By Steve Jones, USA TODAY
Roughly 20 years after the story of a lovely lady and guy named Brady left broadcast TV for eternal syndication, fans of the fun-loving blended family of three boys and three very lovely girls celebrated their big screen return in 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie. The film, which featured an entirely new cast, sparked enough nostalgia to spawn a second theatrical film (1996's A Very Brady Sequel) and a TV movie (2002's The Brady Bunch in the White House).
By Gary Null, NBC
Recognize these two?: The OC's Adam Brody as Barry Williams and The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco as Maureen McCormick in in 2000's Growing Up Brady.
By Gary Null, NBC
Recognize these two?: The OC's Adam Brody as Barry Williams and The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco as Maureen McCormick in in 2000's Growing Up Brady.
Those films along with the 2000 TV biopic Growing Up Brady are collected in the new four-disc set A Brady Bunch of Movies (2011, Paramount, PG-13, $20).
The original TV sitcom ran from 1969-74 and starred Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as Mike and Carol Brady, whose kids included teens Marcia (Maureen McCormick) and Greg (Barry Williams), tweens Jan (Eve Plumb) and Peter (Christopher Knight), and youngsters Cindy (Susan Olsen) and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). Ann B. Davis played housekeeper Alice Nelson. The show's signature opening sequence was a three-by-three grid with each of them in their own box looking around at the others as the theme song played. Like other TV shows (Star Trek comes to mind) that had middling ratings when first broadcast, the public's fondness for The Brady Bunch grew during its decades in syndication. Maybe it was the polyester, but something about this groovy, music-loving blended family with a distinctly '70s vibe resonated with fans.
The producers of the 1995 movie kept the family's retro styles and values intact as if they were completely oblivious that times had changed. Mike and Carol ? now played by Gary Cole and Shelley Long? owe $20,000 in back taxes and are facing foreclosure. They also are the last holdouts in the old neighborhood, which a developer wants to raze for a shopping mall. Typical Brady shenanigans ensue as the family scrambles to avert the crisis. Somehow, The Monkees (one of many celebrity guests that appeared on the original show) wind up involved. A happy ending seems like mission improbable, but then this is the Brady Bunch.
The film was a modest hit, grossing $46 million (about four times its budget) and making A Very Brady Sequel almost inevitable. It only did half as well as its predecessor. In this one, Tim Matheson plays a con man claiming to be Carol's long-lost first husband, but he's really after the family's horse statue, which unbeknownst to them is worth $20 million. Those pesky kids eventually uncover the ruse, but the crook purloins the statue, kidnaps Carol and hightails it with both to Hawaii. Of course, he's in for a Bunch of trouble. Cameos abound as Barbara Eden, Zsa Zsa Gabor, RuPaul, Rosie O'Donnell and David Spade put in appearances.
The second sequel, The Brady Bunch in the White House, aired on Fox and is silly even by Brady standards. The family is invited to the White House after Bobby finds and (being a Brady) returns a $67 million winning lottery ticket to its rightful owner. Not long after that, the sketchy president of the United States abruptly quits office, and the upstanding Mike and Carol Brady are install as president and vice president/first lady.
The juicy Growing Up Brady, which aired on NBC, is based on Barry Williams' 1992 biography Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg. Williams, who is portrayed by Adam Brody, is executive producer and narrates the behind-the-scenes look at life on the set of the sitcom. Mike Lookinland, who played Bobby on the show, is portrayed by his son Scott Lookinland. The film details Robert Reed's battles with the show's producers, Williams' date with TV mom Florence Henderson, and answers the "Did they or didn't they?" question about Williams and co-star Maureen McCormick (TV sis Marcia).
Miranda Kerr Mariah OBrien Ashley Olsen Jennifer Scholle Veronica Kay
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