The House That Brady Built

 As a self-professed “Bradyholic,” my obsession has been with the space that surrounded the Brady cast during production. In addition, the mystique that surrounds the North Hollywood house used only for exterior shots is incredible by anyone’s standards. Really, can you think of any other TV house on this planet that has received such fame and pop culture status?

My curiosity about the Brady Bunch house led me to do some research about ranch-style homes, design trends, and the post-WW2 culture that bred them. These homes came out of a culture of optimism (among other things), a virtue which The Brady’s wholeheartedly stood for.

For me, the iconic Brady Bunch house, both in true form as well as fictional form, represents the American ideal, and I’ve always wondered what they looked like from an insider’s perspective. Curious about  both  forms (real and fictional) of the house, I began making sketches of all the Brady spaces a number of years ago. Eventually, I acquired a CAD program for my computer which would allow me to bring my sketches to life. Having spent dozens of hours watching reruns of the show, I’ve gradually developed a “virtual tour” of sorts, which are on both Flickr and You Tube. In the virtual tour, Brady fans are given a perspective of what the set of The Brady Bunch may have looked like from an actor’s perspective. Additionally, this virtual tour also takes viewers through the famous Brady Bunch house in North Hollywood.

The whole project was just a chance for me to have fun, explore, and interact with other Brady fans. Now check out the Brady house like you’ve never seen it before…

Porkchops and Applesauce Served Here

The Bradys' Ultra-Modern Living Room

Here is what the entry hall of the REAL Brady Bunch house in L.A. might look like (more or less) from an interior view, which bares very little resemblance to what we saw on the Brady set.

Want to see more? Take my full Brady house tour at Flickr and You Tube.

 

If you missed the season  premiere of Monk last night, then run (don’t walk) over to USA Network while the episode is still available for streaming.  You’ll find a show that affectionately satirizes the Brady Bunch phenomenon, from the dedication of trivia-spouting fans to dropped jaws at the most lurid revelations of a tell-all memoir. 

In “Mr. Monk’s Favorite Show,” the obsessive-compulsive crime solver is excited at the prospect of meeting Christine Rapp, former child star of “The Cooper Clan.” Rapp has just written a shocking autobiography called “Re-Cooper-ating,” and when her publicity tour is interrupted by an attempt on her life, Monk’s devotion leads to an assignment as her bodyguard.  Starstruck and preoccupied with memories of a show that provided an escape from his dysfunctional youth, Monk remains blissfully ignorant of the discrepancies between Rapp and her TV alter-ego, Cathy Cooper…until he finds time to read the book.

Though a number of artistic liberties are taken in the approximation of a certain iconic TV series from the 70’s, Brady fans will find many amusingly familiar references in the details, right down to the episode titles and groovy graphics of a “Cooper Clan” DVD menu.  Check it out, and enjoy the pained expression on the face of a “Clan” costar as he endures Monk repeating the former actor’s well-worn catchphrase.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

As someone who’s done some singing and dancing with his own “brothers and sisters,” I can appreciate just how talented Michael Jackson was and am glad we got the chance to cross paths.

Farrah Fawcett and her poster were an important part of my growing up. For a while, I kind’ve resented Lee Majors! Of course, I didn’t show it the day he and Farrah made an appearance on The Brady Bunch Hour.

The script called for me to act tongue tied when I saw them. I can tell you, I didn’t have to do a whole lot of acting. While it may not be the scene either is best remembered for, I’ll always be thankful I shared the screen with those two TV icons.

Michael and Farrah will be missed.

After you hear the show, make sure to check out the five bonus clips, including Barry’s thoughts on having a Brady Bunch fan in The White House.

Have a listen! Hope you guys enjoy it.

I love Las Vegas.  For me, the only thing better than going there for a vacation, is working there.  Especially when I’m working  on the Strip and not only is my name up in lights but a giant 45 foot headshot as well.  The best lighting, best sound, best musicians, it’s all there.  Such is the wonderful situation I find myself in again this week at Planet Hollywood.  As some of you may know, I was invited to be a guest for a couple of weeks last month in the new open ended production of Tony & Tina’s Wedding in the Planet Hollywood Hotel.  What a blast.  This is hardly what I call working.

First of all I play… “myself.”  Actually my “role” is playing a friend of Tina’s father who for the purposes of this wedding night is deceased.  He was one of the truck driver’s on my 2001 Broadway National Tour of The Sound of Music.  We became good close friends and I visited the family frequently in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.  Vito, as his wife Josephina refers to him, asked me if anything were to happen to him that I give Tina away on her wedding day and…. that is how I happen to show up on Tony and Tina’s wedding night.  

For the uninitiated, the audience members are the guests, the two families, Nunzio’s and Vitale’s, are the wedding party and I spend the evening primarily as a mixer.  Now in my case this means I have an opportunity to meet virtually every guest in the house and usually there are about 400 of them.  I sit at the tables and eat with the guests, take pictures, talk about the BB and their experiences of growing up with it, I dance with everyone to the rockin group Fusion, dedicate and sing a song to Tina and generally have a great time.  Party on.  In all my years I have never seen audiences enjoy themselves more.  The Wedding is so realistic that on more than one occasion Brides and Grooms come straight from their own nuptials wearing wedding gowns and tuxes and celebrate their reception with us!

Usually I can tell if things are going well when I am invited for a return engagement.  So, beginning Friday night the 10th through Thursday night the 16th (with the exception of Sunday) at 6:30 pm I will be giving the lovely Tina Vitale away and mixing it up.  If you are looking for a little RnR this upcoming week, I’d love to see you there.  You can also catch me at the pool during the day. Viva Las Vegas!

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

The magazine that was bold enough to put Variety Hour Bradys on its cover.

Years before personal computers gave everyone the tools to become amateur graphic artists, my adolescent bedroom was adorned with an eye-catching movie poster.  A man and two children were painted in the foreground, running  toward the viewer while glancing behind them, as if being pursued.  Towering over them on the horizon stood massive stone letters spelling out the title of the film: BLOCKBUSTER.  Breathless testimonies (…the movie of the year! …the star of the century!) were accompanied by explosions in the sky and a jet soaring overhead.  Above the legend Together Again As You’ve Never Seen Them Before!  screamed red marquee lettering that proclaimed the stars of this cinematic event: ROBERT REDFORD and…well, and BOB HUNT!  Or whatever your name happened to be, if you were a fan of Dynamite magazine and took a few minutes to ferret out the correct letters, lick the gummed backing, and carefully affix them to that month’s bonus poster.

Yes, Dynamite, the short-on-pages (36, including the card stock covers) long-on-content (no ads!) periodical that once competed with other Scholastic titles in those colorful Arrow Book Club fliers you might have brought home from school.  So faithfully did I check its little box each month that my mother eventually decided that a subscription made more sense, and soon Dynamite was making its regular appearance among the scant mail I received.  I looked forward to every issue, and what kid wouldn’t?  With its bonus posters and punch-outs, magic tricks and tips for transforming your dull room into a cool place, Dynamite understood juvenile interests and unfailingly delivered.

In the late 70’s, that meant interpreting pop culture through the eyes of someone who hadn’t yet been born when Ed Sullivan introduced America to four lads from Liverpool.  Cover stories focused on the stars of TV hits like Welcome Back Kotter, Happy Days, The Love Boat, CHiPs, and Mork and Mindy.  Icons of the era that would soon disappear (like the mime duo Shields and Yarnell, or Steve Martin in his white suit, arrow-through-the-head standup days) were given their due.  One cover offered the preposterous debate: Beatles vs. Bee Gees – Who’s the greatest?  Never mind the tie-in with starring roles by the Brothers Gibb in the notorious Sgt. Pepper movie, even my 10-year-old artistic sensibility was offended by that one.

Aesthetic arguments aside, I loved Dynamite.  I loved the optical illusions on the puzzle pages and the Mad-like features that satirized advertising and school life.  I loved the articles about the TV shows and pop acts I cared about.  I loved the 3-D posters that I’d separated from a special Dynamite poster book and tacked to my ceiling.  I knew in my heart that I’d always read Dynamite, always.

Until one day when my subscription ran out, and it didn’t seem like too big a deal.  Had the magazine changed, or was I changing?  Months later I received a letter from Dynamite exclaiming “Just look at what you’re missing!”  Enclosed was the cover of the latest issue.  I flattened out the tri-folded card stock to find the cherubic face of Gary Coleman staring back at me.  Perhaps it was I who was changing.

Thanks, Dynamite.  Like a lot of other kids, I moved on.  But for a while, we had a blast.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

Vegas is one of my favorite places. I love the energy and the mix of fun, interesting people. I’m here for the next few weeks performing in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. It’s a great show if I say so myself. We’re having a great time. I worked with the management here to offer a special rate for my friends online. If you can make it simply print this page and head to Vegas.

Hope to see you here!

Barry

Along the way to reaching a goal there are milestones that must be achieved. I recently took on the goal of becoming a private pilot and I am happy to say I just hit one of those milestones. At some point if you want to swim you have to jump in the water, or if you want to snow ski at some point you must head down the mountain.  If you want to fly there comes a time when you need to do it unassisted, without a flight instructor to tell you what to do, and sometimes more importantly, what not to do. That point happened for me this past month.

The first thing I told Joe Justice, my instructor, when we started this process was that I was not in a hurry to hot-rod around the skies.  I wanted to take whatever time necessary to reach a level of proficiency that made my first foray above the earth a safe one.  That day happened on February 18th. Keeping in mind the aviator’s motto that flying is the second most satisfying experience in the world and LANDING is first. The only inkling I had that the day’s lesson might be different is that Joe made sure I had my log book and picture ID onboard the plane.

Off we went for a couple of loops around the airport, landing and taking off again without stopping.  After our second landing he asked me to come to a complete stop because… he wanted to get out of the plane.  The moment was here.  The moment I had long anticipated. After 42.9 hours of supervised flight time he at least felt I was prepared to fly alone.  It was time to solo.  Even with butterflies, I felt ready as well.

Alone in the cockpit for the first time, I contacted Ground Control then taxied and held short of the runway. Next I contacted the Control Tower, received clearance for take off and everything I had learned came together.  What an exhilarating experience.

Pleasantly, in place of fear, I found the flight around the airport challenging, and rewarding.  My smooth and successful landing proved that I had indeed achieved a milestone that comes with the understanding that there are many more to come.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

 

Who will win the first-ever GBP Brady Awards?

Did you catch the Academy Awards recently?  Greg Brady Project friend David H. did, and the sight of all those Oscars being handed out inspired him to propose “the first annual ‘Brady’ awards, honoring outstanding achievements in an episode of The Brady Bunch.”  David suggested six award categories, with all us of collaborating to produce five worthy nominees for each category.  After the nominations are finalized, winners will be decided by popular vote.  We love the idea, David, and so it is that we now officially open the call for nominations for the award categories listed below.  I’m really tempted to serve up a full slate of contenders, but I’m going to limit myself to the honor of choosing the first nominee for each award.  The rest is up to all of you, loyal Brady fans.

BEST ACTOR (any male cast member can be nominated for a specific episode):  I nominate Mike Lookinland for “Bobby’s Hero.”  Not only does he create a credible change of heart for the Jesse James-obsessed Bobby, he conveys real terror (as coached by Lloyd Schwartz) during the fantasy train robbery.

BEST ACTRESS (same for female cast member):  I nominate  Eve Plumb for “The Not-So-Rose-Colored Glasses.”  Eve has a lot of great moments in this one, from her glib dismissal of Marcia’s concern for her eyesight to the tearjerker scene in which Mike learns that Jan has sold her bike to pay for a second family portrait.

BEST WRITING (nominate episodes):  I nominate Brad Radnitz for “Confessions, Confessions,” a beautifully paced episode that peaks in the middle with the famous leaking-vase scene and then builds the tension up again until nearly the last second, keeping the audience wondering if Peter will ever tell the truth.

BEST GUEST STAR PERFORMANCE – MALE:  I nominate Davy Jones for “Getting Davy Jones.”  The sight and sound of the beloved Monkee clasping hand to headpone and warbling “Girl” has been treasured by Brady fans for decades.

BEST GUEST STAR PERFORMANCE – FEMALE:  I nominate Imogene Coca for her eccentric yet endearing performance as “Jan’s Aunt Jenny.”

BEST EPISODE:  Well, I gotta go with the top of my Brady Six for this one.  I nominate my all-time favorite, “Cyrano de Brady.”

And while we’re at it, here’s one more category for us to consider.

BEST CATCH PHRASE:  I nominate “Something suddenly came up,” the all-purpose date-breaker.

And there you have it, the first round of nominations for the 2009 GBP Brady Awards.  Four more slots are open for each category, so hit the “Comment” button and clack away at your keyboard like Scoop Brady on a hot tip!

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!

One of the enjoyable yet surprising parts of being Dad to a six year old son is reliving my own childhood.  It is completely enjoyable to watch his face delight in the discovery of new activities, skills, sports, food, plays and movies.  Brandon was first introduced to The Harlem Globetrotters via a Scooby Doo DVD called appropriately enough, “Scooby Doo Meets The Harlem Globetrotters”.  He was aware they  is also a group of very talented real life players who play professional basketball games but he had not seen them live.  I hadn’t seen them live since, well, I was about Brandon’s age.

Last week The Harlem Globetrotters came to town and played the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  Brandon and I and some friends went to see the game and what a treat we were in for.  We got there in plenty of time to get pizza and drinks and snacks.  Armed with programs and mini Globetrotter basketballs we settled in to watch the first half.  I remember really having a good time in my youth watching the game but this current team of Globetrotters and the show they present is pretty amazing.  Brandon was set from the beginning to keep track of the score and began cheering with all his might whenever the “good guys” scored, loudly pronouncing for the arena to hear with arms up over his head…..SCORE!!!

At half time we were privileged to go behind the scenes and meet the team, get autographs and take pictures.  As we started down the meet and greet line it was clear that I was not the only one recapturing a bit of my early youth.  We rubbed elbows with Billy Crystal, Adam Carolla, and Al Pacino among others who had their young kids in tow and there was a distinct air of excitement.  The players could not have been more friendly or more accommodating as we asked questions, learned to spin basketballs on one finger and in our case got our Scooby Doo DVD autographed.

Fortunately, even though the opposing Washington Generals cheated on the score a couple of times during the second half, the Globetrotters ultimately won the game much to the relief of Brandon.  That made Dad pretty happy too.

Now Search & Win for Great Brady Prizes!