“Here’s the story of a lovely lady. Who was bringing up three very lovely girls…” has been stuck in our heads all day. The iconic theme song made its debut 50 years ago today. With it came the first episode of more than a hundred that would change the sitcom landscape forever. Today, “The Brady Bunch” is remembered as one of the most important shows of the 1970s.
With Robert Reed and Florence Henderson playing parents Mike and Carol Brady, the Brady family slowly became one of America’s favorite. The show also made stars of its child actors, which comprised the majority of the Brady family.
Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, and Mike Lookinland played the Brady sons, all coming from the Robert Reed character’s side of the family. On the other end were Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, and Susan Olsen. They played Carol’s (Florence Henderson) daughters. Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan, and Cindy made up the Brady bunch.
According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, “The Brady Bunch” was a critical and commercial failure coming out of the gate. But it didn’t take long for the show to catch on and capture the attention of a nation.
“…the program stands as one of the most important sitcoms of American 1970s television programming, spawning numerous other series on all three major networks, as well as records, lunch boxes, a cookbook, and even a stage show and feature film,” the Museum of Broadcast Communications writes.
‘The Brady Bunch’ Was A Show Before Its Time
Time is the keyword here. As previously stated, “The Brady Bunch” wasn’t the show it is now during its initial run on television. What gave it such staying power was the ability to watch it after the fact.
According to Greg Brady actor Barry Williams, “The Brady Bunch’s” timing allowed it to become such a success.
“Television hadn’t been around for 50 years at that point. It was a different era of television and it really has to do with timing. Like in life, everything has to do with the timing of things,” Williams told WFMZ-TV. “Syndication just came into its own right around that period of time and that’s what has kept it on all these years and it’s found new generations of viewers.”
Barry Williams Said the Cast Treated Each Other Like Real Family
So the timing played a crucial role in the success of “The Brady Bunch.” But one would be remiss if they didn’t consider the casting.
According to Barry Williams, everyone got along, and their shared experiences on the show turned them into a real family.
“We grew up with the show playing family members and went through all of the changes in our growth in front of the world. That created some unique and sometimes challenging circumstances, but we protected each other and took care of each other. That commonality puts us in a very small club,” Williams told Closer Weekly in August.
