7 Weird Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Brady Bunch Variety Hour’
If there’s one thing that creators Sid and Marty Krofft were known for delivering, it’s some trippy 1970s TV. But the fact that the brothers took TV’s most beloved TV family — the Brady Bunch — and delivered what critics consider one of the worst shows in TV history, with The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, which last aired on May 25, 1977, might be their most mind-boggling achievement.. But is it really that bad?
The nine-episode Brady Bunch Variety Hour was really a show within a variety show that ran from 1976-77. The marketing surrounding the premiere hyped it as “Donny & Marie and Tony Randall launch the Brady Bunch on a new career!” and further explained that Robert Reed, Florence Henderson and the Brady kids were setting out to conquer showbiz. “It’s an hour of fun and music as guest stars Donny and Marie Osmond, and Tony Randall, help them break into the big time,” ads read.
Watching old episodes on YouTube today, the show is endearingly entertaining and certainly begs cult classic status.
In commemoration of the anniversary of the final episode, May 25, 1977, we unearthed some fun facts on the wackiness surrounding the Brady Bunch Variety Hour. Credit largely goes to Susan Olsen (who played Cindy Brady), who coauthored Love to Love You Bradys, a hilarious and insightful memoir on the topic.
Here are a few things you may not have known about The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
1 Despite it being critically panned and ranked the 4th worst in TV history by TV Guide Magazine, viewers were actually watching the show
There’s no denying the Brady brand was beloved, and that love continues to this day as evidenced by the droves of fans who show up for cast reunions and TV specials/interviews featuring the former cast. The premiere episode of the variety show on Nov. 28, 1976, was watched by roughly 15.7 million people. By the end of the show the audience had dropped by almost half, which was still a sizable number.
2 Robert Reed was the absolute worst, but he sure did try
Everett Collection
Playing Mike Brady wasn’t always the easiest task for Robert (Bob) Reed, a role that was perhaps beneath his Shakespearean training and one that sometimes left him in conflict with Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz. The Variety Hour was a different gig for him, and he sure had to work hard to learn those dance numbers. “Trying to teach Robert Reed to move was the single funniest thing in the world and of course it was a disaster,” shared Bonny Dore, executive vice president of development and production for Krofft Entertainment, in Love to Love You Bradys.
3 The show was a musical, but the cast couldn’t sing?
Everett Collection
The only seasoned professional was Florence Henderson, who had a long history starring in stage productions of The King and I, South Pacific, Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music and others. Barry Williams also had some experience as, after The Brady Bunch, he did a Broadway run playing Bob Fosse in the musical comedy Pippin. The rest of the cast not so much, with the exception of Geri Reischl (more on that in a minute).
4 Jan was a fake
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Eve Plumb, who played Jan on The Brady Bunch, had scheduling conflicts and turned down the variety show. After an extensive casting search, they replaced Eve with Geri Reischl, who was headlining her own country music band, and had plenty of singing, dance, television and modeling experience. Reischl was a welcome addition among the cast and crew.
5 Some major celebrities appeared as guest stars
TV Guide Magazine
Guest-starring on the variety show required more than just learning a line or two — it was a full week of rehearsals, which including dance instruction. ABC pretty much forced Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett to appear on the show; other legendary stars who showed up were Milton Berle, Charo, Rich Little, Rick Dees, Vincent Price, Marie Osmond, Donny Osmond, Tony Randall, Tina Turner and Redd Foxx.
6 And that swimming pool …
One of the weirdest things about the show’s set design was the gigantic pool that was constructed in the middle of the stage, which made choreographing clunky and forced writers to come up with storylines featuring the pool (besides the Krofftettes synchronized swimmers). One of the running gags was one of the male cast members getting pushed into the pool, as the girls pretty much refused (less Susan agreeing to an underwater head bump with Rich Little).
7 The show’s cancellation was great news for some of the cast
Everett Collection
Christopher Knight was one of the most vocal cast members in his disdain for the series, fully recognizing from day one that singing and dancing wasn’t his thing. “This was the incarceration that was way too long. It should have been axed earlier,” Knight was quoted in Love to Love You Bradys. “At first the viewers were very curious and then after, when they were duly horrified, the ratings continued to drop off.”
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