September 26, 2004
Stairway to Nowhere
USA Today article from the set of the Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary reunion special, done to coincide with this weekend's
TV Land Brady marathon. I caught the pilot episode last night after not seeing it for awhile, and it reminded me of how strange many pilot episodes are. In the Brady's case, some elements are firmly in place (the "two families come together" theme), some need to be kinked out (Carol's personality seemed a tad wimpy here), some disappear for no reason (Carol's parents? Fluffy the cat? And what was up with that photo of the mysterious first Mrs. Brady?). I almost forgot how cool Mike Brady's bachelor home was - an austere Midcentury Modern white box. Much better than the family's suburban split level with all the wood paneling and junk. That cathedral-like living room and giganto staircase were a big waste of space.
Posted by mhinrichs at September 26, 2004 03:38 PM
Useless Brady House Factoid:
The real house used for exterior shots is a SINGLE-storey structure (still standing in the San Fernando Valley by the way).
To match the interiors for filming, the studio carpenters added a faux second-storey bay window to fool the eye into thinking the first storey was lower (and contained that groovy conversation pit, too seldomly used. Except when Davey Jones stopped by, of course...)
I drove by the house in Studio City about a year ago. It's been altered quite a bit, so you really have to squint to imagine the Brady's living there. Still, it's a treat.
