part0008

With the possible exception of Star Trek , it seems that no classic television series is referenced in pop culture more often than The Brady Bunch , a show chronicling the moralistic adventures of a beloved blended family.

Created by Sherwood Schwartz, who also helmed Gilligan’s Island , The Brady Bunch aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974 and was cancelled after five seasons. Although it wasn’t a ratings bonanza for the network—the show never cracked Nielson’s top 25 during the five years it aired—The Brady Bunch found its true audience in syndication. Brady Bunch reruns began airing in September of 1975 (frequently in the afternoon and early evening, when kids are home from school), and since that time the show has never been off the air, resulting in millions of fans worldwide.

The memorable theme song sums up the popular program’s premise in precise (and somewhat poetic) fashion, describing the “story of a lovely lady, bringing up three very lovely girls” and a “man named Brady…busy with three boys of his own.”

Till the one day when the lady met this fellow,
And they knew that it was much more than a hunch.
That this group would somehow form a family.
That's the way we all became the Brady Bunch.

Wendy Winans, who runs www.bradyworld.com , has been a Brady Bunch fan since she was five-years-old and has fond memories of cutting out pictures from various teen magazines and putting them in a scrapbook. Her indulgent father even contacted a local television station that was airing Brady reruns and requested an episode guide.

“Long before all of the current books came out with descriptions of the episodes,” she said, “I had my very own as part of my scrapbook.”

Winans theorized on why the show remains a cultural phenomenon. “Of the issues that the Bradys dealt with,” she said, “most are still relevant today: not smoking, learning to get along with your siblings, getting braces, learning to drive, etc. The show gives viewers a wholesome venue in which to relate to their own issues and even laugh at life sometimes.”

Not everyone agrees with Winans’ upbeat attitude about her beloved Bradys. Often chided by critics for its simplistic plots, easy answers, and unrealistic family dynamic, The Brady Bunch even had a dissenter among its cast. Robert Reed, who played adoring father Mike Brady, was constantly butting heads with Sherwood Schwartz, mostly over the scripts, which Reed thought were juvenile and lacking in substance.

In his autobiography, Growing Up Brady…I Was A Teenage Greg (1999), Barry Williams quotes Reed thusly: “It was a well-known fact in Hollywood that Sherwood Schwartz was absolutely the worst writer working in television. But that all changed one day when suddenly there showed up one writer who was even worse. It was Lloyd, Sherwood’s son. And of course our problem was that we had both of them on The Brady Bunch .”

Winans ignores both the critics and Robert Reed, calling the show “timeless” and appreciating its “lessons in family togetherness.”

Citing the show’s popularity with the general public, Winans said, “Most people in America, when they hear someone make a Brady reference, know exactly what the person is talking about. For example, I recently heard Florence Henderson (aka Carol Brady) doing a radio commercial. She introduced herself as Florence Henderson, and never once said the word ‘Brady,’ but she referred to needing to ‘escape from the trials of her daughter, Jan’ and this was why she enjoyed watching American Idol . The advertising company that wrote that commercial made the assumption that everyone would know that the Jan referenced was Jan Brady.”

Elaborating further, Winans said, “The Brady Bunch continues to re-invent itself. It is the only show in television history that has crossed every media genre and major network. It was a comedy, a documentary, a play, a cartoon [Filmation’s The Brady Kids ], a variety show [The Brady Bunch Variety Hour ], a drama [The Bradys ], and a movie [The Brady Bunch Movie ]. Also, there are records, books, toys, photos—the collectible list is endless.”

Winans’ favorite Brady Bunch item is the lunchbox with thermos. “It’s an iconic piece of American pop culture,” she said. “Metal lunch boxes were so big during that time, and it’s a small, easily displayable collectible that almost everyone can relate to.” Released by King Sealey in 1970, a Brady Bunch lunch box sells for around $150-$300, while the accompanying thermos typically brings $35-$75.

According to Winans, the “Holy Grail” of Brady Bunch collecting is the original Kitty-Karry-All doll from Remco. Released in 1969, Kitty-Karry-All was based on Cindy’s doll from the TV series, and it’s worth at least $150 in nice condition. “I think the three pieces that any true Brady collector should have are the lunch box/thermos, the Kitty-Karry-All doll, and the complete trading card set,” she said.

According to The Sport Americana Price Guide to the Non-Sports Cards (1988), a 55-card test series of Brady Bunch cards was released in 1970 while a standard set of 88 cards hit stores in 1971. However, the copyright date on the latter cards is 1969, referring to “the original license granted for 88 designs.” When Topps originally tested only 55 designs prior to releasing the 88-card set, a new 1970 copyright date was required for the 55-card set. This caused confusion for years among collectors, who thought that the 55 cards were released after the 88 cards as a second series. The 55-card set in near mint condition commands at least $2,000 while the 88-card set is worth around $1,000 or more.

Charis Weiss, a school teacher and the mother of my two children, collects Brady Bunch items in what little spare time she has, citing the card sets as some of the more intriguing, yet elusive collectibles from the show. “It's extremely difficult to get a complete set of the Topps trading cards,” she said. “I own just one of the 88 from the 1971 set, but it's special to me. My then-boyfriend [that would be me, her husband] found it for me, and it was my first Brady item that came from the original run of the series.”

For Weiss, sentimentality plays a significant role in her collection. “I'm especially proud of the thermos because it just fell into my lap, almost literally,” she said. “I was sitting in our usual pew at church, waiting for the Sunday service to start, when a friend plopped it down in front of me. She had found that gem in her packrat parents' garage, and she knew I needed it. I was delighted! After scouring flea markets and thrift stores for the elusive lunchbox, it was a huge thrill to at least have the thermos.”

Weiss was only a year old when The Brady Bunch debuted, and she’s been a fan of the show as long as she can remember. “I've been watching the Bradys my whole life,” she said. “In college my roommate and I started compiling our own episode guide, and I bought my first Brady item: a ‘Christmas Carols’ T-shirt with the Brady mom all over it. With that purchase, an obsession was born! Once eBay came along, I had an easier way to add to my collection.”

Online auctions are indeed the best way to find some of the more obscure Brady Bunch collectibles. “I'm tickled to have a few of the unlicensed toys like the Hex-a-Game puzzle [$15.00] and the hand tambourine [$15.00] that I found on eBay,” Weiss said. “Those little blister packs remind me of shopping in the tiny toy aisle at my hometown dime store.”

Of course, Brady Bunch items are always on eBay. Here’s a sampling of recently finished auctions: a complete season 1-5 DVD set with the groovy shag carpet packaging ($96.90, like new); a Whitman archival edition coloring book with an official Whitman stamp on the first page ($59.95, light wear); a Pistol Ping Pong game from 1973 ($19.99, new in package); a standard Whitman coloring book from 1974 ($9.99, unused); The Brady Bunch: Phonographic Album CD from 1996 ($10.99, like new); and a View-Master reels set ($19.99, complete).

When asked why she likes The Brady Bunch more than other programs of the era, Weiss recalled wishing that she had brothers and sisters growing up. “I'm an only child, so the idea of a family with six kids really fascinated me,” she said, “even if the show was terribly unrealistic. Plus, I've watched the Bradys forever, so it's comforting to come back to these characters who were around two or three times a day via reruns throughout my childhood.”

Weiss continued: “Even though it's corny, the show has a sweetness about it. The over-the-top wholesomeness is refreshing when compared to later sitcoms like Married with Children or The Family Guy . Now that I'm a mom, I really enjoy watching episodes with my daughter. She may be a bigger fan than I am! When our family vacation took us to the Grand Canyon a few years ago, we had to re-enact the Bradys' pose along the canyon rim.”

Like most Brady Bunch fans, Weiss likes the popular Grand Canyon episodes. However, her favorites revolve around music. “I love all the episodes where the kids sing (‘Dough Re Mi,’ ‘Amateur Nite,’ ‘Adios, Johnny Bravo’),” she said. “My friends and I used to perform little shows for our parents, complete with singing and dancing. I'm not sure if we did that because of the Brady Bunch or if we liked the Brady Bunch because we did that!”

Weiss’s favorite character from the show is, without a doubt, Peter Brady, who was played by Christopher Knight. “He’s the most complex figure,” she said, “filled with angst yet not pathetic, the middle child without that annoying ‘middle child syndrome.’ He's cute but not cocky (like Greg), funny but not silly (like Bobby).”

In 1995, Paramount Pictures released The Brady Bunch Movie , followed the next year by A Very Brady Sequel . Most fans—even Brady Bunch purists—were in on the joke and had fun with the films, despite mixed critical reception.

Weiss especially enjoyed the first movie. “Making the Bunch an anachronistic family in mid-’90s Los Angeles was genius,” she said. “We Brady fans could tell that the screenwriters really knew their Brady trivia, too. It was fun to spot references to the sitcom, and I loved all the cameos from original Brady cast members.”

Wendy Winans likes the feature films as well, but was unimpressed with the 2002 made-for-TV movie, in which Mike Brady becomes President of the United States. “I think Brady Bunch in the White House should not have been made,” she said. “However, the two theatrical releases were a fun way to remind America of the simple life lessons the original show had to offer, plus be able to laugh at the fashion styles of the past. The Brady Bunch Movie was also a treat because we were able to see many of the original actors once again.”

Bradymania remains strong, as evidenced by a plethora of recently released books about the show, including: The Brady Bunch ($19.95) by Mike Pingel; Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour ($22.95) by Ted Nichelson, Susan Olsen (aka Cindy Brady), and Lisa Sutton; Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice ($14.99) by Maureen McCormick (aka Marcia Brady); and Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of The Brady Bunch as Told by the Father/Son Team who Really Know ($24.95) by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz.

Whether you think The Brady Bunch is a timeless piece of nostalgia hearkening back to better days or an over-praised, over-quoted piece of fluff from the dark ages of television’s corn-filled past, you’ve got to admit that the Bradys and American pop culture go together like “pork chops and applesauce.”