The Clients

September 20th, 2017 by Proprietor

Back to Brady Bunch postings.

Since Mike Brady was an architect, at times he had to deal with clients, and these clients were impetuses for story lines within the Brady Bunch series. Though it always seemed like Mike was going to lose his job with every client appearance, and they were extremely important, sometimes it was the kids who saved the day.

Nine episodes into the show, Mike had an important client he was doing work for. The phone bill was sky high, and Mike needed his den to do work, but children were constantly using the separate line in the den. This was also the episode Sam was introduced in physical form. Cold dimes and all. Alice saw the pay phone, mentioned it to Mike, and he decided to install one to teach a lesson. It was the pay phone that almost cost him the client, but Mike explained, and the client liked the idea, and decided to do business with the architectural firm.

Beebe Gallini was a cosmetics queen, played by Abbe Lane. Supposedly world famous for her cosmetics, she was going to build a factory, and wanted the firm Mike worked for to design it. Beebe specifically requested Mike, because he was the firm’s youngest, brightest, up and coming architect. For an unspecified length of time Beebe tormented Mike with odd ball concepts and design ideas. From just a pink factory to one that looked like a powder puff, to finally one that was shaped like a compact and had a roof that flipped open. Eventually after long hours of work, Mike finally might have gotten Beebe under control. She was coming over to the Brady House to check out possible final proposals. The children being their normal precocious selves had a squirt gun fight and ended up wrecking Beebe’s makeup. She stormed out of the house and Mike’s life.

Mike had another client in sports star Don Drysdale. When Don came over to the Brady House, to look at drawings in Mike’s Den, after a conversation, Mike took Don to meet the boys. Don gave Greg a few pointers on pitching, and then Greg’s head swelled. In the end, reality gave Greg a lesson he would never forget. Rather than improve, Greg got worse, would not listen to the coach, and was benched. Due to Greg’s efforts, the team got clobbered.

The Brady Bunch went to Hawaii due to a client of Mike’s wanting him to oversee some construction. The architectural firm was generous, and sent Mike, as well as his family. The first three episodes of season four were all about Hawaii. Seeing Jan and Marcia in bikinis was a bonus. Bobby and Cindy meeting Don Ho was awesome, and the whole tiki curse was the running bit.

Though the show seemed to drift away for a while in dealing with Mike’s job, as well as clients, during the last season, Mike being an architect, came back to be part of several stories, along with Cousin Oliver.

In the eleventh episode of the fifth season, the architectural firm Mike works for was hoping to get a contract to build an addition to King’s Island amusement park. By this time, the Brady children had had many jobs, and it seemed like Jan quit her’s at Haskell’s Ice Cream Parlor in favor of baby sitting. Not wanting to get the poster she bought for the girl she baby sat damaged, Mike agreed to put it in one of his tubes. The tubes are switched, and lost, and Mike barely manages to get the drawings to the people making the decision.

With Cousin Oliver part of the family, he hangs around with Bobby. Sam has stopped by to ask Mike to do some preliminary sketches for a secret. Sam is expanding his butcher shop. Unfortunately Sam has told Oliver and Bobby old war stories, Bobby and Oliver mistake everything as a possible secret plan to steel plans Mike is working on for the FBI. Bobby and Oliver lock Sam and his landlord, Mr. Gronsky in the meat locker.

Penelope Fletcher, played by Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Howell of Gilligan’s Island Fame), is a wealthy client who hires the architectural firm Mike worked for to design her factory. A very demanding, wealthy client whom intimidated Mike. She stopped by to pick up the final plans at Mike’s house, and it was more than likely a loss, but Cindy had been snooping around Marcia’s diary, and Marcia played a trick on Cindy. She thought Mike’s client was a talent agent looking for a new Shirley Temple. Due to Cindy, Penelope was over joyed, and went with Mike’s company.

Then Jim Backus (Mr. Howell) would guest star the next episode as Mike’s boss.

Mike would not deal with difficult clients until The Very Brady Christmas movie. Mike is now a full partner, and running the architectural firm. Carol is a real estate agent, who specializes in commercial property, and finds properties for Mike’s clients. Major nepotism. The client is pressuring Carol to pressure Mike to not add, what he feels is unnecessary safety features to a building. Mike decides to let it go, and in the end, the building nearly collapses, and Mike goes to save two trapped men, only to become trapped himself. Thankfully Mike survives, and all is well.

Difficult clients were part of the Brady life, and part of real life. Sometimes, a sense of humor is a good way to deal with them.

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