Who could ever forget The Brady Bunch, the most iconic and relatable family show to ever be on the American screen? You might have watched all the episodes and became a huge fan of the two parents and their six children as they overcame various obstacles. But do you think you know everything about the show? Think again. Here are the most surprising and intriguing facts about The Brady Bunch that you probably never knew!
Simple Math
The Brady Bunch traces its origins to a newspaper statistic. Sherwood, the director, read a news article in the Los Angeles Times that said 30% of marriages in the United States have children from a past marriage. And boom! The Brady family the world came to love was brought to life!
Simple Math
Not A Natural
In real life, Mike Lookinland has sandy-colored wavy hair. To play Bobby in the show, he needed to dye his hair into a dark brown shade and have it straightened to match his on-set brothers’ looks. However, the dye would run down his face when the set got too hot. It was slightly inconvenient, to say the least.
Not A Natural
That’s A No From Me
Gene Hackman, one of the Hollywood’s rising actors at the time, was first considered for the lead role of Mike Brady. But he was later replaced with Robert Reed, who had a more established acting career during the casting period.
That’s A No From Me
The Lisp Is Real
Susan Olsen, who played the youngest Brady daughter, worked with a speech therapist in her 20’s because she had a lisp in real life. Her lisp made some of her lines so awkward that they had to keep redoing certain scenes.
The Lisp Is Real
Not A Fan
Many viewers complained about the actors’ bad outfits. In fact, even the young actors called it hideous and asked the producers for more fashionable apparel. Nonetheless, they were constantly turned down.
Not A Fan
Over 260 Kids Auditioned For The Show!
Over 260 aspiring child actors auditioned for the role of the Brady children. It is obvious that the crew wanted to see as many applicants as possible to cast the perfect actors in The Brady Bunch. It ended up being a good thing because the show relied heavily on the skills of the younger cast members.
Over 260 Kids Auditioned For The Show
Tricks Galore
To find the best actors among all the children, the movie producers placed colorful toys on a table. The kids who got distracted by the toys were immediately eliminated from the auditions.
Tricks Galore
Double The Fun
This fact will blow your mind. Florence Henderson was not the only one to play Mrs. Brady. Joyce Bulifant held the role for a time. In fact, Bulifant was present during the screen tests and the casting procedure. However, the executives decided to make the character more subdued, so they gave the role to Florence Henderson instead.
Double The Fun
Serious Tension
Every Jan Brady fan will remember the famous line, ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.’ But do you know that this line was inspired by a real-life feud between Eve Plumb and Maureen McCormick? Yes! Blame it on the romantic subplot with Desi Arnaz Jr. Eve Plumb was reportedly jealous of the screen time Maureen McCormick got with the teen idol.
Serious Tension
So They Called It Puppy Love
This is one of the cutest ‘Brady Bunch’ hookups. Susan Olsen and Mike Lookinland admitted they kissed numerous times during the filming. What’s shocking here is that they were only nine years old at the time. But due to their young age, it was merely dismissed as puppy love.
So They Called It Puppy Love
Missing In Action
You may or may not have noticed that Mrs. Brady did not appear in the first six episodes. Did you ever wonder why? Well, this was because Florence Henderson had to perform in an off-Broadway play, so she couldn’t attend filming. Despite this, the production decided to continue without her.
Missing In Action
Best Friends For Life
Did you know that during filming, brothers Greg (Barry Williams) and Peter (Christopher Knight) developed a long-lasting friendship in real life? It’s true. They even attended each other’s wedding!
Best Friends For Life
Marcia and Greg Hooked Up – Off Set
Here’s another hot ‘Brady Bunch’ hookup. Maureen McCormick admitted it was wonderful to kiss Barry Williams. In fact, it led to an off-screen romance. In her memoir, she said the first kiss was long, deep, and passionate. But she also admitted to feeling incredibly embarrassed to be kissing her on-screen brother.
Marcia And Greg Hooked Up – Off Set
Stoner, Sorry To Say
Did you know that Barry Williams took a fair amount of marijuana as a teenager? Well, he admitted to it in his memoir. In the scene where Mr. Brady bought a boat, Barry was looking rather spaced out. He was tripping all over the place, but this was cut out by the director.
Stoner, Sorry To Say
That’s Right, IRL
Remember when a football hit Marcia in the face? It wasn’t in the script! It just so happened to be caught on tape. The moment was so iconic that the editors decided to incorporate the moment in the episode. Regardless, it quickly became one of the most memorable scenes of The Brady Bunch.
That’s Right, IRL
What A Wig!
Florence Henderson had some issues when it came to her hair. The off-Broadway play she participated in required short hair, but The Brady Bunch producers wanted it long. The solution? She had to wear a wig a lot of the time.
What A Wig!
No PDA Allowed
During the three-episode filming in Hawaii, the director had to cut many scenes to separate Maureen and Barry. They were too intimate and touchy with each other they failed to execute their lines well.
No PDA Allowed
Dude, I Surf
Regarding the Hawaii episodes, Barry Williams suffered an injury while surfing despite knowing how to ride a surfboard. He got wiped out and ended up having to rest. They needed a double to do his stunts despite his adequate surfing skills.
Dude, I Surf
Still A No
No wonder we don’t hear about The Brady Bunch reunion shows. In a recent Fox interview with Susan Olsen, she said Maureen and Eve still loathed each other. But why? Olsen explains that Eve was simply tired of Maureen’s attention-seeking ways. The two refuse to communicate with each other, so a reunion is highly unlikely.
Still A No
Sinister Plot
Lloyd Schwartz, one of the executive producers on The Brady Bunch, noticed how Maureen and Barry’s personal intimacy was ruining the family chemistry on the set. He actually persuaded Barry to break up with Maureen by telling him he was too young and good-looking for Maureen.
Sinister Plot
It’s Better If You Don’t
Every member of The Brady Bunch was talented at singing. With the exception of Christopher Knight, that is. He actually had to lip-sync all his singing since his voice wasn’t up to the task.
It’s Better If You Don’t
Mike Loonkinland (Bobby) Gave Up Acting
After Mike Lookinland retired from acting in 2000, he began operating a business of producing decorative concrete in Salt Lake, Utah.
Mike Lookinland (Bobby) Gave Up Acting
Oh No!
Did you love Tiger the family dog? This is saddening, but here’s what you need to know: the original Tiger was hit by a car in between takes. He was replaced by a similar-looking dog.
Oh No!
Very Real
Let’s go back to when Marcia got whacked by a football in the face. They actually found the culprit! And it turned out to be the producer Lloyd Schwartz!
Very Real
Swing and A Miss
You might not believe this next fact. But Barry Williams asked his television mom on a date! Unbelievable, right? He was only 15 at the time. Unfortunately, Florence Henderson turned him down.
Swing And A Miss
So About The Ratings
The episodes of The Brady Bunch had broad cultural appeal. However, it encountered seriously poor ratings. What was the problem? Reviewers suspected it was because the show primarily targeted the young audience.
So About The Ratings
Goofs and Mistakes Were Commonplace
Watching The Brady Bunch re-runs in the 21st century would allow you to see the production mistakes. All the acting goofs, too, because they remain unedited!
Goofs And Mistakes Were Commonplace
Dennis, the Menace
Robert Reed, who became our favorite TV dad, was actually a bit of a pain for his co-actors and producers. Rumors spread about his controlling and erratic behavior. He even started plenty of freakouts on the set, apparently.
Dennis, The Menace
Quite The Mistake
Florence Henderson made an embarrassing mistake during a screen test. She somehow landed between the late Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner! She walked into the makeup room for Star Trek when she was supposed to be in The Brady Bunch’s room.
Quite The Mistake
Oh Really, Now?
Peppermint Trolley Company recorded the original theme song for the show without any of the Brady Children. Weird, but that’s what happened.
Oh Really, Now
For The Win
The six children were cast faster than the roles of Mike and Carol Brady! Perhaps the producers were thinking that it would attract younger audience members. Who knows?
For The Win
The D Word
The network declined to air the show when Sherwood Schwartz told them that Carol Brady was playing a divorced woman. Divorce was taboo back then, so the network flat out refused. However, the producer agreed to make Mike a widower while Carol’s background was kept hidden. Florence Henderson used this to her advantage and joked that she killed her husband whenever she’s asked what happened to him.
The D Word
In The Closet
This might be a big secret, but fans deserve to know this. Robert Reed admitted he was gay but kept it a secret due to his fear of public disappointment. It would only come to light after his death. In fact, Florence Henderson noticed his uneasiness during kissing scenes. With a good heart, she helped him rehearse their kissing and hugging to make the scenes appear natural during filming.
In The Closet
Blondie
Another problem with Susan Olsen’s hair is revealed! She had to repeatedly bleach her hair to keep it as blonde as the producers wanted it. Unfortunately, they had to stop when giant clumps of her baby hair began to fall off.
Blondie
Buh-Bye
Did you notice that Robert Reed was missing in the final episode? Do you know why? This was because Reed said to Schwartz his writing was ridiculous. Schwartz got angry, of course! Regardless, he didn’t remove Reed from the set so that the kids won’t ask questions.
Buh-Bye
Paid Parking
Susan Olsen said that she didn’t earn much as a child actress. In fact, she and the other child actors had to pay for their own parking fees. Fortunately, this was no longer the case after the first season.
Paid Parking
Not A Happy Camper
Robert Reed raised a lot of issues and concerns about the script. It even caused several arguments with the executives! This was because Reed had a lot of things to say about everything related to the production. Who could blame him? He’s a highly trained actor, after all.
Not A Happy Camper
Broody
Want to hear a weird fact? Here you go: Schwartz almost named the show The Bradley Brood. The world should be glad it didn’t happen.
Broody
Introduction
The show almost got canceled during the fifth and final season! The ratings dropped so badly. The team tried to boost the ratings by introducing Cousin Oliver. Sadly, he was unable to save the show. Today, the term “Cousin Oliver” is used to describe any young character that was introduced in an attempt to save a show from cancellation.
Introduction
A Year
Did you know that it an entire year took place between the pilot episode and the season two premiere? No wonder everyone noticed how much older the Brady children looked.
A Year
Will They?
With generally poor ratings, the show was never renewed for a whole season until the last season went on air. For the majority of its lifespan, the show would only ever be renewed for 13 episodes at any given time. That’s why after filming the first 13 episodes, the cast would anxiously wait for the network’s decision.
Will They?
My Idea
Did you know that the producers of Yours, Mine, and Ours wanted to file a lawsuit against Sherwood Schwartz? They claimed he stole their plot. Luckily, Sherwood was wise enough to show them the outlines he wrote a year before.
My Idea