The Brady Bunch (1969–1974)

The misadventures of a large family united when two widowed people married.

Creator:

Sherwood Schwartz

Stars:

Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis

7 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Robert Reed	...	Mike Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Florence Henderson	...	Carol Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Ann B. Davis	...	Alice Nelson (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Maureen McCormick	...	Marcia Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Eve Plumb	...	Jan Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Susan Olsen	...	Cindy Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Barry Williams	...	Greg Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Christopher Knight	...	Peter Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)
Mike Lookinland	...	Bobby Brady (117 episodes, 1969-1974)

Storyline

Architect Mike Brady marries beautiful young Carol, who has three girls to care for. Likewise, Mike's previous wife's death has left him to raise his three boys all alone. In no time this amalgam becomes the ideal average American middle class family. Of course, raising such a large family isn't easy, so live-in housekeeper Alice Nelson is always there to lend a hand.

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Plot Keywords:

housekeeper | architect | large family | growing up | suburb | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pop-Up Brady

Filming Locations:

11222 Dilling Street, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television, Redwood Productions, American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (117 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Brady's telephone number was 762-0799, mentioned once by Eve Plumb as Jan Brady while speaking to a telephone operator just to have the telephone ring, so she could pretend to speak with her imaginary boy-friend, 'George Glass' in The Brady Bunch: The Not-So-Ugly Duckling. Bobby also gave a phone number, but it was 555-6161 in the one with Joe Namath when he tried to leave a message for Joe to call him back in The Brady Bunch: Mail Order Hero.

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Goofs

Each time the front of the Brady house is shown as though it were "evening", the same shot is used for "daytime". The evening shot of the house is only darkened. The same shadow that can be seen in the daytime shot in the lower right corner (caused by the roof) is seen on the evening shot.

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Quotes

Marcia Brady: Ooh! My nose!

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Crazy Credits

The nine cast members are shown in a tic-tac-toe format, with the actors turning their heads to look each other.

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Connections

Featured in Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Theme from 'The Brady Bunch'"
Written by Frank De Vol (as Frank DeVol) & Sherwood Schwartz
Sung by The Brady Bunch Kids
Vocal Recordings Supervised by Jackie Mills
(seasons 2-5)

User Reviews

Light hearted misadventures of an idealized Big Happy Family

This is a sitcom from the 1970's that is based on an unlikely premise but nevertheless makes good family viewing...fun, heartwarming, and entertaining escapist drivel. The story revolves around a blended family originating when the widowed California architect, Mike Brady, marries a lovely lady, Carol, who is herself a single mom raising three daughters. Mike's three boys, Greg, Peter, & Bobby, originally range in age from 7 to 13. Carol's girls, Marcia, Jan, & Cindy, vary from age 6 to 12. By the series' end all the kids are basically teenagers. Meanwhile, the six offspring in this new combined family together experience assorted growing up trials, sibling rivalry, school issues, dating woes, and family vacations. Also included in the Brady family is their comical live-in housekeeper named Alice.

Of course it isn't exactly a likely scenario, the blending of so many children (including teenagers) more probably fraught with major serious challenges. Here the family is both relatively affluent and very functional, with any difficulties quite trivial and always amusingly solved within the half hour. Not only do these six kids have a stay at home mom but also the benefit of the affable & amusing Alice to help sort things out for them. Furthermore, the former spouses prove to be no problem. The boys experience no prolonged grief for their birth mother, Mike's first wife. It isn't clear whether Carol is divorced but in any case, her first husband seems conveniently out of the picture. The kids immediately assume all appropriate parental and fraternal bonds with their step people.

However, the show's essential positive values more than compensate for all these inadequacies, with sitcoms generally not intended to be unduly realistic anyway. True, the Bradys live a prosperous California lifestyle in a Los Angeles suburb, the parents are invariably patient and caring, and the kids sometimes even get to choose their own punishments. Nevertheless, these Brady kids are respectful of their parents, who are assumed to know more than their children (not the reverse). They are disciplined when they go astray, taught concepts of right and wrong, and generally expected to live up to them. All in sharp contrast to prevailing modern TV standards.

I haven't really watched the show in re runs though would still tune in now and then, if given the opportunity. Therefore it's been awhile, so I don't recall many specific episodes. The Bradys are definitely an idealized average American middle class family. However, it's a carefree, innocent, and light hearted program, improbable but with good values.