The Brady Girls Get Married

The Brady Girls Get Married
NBC
February 6, 1981
TV-Movie
VHS
B-

After two years, Jan becomes engaged to her boyfriend, Philip Covington III (Ron Kuhlman)*.  Her parents are nonetheless surprised, mostly because Marcia is still single.  Then Marcia confides in a sympathetic stranger, Wally Logan (Jerry Houser), who suggests they get married.  She thinks he's crazy but she is attracted to him.  So after a week of a whirlwind romance, they get engaged.  Now Mike and Carol are really surprised.  The "girls" (now about 24 and 21, since Cindy is 18 and has just started college) decide on a double wedding, although their fiances are complete opposites and it's hard for even the sisters to agree.  The wedding goes through after some bumps, and the four of them even end up buying a house together.

Sherwood Schwartz and his son Lloyd co-wrote this special and Peter Baldwin, who had directed seven episodes of the original series, directed it, so it's probably not surprising that this is as cheesy as can be, complete with laugh track.  Still, for a fan it's pretty much what you would want, especially at this point in the Brady saga.  It has every single member of the main cast, for the one and only time.  It includes clips from early episodes, for extra nostalgia.  It updates us on everyone's career or college situation.  And it's about as canonical as it can get, after the acid trip of The Variety Hour.

It's easy to tell that, Reed's arguments with the Schwartzes aside (check out the acid in the way he jokes about watching Gilligan's Island), the genuine regard and love of the nine cast members for each other comes through.  Even McCormick and Plumb, who would have a falling out many years later, look happy to work together.  Reed, I should also note, looks proudly at Henderson when she does her solo at the wedding.  As for Kuhlman and Houser, I think they fit in just fine.  At the time, I would've preferred Wally's laidbackness, but Philip has grown on me over time, and even in his first appearance, there is a dry wit to him, so that he's not just a blend of college professor and uptight WASP.  I can see why this was a ratings hit, although the follow-up series, The Brady Brides, was not.  The humor is a little racier here than on the original series (especially Wally's "nude scene") and in fact my strongest memory of Brides was the Newlywed Game episode, where Philip ends up blurting out, "Thighs and breasts!"  (It's on the Internet if you're curious.)

Of the two movers, Bert Rosario, who plays Maxie, was Reuben Ortiz on The Bob Newhart Show, while Stuart Pankin, who's Frank, would be Doug Shaffer on Who's the Boss?  Philip's mother is played by Jean Byron, who was Patty's mother on The Patty Duke Show.  Wally's mother is played by Carol Arthur (Dom DeLuise's wife) and she was Mrs. Lawrence on What's Happening!!, while Wally's father, James Gallery, had recently appeared on M*A*S*H as Murray Thompson, and would be Kip's uncle the next season on Bosom Buddies.

*As usual with the Bradys, I can't tag everyone involved.  Sorry, Ron!

Soap: Episode 11

Urich and Canova on some other program

Soap: Episode 11
ABC
November 29, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B

Again, there are none of the big everybody-or-nearly scenes in this episode.  Instead we see Burt and Mary, about to attempt to make love, interrupted first by a Robber (Jerry Houser, who was on M*A*S*H right before this), then by Danny dressed as an Arab, and finally by a call from the hospital about Jodie's overdose.  (Interestingly, Burt refers to Danny as his son here, rather than stepson.)  Danny and the Campbells, including Bob, rush to the hospital, where Jodie is fine and grateful to Barney.  When Mary and Jodie talk, she thinks of four things she's done that were so stupid she can't tell Jodie.  (Watching this knowing what would be revealed about Danny much later, I know what at least one of the four is.)  Corinne is upset about Peter cheating on her and becomes the first person to threaten to kill him.  And when Jessica admits to her affair, Chester is at first amused and disbelieving and then hypocritically outraged, since he refuses to admit to his multiple adultery.

M*A*S*H: The Grim Reaper

M*A*S*H: The Grim Reaper
CBS
November 29, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Burt Prelutsky wrote this story where Hawkeye pushes the unsubtly named Colonel Victor Bloodworth (Charles Aidman, who'd be Fred on Bosom Buddies).  He almost faces another court-martial trial, but the colonel sees how much good Hawkeye does and drops the charges.  Meanwhile, Charles refuses to share gourmet food with his bunkies but does with Margaret, whom he seems to be trying to slowly seduce.  And Klinger is thrilled to meet someone from Toledo.

Twenty-five-year-old Jerry Houser, Marcia Brady's future husband, plays Danker here and would be a Robber on Soap in the next time slot.  Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) and Todd Susman (taking up his PA Announcer duties, perhaps because Viscuso was busy on Soap) return.  Radar is absent again.