"Many people learned how to speak English watching The Brady Bunch," actor Barry Williams observed.
It was 1969 and the '70s. A time when the divorce rate among the American Baby-Boomer was rising. Producer Sherwood Schwartz came up with a series which would appeal to Middle America and one that would represent a throwback to the "wholesome innocence" era of the 1950s. The series was The Brady Bunch which had since become a pop culture phenomenon.
The show featured six child stars experiencing their first flush of youth on the small screen in front of America.
Barry recalled, "The producer, Sherwood Schwartz, wanted us to basically be real kids. Of course, under heightened circumstances - exaggerated circumstances and idealized. But we weren't caricatures.... Just people growing up and going through the stages of life. And I think those elements, the morality, the communication, the theme of our show are timeless."
Actress Maureen McCormick remembered, "...At the same time, it was weird because I felt like I had to show to the public that I was Marcia — perfect, with no problems. I didn’t think I could be my imperfect self. I pretended I was Marcia, so I was always playing this role. I became her, but yet I wasn’t. It’s strange."
Co-star Eve Plumb maintained, "...It’s been something very interesting all during my life. It’s earned me money. I have a unique history. There’s no way to ever separate what your life would have been like if you had taken a different path. You have to embrace what is yours, and if you don’t like it, you have to decide to change it."
Before she was "America's Mom", actress Florence Henderson was the "Today girl" on the top-rated morning TV show, Today. "I did pretty much what (former host) Katie (Couric) does, only on a much more limited basis," she recounted.
She left the program when she became pregnant. That word reportedly could not be used on TV at that time. "They would hide me behind potted palms when I sang, or behind furniture. My goodness, how far we have come. Now people actually do get pregnant on television, literally," Florence noted.
It was 1969 and the '70s. A time when the divorce rate among the American Baby-Boomer was rising. Producer Sherwood Schwartz came up with a series which would appeal to Middle America and one that would represent a throwback to the "wholesome innocence" era of the 1950s. The series was The Brady Bunch which had since become a pop culture phenomenon.
The show featured six child stars experiencing their first flush of youth on the small screen in front of America.
Barry recalled, "The producer, Sherwood Schwartz, wanted us to basically be real kids. Of course, under heightened circumstances - exaggerated circumstances and idealized. But we weren't caricatures.... Just people growing up and going through the stages of life. And I think those elements, the morality, the communication, the theme of our show are timeless."
Actress Maureen McCormick remembered, "...At the same time, it was weird because I felt like I had to show to the public that I was Marcia — perfect, with no problems. I didn’t think I could be my imperfect self. I pretended I was Marcia, so I was always playing this role. I became her, but yet I wasn’t. It’s strange."
Co-star Eve Plumb maintained, "...It’s been something very interesting all during my life. It’s earned me money. I have a unique history. There’s no way to ever separate what your life would have been like if you had taken a different path. You have to embrace what is yours, and if you don’t like it, you have to decide to change it."
Before she was "America's Mom", actress Florence Henderson was the "Today girl" on the top-rated morning TV show, Today. "I did pretty much what (former host) Katie (Couric) does, only on a much more limited basis," she recounted.
She left the program when she became pregnant. That word reportedly could not be used on TV at that time. "They would hide me behind potted palms when I sang, or behind furniture. My goodness, how far we have come. Now people actually do get pregnant on television, literally," Florence noted.
