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Bradymania!: 25th Anniversary Edition by Elizabeth Moran
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June 22, 2025
Much like the seemingly simple sitcom about which it provides "the making of" information, this humble paperback makes no pretense to profundity or literary merit.
I enjoyed the look behind the characters at the actual lives of the cast members beyond the show and their paths forward in life as well as how the actors interacted with one another on set when the cameras weren't running. I liked the fact that the book also had a photo of the child actors in the schoolroom provided for them while they were working on the show and told a bit about their schooling and about some of the things they did in their time off.
In addition to bios of the cast and a look at the decisions surrounding the casting, scripting, and direction of the show, the book documents the Brady Bunch related licensed merchandise, record albums, spin-offs, reunion shows, more recent live stage productions based on the Brady Bunch, and a Brady movie then in development.
Though more recent riffs on the Brady Bunch tend to make fun of the seemingly trivial problems which were the subjects of the scripts and the 1970s fashions that were a major part of the imagery of the show, the enduring themes within The Brady Bunch have led to the show being available to the television-watching public in reruns for years after it ceased production.
The basically happy and wholesome family depicted with minor struggles and issues that could be resolved within less than 30 minutes of airtime (sibling rivalries, adjustment to step-siblings and a blended household, minor injuries, etc.) struck such a chord in the television audience when it initially aired, that the studio had to devise a form letter to send to children who wrote in expressing a wish to join the seemingly idyllic family life of the Brady Bunch advising them not to run away to do so. (Alas, the book does not reproduce this letter.)
I enjoyed the look behind the characters at the actual lives of the cast members beyond the show and their paths forward in life as well as how the actors interacted with one another on set when the cameras weren't running. I liked the fact that the book also had a photo of the child actors in the schoolroom provided for them while they were working on the show and told a bit about their schooling and about some of the things they did in their time off.
In addition to bios of the cast and a look at the decisions surrounding the casting, scripting, and direction of the show, the book documents the Brady Bunch related licensed merchandise, record albums, spin-offs, reunion shows, more recent live stage productions based on the Brady Bunch, and a Brady movie then in development.
Though more recent riffs on the Brady Bunch tend to make fun of the seemingly trivial problems which were the subjects of the scripts and the 1970s fashions that were a major part of the imagery of the show, the enduring themes within The Brady Bunch have led to the show being available to the television-watching public in reruns for years after it ceased production.
The basically happy and wholesome family depicted with minor struggles and issues that could be resolved within less than 30 minutes of airtime (sibling rivalries, adjustment to step-siblings and a blended household, minor injuries, etc.) struck such a chord in the television audience when it initially aired, that the studio had to devise a form letter to send to children who wrote in expressing a wish to join the seemingly idyllic family life of the Brady Bunch advising them not to run away to do so. (Alas, the book does not reproduce this letter.)
Displaying 1 of 1 review