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What's Your Favorite Brady Bunch Episode?
Susan Olsen, Christopher Knight, Sherwood Schwartz and Florence Henderson by Alexandra Wyman/ WireImage.com
Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island (he also wrote the catchy Brady theme song), got his well-deserved Hollywood Walk of Fame star Friday. With Florence Henderson (who played Mrs. Carol Brady) and Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island) at his side, Schwartz joked that the Oscars had gotten the title of this year's Best Picture winner wrong. "Who says this is No Country For Old Men?" he joked. At 91, the kid's still got it!
In honor of Schwartz's achievements, here are my 15 all-time favorite Brady Bunch episodes, in chronological order. (You're lucky I stopped at 15. I could probably rank 100 by memory.)
"The Honeymoon": This is the pilot, in which Mike and Carol get married and combine their families, including three boys, three girls, a cat and a dog (who basically ruin the wedding).
"Lost Locket, Found Locket": There was not a dry eye in the O'Connor household when we found out that Alice sent Jan the locket because she's a middle child too.
"Confessions Confessions": "Mom always said: Don't play ball in the house"
"Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?" In this episode, Jan (the Neurotic Brady) buys a hilarious black wig because she thinks her blond hair is a liability. Um, since when?
"Grand Canyon or Bust": In part 2 of this three-parter, the two youngest Bradys stupidly follow a random Native American kid and get lost, leading to what seems like 12 minutes of the rest of the family shrieking "Bobby!" and then "Cindy!".
"Personality Kid": Peter wants a new personality -- Humphrey Bogart's, as it turns out. This episode spawns the catchphrase "pork chops and applesauce," the popularity of which has yet to fade.
"Her Sister's Shadow": "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"
"The Not-So-Rose-Colored Glasses": This is the one when Jan is blind and vain. I could watch her crash into those garbage cans on a 24/7 loop and it would never stop being satisfying.
"Dough Re Mi": Peter voice cracks when the Brady kids sing a song called "Time to Change." Ironic!
"Pass the Tabu": This is the second part of another three-parter, where everything goes wrong for the Bradys because Greg starts wearing a ugly wooden necklace (the tiki) when he surfs. Obviously, it's cursed and needs to be buried or something.
"Love and the Older Man": Marcia falls in love with Dr. Vogel, her young, handsome dentist. In a series of fantasy sequences about their imaginary relationship, she pronounces herself "Mrs. Marcia Dentist."
"Everybody Can't Be George Washington": Without this episode, I would have no idea who Benedict Arnold was.
"The Subject Was Noses": "Hey, you guys... oh, my nose!"
"A Room at the Top": Marcia and Greg fight over who will get the converted attic bedroom. The best part of this episode is when Bobby and Cindy sit around the kitchen chalkboard figuring out how long it will be until they get their turn, and the answer is like 1980 or something.
"Adios, Johnny Bravo": The caricatures of the "Hollywood-type" record execs are hilarious -- as are the Greg-as-Bravo costumes.
Those are mine. What are yours?
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Mar 10, 2008 5:14 PM
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Those are all great eppys. I would have to say mine was when the kids were fighting over the collectible stamps. The boys and girl had saved up a lot of stamp books and decided to combine all the books to get a really groovy prize (did I really say groovy?) They played a card game to see who would win to choose the prize.
The girls won because Tiger jumped on the tab and all the cards fell.
I remember the girls wanted a sewing machine but I forgot what the boys wanted.
At the end you see Cindy's big blue eyes and the guy in the store. He reopened the store and the girl brought home a big TV instead of a sewing machine.
I guess why I remember that eppy the most is because I dont recall there ever being a time where you can trade stamp books for those cool items.
Aileen
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Mar 10, 2008 9:42 PM
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my favorite is definitely the one where greg writes the songs and peter's voice cracks so they have to sing "time to change". i also like the episode where carol loses her voice and cindy asks santa to give her mom her voice back so she can sing..that episode was so cute...there are so many good episodes to list!!!
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Mar 10, 2008 10:19 PM
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Oh man, so many! Either the one where Marsha (or was it Jan) invites Davy Jones to the Senior Prom...and he comes! Or the one when the kids think they see a UFO in the backyard, but it's just an elaborate trick...
Oh wait, maybe the one where mom and dad put the payphone in the kitchen.
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Mar 10, 2008 10:26 PM
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I love the one where Marcia enters Mike into the Dad of the Year contest and gets into trouble for sneaking out to mail the entry...
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Mar 10, 2008 10:47 PM
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The Silver Platters!
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Mar 11, 2008 12:43 AM
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Any of the singing episodes...
"I think I'll go for a walk outside now, the summer sun knows me by name,"
"Autumn turns to winter, then winter turns to spring, it's not just the seasons you know, it goes for everything. [snip] When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange, who you are into what you're gonna be."
"We're gonna keep on, keep on, keep on singing and dancing all through the night, we're gonna keep on, keep on, keep on doing it ri-i-i-i-ight."
And sadly, I actually just REMEMBER this stuff.
I watched the show in daily reruns after school and by the time I was in 4th grade, I knew EXACTLY which episode it was before the opening credits finished!
LOL
: ) P
"maybe we can make the world a whole lot brighter, we can make the load a little lighter"
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Mar 11, 2008 12:58 AM
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A Fistful of Reasons: Buddy, a school bully, teases Cindy for lisping, and he beats Peter up for defending her. Mike teaches Peter to defend himself, but things get out of hand when Cindy tells many classmates that Peter will fight the bully.
What Goes Up: Bobby suffers a sprained ankle and he develops a fear of heights, which his new parakeet helps him overcome.
The Fender Benders: Carol gets into a minor parking lot mishap with a crusty older man, and Mike leads a re-enactment of the accident before an appearance in small claims court.
Bobby's Hero: Bobby causes a stir by idolizing Jesse James. Mike brings in one of James's victims to help Bobby learn the true measure of his hero.
The Cincinnati Kids: The Bunch goes to a
King's Island amusement park near Cincinnati where Mike has a business meeting. Greg tries to pick up a girl who works there, and Mike's business is scuttled when his architectural drawings are switched with Jan's poster of a cartoon bear. (I especially love this one b/c I worked at King's Island as a teenager.)
The Hustler: Mike's boss gives the family a pool table, but it backfires on him when Bobby becomes a pool sharp who can beat him at the game.
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Mar 11, 2008 1:01 AM
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Aileen, the boys wanted a rowboat. In the end, the girls chose a color television set, because the whole family could enjoy it.
My daughter and I frequently quote from BB: "Pork chops and applesauce," "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" "Ugly, ugly, ugly!" "I got a D. A big, fat D," and one of our favorites, from Cindy: "I am so a lady. If you say I'm not, I'll bop you!"
Some of my favorites:
"The Un-Underground Movie" when Greg shoots a movie about the Pilgrims for his school, and hilarity ensues.
The Grand Canyon shows--the fake stagecoach robbery makes me laugh, as does the way nobody gets too bent out of shape when the prospector locks them up. Nowadays, he would lose his...er, donkey. 
"Getting Davy Jones", because I had a crush on Davy, too.
"Jan's Aunt Jenny", featuring Imogene Coca as a delightfully eccentric world traveler.
The Hawaii trio, featuring wonderfully understated acting from Oliver (the statue, not the cousin.)
"Fright Night", when the kids try to out-scare one another, only to "scare" their parents (and Alice.)
"The Show Must Go On??", and the parent-student talent show at the high school (Wasn't that a delight?)
"Jan, the Only Child", which contains the indelible sight of the Bradys holding a potato sack race.
"Amateur Night", when the Brady kids become "The Silver Platters" in an attempt to raise the money they need for their parents' anniversary present.
I could go on and on (and have,) but appeal of The Brady Bunch is timeless, if their fashions and hairstyles weren't. Who wouldn't want to live in that house where there was always someone to play with...although, apparently, not a single toilet.
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Mar 11, 2008 1:26 AM
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ALL great choices!
What about the sleep-over with the itching powder in the sleeping bags?Who could forget that after hours of games, stories, and endless food-
it was "still early" enough to call and invite the falsely accused friend?!!
To this day I still want one of those hotdogs Alice gave to the
three passing "goulies!"
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Mar 11, 2008 4:10 AM
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monkey65 thanks for letting me know it was rowboat.
Yes reminiscing about the Brady Brunch has been fun.
You know til this day when I eat pork chops I have to have applesauce with it!
Thanks Peter!!!! HAHA
Aileen
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Mar 11, 2008 7:12 AM
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The Christmas one where Cindy asks Santa for her Mom to get her voice back!
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Mar 11, 2008 7:51 AM
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Davy Jones without a doubt!
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Mar 11, 2008 8:18 AM
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Davy Jones without a doubt!
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Mar 11, 2008 8:19 AM
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The one where all the Brady kids tried to scare Alice, who claims she cannot be frightened.
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Mar 11, 2008 8:29 AM
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