“The Brady Bunch” is one of the most beloved sitcoms in the history of television. However, for the actors who brought the show to life, things weren’t always as ideal as the life they portrayed in the television show.
In fact, two of the actresses who portrayed Brady daughters definitely rebelled against their wholesome fictional characters. Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia Brady on the show, shared many details of her acting career in her memoir, “Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice.”
According to an article on CheatSheet.com, the book details McCormick’s time working on the show – including friendships and romances. Part of what she recounts in the book deals with her costar Eve Plumb. Plumb portrayed Jan Brady on the show.
According to McCormick, she and Plumb began to “rebel” and drink after they finished filming episodes of the show.
“Eve and I shared a room,” McCormick wrote in her book about a cruise for the show. “We drank rum and Cokes on board the ship, and once in Europe, we enjoyed wine. We could have called ourselves the Boozy Bunch.”
That wasn’t the only time McCormick and Plumb decided to go against “The Brady Bunch” and the show’s wholesome, ideal behavior.
“I rebelled quietly by taping a show without wearing a bra,” McCormick reportedly wrote. “I convinced Eve to go braless, too. It was also our subtle way of telling the producers we were too old for the same stuff.”
Interestingly, there has been speculation that McCormick and Plumb did not get along while filming “The Brady Bunch.” This was not true, according to Plumb.
“There was no (feud). People like to say things,” Plumb has reportedly said. “There was no remedy needed.”
Another Actor was Unhappy While Filming ‘The Brady Bunch’
Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb weren’t the only actors unhappy while acting on “The Brady Bunch.” Mr. Mike Brady himself – actor Robert Reed – also had issues. During his tenure on the show, the actor reportedly argued over many plot points. He even argued with show creator Sherwood Schwartz.
Reed reportedly felt his skills as an actor were not being utilized on the popular sitcom. He also felt that he should be able to act in film. The actor’s unhappiness motivated him to pick apart many scripts and details.
“[Reed’s] tirades and his arguments dragged the whole cast down. In fact, in the last episode of the show, he doesn’t even appear. He’s not in it at all, because he objected to the basic story,” Schwartz said.
Things reportedly got so bad that Reed was written out of the last episode of “The Brady Bunch” series.
“Bob Reed called and said, ‘Outlandish story, unbelievable, ridiculous, and I won’t do the show. He didn’t tell me this the week before; the morning of the show, he calls and tells me he won’t do the show,” Schwartz has said.
So, Mike Brady was omitted from the episode.
