The Brady Kids: Who Believes in Ghosts?

The Brady Kids: Who Believes in Ghosts?
ABC
October 6, 1973
Cartoon
DVD
C

Clearly, the show couldn't go on indefinitely with half of the "real Brady kids" gone.  But that's no excuse for the sloppiness in this last episode, seen most obviously in the fact that in every "walking group" shot Bobby is invisible for no reason.  (And it's not as if they haven't been recycling these shots from day one, probably from other Filmation series.)  Repeating "Ain't It Crazy?" doesn't help, nor does having yet another pair of thieves.  The maybe-maybe-not ghost idea is comparatively original.  The second season averages out to a C+ like the first, nonetheless.

The Brady Kids: Ceiling Zero

The Brady Kids: Ceiling Zero
ABC
September 29, 1973
Cartoon
DVD
C

Considering how short the second season is, it feels really lazy to already repeat a song from just a couple episodes ago, especially one as lame as "Love My Life Away with You" or whatever it's called.  The plot is also unoriginal, with Marlon bringing yet another historical figure into modern times, although this one is the fictional "Michael Angelglow."  That said, this episode does answer the question of whether the kids are actually living in the treehouse 24/7.  They turn out to have a main house they can see the treehouse from.

The Brady Kids: Marcia's Lib

The Brady Kids: Marcia's Lib
ABC
September 22, 1973
Cartoon
DVD
C+

Well, I was wrong, the frenemies are still around, with Chuck still playing annoying and possibly life-threatening pranks.  Still, it's interesting to see how this plot mashes up the "camping" and "Frontier Scouts" episodes of the main series, with more support of "equality" than BBunch offered in either 1969 or '71.  The song is a complete rehash of the "I Believe in You" production of the first season, including the inclusion of the Abominable Snowman!

The Brady Kids: Teacher's Pet

Mission: Magic! with Tickle and Rick

The Brady Kids: Teacher's Pet
ABC
September 15, 1973
Cartoon
DVD
B-

Despite the reuse of the song "Drummer Man," this is one of the better episodes, mostly because of the intriguing character of a magical schoolteacher.  In fact, Miss Tickle (as in "mystical") had her own cartoon series that Fall, Mission: Magic! with new Australian teen sensation Rick Springfield.  Also making poachers the villains is pretty daring, if no more so than George of the Jungle six years earlier.  Note that the frenemies (Chuck, Fleetwood, and Babs) seem to be gone for good in the second season, which can only be an improvement.

The Brady Kids: Frankincense

The Brady Kids: Frankincense
ABC
September 8, 1973
Cartoon
DVD
C+

The short second season begins with new credits (showcasing the kids playing instruments, and omitting the live-action footage) and half the kids replaced by new voice actors: Keith Sutherland (then credited as David E. Smith [is he related to Hal Sutherland?], as Peter) and Lane (Greg) and Erika (Marcia) Scheimer.  The one for Greg particularly stands out as a rough transition, since L. Scheimer has a sort of mid-'70s "dude voice."  The title has nothing to do with Christmas, but instead is a reference to the Frankenstein-like doctor who is trying to make a robot that he can play cards with but, thanks to Marlon's interference, instead creates twenty one-foot robots who like to eat jewels.  The song, still with the singing voices of Williams, McCormick, and perhaps Knight, is "We'll Always Be Friends."

The Brady Kids: Wings

The Brady Kids: Wings
ABC
December 30, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C+

Paul McCartney seeks the perfect post-Beatles back-up band and decides on this family of six American kids, hitting the charts with the song "Find a Rainbow."  Or the Bradys stumble upon the Wrong Brothers, who've invented the airplane decades too late.

The first season of the show averages a C+.  Yes, I'm missing four episodes, but I doubt that would make much difference.  This is definitely a series I enjoyed more as a child.  Now the humor seems really hokey, and not in a fun way.  There's some interest in hearing the songs and seeing the various contrived plots, but not enough for me to strongly recommend it.  On the other hand, I'm not rating most of the Saturday morning shows very high, so this is no worse than most.  The second season would be very short, and I'll talk about it when we get there.

The Brady Kids: Marlon's Birthday Party

The Brady Kids: Marlon's Birthday Party
ABC
December 16, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
B-

This may well be the most WTF episode:

• Marlon receives a birthday card mailed in 30 B.C., according to the postmark
• The kids conclude that since it's in hieroglyphics, it must be from Cleopatra
• Marlon is in the habit of celebrating his birthday with Merlin, despite the difference of centuries
• Marlon and Merlin accidentally trade places and things happen in parallel, in those separate times and places
• A campaign sign for Robin Hood goes up in the kids' "metropolis"
• Marlon sends historical figures from various eras to the kids' treehouse
• The house may collapse from the weight of all these guests
• So the kids perform "Sugar Shop" (admittedly one of their best tunes)
• Merlin can't do any magic without his book, which gets passed around between the pandas and the frenemies, partly due to conveniently spilled black pepper
• Marlon and Merlin recite a magic spell in sync, returning everything to normal, except for King Arthur and a couple of his knights stuck in modern times

The Brady Kids: The Big Time

The Brady Kids: The Big Time
ABC
December 9, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C+

A talent show comes to the Bradys' "city" (this city with only one school), and this time Cindy's voice changes rather than Peter's, thanks of course to Marlon's magic.  When she gets it back (her siblings refuse to perform without her, unless they can use the pandas, don't ask), they all perform "Drummer Man," although we never find out who wins, not that we really care by this point.  The six-person bicycle is kind of cool though.

The Brady Kids: It's All Greek to Me

The Brady Kids: It's All Greek to Me
ABC
December 2, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
B-

This second Brady script by Marc Richards ("Tape" was the earlier one) is helped by the presence of Wonder Woman, as was an earlier episode by Superman.  Along with the brawn vs. brain debate, that's why this was one of the episodes I most remembered.  Jan being set up as "the smart one" had already been established on previous episodes, I suppose because she wears glasses.  (The main show wouldn't oversimplify like that.)  Too bad "No Hurry" is one of the kids' weakest numbers.  And, yes, there are a ton of anachronisms here, but then the fact that the kids have traveled to Ancient Greece via Marlon's magic throws reality out the window in itself.

The Brady Kids: Give Me a Home Where the Panda Bears Roam and the Dog and the Mynah Bird Play

The Brady Kids: Give Me a Home Where the Panda Bears Roam and the Dog and the Mynah Bird Play

ABC

November 25, 1972

Cartoon

DVD
C+

I was going to go with a B- on this, but one, Chuck's pranks are getting annoying, and two, the whole cattle rustlers thing feels off.  I know, it's a show with a magical mynah, but it's one thing to have Jim Backus as an elderly cowboy whose grandfather had a claim in a ghost town, and another to have two middle-aged rustlers acting like they've been out there 100 years instead of 23.  Note that the "rock & roll" number has Cindy lip-syncing to Bobby, like the animators honestly couldn't distinguish between their voices, or just didn't care.  I do like the idea that Fleetwood's uncle looks like him and has his own slang that baffles Chuck.

The Brady Kids: You Took the Words Right Out of My Tape

"Photoshop"

The Brady Kids: You Took the Words Right Out of My Tape
ABC
November 18, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
B-

While Peter on the main series secretly taped his siblings as a prank, here he's got a tape recorder because he's on the school paper.  And, for a change, the animals impact the plot positively, rather than just acting goofy and/or causing trouble.  Moptop manages to foil the jewel thieves, more than once.  I considered marking this down for not matching up the right voices to the right faces in "Sunshine Day," but I decided that was OK since it was nice that the song premiered here rather than on Bunch.  One thing I wonder about, on the cartoon the kids all seem to go to the same school, one of those big East-Coast-1940sish schools, like on The Archies.  Is this supposed to be a small town?

The Brady Kids: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the End Zone

The Brady Kids: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the End Zone
ABC
November 4, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C+

Well, not that funny.  A Venusian spaceship that looks just like a football lands as the kids and their pets are playing that sport.  So the song this time is about "playing the field," I kid you not.  For years, I remembered a joke on this show as having Bobby's punchline be about Martians literally on television (sitting on top of the set in the treehouse).  It turns out Cindy asks him what's on TV, and he says, "Little men."  She asks if that's a movie.  I like my version better.

The Brady Kids: Who Was that Dog...?

The Brady Kids: Who Was that Dog...?
ABC
October 21, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C+

The plot about a pet competition is less memorable than the Bradys driving around in a pink dune-buggy, both in everyday life and in the "video" for their cover of "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo."

The Brady Kids: Pop Goes the Mynah

The Brady Kids: Pop Goes the Mynah
ABC
October 14, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C+

An ecology project for school (despite the kids all being in different grades) leads to Marlon being imprisoned in a soda can and then his vocal versatility impressing his birdnappers.  The song here is one of the weakest, something about loving life while loving you, badly sung and not fitting the group.  But nice of them to offer Storch a showcase for his impressions.

The Brady Kids: Cindy's Super Friend

The Brady Kids: Cindy's Super Friend
ABC
October 7, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
B

This is the best of the series I've seen so far.  (It looks like this DVD collection, which a friend bought at a con, is missing four episodes.)  With Clark Kent/ Superman, Lois Lane, and villains who are using invisible paint to commit robberies, the mix is different, although still with lots of humor.  (Poor Clark can't seem to find any privacy to change identities, and look out for Jan's rock collection!)  The song this time is a slightly folkier version of "We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter."

The Brady Kids: Double Trouble

The Brady Kids: Double Trouble
ABC
September 23, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
B-

Peter's crush has a crush on movie star Clint Flint, so Marlon accidentally transforms Bobby into Clint, and yes, hijinks ensue.  I found this more entertaining than the first two episodes, more focused, with some very mild satire of Hollywood.  The song this time is "Ain't It Crazy," which has a more melancholy sound than usual for the Brady Kids.

The Brady Kids: Jungle Bungle, Part 2

The Brady Kids: Jungle Bungle, Part 2
ABC
September 16, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C

The exciting conclusion, or not.  One thing I noticed here was that there are too many characters, which never seemed to be a problem on the main show.  The kids already have two animal sidekicks, the Storch-voiced Marlin the Magician and silent Mop-Top, the latter indistinguishable from Jughead's dog Hot Dog.  In this episode the Bradys pick up Ping and Pong the pandas.  And there are three teen frenemies, conceited Chuck, hippie Fleetwood, and airhead Babs, who seems to have a crush on Greg.  Well, Babs disappears for most of this episode, like the animators got tired of drawing her.  The song this week is "I Believe in You."

The Brady Kids: Jungle Bungle, Part 1

The Brady Kids: Jungle Bungle, Part 1
ABC
September 9, 1972
Cartoon
DVD
C+

I don't know if I watched this when it first aired (I was four) but I certainly remember it from later childhood.  As I was a BBunch fan, I was very happy to see more of the kids.  I didn't mind the adults being absent.  I also liked hearing Larry Storch, since I knew him from F Troop.  It seems like the cartoon didn't air much in the '80s, but some of it stayed with me, like the "hot air" joke here.  Watching it now, shrug.  It's not exactly a classic.  I can see the limitations, and not just to the animation.  Still, this episode does offer a rendition of "Time to Change," unfortunately minus Peter's voice cracking.  Greg/Marcia shippers take note that he sings of her "eyes of sparkling blue," even though no one has irises of any color whatsoever.

Hal Sutherland directed the series.  Other voice actors, who took over the voicework when the three oldest bailed:

1. Erika Scheimer as Marcia Brady
2. Lane Scheimer as Greg Brady
3. Keith Sutherland as Peter Brady