The Brady Bunch Variety Hour

OP, it's far worse, dear.

Is this the one with “fake Jan”?

Oh God, a reminder how absolutely terrible the ‘70s, were, no wonder we spent all our time playing outside. I’m embarrassed to have lived through that.

Weren't those costumes very dated by that time anyway?

What an embarrassment for all involved.

they all got big dollars for doing it though. The first couple of episodes got high ratings. Then the rating suddenly dropped. I wonder why.

Who the hell was that who was singing the open chorus of "Turn the Beat Around????"

Mike Lookinland said he was outside playing with skateboard or something and his mother kept coming outside relaying messages from his agent on the phone with offers to the show and he kept saying no to each amount. After a few times, he jokingly said tell them I'll do it for twice that amount and his mother came back a few minutes later and said they agreed! LOL.

DIdn't Robert Reed hate the silliness of the Brady Bunch. He would argue with the writers and even refused to turn up for the final episode because of how ridiculous it was. But, here he is acting a fool on this cheesy show? Weird!

OH. Dear. God. At least Susan finally got to wear her hair down.

Those men's one-piece polyester leisure suits are the MOST!

It really wasn't all that good.

So what was the story with the real Jan being absent?

I found this, R13:

But when it came to reuniting for the 1976-1977 variety show, The Brady Bunch Hour, Plumb politely declined the offer due to contract differences. She didn’t want to sign on for a five-year run, so Jan was recast and filled by Geri Reischl, who went on to be known as “fake Jan.”

Five-year run sounds like wishful thinking...

The real story is that Eve Plumb was a bit of a big deal at the time. She and Dawn and some other projects. Seemed like she was about to take off and going back to the Bradys would have been a bad career move.

Also keep in mind that this was the first reunion. At the time, the Brady Bunch wasn’t some huge pop culture thing that we now know it to be. It was just a tv series that had middling ratings a few years prior. Now, the Bradys might feel more obligated to keep going Brady things. But then, they probably all wanted to move on.

Thanks for that, r13

But what I would have given to have realJan singing Turning the Beat Around.

R3- Yes- the 1970's were terrible especially 1973 the year when our standard of living and our manufacturing peaked.

Could you imagine a five year run? I can just see Florence singing Another Brick in the Wall.

Christopher Knight didn't want to do it either. So he got the most money out of them and only had to do the intro and finale.

Only Florence could really sing (Barry was OK) so they were happy to have a Jan who could handle vocals.

Would this be considered camp?

To be honest, I like fake Jan. She had the best voice!

I remember watching this as a teen and wondering why this was even on television. It was at best a second rate campy variety show.

Don't forget the animated Saturday morning cartoon series "The Brady Kids" that ran for 22 episodes over 2 seasons.. It aired on ABC from September 9, 1972, to October 6, 1973.

The original show's six children (Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen) voiced their animated counterparts in the first season. As the series' title implies, the parents and Alice the housekeeper characters were omitted from the show. At the end of the first season, Filmation asked the kids to continue on their existing contracts for another five episodes in a second season. The kids' original answer was no, prodded on by their agent Harvey Shotz. Filmation threatened both to sue the children over breach of contract, and to continue the show without their voices. Knight, Lookinland, Plumb, and Olsen agreed to the extended Filmation contract, but Williams and McCormick did not agree

I think The Brady Kids was the last time all of the kids appeared together. The variety show had FakeJan and the TV movie that lead into The Bradys had FakeCindy. Susan Olsen came back for the actual series, but Maureen McCormick didn’t.

Although if you wanted cracked-out 70s sitcoms, look no further than Partridge Family 2200AD. Which is basically: What if the Partridge Family was also the Jetsons?

See this—All of you motherfuckers bitching that we late Boomers got it good, at the expense of those who followed. Now do you get how hard it was for us?

R28 Sounds like something you’d get stoned to and binge watch on a crappy day.

R30 - or maybe on a sunshine day.

These reunion shows are like real-life reunions (with nice people). You get misty and overwhelmed.

When variety shows jumped the shark.

I loved The Brady Bunch, but by the time it had come to this I remember being somewhat confused...and appalled. It seems they only taped nine episodes.

What a world!

R31 is it time to go for a walk?

It was a piece of shit!

I remember someone posted weekly salaries for the Brady Specials, I think it works out to $667.00.

In 2019 the Brady kids did reappear together for the HGTV Brady House Renovation. I'm assuming they all got a very nice paycheck to appear.

For a while there it was impossible to go to an autograph show and not run into "fake Jan".

And then she died.

That choreography looks like it was created five minutes before shooting time.

Robert Reed did this because he was getting some good manlovin from the choreographers, dancers, and makeup/costume guys.

He was butch..didn’t go for that lady crowd. He got Rock Hudson’s 2nd team of monster tops from Westwood and the Fairfax (with a little Long Beach for added measure).

There's some scenes when the dad Brady literally just stops trying. He gets out of time on the "choreography" then just moves to the edge of the stage.

[quote]He was butch..didn’t go for that lady crowd.

SO butch.

Susan Olson said he LOVED doing the Variety Show even though he had no talent for singing or dancing.

Susan transitioned?

He’s really quite good in that 2nd part of a very special Medical Center.

wonder how those male crotches smelled

Reed himself said he loved doing the show.

He was really good on an episode of Family Affair where he played a stuffy psychology teacher that Cissy idolized only to have him be a total hypocrite.

Mike Brady was butch? That track suit screams DL elderMARY!

He had a bad back, from the big butch dick he was getting. He didn’t cotton to other nellies.

Is there anything camper than Ann B. Davis and Rip Taylor singing and dancing in full body duck suits?

Didn't Rip Taylor claim Ann B. Davis pulled a Mariah Carey "I don't know her" to him when they were introduced on the first day of rehearsals?

What happened to Sam and his meat?

[quote]There's some scenes when the dad Brady literally just stops trying. He gets out of time on the "choreography" then just moves to the edge of the stage.

There are also some that don't include Maureen McCormick because she kept calling in high. The Kroffts wisely realized there was so much crazy shit on that stage that no one would miss Marcia Brady.

I think I would have been in heaven had I been alive in the 70s. I love variety shows and what not.

I remember Robert Reed from the classy early '60s lawyer show "The Defenders." It must have been a real come-down for him to be on BB.

Robert Reed had a recurring role as Lt. Adam Tobias on Mannix from 1969 to 1975.

I guess he needed a break from the Brady Bunch.

He was Betty's first love on Father Knows Best. He looked way too old but nonetheless was very good looking. Betty also dated Dick York. He should have never let his hair go back to its curly

If Brady Bunch continued, they were going to fire Reed and replace him with John McMartin. McMartin had just completed Follies. Think about it. Follies to the Brady Bunch. But it would have meant a much nicer paycheck.

Nunsense

If they continued Florence wanted him killed off. It wasn't Robert that or ratings that killed off the Brady Bunch. It was the sudden demand of the child actors. Maybe that was just the last straw. If you are a big Brady fan, or just a middling one, you should read Barry's book. It is surprisingly good and informative. Maureen's is good too but it's more Maureen than Marcia. Barry's book is really just Brady. I just bought the book for a fun read but it was really good.

Did Mike and Greg enjoy swordfights?

Reed must have pulled some prime cock when he was young. He was really good looking. His looks lasted until about the 3rd season of the bunch.

Reed strikes me as a top not a bottom or versatile.

[quote]Reed strikes me as a top not a bottom or versatile.

Isn't it always the ones with the most intense top energy that are secretly the nelliest bottoms?

See also: every Marine I've ever hooked up with.