The Kelly Family

June 4th, 2017 by

An attempt to spin off a show before the plug was pulled, and somehow keep the Bradys around? This is what might have been going on when the producers wrote an episode in the fifth season that featured three young boys of various ethnic backgrounds, being adopted, where the main family, the Bradys, only played a supporting roll. Sherwood was trying to do a backdoor pilot. The Brady Bunch was considered somewhat revolutionary at the time. Blended families were not normal in the 1960s or 1970s. Adoption was around, but adopting children of different ethnic backgrounds was daring.

A stage performer, Mr. Kelly and his wife, decided to adopt an eight year old boy from an orphanage. The Brady’s were friends with the couple, and Mike recommended a good realtor for them to purchase a larger house. This show took place in 1970s California, so houses were already costing way too much. Mike could have fired Alice, saved some money, and had a bigger house. But, I digress.

Ken and Kathy Kelly (KKK, they were white) adopted a boy, Matt (played by Mike Lookinland’s brother Todd) and move into their new house, and were going to live happily ever after, but that was short-lived. Matt soon became lonely. Yet, the Kelly’s had a big heart. Their adopted son wanted brothers. His two friends, Dwayne and Steve, at the orphanage wanted parents, so poof. The plot twist, the other two boys were Black and Asian. Back in the seventies this was considered a mind blowing concept, today it is diversity engineering. The three boys, who called themselves the Three Musketeers, would live together as brothers and happily ever after. They did not celebrate with cake for some reason.

Alas, happily ever after was again short-lived. The bigoted neighbor showed up. The Dwayne and Steve over heard her talking to Mr. Kelly, and decided to run away so that Mr. and Mrs. Kelly could have a normal life. Matt was not going to let his two best friends, and now brothers, leave without him. So, they ran away together. Down the block to the Brady house. Greg (Johnny Bravo) found them sleeping in the backyard on patio furniture. They could have shared Tiger’s dog house in the back yard or slept in the carport with the Driscoll’s Toy Box. The Kellys were called, and the family reunited. Alice gets a shock when she walks into the family room to see a man, a woman, and three boys sitting at the table. The Brady children end up with three new friends, we never see again.

If the show had actually taken off, we probably would have seen a Brady or two drop by after the Brady Bunch was cancelled. Marcia, Jan and Cindy could babysit. Greg could teach the boys how to pitch, play guitar, and pick up on girls. Bobby could teach the boys how to hustle rich white guys for dimes at billiards. Peter could show the boys how to be a hero.

Maybe it was the Kelly’s need for a new home that inspired Carol to get her real estate license? Mike was an architect, not a realtor. In the years after the show it was revealed in short lived sequels that Carol did get a real estate license. The Kelly family never showed up in any of the sequels.

Thanks for stopping by.