And the center Brady box goes blank -- RIP Ann B. Davis

[Double J]

OUTING ALERT: Fart is Robert Reed, back from the grave and still griping about Sherwood Schwartz's brainchild.

For its genre, Barry Williams' "Growing Up Brady" is actually a pretty fun read. The stuff about performing high and going on a date with Florence Henderson are hilarious because in the end, it's pretty innocent stuff. A lot of the book is hilarious retellings of the Robert Reed griping that you reference. You wonder why he stayed on the damn show so long, though I would suspect the regular paycheck had something to do with it. He even came back for awful reunions and dance shows.

That's a fantastic book. Supposedly, Mike Brady was going to be killed off-screen if the show had come back for a sixth season, because Schwartz was so tired of Reed's bitching. By the time the reunions started rolling around, I guess tensions had eased up a bit. And, for the record, Reed absolutely ****ing loved being on the variety show even though he couldn't sing or dance to save his life.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

What was he bitching about? Did he want Florence Henderson replaced with Freddie Mercury?

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

Reed won Emmy nominations for other shows, played Romeo and Puck, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
I don't blame him for losing patience with the hammy material he was handed on that show.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

They never said anything about the girls' father. Schwartz always said he was portraying her as divorced but the network wouldn't allow the acknowledgement.

One of the movies in the '90s had her husband returning.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

They never said anything about the girls' father. Schwartz always said he was portraying her as divorced but the network wouldn't allow the acknowledgement.

One of the movies in the '90s had her husband returning.

I seem to remember in one of the early episodes, Bobby or Peter made a passing reference to their mom dying. But you're right, I don't remember that happening with the girls...

I just assumed the dad coming back in the movie was a goof since those films were done in a pretty tongue-in-cheek manner.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

They never said anything about the girls' father. Schwartz always said he was portraying her as divorced but the network wouldn't allow the acknowledgement.

One of the movies in the '90s had her husband returning.

I seem to remember in one of the early episodes, Bobby or Peter made a passing reference to their mom dying. But you're right, I don't remember that happening with the girls...

I just assumed the dad coming back in the movie was a goof since those films were done in a pretty tongue-in-cheek manner.

I believe it was in the first episode, because it showed Bobby looking at a picture of her and Alice was trying to console him. If I remember right, it was actually a pretty sad scene.

That said, why the heck would a man and woman, each with three kids, decide to get married without all of the kids meeting each other? And if I'm also remembering right, the kids didn't even meet the other parent until the wedding.

 

[Songbird]

Before the Bunch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WYWRduE8w8

 

[mpcincal]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

They never said anything about the girls' father. Schwartz always said he was portraying her as divorced but the network wouldn't allow the acknowledgement.

One of the movies in the '90s had her husband returning.

I seem to remember in one of the early episodes, Bobby or Peter made a passing reference to their mom dying. But you're right, I don't remember that happening with the girls...

I just assumed the dad coming back in the movie was a goof since those films were done in a pretty tongue-in-cheek manner.

I believe it was in the first episode, because it showed Bobby looking at a picture of her and Alice was trying to console him. If I remember right, it was actually a pretty sad scene.

That said, why the heck would a man and woman, each with three kids, decide to get married without all of the kids meeting each other? And if I'm also remembering right, the kids didn't even meet the other parent until the wedding.

If I remember correctly, the pilot had a scene with Mike asking the boys how they felt about the new mom they were getting and they all remarked that they thought Carol was great, so it seems like everybody did meet before they decided to get married.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

They never said anything about the girls' father. Schwartz always said he was portraying her as divorced but the network wouldn't allow the acknowledgement.

One of the movies in the '90s had her husband returning.

I seem to remember in one of the early episodes, Bobby or Peter made a passing reference to their mom dying. But you're right, I don't remember that happening with the girls...

I just assumed the dad coming back in the movie was a goof since those films were done in a pretty tongue-in-cheek manner.

I believe it was in the first episode, because it showed Bobby looking at a picture of her and Alice was trying to console him. If I remember right, it was actually a pretty sad scene.

That said, why the heck would a man and woman, each with three kids, decide to get married without all of the kids meeting each other? And if I'm also remembering right, the kids didn't even meet the other parent until the wedding.

If I remember correctly, the pilot had a scene with Mike asking the boys how they felt about the new mom they were getting and they all remarked that they thought Carol was great, so it seems like everybody did meet before they decided to get married.

Now that I think of it, maybe they did meet the adults, but I'm still thinking the six kids had met each other.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If nothing else, it seemed like they did not know each other well or at least as well as you would expect kids to know each other if their parents were getting married.

 

[Double J]

I don't believe for a second that they would have killed his character off, tempting as it may have been.

That show was all about the warm and fuzzy, and they barely referenced that both had been widowed.

They never said anything about the girls' father. Schwartz always said he was portraying her as divorced but the network wouldn't allow the acknowledgement.

One of the movies in the '90s had her husband returning.

I seem to remember in one of the early episodes, Bobby or Peter made a passing reference to their mom dying. But you're right, I don't remember that happening with the girls...

I just assumed the dad coming back in the movie was a goof since those films were done in a pretty tongue-in-cheek manner.

I believe it was in the first episode, because it showed Bobby looking at a picture of her and Alice was trying to console him. If I remember right, it was actually a pretty sad scene.

It was the first episode, and Mike consoled Bobby after noticing Bobby had put the picture away thinking his new mom wouldn't like it. Mike told him to put it back. Of course, the picture and the mother were never referred to again (just like the girls' cat, which got into a fight with Tiger and ruined the reception).

 

[Double J]

Reed won Emmy nominations for other shows, played Romeo and Puck, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
I don't blame him for losing patience with the hammy material he was handed on that show.

As either Schwartz or his son pointed out in the book, Reed seemed to be the kind of guy who could do "Hamlet," get booed off the stage, then come back and say, "Hey, don't blame me, I didn't write this ****."

He agreed to do the Brady Bunch pilot for the money, thought it would never get picked up as a series, and was trapped when it did. He spent nearly the entire run of the show fighting against it. Probably made Schwartz wish he had gone with his No. 2 choice for the role - Gene Hackman.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Reed won Emmy nominations for other shows, played Romeo and Puck, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
I don't blame him for losing patience with the hammy material he was handed on that show.

As either Schwartz or his son pointed out in the book, Reed seemed to be the kind of guy who could do "Hamlet," get booed off the stage, then come back and say, "Hey, don't blame me, I didn't write this ****."

He agreed to do the Brady Bunch pilot for the money, thought it would never get picked up as a series, and was trapped when it did. He spent nearly the entire run of the show fighting against it. Probably made Schwartz wish he had gone with his No. 2 choice for the role - Gene Hackman.

My favorite part of the Robert Reed fights: he decided the episode where Bobby is selling hair tonic was so stupid, he refused to appear in the episode. That happened to be the one where Greg graduates, so they threw in a line that said "Gee, Greg, it's too bad Dad got called away on business and has to miss your graduation."

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Speaking of "bunching," a friend's girlfriend was part of a second marriage scenario that brought together two large groups of kids. Her younger sister, about 15 then, quickly hooked up with a boy from the other family and they happily humped like bunnies for a couple of years.

The parents were always happy that she was a good girl who liked to stay home.

That's what happens when the bunch doesn't have a watchful maid.

 

[Vombatus]

What a deal, he didn't even have to pay for dinners. Let mom cook, then deliver the tube steak to sis for dessert.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

I don't understand the resentment of Reed on this thread.
He wasn't some rich snot used to throwing tantrums and getting his way.
He was the son of an Oklahoma turkey farmer and a self-made man who earned his success.
This is the same crowd that thinks Little League baseball is beneath them, yet a guy who taught Shakespeare at UCLA is an asshole for objecting to Sherwood Schwartz's goofball humor.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

I don't understand the resentment of Reed on this thread.
He wasn't some rich snot used to throwing tantrums and getting his way.
He was the son of an Oklahoma turkey farmer and a self-made man who earned his success.
This is the same crowd that thinks Little League baseball is beneath them, yet a guy who taught Shakespeare at UCLA is an asshole for objecting to Sherwood Schwartz's goofball humor.

I don't think it's resentment of Robert Reed, so much as amusement at the complaints of Robert Reed.

He was angry that they aimed for low-brow comedy instead of an intelligent examination of the trials and tribulations facing a blended family. Perhaps he should have considered which has more likely when he signed up to do a sitcom created by the mastermind behind "Gilligan's Island."

 

[YankeeFan]

That said, why the heck would a man and woman, each with three kids, decide to get married without all of the kids meeting each other? And if I'm also remembering right, the kids didn't even meet the other parent until the wedding.

Check your privilege Baron.

 

[Boom_70]

What a deal, he didn't even have to pay for dinners. Let mom cook, then deliver the tube steak to sis for dessert.

And if an accident happened they would not have ended up with kids and
had 12 fingers and 8 toes due to inbreeding.