Haunted Brady House

March 21st, 2018 by


50th Brady Post! If you exclude my tribute to Florence Henderson a while back. Florence’s passing inspired me to watch the Brady Bunch Shag DVD collection, and I began noticing certain aspects of the show. Whether it was Tiger disappearing, but his doghouse remaining. The propensity of the Brady family to celebrate with cake, this inspired my first Brady post. Ultimately this led to my posting Brady blogs frequently and now somewhat in frequently, according to my count, this is the 50th post that deals directly with the Brady Bunch in some way. Congratulations to me!

Since I do like being somewhat snarky and sarcastic at times in my posts and drawing odd ball conclusions, I am going to re-watch some episodes and maybe post my observations. When you decide to view the Brady Bunch with a critical eye, you notice some of the bone headed solutions or ideas that come up time to time, most of the time it was to keep the show comedic and wholesome.

In Season 1 Episode 23: “To Move or Not to Move” it becomes apparent to the children that sharing one bathroom with no toilet, and sleeping three per room was not going to work out. They were a family, not a cult. Jan would later join a cult, in the Pied Piper episode of the Wonder Woman television series. There was only one television and it was in the family room, which made it real difficult to watch multiple shows, but really groovy to watch talent contests together, where the children would later perform as the Silver Platters. What was supposed to bring the family closer together was tearing them apart. Mike also realized as an architect, he probably should have designed a better house with more rooms, though he was just a lowly architect and not partner. Mike had his den, for some reason he was not going to convert it into a bedroom, at least not allow this until the following season, when Greg decided a man needs his own room. Even though Mike designed the house, he thought the attic was only suitable for housing midgets, it would take him some time to discovered the was not only extremely large, it had a bathroom, a Brady child could get their own room. The builder also did not gyp him on construction. Firing Alice and using her room for one of the children would save money and add needed space as well, yet the family kept Alice. One need not wonder why it took Mike so long to make partner, but he would be a perfect politician.

After discussing it with Carol, Mike decided it was time to sell the Brady House and move into something bigger. It would be a tough sell, with no toilet in one bathroom, and possibly no toilets in the master bathroom or Alice’s room. Though visuals of those bathrooms were never shown, given Mike’s forgetfulness, and not having a toilet in the bathroom between the children’s room, it is safe to assume Tiger’s doghouse was the outhouse, and that is why the pooch disappeared. Mike and Carol could not agree on a house they both liked, but can also afford on Mike’s meager architect pay. He had lost a major client like Beebe Gallini, so that might have factored into his last raise review. Later on though, Mike would become better, and be trusted by his boss. Which in retrospect might have been a bad idea, since the boss of bosses had a reputation for being a bit rough on employees whose children beat him at simple games, like pool. Mike also had the tendency to bumble things, like switching tubes with his daughter Jan, and presenting a poster of Yogi Bear to clients at King’s Island.

But, a house both Carol and Mike admired came on the market, and Mike put in an offer. Now they had to sell their house. A bigger house with more rooms, and possibly toilets in the bathrooms would not be horrible, but they would not be in the same neighborhood, with the Kelly Family. A bigger house might allow them to actually have more children or host Cousin Oliver. Alice and Carol have a discussion about houses, Carol is worried their house would not sell in time, because there were other houses on the market in the area that were not selling. Alice elaborates a rumor that the house down the street had been sitting on the market for a long time, because it was haunted. A haunted house was difficult to sell. Houses without toilets are probably not hot sellers as well.

Overhearing that haunted houses were not selling, the children, rather than go talk to their parents, decided that they would haunt their own house. The children began crafting their haunt, because it would be some time before a possible buyer made an offer. There was plenty of time to spook everyone into thinking that the house was haunted, and add more worry to Carol’s fears. Strange noises began to emanate from the house. Carol, Alice and the children became scared. Bobby and Cindy were play acting, knowing full well that Greg, Marcia, Jan and Peter were making all the noise. Mike reassures them that the house is new, and it is beginning to settle, that was the reason for all the odd noises. Then things really become serious when there is actually an interested buyer. The realtor must have been great at explaining the lack of necessary plumbing fixtures.

When the realtor brings the possible client over, the kids go into full blown haunt mode. Strange noises, and bangs, Carol does her best to reassure the client and the realtor that her husband was an architect, and new houses settle. Yet the problem persists. Mike returns early form a business meeting, and does his best to reassure the client. Then the Brady children overplay their hand, and send out two ghosts to run through the living room. Anyone with half a brain would realize the ghosts were kids in bedsheets. Mike realized this, and catches Bobby & Cindy. Once the children are forced to confess that they were the source of the haunting, Mrs. Hunsaker, withdraws her offer. Rather than being angry at the children, she finds it adorable that the children love their house so much, they were going to great lengths to save it. Of course, the children could have just talked to Mike and Carol about things. Turns out either the children are not too bright or Mike & Carol were not as approachable as people thought.

The Brady House would go on to be one of the more iconic houses in the history of television. Many happy events celebrated with cake would happen in the confines of the house. The house used in exterior shots for the original series still stands in the Los Angeles hills. The sets would be revised for various spin offs, that never made it past half a season. In the final spinoff, The Bradys, the house would be bulldozed to make way for a highway expansion. Oddly enough, no toilets were found in the rubble.

Thanks for stopping by.