Brady Bunch Scenes You Thought Were Stupid or Didn't Work (2 Viewers)

[Jack Platt]

Guys,

We all know about Robert Reed's influence on the scripts, particularly begining with the second season when his friend Tam Spiva is assigned as scrpit editor on several episodes. But even after post-production, what scenes or lines do you think were left in that were stupid or just didn't tie in with the episode: Here are some I can think of of the top of my head:

The Honeymoon: Tiger/Fluffy chase sequence. Nothing more than slapstick and totally agree with Robert Reed on the problems of this episode.

Eenie Meenie Mommy Daddy: Robert Reed crawling on the floor and doing his frog imitations! (He must of loved this! hahaha)

Katchoo: Jan having an IMMEDIATE reaction to the flea powder and Alice/Carol determining that this is what is causing her allergy. Tiger's pet dander would have taken days to months to lesson its effect if Jan had been allergic to him. Their conclusive reasoning to the flee-powder being the culprit is much too fast.

Is There A Doctor in the House: Amazingly healthy looking sick kids. The kids able to eat anything, the kids playing games/having a good time. Carol and Mike getting a hold of their doctors right away without having to talk to a receptionist or set up an appointment! (As if Dr. Porter and Dr. Cameron have nothing to do but sit around and wait for them to call and come over the same day!) The arguining over the doctors to use. Alice/Carol's "family illness chart", which is an obvious time filler. Putting Tiger on the chart for the vet.

The Impractical Joker: Mike "blowing" on Myran to get him to run in the right direction when he/Greg are training him to run the maze. Jan and Carol's lines in the tag sequence:

Jan: "It's sure much easier to peel a banana than it is a potato."

Carol: "You're right, one of these nights, we might just try French fried banannas."

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor: The whole episode!!!! YUCK! But specifically Alice forgetting which pile of clothes was washed with witch soap and even allowing the kids to ruin their clothes by dirtying them to do the commercial. Carol's overly-happy reciting the soaps she used to Mike before switching to Best. (Agree with Robert Reed on this episode.)

The Private Ear: Peter getting a tape recorder for as one of the presents for his surprise party. This episode always bugged me! It's like they gave Peter a party because Greg and Marcia hurt his feelings about joking with him about the party. Hey, Peter started it, by evesdropping on their conversations in the first place! What did Greg and Marcia do that was so bad? They were just PO'd cuz he did it in the first place and only had to apoligize as a punishment. All say they are sorry at the end, so why does Peter get a party?

Mail Order Hero: Carol asking Mike if they know Joe Namith.

Jack

 

[Greg_S_H]

The one thing that stands out is Peter catching hell for playing Benedict Arnold. Yeah, right. Even if high school/junior high kids were that passionate about history, I think they could tell he was just playing a role.

 

[Claude North]

I discovered a scene (I don't remember the episode) that must be cut from syndicated prints because I don't remember seeing it before. It features Carol trying to put refilled ice cube trays into the freezer while being interrupted by a ringing phone. The thing that really got me is that the Brady refrigerator has an ice cube maker -- the dispenser for ice and water is clearly visible on the door.

I wonder if Robert Reed wrote a memo about that...

 

[Rob P S]

I hate the scene in "Father of the Year" after Marcia is caught sneaking out the window when MIke announces that her punishment is that the rest of the family is going skiing without her. That line just didn't come out right and seemed really cruel.

Most of the Alice schtick scenes (skiing lesson, being wrapped in bandages, chasing the frog, etc.) are really lame and have no point other than to give Ann B. something to do that week.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

How about 13 year old Cindy "auditioning" for Natalie Schaefer by singing "On The Good Ship Lollipop" complete with curls and curly top costume? Man, she must've cringed while shooting that episode! I bet even today she can't live down that moment...It's probably her most hated episode of the whole series.

 

[Jack Platt]

Oh yea, and I recall Susan hated "The Tattletale" epiosde as well, because she went to school after it aired and everyone thought she would rat them from everything they did!

Jack

 

[Michael Rogers]

The Halloween episode where they were trying to scare each other.

All I could think about all through that episode is that:

"This is what happens when you put three sets (unrelated by blood) of boys and girls around the same age together and call them sisters and brothers. They resort to stupid stunts like this to take thier minds off the sexual tension."

Then the whole business of Alice being scared of Mr. Brady's bust in the dark was so forced.

But you know, BB was almost across the board goofy and stupid, but it was such in the most lovable way. You know it's intentions were good and the chemestry in the cast also took them a long way.

Sometimes it flirted with something from a higher echelon. Jan Locket episode comes to mind. The scene where Alice says she was the one that sent it and why she did was sweet and touching.

 

[Rob P S]

Two minutes after Bobby's kazoo disappears Carol, who was out of the room and couldn't have known anything about it, walks in and announces that she's searched the whole house again and didn't find the kazoo.

Tiger chews a hole in Alice's contest letter; the envelope has a hole in it, but the letter doesn't.

How about Cindy making campaign posters for Marcia and spelling all the words wrong? Or Cindy forgetting that she likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Or when the doctor comes running over because Cindy sneezed?

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

The title of this thread almost made me fall down laughing in hysterics! C'mon, folks...The Brady Bunch is a sitcom renowned for its stupidity and silliness...that's why we love it. Wouldn't it be more practical to list scenes that smacked of genuine cleverness in writing?

Ok, let the arrows fly at me...I'm ready.

 

[Claude North]

The weird thing is that the writers inadvertently made Cindy dyslexic. In the above example, her misspellings take the form of having all the right letters but in the wrong order. Then, in the "Alice's September Song" episode, she write the name 'Mark Millard' as 'Makr Maldril'.

Poor Cindy couldn't catch a break on that show.

 

[Joe Schwartz]

My thoughts exactly -- and I can't think of a damn one.

 

[Brian Himes]

Susan Olson has said, many, many times that the Shirley Temple episode is the most embarrassing moment of her entire life. She just hates that episode.

As far as stuff that just didn't work there are several, several moments in each episode that must have looked better on paper. I have to agree that the And Now A Word From Our Sponsor episode is pretty far fetched.

The one moment that really bugs me, is in the very last episode of the entire series. I know Robert Reed had pretty much had his fill of the show, but it was just so, so wrong that on the day Greg graduates from High School that Mike 'was away on business.' Sorry, but the fact that Mike and Carol had been there for everything else in those kids lives, it's just not believable that Mike would miss Greg's graduation.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Two words: Cousin Oliver!!!!

 

[Jon Baker]

I don't know if any of you recall the horror film "Bug" that came out after the Brady Bunch ended, but a portion of 'Bug" was filmed on the set of the Brady Bunch - right in the Brady kitchen and dining area. It was pretty surreal watching those segments.

I don't recall the name of this episode, but I though the actor playing the photographer who was taking the kids' portrait (the one that got ruined and they had to go back and get another taken) was expremely annoying. His comedy was so forced (him trying to play abset-minded and forgetting to load film in the camera) in this episode it was embarassing to watch. I think he may have also played a manager at the store where the kids bought the silver platter.

 

[Rob P S]

Did anyone ever notice in "The Big Sprain" that when Mike is talking on the phone to Carol you can hear the same dialogue repeating over and over in the background?