The Brady Bunch (1969-74) was arguably one of the most popular American television series of the mid-20th century. Launching the careers of the likes of Eve Plumb and Maureen McCormick, millions tuned in each week to see what the family got up to next. In recognition of the show’s 55th anniversary, star Barry Williams revealed a spicy behind-the-scenes factoid about the cast to Us Weekly.
The Brady Bunch (1969-74)
Premiering on September 26, 1969, on ABC, The Brady Bunch centered around the antics of a blended family living in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Starring Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as the household’s patriarch and matriarch, respectively, the show was slow to take off. It never made it into the top 30 of Nielsen’s weekly television ratings, nor did it receive any awards during its original run.
That being said, those who did tune in (we’re still talking millions of weekly viewers), fell in love with the Brady family. Following its cancellation in 1974, The Brady Bunch entered into syndication, which is when it truly began to grow in popularity. Along with continuing to air on ABC, reruns also played on Nickelodeon and TBS, with the series still making the rounds to this day.
Several sequels and spin-offs have been made in the decades since the show originally aired. The Brady Kids, a cartoon centered around the Brady children, ran from 1972-74, while The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) introduced the family to a new demographic. This, too, spawned two sequels, A Very Brady Sequel (1996) and The Brady Bunch in the White House (2002).
Pulling back the curtain
In recognition of the series’ 55th anniversary, Barry Williams, who portrayed Greg Brady, revealed an interesting (and romantic) behind-the-scenes fact about The Brady Bunch. In an interview with Us Weekly, the actor shared that he and the rest of the cast “hooked up” with each other.
“We all hooked up with each other at some point. Not necessarily while we were filming,” Williams told the publication, adding, “I dated Maureen [McCormick], and Chris [Knight] dated Eve [Plum] and Michael [Lookinland] and Susan [Olsen] had a little mock wedding at one point. So, yes, we all hooked up.”
Barry Williams had a crush on Florence Henderson
While he might have dated Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams revealed he also had eyes for the woman who played his on-screen mother, Florence Henderson.
“I had a teenage crush on her, for sure,” Williams revealed to Us Weekly. “And she’s got a very lively personality and great sense of humor, but I know I wanted to have music in my career [in] acting, and so I talked to her a lot about that. I had found this singer coming into the Copacabana near Beverly Hills. I can’t think of exactly where it was, but I invited her to go together as a date, and she said, ‘OK,’ so I was thrilled. And now for me, it was a date.”
While people recognized the pair and whispered about them, Williams explained that their date was rather innocent. “We talked about the singer, his orchestrations, the band that he had, and what touring was like,” he shared. “And she gave me an idea what that life would look like now at the end of the date.”
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For those of you wondering if Williams and Henderson shared a kiss at the end of the outing, the answer is yes. “I did go in for a little kiss, and she was nice enough to return it,” the actor revealed. “So it was a highlight. Nice little peck, yes.”