Still Brady after all these years

October 13, 2004

I have a confession to make. Greg Brady is groovy. That’s right. G-R-O-O-V-Y.

I still love The Brady Bunch, and I have no shame.

Recently, TV Land aired a 48-hour marathon weekend to celebrate the show’s 35th anniversary. Any self-respecting Brady fan knows all the episodes already, so the brilliant geniuses at TV Land embellished each show with pop-up trivia facts about the scenes and the actors. I’m telling you, it was better than pork chops and applesauce.

For all you Brady lovers out there, here are some fun facts I discovered. (For those of you still hiding your Brady affection from friends and family, you can keep reading. I won’t tell.)

• “Greg’s” real-life hobby was surfing, and he had a monkey named Eddie.
• “Peter” received 7,500 fan letters a week.
• The Brady house was only one floor. There was nothing at the top of that famous staircase.
• “Marcia” was considered the best crier and had a crush on “Mike.”
• “Bobby” saw more than 100 Grateful Dead concerts.
• The basketball hoop wasn’t regulation.
• The “recording studio” where Davy Jones sang on the show was actually “Sam’s” butcher shop.
• “Mike” was considered difficult on the set by producers but was adored by the cast.
• “Greg” was a closet smoker and would sneak off the set to smoke cigarettes.
• “Carol” married a hypnotist in real life.
• “Bobby” was a hand model, collected candles, and was a fan of The Carpenters.
• “Peter” made that “Keep Off” sign that was on his bed.
• “Greg” earned $1,100 a week.
• “Marcia” was a James Taylor fan and had a crush on “Peter.”
• “Greg” had a crush on “Marcia.”
• “Jan” is an artist in real life.
• The kids sometimes added hip ‘70s lingo to the script.
• A pair of “Mike’s” pants sold for $75 on the Internet.
• “Cindy” worked as a deejay and despite the urban legend, is not a porn star.
  
  Following the marathon, the cast reunited for a fun interview session called Still Brady After All These Years. Even “Alice” showed up for the chat fest.
  
  The Brady Bunch was a little bit of TV magic that transcended its era to become a cult classic. Those episodes, and infamous Brady moments, will live on forever, just like my dream of becoming Mrs. Greg Brady and having hair of gold.
  
  Originally published 10/13/04 in The Exponent Telegram newspaper.
  
  

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