50 The Brady Bunch Behind The Scenes Secrets

The Brady Bunch
Image: ABC

Here’s the story / Of a lovely lady / Who was bringing up three very lovely girls. Yes, you know what we’re referring to, The Brady Bunch. You’re probably ready to sing along to the classic theme, but that’s not our only intention. We are here to discuss Brady Bunch Secrets. And these interesting facts are something that everyone should know.

You probably grew up watching episodes of the beloved sitcom. It is one of those classic TV shows. The Brady Bunch goes beyond generations and appeals to all. You might already be gearing up to watch the family-friendly program with your kids. Or, maybe you enjoy watching it solo in those few precious minutes of spare time. No matter what the situation, you’ll be intrigued by these The Brady Bunch facts. Get ready, Brady. Read on to see 50 Brady Bunch behind the scenes secrets.

The Brady Bunch was inspired by a newspaper statistic.

The Brady Bunch Mike Brady Okay
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Inspiration can come when we least expect it and it can come from surprising places. In the case of The Brady Bunch, the inspiration for the show reportedly came from a newspaper stat. The story goes that producer Sherwood Schwartz read an article in The Los Angeles Times stating that in 1965 “30 percent of marriages have a child or children from a previous marriage.” A light bulb went off and it inspired him to work on a pilot script for a show about a blended family. FYI: Sherwood was fresh off the success of creating and producing Gilligan’s Island when the idea struck for what would eventually become The Brady Bunch.

Hair color played a big part in casting.

The Brady Bunch Hair Color Brady Sisters Shrug
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What’s surprising is that The Brady Bunch parents weren’t cast first. According to ABC News Sherwood Schwartz and his son Lloyd Schwartz explained in Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of the Brady Bunch from the Father/Son Team Who Really Know that they focused on the kids first. They wanted the dad’s kids and mom’s kids to have contrasting hair colors. Since they hadn’t cast the parents yet, they had 12 children as potential Brady kids depending on what the final Brady mom and dad’s hair colors would be. Imagine being so close to getting a part then later realizing you didn’t get it because of your natural hair color.

The opening sequence featured a cutting edge filming technique.

The Brady Bunch Intro Brady Sisters and Mom
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The Brady Bunch‘s opening sequence and theme song are iconic. Everyone is familiar with the grid/Tic-Tac-Toe arrangement of the Brady family. What people may not fully appreciate is that it featured a new filming technique created by Canadian filmmaker Christopher Chapman. The new technique was officially called the “multi-dynamic image technique,” but most people know it as the “Brady Bunch effect.” The opening credits show exactly what the technique is about: Several images shifting simultaneously on planes. The show was not the first place it was seen. The multi-dynamic image technique was showcased for the first time in Christopher’s 1967 film A Place to Stand.

Shirley Jones turned down the role of Mrs. Brady.

The Brady Bunch Mrs. Brady
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Florence Henderson perfectly captured the spirit of Mrs. Carol Brady and she has earned a special place on many TV Greats lists thanks to the part alone. So, it is interesting to think that Florence wasn’t the original actress for the part of the Brady matriarch. American singer and actress Shirley Jones turned down the role of The Brady Bunch mom. Things worked out well for everyone because Shirley later accepted the role of another iconic TV mom: Shirley Partridge from The Partridge Family. Florence ”” who also happened to be Shirley’s best friend ”” secured the role of Carol Brady. It’s a family-friendly happy ending all around.

Florence Henderson wanted Mrs. Brady to have a job.

 The Brady Bunch Mrs. Brady No
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Mike Brady (Robert “Bob” Reed) was an architect while Carol Brady was a homemaker. And the family had housekeeper Alice Nelson (Ann Bradford Davis) to keep everything in order. Florence Henderson said in interviews that she would have liked to see Carol Brady have a job. In fact, the actress said she “begged” the writers to give Carol a job. She cited her own experience as a working mother with four children. The legend added that she had been working since she was eight. This is one of the The Brady Bunch behind the scenes secrets that will make you wonder ”” and probably wish ”” to have seen Carol Brady in the workforce.

It was never revealed exactly where the Bradys lived.

The Brady Bunch House
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Fans might remember Carol Brady stating that the family lived at “4222 Clinton Way” in one episode. What the matriarch didn’t specify was the town or even state that she lived in. It is assumed that the family lived in Southern California, possibly in the Los Angeles area because of the weather and some of the references on the show. The show was filmed at the Paramount lot in California. Furthermore, the house that they used for filming was in fact in Los Angeles, California. More specifically, it was located in Studio City. The house still does exist, but the address is not 4222 Clinton Way. The real address is 11222 Dilling Street, Studio City, CA.

The Brady Bunch wasn’t the show’s original name.

 The Brady Bunch House Outside Baseball
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The Brady Bunch has an undeniable alliterative ring to it, but it wasn’t always the name of the beloved sitcom. When Sherwood Schwartz began working on the pilot script for the series, he temporarily called the sitcom Mine and Yours. Sherwood pitched the idea to the big television studios, but they wanted some modifications made before they were ready to try it out. This led to the show being called The Bradley Brood for a time. As we all know, we eventually ended up with The Brady Bunch when the show finally made it to the air in 1969. Would you have preferred The Bradley Brood?

The Brady Bunch creator drew inspiration from his daughter’s life.

The Brady Bunch Cindy Brady Reaction
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This will make parents and kids consider their situations. Imagine if you had a dad in showbiz who would occasionally be inspired by your life for his successful family TV series. The Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz was initially inspired by a newspaper article for the story, but sometimes he used his home life for new material for the show. He had three sons and one daughter, Hope Juber. She eventually became a producer herself and revealed that her dad would often draw from their lives. “I was in a unique position regarding the show, and I was going through my own teenage girl angst at the time,” she told MeTV. “From my perspective, there was, all of the sudden, six other kids in the middle of my family. When things I considered private showed up on the screen, I wasn’t always happy about it.”

The girls had a cat that only appeared in the pilot.

 The Brady Bunch Marcia Sad With Stuffed Toy
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The boys and Mike Brady brought Tiger the Dog to the new blended family. Carol Brady and the girls also seemed to bring a pet into the family. They had a cat named Fluffy in the pilot episode of the beloved TV series. However, Fluffy was never seen again after the first episode. And nothing of the cat was really mentioned. We hope that Fluffy’s unexplained disappearance didn’t have anything to do with Tiger. It is likely just an example of how many things change between the pilot and the final TV show. And we cannot underestimate the fact that it would be a lot less stressful not having to worry about a cat and dog together on a set.

The Brady house is thought to be missing a toilet.

9 The Brady Bunch Bathroom Marcia Brady Brushing Teeth No Toilet
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The Brady family spent a good chunk of time fighting over the shared bathroom. Some keen-eyed fans have noticed that while we see a lot of the bathroom, there is one part that we never did see: the toilet. Over five seasons, we saw the sink, the tub, the door, and every other nook and cranny but never the toilet. Good Housekeeping reports that that the bathroom didn’t have a toilet. Period. At the time, TV networks reportedly thought it was too crude to have a toilet featured on screen. Leave it to Beaver is credited for showing the first toilet on screen before The Brady Bunch aired, but it was thought to be an exception since the toilet was key to the plot.

There were a lot of spin-offs and specials.

The Brady Bunch Movie
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Some people might think that spin-offs are a very modern thing, especially given the number of reboots and spin-offs that are currently on the small screens. However, The Brady Bunch demonstrates that it’s not a new concept. The show went off the air in 1974, but went on to have a number of spin-offs. They included The Brady Bunch Hour (197677), The Brady Girls Get Married (1981), The Brady Brides (1981), A Very Brady Christmas (1988), and The Bradys (1990). Furthermore, there were two movies: The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), and A Very Brady Sequel (1996), plus, the 2002 made for TV movie The Brady Bunch in the White House. We’re not even going to count the reunion specials here.

Maureen McCormick hinted at a lesbian affair with Eva Plumb, but later said it was a joke.

 The Brady Bunch Jan Brady Reaction Upset
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Oh Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. There have been a few scandals that have been revealed long after The Brady Bunch wrapped filming. One thing is that Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia Brady, seemed to hint at a lesbian affair with her on-screen sister Jan Brady (Eve Plumb) in her 2007 book Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice. The contents of the book started what some saw as a feud between the two actresses. Maureen tried to rectify the situation. “I made the crack to be funny ”” and for shock value,” Maureen later explained, according to Digital Spy. “I’m sorry if she took offence.”

Mike Lookinland was the exception to The Brady Bunch hair casting rule.

 The Brady Bunch Bobby Brady Drums
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As previously mentioned, The Brady Bunch producers wanted the three daughters to have hair that matched their mom’s and the boys and their dad have a contrasting hair color. When Robert Reed was cast as Mike Brady, the rule meant that the boys must all have dark hair. In Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of the Brady Bunch from the Father/Son Team Who Really Know,” creator Sherwood Schwartz said he made a slight exception to his own rule for Mike Lookinland. The actor was so good for the part of youngest son Bobby Brady that Sherwood hired him, even though he had blondish hair. To become more of a “Brady boy” they darkened the young actor’s natural hair color. Fans will notice it changes throughout the show’s run.

Robert Reed didn’t appear in what would end up being the final episode because he wasn’t happy with it.

 The Brady Bunch Mr. Brady Eating Gross
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Robert Reed was reportedly not completely happy with his role of Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch. Some suggest he took it for financial reasons. He considered himself a more serious actor so some of the comedic moments his character had were difficult for him. It’s said that the actor would send creator Sherwood Schwartz memos with suggestions about what he should do to the script. As you probably guessed, they were typically disregarded. Things came to blows with “The Hair-Brained Scheme.” According to Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of The Brady Bunch as Told by the Father/Son Team who Really Know by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz, Robert was supposedly unhappy with the entire episode and the Schwartzs weren’t going to rewrite it. Robert refused to be in it. It ended up being the show’s last episode because the sitcom was canceled shortly after.

The theme song changes throughout the series.

 The Brady Bunch Opening
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Make sure to watch The Brady Bunch opening sequence every single time because there are changes to it throughout the seasons. In the first and second seasons, the theme song was sung by the Peppermint Trolley Company. For the third season, the Brady family sings the catchy theme song. The boys sing the first verse. Then the girls sing the second. And everyone sings the third and fourth verses in a celebration of them being one big, mostly happy blended family. Season five is particularly special because there are three different versions of the opening sequence. Watch the season again and see if you notice a pattern with what theme plays.

Characters are frequently mentioned but not often seen.

 The Brady Bunch Alice Winking Flirty
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There are some reoccurring characters in The Brady Bunch that got surprisingly little screen time. We might have thought they had a lot more given that they were regularly part of the Bradys’ business. Take Mr. Phillips (Jack Collins), Mike’s boss at the architectural firm. Viewers only see him in three episodes of the entire series, but Mike often talks about him in relation to work. Another example is Sam Franklin (Allan Melvin), Alice’s boyfriend and the butcher. He is only in eight episodes but the character is around for the entire duration of the show ”” and later the spin-offs. Alice does go on dates with Sam but we don’t see them. Then they end up married.

Christopher Knight felt forced into acting.

 The Brady Bunch Peter Brady Fighting
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There are a lot of happy moments related to the TV show, but there are some darker The Brady Bunch behind the scenes secrets that will make some viewers feel sad. One sad revelation is that Christopher Knight felt pressured into the acting business. HuffPost reported that in an episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now? Chris revealed that money was very tight with his family. His dad was unemployed and his mom was looking for support for the family. He landed the role of Peter Brady at 10. Reflecting about the life-changing part, he said, “I’m feeling totally prostituted at that point by my mom. I think in a way, I totally was, and by her own admission it was, and that she was sorry about it.” He continued that his parents “hated” The Brady Bunch because his dad was a stage actor and his mom was an artist. They felt that television wasn’t where “real” actors went.

The concept for The Brady Bunch was around before Yours, Mine and Ours.

Yours Mine Ours Lucille Ball
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Viewers will recognize that there are some similarities between TV shows and movies. Fans of The Brady Bunch will likely draw comparisons between Yours, Mine and Ours. The 1968 comedy film starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda and was about a mom with eight kids and a dad with 10 kids getting married and having a massive blended family. Some might also compare both works to the 1968 comedy movie With Six You Get Eggroll featuring Doris Day and Brian Keith. The original The Brady Bunch script actually predates both films, despite the show not coming onto the small screen until 1969.

Robert Reed directed several episodes.

 The Brady Bunch Mike Brady Throwing Briefcase
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Robert Reed was allowed some creativity on The Brady Bunch. Sherwood Schwartz did not usually take Robert’s memos when it came to changing things in the script related to his character. But, the show’s creator did want to keep the peace. In an attempt to do that, he let the actor direct some episodes according to Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of The Brady Bunch as Told by the Father/Son Team who Really Know by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz. The show was typically directed by American Peter Baldwin. (He incidentally started his career as an actor.) See if you and the kids can spot Robert Reed’s name in the directing credits the next time you watch the show.

Maureen McCormick really did get hit in the face with the football.

The Brady Bunch Marcia Brady Football Nose Accident
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There are a lot of iconic scenes from The Brady Bunch‘s five-season run. One of Maureen McCormick’s most memorable scenes as Marcia is when the poor girl gets hit in the face with a football. In the episode “The Subject Was Noses” from season four, Peter throws a football and it lands right on Marcia’s nose. Her poor nose swells up and the accident majorly messes up her plans to go on a date. Many people would assume that the football to the nose was a clever camera trick. But, there are reports that suggest poor Maureen really did take a football to the face for the scene. There’s no word on whether her nose really swelled up as bad or if it negatively impacted her dating life off-camera.

Lucille Ball’s son appeared in an episode.

 The Brady Bunch Desi Arnaz Jr Marcia Brady Kiss
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Talk about the merging of two classic American family sitcoms. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz‘s son Desi Arnaz, Jr. had a memorable guest appearance during the first season of The Brady Bunch. In the episode entitled “The Possible Dream,” Marcia’s diary gets mixed up with other books thanks to a mishap made by Cindy Brady (Susan Olsen). Marcia is concerned that the diary will get into the wrong hands and people will find out about her crush on Desi, Jr., who was a massive television heartthrob at the time. You know where this is going even if you forgot the episode.

Maureen McCormick beat out 1,200 aspiring actresses to play Marcia Brady.

The Brady Bunch Marcia Brady Groovy
Image: Giphy / ABC

Getting a part on any TV show is lucky because the odds are never stacked in your favor. The chances of getting cast as the eldest of the Brady daughters in particular were slim. Maureen McCormick competed with 1,200 hopeful actresses, according to Biography. We all know that Maureen eventually landed the part of Marcia Brady. Prior to that, she had five years of experience in the business. The young actress landed her first job in 1964. She appeared in a Mattel commercial for the Baby Pattaburp doll. More commercials followed then some acting work. And that led her to the beloved part of Marcia on The Brady Bunch.

The original Tiger the Dog died during the first season.

The Brady Bunch Tiger the Dog
Image: Giphy / ABC

Mike Brady also brought Tiger the Dog into the blended family with his three sons. The adorable pooch was featured quite a bit in season one and two. Sadly, the original dog that played Tiger passed away while filming the first season. It is said that a driver hit the poor pooch on the Paramount lot. Finding an obedient, lookalike replacement proved to be more of a challenge for producers and the dog trainer than anticipated, especially because they were under very tight time constraints. They did find some similar shaggy dogs but decided it was best if Tiger only appeared on the show if it was essential to the plot. That is why we see the dog in the first two seasons on a regular basis until he seemingly disappears ”” with a few notable exceptions in later episodes.

Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams had a relationship during the show.

The Brady Bunch Marcia and Greg Brady Far Out
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Maureen McCormick, who played eldest daughter Marcia Brady, and Barry Williams, who played the eldest son Greg Brady, were brother and sister by way of their parents marrying on The Brady Bunch. Their relationship was different off-camera because it was revealed in Maureen’s memoir, Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, that the two had a brief relationship. Maureen admitted in the book that the kissing was great, but a small part of her did think it was a bit odd that she was kissing her TV brother off camera. How would you feel about the situation?

Robert Reed was likely going to get replaced.

 The Brady Bunch Mike Brady Waving
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Remember how Robert Reed and Sherwood Schwartz often had creative differences? The actor tried to give his input on how his character should be through notes. They were typically ignored, but things were taken to the next level when serious actor Robert refused to be in the final episode of season five, “The Hair-Brained Scheme.” Sherwood and his son Lloyd Schwartz revealed that they were planning to replace Robert for season six. They had grown tired of his difficulty on set and refusing to appear in the episode was a move too far. There was even talk Carol Brady would get pregnant with twins for season six in the plot revamp. For better or worse, we never saw season six. ABC canceled The Brady Bunch after the fifth season.

Carol Brady was supposed to be divorced.

The Brady Bunch Carol Brady Hanging Up Phone On Mike
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When Sherwood Schwartz was working on developing the pilot for The Brady Bunch, he envisioned Mike Brady (Robert Reed) as a widower and Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) as a divorcee. Mike did end up being portrayed as a man who lost his wife. But, Carol’s background was intentionally left murky. Studio execs at the time weren’t keen on the idea of portraying Carol as a woman of divorce ”” especially on what they considered to be a family-friendly show. So, it is left vague what happened to Carol’s first husband. We do know that her married surname was Martin and her maiden name was Tyler.

Ann Bradford Davis published The Brady Bunch cookbook.

 The Brady Bunch Alice Brady Oven Baking Reaction
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Ann Bradford Davis was known for her cooking as much as she was her wisecracks and keeping the house in order as the talented Alice Nelson on The Brady Bunch. In what seems like the perfect tribute to her character and the show, the actress published the Alice’s Brady Bunch Cookbook in 1994. The cookbook includes recipes inspired by The Brady Bunch. Furthermore, it even features recipes from other cast members. If you are curious, you can still find copies online. In addition to the recipes, the book has plenty of nostalgia from the iconic TV show.

Christopher Knight’s first girlfriend was Eve Plumb.

7 The Brady Bunch Jan Brady Reaction Boys
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There was more romance off camera during filming The Brady Bunch than some fans realized. And it seemed that the young actors weren’t really bothered by getting a bit romantic with someone they played step-siblings with. TV Guide reports that Christopher Knight’s first girlfriend was his on-screen sister, Eve Plumb. It was another romance that didn’t last very long. FOX News states that Christopher revealed he and Eve were on a date in his pickup truck. Things were getting romantic, but the mood was killed by the police. And that seemed to be the end of the off-screen romance between Peter Brady and Jan Brady.

Maureen McCormick battled anxiety while playing Marcia Brady.

 The Brady Bunch Marcia Brady Reaction
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Poor Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Growing up in the spotlight for any child star is extremely difficult. It becomes that much harder when you’re playing a character with a “perfect” reputation and you are suffering from anxiety. In her tell-all memoir, Maureen McCormick revealed how she hid her struggles under the veneer of her character. “As a teenager, I had no idea that few people are everything they present to the outside world,” she wrote. “Yet there I was, hiding the reality of my life behind the unreal perfection of Marcia Brady. No one suspected the fear that gnawed at me.” After The Brady Bunch went off the air, she struggled with addiction and went to rehab.

Susan Olsen hated the Shirley Temple episode.

 The Brady Bunch Cindy Brady Shirley Temple
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Susan Olsen played the youngest Brady daughter, Cindy Brady. She has fond memories of the show, but there was one episode she didn’t enjoy filming. Susan wasn’t having “The Snooperstar” episode from season five. In the episode, Marcia gets angry that Cindy is reading her diary so she starts writing fake entries about how talent scouts are interested in Cindy as the next Shirley Temple. Needless to say, Cindy takes the bait and goes full Shirley Temple. “That was really embarrassing,” the actress revealed to Inquisitr. “It would have been really cute when I was seven, but when I was 12, [I was] going, ‘I feel so stupid.'”

Robert Reed was working on another show during The Brady Bunch.

The Brady Bunch Mike Brady and Carol Brady Kiss Goodnight
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Talk about a multitasker. In addition to starring on The Brady Bunch as Mike Brady and occasionally directing some of the sitcom’s episodes, Robert also balanced the role of Lieutenant Adam Tobias on Mannix. Mannix overlapped the entire The Brady Bunch run. It was on from 1968 to 1975 and Robert appeared in 22 episodes as the lieutenant. It was probably a role that the multitasker considered to be more in line with his “serious actor” ways. The CBS show was about private investigator Joe Mannix (Mike Connors). He often used a computer to solve his crimes. (Consider when the show was filmed to see how forward-thinking it is.) Robert’s character was one of the people Joe would come across while on the case.

Alice never ate anything.

 The Brady Bunch Alice Cooking Tired
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Good old housekeeper Alice Nelson kept the Brady household afloat with her delicious recipes. Ann Bradford Davis appeared as the family’s rock/caretaker in 117 episodes. She whipped up a lot of delicious-looking meals over the course of that time. But, Today points out that viewers never, ever saw the character eat. She always had time for wisecracks, but it seems it is debatable whether she had time to eat for herself when she was making food for six kids and two other adults. Here’s hoping that she snuck a portion for herself when she was preparing the meals.

The success of Yours, Mine and Ours helped get The Brady Bunch on air.

The Brady Bunch Marcia Groovy
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Remember how we said that The Brady Bunch existed before Yours, Mine and Ours and how the ABC show was tentatively called Mine and Yours in the beginning? Those tidbits only make this point more interesting. When creator and producer Sherwood Schwartz shopped the show around, there was some interest but no network wanted to order the show right away ”” especially not without some changes. When ABC saw that Yours, Mine and Ours was a hit at the box office in 1968, they had a renewed interest in Sherwood’s TV pilot. (The movie made over $25.9 million at the box office.) ABC eventually ordered episodes of The Brady Bunch.

Barry Williams took his on-screen mom out on a date.

 The Brady Bunch Greg Brady Weights
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One of the bombshell revelations about the TV sitcom is that there might have been something going on off-camera between Mrs. Carol Brady and her son-by-marriage Greg Brady. Some versions of the story make it sound a lot more scandalous than others. Greg has spoken out himself about his crush on Florence Henderson in his 1992 book Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg. The actor also admitted that he went on a date with Florence when he was 16 and she was 36. Barry explains his intention and how things have gotten blown out of proportion. “When those little things called hormones start kicking in, you get excited by even inanimate objects,” he wrote. “It wasn’t that I sought to bed her. I just wanted to spend time with her.” HuffPost adds that Florence was married at the time and had four kids. Florence did give Barry a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night.

Florence Henderson wore a wig when they started filming The Brady Bunch.

 The Brady Bunch Carol Brady Towel Reaction
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There are a lot more hair secrets related to The Brady Bunch than fans realize. Even after the producers went through pains to make sure that everyone had coordinating hair from the families, Florence Henderson still ended up wearing a wig to play Carol Brady. The decision didn’t have to do with hair color, but with her haircut. Before starting work on The Brady Bunch, the actress had cut her hair very short to play Nellie Forbush in an off-Broadway revival of South Pacific. Nellie is a Navy nurse and it seems that producers didn’t think the severe crop was Mrs. Brady’s style hence the wig.

Cousin Oliver was brought into the series because of the aging Brady children.

 The Brady Bunch Cousin Oliver Thinking
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“Cousin Oliver” has become a popular trope and meme. It basically means when a young kid is randomly added to a show to revitalize it. Or, the crueler version is a desperate bid to bring in some fresh meat to save a show from cancellation. Both explanations describe why Robbie Rist was added to The Brady Bunch as the divisive Cousin Oliver. Producers felt the Brady children were getting older and they needed someone younger. Oliver was Carol Brady’s young, bespectacled nephew. He came to live with the Bradys while his parents were in South America. Many The Brady Bunch fans felt that Oliver threw the balance of the family off. They also couldn’t ignore how random he felt.

The house used to film the Brady home didn’t have two full stories.

 The Brady Bunch House Living Room
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The California house used to film the exterior shots of The Brady Bunch was very different from the Paramount set that was used for interior filming. One of the most startling differences is that the house used on location did not have two stories. (Fans can see for themselves what the house really looked like during filming thanks to recent restorations on the reality TV show A Very Brady Renovation.) To make the house look like it had two full floors while filming, the production team tricked the eye with false windows. Were you fooled by the clever window detail?

Sherwood Schwartz personally interviewed 264 kids during the audition process.

 The Brady Bunch Greg Brady Making A Move
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Finding the perfect actor or actress to play a part is no small task. In the case of The Brady Bunch, the crew had a massive undertaking because they had to cast a family with six children. ABC News reported that creator Sherwood Schwartz said that he and his secretary went back to figure out how many kids he personally saw for the roles. He saw an impressive 264 people. He interviewed them with a coffee table between himself and the hopeful. The coffee table was a test because there were toys on it. The creator wanted to see if the kids would lose interest in their casual conversation by getting distracted by things on the table. He figured that if they did, they would likely get distracted on set.

Robert Reed was said to identify as gay.

 The Brady Bunch Cooking Reaction
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This is one of the The Brady Bunch behind the scenes secrets that was kept extremely quiet because Robert Reed did not like to discuss his sexuality. Some reports state that he struggled with it. He also kept being homosexual very private in case of the negative impact it could have on his career. He did not discuss it in interviews. But, it is said that most of The Brady Bunch cast knew about his homosexuality. Florence Henderson was said to pick up on it and she later spoke out in interviews. “He was an unhappy person,” Florence said according to Biography. “I think had Bob not been forced to live this double life, I think it would have dissipated a lot of that anger and frustration.”

Davy Jones of The Monkees appeared on The Show.

 The Brady Bunch Davy Jones Far Out
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Who doesn’t love a brilliant guest star? The Brady Bunch had a number of highly memorable appearances throughout its five seasons. One that was especially great for the time was the surprise appearance of Davy Jones of The Monkees. Season three had an entire episode dedicated to the English musician. In the episode appropriately titled “Getting Davy Jones” Davy plays himself. He appears in a music studio before he takes lucky Marcia Brady to the dance. If you forget the episode, we won’t say any more than that. Davy does play a small role in a later Brady spin-off.

The backdoor of the Brady house doesn’t have any glass.

The Brady Bunch Mike Reaction Yard
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Here is another example of the Brady household not being entirely complete. Unlike the lack of toilet, this one does not have to do with anything taboo. The reason the backdoor did not have any glass was for more practical reasons. Having glass would have resulted in a glare while filming. To make things easier, it seems that they decided to just do away with the glass altogether. Take a good look at the door the next time Mrs. Brady opens it up. When you have six kids in a scene, you probably want to make the rest of filming as easy as possible, right?

Susan Olsen had to get her hair bleached.

 The Brady Bunch Cindy Brady Nope
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It turned out that Mike Lookinland wasn’t the only young actor who had to get a hair makeover to appear on The Brady Bunch. Little Susan Olsen had to have her hair bleached. Producers decided that she wasn’t quite blonde enough to play Cindy Brady in comparison to the rest of the sisters and her on-screen mom. So, they started lightening her hair. It is rumored that the bleaching process stopped during the second season when Susan’s locks started to fall out from all the chemical treatments. When we look at photos of Susan when she’s older and an adult, her hair is a lot darker in comparison to the white blonde shade it was when she played Cindy.

The Brady Bunch creator’s daughter acted in some episodes.

 The Brady Bunch Alice Phone Call Reaction
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Hope Juber has admitted that her dad, Sherwood Schwartz, used some things happening in their private lives as inspiration for The Brady Bunch. The lines become even more blurred because Hope also acted in a few different parts of the show’s run. Hope’s first appearance was as Jenny in “The Slumber Caper” episode from 1970. She is credited as Rachel in “The Big Bet” from 1972 and “Greg Gets Grounded” from 1973. Finally, she was Gretchen in the 1974 episode “The Hair-Brained Scheme.” For all four parts, she is listed as “Hope Sherwood” in the credits. She is reportedly still close with the surviving cast members.

Robert Reed was the second choice to play Mr. Brady.

 The Brady Bunch Mike Carol Brady Hug
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Florence Henderson wasn’t the top pick to play Mrs. Brady. Similarly, Robert Reed was not the casting director’s first choice to play Mr. Brady on The Brady Bunch. Gene Hackman was the producers’ top choice for the part of the patriarch. However, Gene was rejected because producers didn’t consider him to be a big star at the time. (It seemed that getting nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde didn’t have that much clout.) Robert had more television credits dating back to 1959 and he was working on Mannix around the time of The Brady Bunch castings.

Maureen McCormick almost lost her virginity to Barry Williams.

 The Brady Bunch Marcia Brady Giggling
Image: Giphy / ABC

Remember the brief fling Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams had while they were filming The Brady Bunch? When it was going on, Maureen was 16 and Barry was 19. The actress spoke candidly in her autobiography that she was ready to lose her virginity to her co-star. However, it never happened. “It would have happened,” she admitted in Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, “But, the timing was never right for us.” She did previously think it was a bit weird kissing her on-screen brother so who knows how she would have felt about doing the deed with him.

Jan Brady and Marcia Brady reportedly didn’t get along in real life.

The Brady Bunch Jan and Marcia Brady
Image: Giphy / ABC

It seems that some of the sibling rivalry between middle daughter Jan Brady (Eve Plumb) and Marcia Brady (Maureen McCormick) could have translated off-camera, too. It is reported that the on-screen sisters didn’t get along in real life while they were filming the ABC sitcom. It should be noted that they did film additional Brady spin-offs together including The Brady Girls Get Married and The Brady Brides. Additionally, it is said that the duo weren’t the friendliest all these decades after the show wrapped. Some suggested it was because of Maureen’s hint/joke about their lesbian affair. There was even a nixed reunion special following the comments, but both ladies joined in for the A Very Brady Renovation.

The show wasn’t as popular as we think.

 The Brady Bunch Carol and Mike Brady
Image: Giphy / ABC

This is one of The Brady Bunch behind the scenes secrets that will shock fans. The now-iconic TV show never once made it into the Top 30 during the five seasons it aired for its prime-time TV slot. Does that mean it wasn’t successful? Not exactly. Syndication and re-runs have made the show a classic. One issue that accounted for the lower-than-expected ratings is that it was first shown during prime-time, which is when some kids might not have been able to watch it. Given the family-centric nature of the show, that can make a huge difference. When The Brady Bunch was rebroadcast at different times, like Saturday morning TV, it helped the show gain loyal fans across generations. Let’s not forget it did run for five seasons which is still pretty impressive.

The Brady kids released CDs during the show’s run.

The Brady Bunch Greg Brady Guitar
Image: Giphy / ABC

This is something big that will surprise fans. If they didn’t know about it at the time, they will wonder how they missed out on it. In a genius effort of cross-promotion, the Brady kid actors recorded a number of albums with Paramount’s record label. The first album released was Merry Christmas from the Brady Bunch. It dropped on November 2, 1970, just in time for the festive season. Four more albums followed including Meet the Brady Bunch (1972) and The Kids from the Brady Bunch (1972). The reason that some fans might not know about the albums is that they never placed in the top 100. It is still worth looking out for one of the vinyl records.

The Brady house was used in other shows.

 The Brady Bunch Mike and Carol Brady Game
Image: Giphy / ABC

The iconic interiors of The Brady Bunch house weren’t used exclusively for the show. TV buffs might recognize the set being used in other shows. The most interesting overlap is that Mannix shot scenes using the same interiors. Remember that Robert Reed was on The Brady Bunch and Mannix. Additionally, the Mission: Impossible TV show used the iconic house. Fans should watch the “Double Dead” episode from 1972 if they want to see how producers on Mission: Impossible attempted to make the Brady house their own. It is one of the The Brady Bunch behind the scenes secrets that you will not forget.

Cousin Oliver doesn’t appear on The Brady Bunch spin-offs and reunions.

 The Brady Bunch Cousin Oliver Apologizing Only Trying To Help
Image: Giphy / ABC

Cousin Oliver was a very controversial character on The Brady Bunch. Some fans solely blame him for the cancellation of the beloved TV series. And we cannot forget that the name is enough to stir up negative connotations. So, it was likely a wise move that producers tried to make us forget about the divisive character by conveniently leaving him out of the multiple The Brady Bunch reunions and spin-offs. We can just assume that Cousin Oliver’s parents came back from South America and he is happily living with them again. Obviously, there was no spin-off show of this happening.

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