The Brady Bunch Hour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Brady Bunch Hour
Genre	Variety
Created by	Sid and Marty Krofft
Written by	Carl Kleinschmitt Ronny Graham Terry Hart Bruce Vilanch Steve Bluestein Mike Kagan
Directed by	Art Fisher Jack Regas
Starring	Robert Reed Florence Henderson Ann B. Davis Barry Williams Maureen McCormick Christopher Knight Geri Reischl Mike Lookinland Susan Olsen Rip Taylor
Ending theme	"United We Stand" performed by the Bradys
Composer(s)	George Wyle
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producer(s)	Sid and Marty Krofft
Producer(s)	Lee Miller Jerry McPhie
Production location(s)	Golden West Videotape Division
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Sid & Marty Krofft Productions Paramount Television
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution
Release
Original network	ABC
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	November 28, 1976 (1976-11-28) – May 25, 1977 (1977-05-25)
Chronology
Preceded by	The Brady Kids
Followed by	The Brady Girls Get Married

The Brady Bunch Hour was an American variety show that aired on ABC. It featured fun skits and songs. The show was made by Sid and Marty Krofft Productions and Paramount Television. It ran from November 28, 1976, to May 25, 1977.

Most of the original actors from The Brady Bunch TV show starred in it. However, Eve Plumb, who played Jan, was replaced by Geri Reischl. The show started as a special called The Brady Bunch Variety Hour in November 1976. It was very popular, so eight more episodes were made. These aired under the shorter name The Brady Bunch Hour. The events of this show are not part of later Brady Bunch movies or series.

What Was the Show About?

The Brady family was chosen to star in a new variety show for ABC. Because of this, Mike Brady stopped being an architect. He moved his family to a beach house in Southern California. Their neighbor, Jack Merrill (played by Rip Taylor), often joined their acts. He also had a crush on Alice, the Bradys' maid.

Each episode had lots of singing, dancing, and comedy skits. There was also a "show-within-a-show" story. This part showed what happened behind the scenes at the Bradys' home.

Who Was in the Cast?

• Robert Reed as Mike Brady
• Florence Henderson as Carol Brady
• Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson
• Barry Williams as Greg Brady
• Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady
• Christopher Knight as Peter Brady
• Geri Reischl as Jan Brady
• Mike Lookinland as Bobby Brady
• Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady
• Rip Taylor as Jack Merrill

The Krofftettes and Water Follies

This was a special dance group that also performed water ballet. The members included:

• Charkie Phillips
• Christine Cullen Wallace
• Susan Buckner
• Linda Hoxit
• Judy Susman
• Lynne Latham
• Dee Kaye
• Robyn Blythe

Behind the Scenes

Choosing the Actors

Even though Robert Reed (Mike Brady) often didn't like other Brady Bunch projects, he was happy to join this variety show. Maureen McCormick (Marcia) remembered him being excited. Barry Williams (Greg) said Reed actually enjoyed it. Reed explained he had studied singing and dancing and thought it would be "fun!"

Florence Henderson (Carol) was the only actor with real singing and dancing experience. She was unsure about the show but agreed to do it.

The producers then wanted the Brady kids to join. Barry Williams was working on Broadway when he was asked. He was promised special solos and dance routines. Maureen McCormick was excited to sing and work with the Krofft brothers. Susan Olsen (Cindy) liked the idea of doing funny skits.

Christopher Knight (Peter) had left acting. He knew he wasn't a great singer or dancer. He agreed to do the show if his parts were only in the opening and closing songs and comedy. He later learned this promise wasn't kept!

Mike Lookinland (Bobby) didn't like dancing and didn't want to do the show. He asked for double his salary, hoping they would say no. To his surprise, everyone's salary went up! Florence Henderson had to remind him to come to rehearsals.

Ann B. Davis (Alice) had left Hollywood in 1974. She was working as a volunteer in a church in Denver, Colorado. The show quickly decided to add her as a guest star. She was allowed to work only a few days a week so she could travel back to Denver.

The "Fake Jan" Story

Many people think Eve Plumb (the original Jan) refused to be in the show. But she actually wanted to do it! She agreed to appear in five episodes. However, the network wanted her for all episodes or none. So, she had to leave the project.

In late 1976, producers quickly looked for a new Jan. They auditioned over 1500 people! They chose Geri Reischl, who had a lot of singing experience. She got the role just one day before rehearsals started. Her co-stars made her feel welcome. Robert Reed even told her it felt like she had always been a Brady. Geri became good friends with Susan Olsen. Because she replaced Eve, Geri was nicknamed "Fake Jan," a name she has happily accepted.

Adding a Comedian

After the first episode was filmed, the producers decided they needed a regular comedian. They brought in Rip Taylor. He played the Bradys' realtor, moving man, neighbor, and Alice's boyfriend, Mr. Jack Merrill. The cast welcomed Taylor, except for Ann B. Davis. She was a very religious person, and Rip Taylor had a "salty" sense of humor, so they didn't talk much outside of scenes.

The Krofftettes

The Krofftettes were a dance group known for their water ballet. They were created by Sid and Marty Krofft. The idea came from another show, Donny & Marie, which had ice skaters. When ABC asked the Kroffts to make a show for The Brady Bunch, Sid thought a huge swimming pool would be cool. He was inspired by old movies with Esther Williams.

In October 1976, auditions were held in Hollywood. Charkie Phillips, a trained dancer and competitive synchronized swimmer, was chosen. She helped pick other dancers who could also do synchronized swimming.

Making the Show

The show was filmed at KTLA Studios in Los Angeles. The first episode was filmed in just three days in November 1976. It aired shortly after.

A huge swimming pool was built for the show. It held about 47,756 gallons of water and was 45 by 25 feet wide and 68 inches deep. It had windows on the sides for filming underwater. At first, the water looked like "milk," so they refilled it with 50,000 gallons of bottled water! They also added chlorine and filters.

The swimmers and crew faced many challenges with the pool. The studio was next to the ice rink for the Donny & Marie show. This meant the air was very cold when the Krofftettes got in and out of the water. This caused steam to rise from the pool. To fix this, they made the pool water warm, like a bath.

Unlike normal synchronized swimming, the Krofftettes had to sit on the bottom of the pool. To do this, they had to breathe out all their air so they would sink. The ABC network didn't allow goggles. Also, no air bubbles could escape from their noses! The Krofftettes also danced on stage during the day. This meant their swimming scenes were often filmed late at night, making them work over 15 hours straight.

Other problems with the pool included props that were weighed down. These could get in the way. In one scene, gas canisters were put in the pool and lit for a special effect! The Krofftettes also had to put Vaseline in their hair to keep it in place underwater. This was hard to wash out and sometimes turned their hair green. So, they started wearing turbans and headpieces for the rest of the show.

The Krofftettes were the first water ballet group to be recorded on video tape. The producers tried an underwater camera. But they mostly used large windows in the pool. Cameras filmed from outside the pool. Famous people like Chevy Chase and Paul Shaffer would visit the set to watch the Krofftettes rehearse through these windows. Shaffer said Chase would even cut meetings short to go watch them!

After the first episode, the crew tried to save money. They often allowed small mistakes (bloopers) to stay in the finished episodes instead of re-filming.

How the Show Was Scheduled

The show was supposed to air every fifth week. It would take the place of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. However, it was shown at different times, which made its ratings inconsistent. Sometimes, a commercial would air with Robert Reed and Florence Henderson saying, "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour won't be seen this week, but we will be back again soon."

Episodes

The show had nine episodes. Here are some highlights:

Where Can You Watch It?

The first and fourth episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour were released on VHS and DVD in the United States in 2000. These were put out by Rhino Entertainment.