The Brady Bunch: The Hair-Brained Scheme

The Brady Bunch: The Hair-Brained Scheme
ABC
March 8, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B

The script by Charles Stewart, who'd also write one for Three's Company, was seen as so implausible by Robert Reed that he refused to participate.  He'd raised objections before but this was the breaking point.  Nonetheless, I can enjoy it as much as I did as a kid.  Greg's dilemma is silly (and in a post-punk world, orange hair hardly seems like a crisis) but it is funny.  And I like that the three youngest have a lot to do, with the two money-making schemes interlocking by accident at the end.  This time, Oliver is assistant to Bobby and Cindy and he gets a lot of lines, including, yes, the one where he uses the word "sex."  So I'm glad that Reed bowing out means I can finally tag Rist.

This time, Barbara Bernstein and Hope Sherwood play Greg's classmates Suzanne and Gretchen.  Brandy Carson had played another nameless Woman on an earlier episode, and would be a Nurse on Soap.  John Wheeler was the Postman and Mr. Dimsdale before and is Second Man here.

This final season averages out to a B-.  It stays in that C+ to B range, so it doesn't hit some of the highs or lows of earlier seasons.  I don't know how it would've done in a sixth year, especially if Reed left for good, but as it stands, the series remains pretty good.  And of course we haven't seen the last of the Bradys by any means.

The Brady Bunch: The Driver's Seat

The Brady Bunch: The Driver's Seat
ABC
January 11, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the only Brady story by George Tibbles, who'd also do one for Who's the Boss?, but he has a pretty good sense of the Greg & Marcia dynamic, both their rivalry, including his male chauvinism, and their flirtation, as when Greg says she'll make a pretty trashman.  (Although as always, much of that has to do with what Williams and McCormick brought to the table.)  There's also a nice Jan & Marcia dynamic, supportive but teasing.

Examiner Herb Vigran previously played Harry on the show.

The Brady Bunch: The Subject Was Noses

The Brady Bunch: The Subject Was Noses
ABC
February 9, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

Yes, this story by Al Schwartz and Larry Rhine is the "Oh, my nose!" one, heavily incorporated into the '95 movie.  Even as a kid, I didn't see the big deal about Doug Simpson, BMOC or not.  Charley is equally cute and much nicer.  But then I wouldn't have wanted to go out with a football player anyway.  This is another episode where Jan helps Marcia with her love life.  And everyone's wardrobe continues to get gradually tackier.  Note that Carol claims that she and Mike won't be sharing a bed for the first time in their marriage, but what about when she visited her sick aunt?  Maybe she means when they're in the same building.

The Brady Bunch: Amateur Nite

The Brady Bunch: Amateur Nite
ABC
January 26, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Sam Locke and Milton Pascal's middle of five Brady stories has the kids performing not one but two songs!  It's never explained why they appear on the amateur "nite" (actually morning) with a different song they audition with, but no matter.  It's great to see them sing "Sunshine Day" and "Keep on Movin'," and after watching The Brady Kids, I can definitely say that the visual element of the non-animated kids matters, especially when Bobby is putting so much into it.  I was also amused by how often the kids, including Jan herself, call her an idiot.  And some of the fashion choices are getting enjoyably tackier.  No, it's never explained how 85 cents goes into $56.23.  (Does punctuation count differently?  Or is there tax?)

Robert Nadder, who was on the previous "anniversary" episode as the photographer, this time plays Alfred Bailey at the department store.  Steve Dunne was Mark Millard before and this time is Peter Sterne.  Hal Peary plays Mr. Goodbody at the bank.  And it's the 100th episode I've reviewed for all the kids except Williams, who's already passed that milestone, and it's the 200th for Sherwood Schwartz.

The Brady Bunch: Greg Gets Grounded

The Brady Bunch: Greg Gets Grounded
ABC
January 19, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Elroy-Schwartz-written episode, Greg's "exact words" lead to trouble, capped by a date at the drive-in with Rachel (Hope Sherwood) and a boxful of frogs.  I like that the episode refers to their previous drive-in date with "pest" Bobby, and the frogs are kind of cute and funny, but it's otherwise not really a stand-out episode.  Note that Bobby is now 11.

The Brady Bunch: The Tiki Caves

The Brady Bunch: The Tiki Caves
ABC
October 6, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Tam Spiva's conclusion to the three-parter has some nice suspense, but when Vincent Price turns out to be not such a bad guy after all, and the Bradys easily forgive him and help him, it's hard to swallow.  Well, maybe not after their reaction to the old prospector a year before, but still.

The Brady Bunch: Pass the Tabu

The Brady Bunch: Pass the Tabu
ABC
September 29, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Part two is also by Tam Spiva and adds more instances of bad luck, leading to a suspenseful trip to the caves, where Vincent Price is a shadowy figure.  If I have a quibble with the Hawaiian adventures it's that the boys are the main ones that are having them, with the girls mostly just reacting.

The Brady Bunch: Hawaii Bound

The Brady Bunch: Hawaii Bound
ABC
September 22, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B

I like this Tam-Spiva-written "Brady travel" episode more than the Grand Canyon episodes.  The scenery is prettier and the script sets up a story arc, the effects of Bobby's little statue, that will carry through all three parts.  It is also of course the beginning of the "Brady perm," as the humidity played havoc with Reed's and Williams's hair.  As in the Grand C sequence, there's a generation gap for the locals, this time with David (Patrick Adiarte, moonlighting from his role as Ho-John on M*A*S*H) as a modern young man who's aware of old superstitions.  Note that Bobby is baffled by Greg's interest in bikinis, while Peter (13? 14?) tells him, "You'll learn.  Boy, will you learn!"  The episode ends dramatically, but this being the Bradys, we know Greg will be all right.

The Brady Bunch: Sergeant Emma

The Brady Bunch: Sergeant Emma
ABC
February 11, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
D+

Harry Winkler's first Brady story is probably my least favorite in the entire series.  (There might be one I dislike equally that I've blanked out on.)  Emma and Alice may be cousins, identical cousins, but there's no real reason for the family to put up with her crap for a whole week.  Mike and Carol don't let Alice push everyone around, why should they let a stranger?  This would've been a lower grade, but I like Mike giving Carol a massage, and some of the lines are marginally clever.

This is, by the way, the 100th program for the '70s that I've reviewed.

The Brady Bunch: The Power of the Press

The Brady Bunch: The Power of the Press
ABC
February 4, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
C+
This is one of the more forgettable Brady stories by Ben Gershman and Bill Freedman, with Peter buttering up his Science teacher Mr. Price (Milton Parsons, who'd played a mortician on That Girl), in hopes of a better grade.  Angela Satterwhite, Diane here, would later be Donna.

The Brady Bunch: Juliet Is the Sun

The Brady Bunch: Juliet Is the Sun
ABC
October 29, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B

The third of four Brad Radnitz Brady stories is a "swelled head" episode for Marcia, when the family's attempts to boost her ego, including Greg telling her she's "a very groovy chick, for a sister," are too successful.  Carol admits that it's not all Marcia's fault, since they encouraged her, but then she goes on to say that Marcia brought it all on herself.  Marcia of course has one of her big crying scenes.  Note that Peter and Jan, who play guards, also attend the junior high.  So Jan really is only two years younger than Marcia, or the school goes from sixth to ninth grade.

The Brady Bunch: The Wheeler-Dealer

The Brady Bunch: The Wheeler-Dealer
ABC
October 8, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B

How quickly time flies!  In this Bill Freedman & Ben Gershman story, Greg is sixteen and gets his driver's license on the first try.  Carol points out that Marcia will get hers in another year or two, and it would indeed be two seasons later.  Also, Cindy is already nine.  Greg buys a car (for $100!) from his untrustworthy friend Eddie (Chris Beaumont again), then almost sells it to the future Toad of American Graffiti (Charles Martin Smith).  This has one of my favorite lines in the series, Peter's mangled, "He said he was gonna really cavet the guy's eruptor."  And I like the family dynamic on this episode, the teasing and the support in all directions.

The Brady Bunch: Double Parked

The Brady Bunch: Double Parked
ABC
March 5, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Skip Webster wrote this story where the family indulges in a very innocent protest, saving the local park.  It still gets Bobby and Cindy called radicals by a man (Jackie Coogan, in his first of two Brady cameos) whom Alice flirts with and tricks into signing the petition.  Two of the picket signs are '60sish, "Give trees a chance" and "Love is green."  Meanwhile, Mike's boss Mr. Phillips (Jack Collins again) assigns him to design the building going in the park's location, causing a conflict of interest, but Mike manages to keep his job and encourage the family to "do their own thing."  There of course have to be sexist remarks (by Mike and Mr. Phillips) about women spending money to undercut the messages about democracy.  I did like the montage of Mike designing plans; I wish there had been more of that in the series.

The Brady Bunch: Our Son, the Man

The Brady Bunch: Our Son, the Man
ABC
February 5, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B

Albert E. Lewin's second of three Brady scripts has Greg wanting to be treated like a man, now that he's at Westdale High School.  (I don't know if he started the school mid-year or if this is just the first time he's felt like this.  Marcia wouldn't begin high school for another year and a half.)  This episode is pretty campy, since the slang, wardrobe, and decorating choices all seem so mild, especially considering what the family would be like a couple seasons later.

Chris Beaumont makes his first of four Brady appearances, as the Boy who inspires Greg's image change.

The Brady Bunch: The Un-Underground Movie

The Brady Bunch: The Un-Underground Movie
ABC
October 16, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Albert E. Lewin, who wrote the "Goodbye Island" episode of Gilligan, does his first of three for Brady, about Greg shooting a movie about the Pilgrims for History class.  The family of course all gets involved.  Not as memorable as some later Brady performances, but a nice start.

Gilligan's Island: Meet the Meteor

It looks like something from an '80s music video.

Gilligan's Island: Meet the Meteor
CBS
April 28, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This episode has what must be one of the weakest dream sequences, although I suppose there's a certain poignancy in that by the time of the actual 50th anniversary of the castaways' shipwreck, most of the performers would be dead.  Note that Gilligan in the tag scene says something about looking good for a 72-year-old, but I don't know if he means he was 22 when he arrived on the island, or is 22 now.  Furthermore, despite the air date, this is presumably December, since Mary Ann thinks there's going to be a Christmas party.  And Ginger's birthday as well as the Howells' anniversary are also coming up.  Oh, and there's some bad science involving a meteor.  Shipping notes: Ginger and Mary Ann offer to simultaneously kiss Gilligan but neither does.  And Gilligan is calm when Ginger attempts to vamp him earlier.  I guess he's getting used to it by now.

Overall, the second season averages a B-, like the first season did, although it does have those three stand-out B+ episodes.

Gilligan's Island: V for Vitamins

Gilligan's Island: V for Vitamins
CBS
April 14, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Lots of interesting details in this one.  We find out that oranges, lemons, and grapefruits grow on the island.  The heaviness of the castaways supposedly is, in descending order, the Skipper, Mr. Howell, the Professor, Gilligan, Mrs. Howell, Ginger, and Mary Ann.  Mary Ann thinks she counts as both a woman and a child, which suggests she's probably still under 21, perhaps 18 or 19 at the time of the shipwreck.  When Gilligan dreams of himself in a version of Jack and the Beanstalk, he imagines Mrs. Howell as his disappointed mother, Mr. Howell as a W.C.-Fields-sounding conman, the Skipper as a giant, Mary Ann as a maid (in a skimpy French maid costume), and the Professor and Ginger as old people.  Some shipping notes: Gilligan's reluctant kiss transforms Ginger into a beautiful princess, but Mary Ann's kiss does not have the equivalent effect on the Professor.  In conscious life, Gilligan doesn't knock himself out when Ginger kisses him (to get what everyone thinks is the last orange on the island), but he doesn't really respond either.  The Professor, however, gallantly replies to Ginger's remark about not looking like she has a vitamin deficiency, "Ginger, you don't look like you have any kind of deficiency."

Bob's little son Patrick Denver (then five or six) plays the version of Jack that is onscreen at same time as the Skipper.  Also, not counting the Pilot, since it didn't air till much later, this is the 66th episode and it aired in '66.

Gilligan's Island: The Friendly Physician

The Professor has a plan.

Gilligan's Island: The Friendly Physician
CBS
April 7, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

When I was a little kid, I thought this episode was hilarious, with the way people and animals switch voices and personalities around.  It's still entertaining, although as an adult I can't help wondering logistics, like just how close this island is to Gilligan's.  And, yes, Vito Scotti is back, as a completely different character than the Japanese sailor, although also one that he'd reprise.

This is, by the way, the 100th sitcom episode I've reviewed, about two-thirds of them GI.

Gilligan's Island: Allergy Time

What exactly does Ginger sleep in?

Gilligan's Island: Allergy Time
CBS
March 31, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This, Budd Grossman's third of four GI scripts, resembles a Brady Bunch episode of three and a half years later, although it's less plausible that anyone on the island, especially the Skipper, would suddenly develop an allergy to Gilligan after all this time than that Jan Brady might have an allergy to her new stepfather or the dog.  For a change, Ginger vamps Gilligan for no ulterior reason other than to get him to come back to the settlement after moving to a cave.  I think Mary Ann did find his running-away letter last time, too, though.  Note that when Gilligan sleeps in the girls' hut, there's a dividing wall.

Gilligan's Island: Will the Real Mr. Howell Please Stand Up?

Gilligan's Island: Will the Real Mr. Howell Please Stand Up?
CBS
March 17, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

While it's nice to see Jim Backus in a dual role, it does bother me that, unlike in the other two "look-alike" episodes, there's no explanation for how this impostor managed to gain the appearance (down to a mole on the elbow) and voice of Mr. Howell.  And I would think that when he's picked up at sea after fleeing the island, this appearance (maybe not the voice if he disguised it) would cause much comment, after all the fuss of Mr. Howell supposedly reappearing after all this time.

This is the first of two GI episodes George N. Neise did, here as the interviewer.  And it's the second one Budd Grossman wrote.