Starring:
Robert Reed as Michael ‘Mike’ Brady
Florence Henderson as Carol Tyler-Martin-Brady
Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson
Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady
Eve Plumb as Jan Brady
Susan Olsen as Cynthia ‘Cindy’ Brady
Barry Williams as Gregory ‘Greg’ Brady
Christopher Knight as Peter Brady
Mike Lookinland as Robert ‘Bobby’ Brady
Allan Melvin as Sam Franklin
Special Features:
Audio Commentary by Creator Sherwood Schwartz and 3 of the Brady Kids over select episodes!
Coming Together Under One Roof Bonus Featurette
Other Info:
Fullscreen
Dolby Digital Mono Sound
Running Time: 10 Hours 52 Minutes
Synopsis:
This DVD features the entire first season of The Brady Bunch which aired in 1969. The following is from the DVD cover:
“Here’s the story…of America’s grooviest TV sitcom family! It’s the story of The Brady Bunch, and in this premiere DVD collection, The Brady Bunch: The Complete First Season, you’ll see how one of television’s best loved comedy series made its popular debut back in 1969. Architect Mike Brady (Robert Reed) is a widower with three sons – Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight) and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). He meets a similarly single parent, Carol Ann Tyler Martin (Florence Henderson), who has three daughters of her own: Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb) and Cindy (Susan Olsen). Mike and Carol decide to marry, and the combination of six kids, one dog (Tiger), and a housekeeper (Alice, played by Ann B. Davis) all gathered under one split-level suburban rooftop are guaranteed to lead to love, laughter and a whole lot of chaos.
From the pandemonium of Mike and Carol’s wedding day to the instant sibling rivalries that sprout among the newly merged Brady boys and Brady girls, here are all 25 first-season episodes of this wildly popular and fondly remembered series. It’s the way they all became The Brady Bunch!”
The Brady Bunch is not rated.
The Series:
I used to watch The Brady Bunch all the time as a kid. It was a staple of after-school viewing for me. But as an adult I haven’t had any particular desire to revisit it on DVD. So the true test of this show was what my kids thought of it. I put my 6 year old daughter in front of the TV, popped in the DVD, and introduced her to The Brady Bunch. She not only liked it, she loved it. She watched the first episode, then another, then another. Sooner or later she will have watched the entire thing. I thought she might like it, but I was surprised at just how much she loved it. For entertaining kids alone, The Brady Bunch DVD is worth picking up.
Looking back at the series, I was amused by the early episodes of the show. The first episode actually showed a picture of the Brady boys’ mother. It also showed Carol’s parents who I don’t believe ever appeared on the show again. There’s also Fluffy the cat who I suppose Tiger finally caught and ate because he was also never seen again.
If you’re a Brady Bunch fan or a parent that needs to entertain a kid for 11 hours, then The Brady Bunch will fit the bill for you. I also have to say that I like the lenticular cover with the moving Brady heads. It is a nice touch.
The Extras:
There are a few bonus features included on this DVD:
Audio Commentary There are three commentaries in this set. One is by series creator Sherwood Schwartz (for the pilot) and the other two are by Barry Williams, Susan Olsen, and Christopher Knight. The commentaries by the Brady Kids are definitely fun. They feel like family members watching old home movies. They laugh at their acting, the 60’s styles, and each other. They are quite fun to listen to, but be warned that it occasionally gets risqué.
Coming Together Under One Roof Bonus Featurette This is a brief “making of” feature. It includes interviews with a number of the cast and Sherwood Schwartz. They discuss the origin of the series, how everyone was cast, and what shooting was like. It’s a shame more of the Brady kids didn’t participate.
The Bottom Line:
The Brady Bunch is still fun for kids even 36 years after it debuted. If you’d like some good entertainment for your kids, this DVD will be perfect.
