizabeth B. · 01-06-2003, 11:44 PM

How about that door at the top of their staircase? Where in the world did THAT lead to?

Judging by MY idea of the floorplan, it would back up to Mike and Carol's master bath.

Johnny be good! · 09-18-2007, 12:48 PM

That's correct, it would.

sixfingers · 03-20-2010, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitt

Yep, I'd say the bathroom situation was a real problem.

...

When I was growing up we had six family members and one bathroom. The difference was that two of them were adults.

Jude The Obscure · 03-21-2010, 07:45 PM

I always thought it strange that Mike put up a sink in Greg's attic room, but no stand-in shower? (or a hide-away john?)

Of course the house wasn't originally designed for a big family. Carol and the girls moved in to the existing Brady house that was just Mike and the boys, plus Alice (of course the boys' mom before she died.........we know Alice was hired on before Bobby was born and that Tiger the dog was also there before Bobby was born). I'm sure that before the girls had their room, it was either the nursery or Bobby and Peter's room. (We are supposed to pretend the house in the pilot is the same house, however).

McGillicuddy · 03-21-2010, 08:01 PM

The attic room doesn't make any sense anyway. In the second season, they make reference to the attic being a crawl space. And as far as the "john" goes, they didn't have a toilet in the bathroom between the kids' rooms so why would they put one in Greg's room?

Marvo301 · 03-21-2010, 09:23 PM

If they had sub-divided the attic that would have completely removed the conflict which would have ruined this episode. The whole episode was built around the conflict of who would get the attic room. If you remove that conflict you destroy the episode.

Jude The Obscure · 03-21-2010, 11:54 PM

The toilet may have not been shown, but it was clearly inferred to be there, esp in the final season--the episode where Peter and Bobby divide their room. Bobby announces "I've got news for you. The bathroom is on my side of no man's land" and then he promptly goes in and flushes the toilet!

A hide away john is a toilet with a closet door....you walk in and close the door, so it's hidden away

01-05-2003, 03:50 AM	#1
Elizabeth B. #1 JAN FAN!!!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 03, 2002 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 165	Have y'all ever wondered this about the attic room? I was watching the "Who gets the Attic?" ep last night, and this occurred to me: That is a BIG attic! Don't you think that Mike, being an architect and all, could have put up a partition wall down the middle, and then BOTH Marcia and Greg would have their own rooms? That kind of project would take about a few days at the most to complete (less if you paid someone else to do it!), and it would have given them two extra rooms to the house, as well as relieving the overcrowding problem in the kids' rooms! If Mike wanted to do the project himself, it could have been the basis of another episode, like the ones when they put up wallpaper in the girls' room and when they re-papered Mike and Carol's room. Can't you just see Alice right now, trying to put up sheetrock and handling a nail-gun?
	__________________ Elizabeth B.

03-21-2010, 09:23 PM	#13
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	If they had sub-divided the attic that would have completely removed the conflict which would have ruined this episode. The whole episode was built around the conflict of who would get the attic room. If you remove that conflict you destroy the episode.
	__________________ 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

01-05-2003, 09:10 PM	#2
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Your idea certainly makes sense in the real world, but in the sitcom world, it probably wouldn't have worked. I posted a question similar to this on the Leave It To Beaver board a while back. I was curious why Wally and Beaver shared a bedroom when there were four bedrooms in the house (two guestrooms, no less!). Someone replied that it was most likely kept that way because, and I quote: "But it's true that a lot of interaction, scheming, and narration and summation diaglog takes place in Wally's and Beaver's room which would not if they had separate rooms." I'm guessing the reason is similar on The Brady Bunch.

01-06-2003, 02:46 AM	#4
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	You'd think Mike the big-shot architect would figure out a way so his 6 kids wouldn't have to share a bathroom.

01-06-2003, 11:44 PM	#8
Elizabeth B. #1 JAN FAN!!!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 03, 2002 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 165	How about that door at the top of their staircase? Where in the world did THAT lead to? Judging by MY idea of the floorplan, it would back up to Mike and Carol's master bath.

09-18-2007, 12:48 PM	#9
Johnny be good! Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2007 Location: Westland, Michigan Posts: 1,629	That's correct, it would.

03-21-2010, 07:45 PM	#11
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	I always thought it strange that Mike put up a sink in Greg's attic room, but no stand-in shower? (or a hide-away john?) Of course the house wasn't originally designed for a big family. Carol and the girls moved in to the existing Brady house that was just Mike and the boys, plus Alice (of course the boys' mom before she died.........we know Alice was hired on before Bobby was born and that Tiger the dog was also there before Bobby was born). I'm sure that before the girls had their room, it was either the nursery or Bobby and Peter's room. (We are supposed to pretend the house in the pilot is the same house, however).

03-21-2010, 08:01 PM	#12
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	The attic room doesn't make any sense anyway. In the second season, they make reference to the attic being a crawl space. And as far as the "john" goes, they didn't have a toilet in the bathroom between the kids' rooms so why would they put one in Greg's room?

03-21-2010, 11:54 PM	#14
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	The toilet may have not been shown, but it was clearly inferred to be there, esp in the final season--the episode where Peter and Bobby divide their room. Bobby announces "I've got news for you. The bathroom is on my side of no man's land" and then he promptly goes in and flushes the toilet! A hide away john is a toilet with a closet door....you walk in and close the door, so it's hidden away