10 Things You Never Knew About The Brady Bunch
Sherwood Schwartz died today at the age of 94. As a tribute to the man who brought us The Brady Bunch, let's look back at some surprising facts you might not have known about the Bunch.
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1. Gene Hackman Was The Original Choice To Play Mike Brady
He wasn't cast because he wasn't well-known enough at the time. The show would have been a little different if Norman Dale, himself, played Mike. "Eight people in the house functioning as one single unit: family, family, family - no one more important that the other!"
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2. The Show Was Never A Hit
It ran for years but never cracked number 34 in the Nielsens.
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3. Schwartz Once Considered Killing Off Mike Brady
Apparently Robert Reed was difficult off-screen and Schwartz was tired of dealing with him. Ultimately (and obviously) he decided against it.
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4. Bathroom? Check. Toilet? Not So Fast
Despite many scenes taking place in the bathroom, there was never a toilet on screen. Standards and Practices wouldn't allow it.
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5. The Brady's Sliding Glass Door (Seen Behind Marsha) Never Had Glass
Apparently it caused too many glare issues, so there was always just an empty sliding frame.
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6. Sherwood Schwartz Wrote The Show's Theme Song
The man was multi-talented! So now you know who to blame when that ditty gets stuck in your head.
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7. Despite Tiger (The Family Dog) Only Being In The First Season, The Doghouse Was On Set For The Show's Full Run
A light had burned a hole in the AstroTurf and the doghouse was kept to hide it.
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8. Greg Went Kissless
Greg dated a ton on the show, but we never saw him get a kiss. Bobby on the other hand did have a kissing scene. Proving that it happens when you least expect it. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
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9. Carol Brady Was The Only Character Whose Name Never Appeared In The Title Of An Episode
And I bet she didn't appreciate that very much.
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10. The Success Of The Lucille Ball/Henry Fonda Film, Yours Mine And Ours Inspired ABC To Greenlight The Show
Proving that networks have always been terrified to take risks.