Greetings,
We all have these moments in our lives when we find out that what we see on TV is not exactly the same as what goes on behind the scenes. Many of these moments are depressing as all heck. For example, it makes me quite sad that Fred and Ethel hated each other in real life, and that the people on ALF did not exactly enjoy being on ALF. And don't even get me started on the legitimacy of The Hills. Of course, not all the stories are bad. Some are good, some are great, some are...interesting. That brings me to The Brady Bunch. I'd say that this is one show that has a lot of lore, true or otherwise, and in 1991, some of those tales were confirmed in an autobiography by Barry Williams(helped by Chris Kreski) called Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg.
This book came out at quite a perfect time. It was released just after A Very Brady Christmas, which was a huge success, and the reboot show of sorts, The Bradys, which was not so successful. Still, during this time, interest in The Brady Bunch appeared to be higher than it had been in years, and it continued on to the two big screen movie releases. Of course, since the show had been on the air, there were many rumors and stories floating around when it came to the goings on behind the scenes. Growing Up Brady certainly addressed some, if not all, of those.
Now, as I said, this is technically Barry Williams' autobiography, and he does talk a lot about his personal life. Still, seeing as how The Brady Bunch was a huge part of his life, it is a huge part of the book. I mean, for crying out loud, it's called Growing Up Brady. Anyway, Barry talks about the pressures of becoming so famous so young, witnessing the head-butting between Robert Reed and Sherwood Schwartz, and, of course, his relationships with cast mates, particularly Maureen McCormick, if you know what I mean. That's right, kids. Parts of A Very Brady Sequel were actually a documentary. There is also a lot about what happened as the show expanded due to their music, as well as how they tried to carry on after the cancellation, both personally and professionally. And we also get a hundred plus pages where he talks briefly about every, single episode of the show. Some people may call that a weak attempt at filler, but, again, this is all from his point of view, so that we can get a few extra anecdotes and fun facts. Works for me. I really like that part. And we also get a lot of sweet pictures. Yay, pictures. Point is, this is just a really great collection of stories told by someone who was there and witnessed everything. I'm certain that there are several books about this show, but most are written by people who weren't there, and there is something that I love about firsthand accounts. It adds so much more to the experience of learning all these stories, and it makes them so much more real.
I should probably point that the book I own is a first edition paperback from 1992. Several years later this book was re-released, so that one apparently includes some different aspects, such as Barry's feelings about the 90's movies and some thoughts on the death of his TV father, Robert Reed. Admittedly, I have not read that version, but I don't doubt that it's good. Also, it is probably that later version that was used as source material for the 2000 TV movie, Growing Up Brady. Yeah, this thing became a TV movie. As an author myself, I should be so lucky.
I actually bought this book when the first theatrical movie came out, and I, like many people, really got into The Brady Bunch again. At this point, I'm a bit indifferent to it. If I see that the show is on in a rerun, I may or may not watch it, but if I do, I tend to enjoy myself. I can be entertained by it, and I can certainly appreciate the pop cultural impact that it had. But we're talking about this book here and, bottom line is, I really like it. I thought it was very interesting. And, you know what? I really like Barry Williams. I like him because he is one of those people who can embrace his past and all the things he's done in his career. He's not one of those entitled celebrities who think they're so above the things that got their foot in the door in the first place. I can't stand those people. No, Barry has been able to find joy and contentment in what he has done and what he continues to do. He seems to love to entertain people, and he seems grateful that he is still able to do so. So, if you see Growing Up Brady in a store or in your library, I say it's worth a read.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
