Brady Bunch Variety Hour: Love to Love You Bradys

Take a look back at the WORST SHOW IN TELEVISION HISTORY in the new book "Love to Love You Bradys: the bizarre story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour," brought to you by Cindy Brady herself (Susan Olsen) from ECW Press

[@tylersmith5212]

textbook definition of "anything for a paycheck"

[@northvilletunnels]

They were stuck on typecast roles They needed to eat.

[@ApartmentKing66]

Well, do you know where your next rent payment's coming from? I know what it's like not to.

[@plawson8577]

And “Paying for my Coke habit”.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

When Florence said "You know, you're a part of our bunch, too!"--I cried at little.

[@Buzzmoogy]

Can I get a tax deduction for seeing this? I am permanently scarred mentally. This might be the worst thing I have ever seen, yet I'm still watching it!

[@MajorSeventh]

I think we're witnessing history here...Robert Reed, the first gay man ever who can't sing or dance...

[@MisterMikeTexas]

But he got his boyfriend Rip Taylor to join the show! 😆😆😆

[@plawson8577]

Massa Reynolds hadn’t broken the Mike Brady typecast yet.

[@chrisschwendinger1883]

He can indeed sing, nice voice too. He was a great guy is all that matters!

[@PlumbPitiful]

What I thought was so dumb was that they were playing this show AS their Brady Bunch characters. Barry would get a solo song and Maureen would introduce him as "My brother, Greg Brady!".

[@Kaffyboy]

This is still a HELL of a lot better than the so-called éntertainment' on TV today!!

[@jonathanwashington6083]

No...it really isn't. (People there's a REASON they buried this junk in the television graveyard. Stop trying to reanimate it's rotting corpse.)

[@kevinevans5921]

That’s the best Cindy has ever looked.

[@jonnyb5643]

Oh I agree with you on that. She looks great.

[@LRayart]

Jan too. Oh wait...

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Cindy at this time was definitely on Master Bate's radar! 😍😍😍😍

[@hermmmc]

It's fun to watch the careers of nine entertainers skid to a screeching halt (and remember, back in the '70's, we used to have to live with TV like this all the time).

[@plawson8577]

Eve Plumb was TOO smart to maintain her own dignity. I’m PROUD of her for actually saying “No Way” to this.

[@dee72deedee]

No wonder Susan Olsen doesn't like disco. I never thought this show was this bad!!! It is like throw my family in a variety show, in front of millions of homes, that doesn't have any singing talent.

[@SynthMusicWorld]

This is like the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

[@lavenderliberal]

A burst appendix couldn't be this painful.

[@TeamJRob]

This is painfully embarrassing for them or at least it should be.

[@Grouchomx]

We've always heard how much Robert Reed was appalled and hated the Brady Bunch, yet he continued doing crap like this practically until the day he died. I guess he knew which side of the bread was buttered.

[@WingsOfDay]

He said he enjoyed spending time with his fellow actors who considered family.

[@starbrightstarlight2233]

Mr, Brady ~~~ GET DOWN WITH YA BAD SELF

[@JEH78]

Did I just see them dancing with people dressed as Big Bird and the cast of Whats Happening?

[@michaelkilcoyne4239]

Alice made it worth to watch

[@JeffersonDinedAlone]

It's like driving slowly by the scene of a horrific car accident; you know it's awful, and yet, you still try to peer into the vehicles' twisted wreckage to see the blood on the seat fabric.

[@plawson8577]

We should ALL be proud of Eve Plumb for being SMART enough to say No to this.

[@joegriego3091]

Just imagine. Somewhere in the great cosmos, there are super intelligent alien beings watching this. Imagine what they think of us.

[@3912James]

"Jan" had a really good singing voice.

[@litlgrey]

She still does. Check out Geri's website.

[@darrenfine6371]

The worst shows are the ones that are on today.

[@thomasmyers8318]

Thumbs up to Eve Plumb for not participating in this train wreck of a show. I also heard the other kids hated doing the show.

[@bbso8cu9]

I'll take the waterboarding.

[@cogitaretoo6854]

Alice is trying to play a "fish out of water" character in this dance number but the rest of them are so bad at singing and dancing that Alice doesn't look out of place.

[@davidlightfootsr.373]

Alice makes it funny. that's her job. 😄 if she wasn't on the show, I probably wouldn't have watched it. i remember this when I was in elementary 5th grade matter of fact.

[@andreamurphy1126]

Cogi Taretoo .. You are Sooooo Wrong. They are Great at Singing/Dancing.

[@mstatz]

I felt embarrassed after watching this! I remember when this show came out in 1977. Although I was only 8 then, I remember thinking it was pretty dumb at the time and quit watching after about 3 episodes.

[@crusher5434]

Mr. Brady was so far in the closet that his dance skills were right there beside him. He makes even me look like a good dancer!

[@plawson8577]

He tried his hardest to stay in The Closet, that he played Massa Reynolds opposite John Amos on Roots.

[@nwajules]

Best 70's costumes.

[@jerseytomato100]

Redd Foxx's joke about George Washington made me lol.

[@mrsgstd]

Robert Reed may have been good at Shakespear but he had no business dancing and singing! Who's idea was that?

[@plawson8577]

I thought gay guys could dance.

[@winrx]

Worst show in TV history? Obviously you haven't seen "Pink Lady and Jeff"........

[@positivedennis]

I liked that show, but anything was better than Dukes of Hazard.

[@SeungYeonFan]

Not the worst show by a long shot, not even the worst variety show: NBC's Pink Lady and Jeff, NBC's The Big Show, ABC's Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (not to be confused with the current SNL) and PBS's William F. Buckley, Jr.'s Goodtime Hour were all much worse.

[@BeautifulSpirit-kf5ld]

Six-foot-tall chickens, disco dancing! We were desperate in the 70s. We would watch literally anything!!

[@JeffersonDinedAlone]

It's rather like driving slowly by a very bad accident; you know that it's horrible, but you still look to see the blood on the seat fabric.

[@bryanclayton1387]

JeffersonDinedAlone

[@jennasullivan6703]

Florence Henderson was really rockin those dresses! This is definitely NOT the worst television.

[@targetedindividual7931]

It's almost the best. It is the best.

[@kennethsouthard6042]

@@targetedindividual7931 Really? Go watch a couple episodes of The Carol Burnett Show which was the gold standard of variety shows. Pretty much any variety show of the 70s towered over this.

[@jasonfagan1454]

Very enjoyable

[@jaengen]

There have been literally hundreds of shows much worse. Anything Kardashian for starters.

[@rocsaltjohn]

the pool...the pool...why

[@dannycarrington1601]

For the synchronized swimmers. I'm not kidding.

[@davidcarlton1784]

You'd think it was satire like the later movies but no they were serious!!! SCARY.

[@goosewhisperer6275]

It was GHASTLY! How long was that thing on? Were they all desperate for jobs?

[@VLNevada]

I’m guessing typecasting didn’t help in the job market.

[@ApartmentKing66]

@@goosewhisperer6275 No, they weren't desperate for paychecks, they just wanted to give you something to shit on 40 years later. You oughta thank them.

[@goosewhisperer6275]

@@ApartmentKing66 40 years later, we have plenty of OTHER things to $hit on! :)

[@THECLARENCES]

Such a sweet & simple time! The Brady’s rule! xoxo The Clarences

[@Livingfree4me]

RIP Florence Henderson , Robert Reed and Farrah Faucet.

[@juanmonge8]

Tony Randall, Ann B.Davis and Rip Torn.

[@TheScunion]

What cracks me up is how they try to pass off the fake Jan as if we wouldn't notice it wasn't Eve Plumb

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

TheScunion they didnt try to pass off anything . They still needed 6 kids and eve didnt want to do the show. The soaps recast all the time.

[@jasonfagan1454]

Dis not real Jan ? Wutt ??

[@beavisskywalker461]

i remember watching this and laughing my ass off

[@mawproduced]

Eve Plumb was a genius to sit this one out!!!

[@brianlanders1545]

marcus watkins : She apparently isn't a team player, I'm sure she would've made friends with some of the actors and crew.😉

[@gladyspop.1692]

But Why?

[@schnauzrrmom]

She was already under contract to do a tv "scared straight" movie playing a teen prostitute on a different network, so they recast her with "fake Jan." (you can find said movie on youtube too.. Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. you're welcome.)

[@andreamurphy1126]

marcus watkins .... Uh, No, she Was Not A Genius. Obviously.... She missed out. She has stated she said No cause she didn't want to be Typecast. What an Idiot. Plus, she was and Is Always Jealous of Marsha. That's Obvious. Look at Jan Now... In 2019, she looks like a Hag. Older than her age. She's a Bitter old Hag. Still will not be cordial to Maureen Macormick. What an Idiot. Not a Team player.

[@plawson8577]

@@schnauzrrmom Which was a GOOD thing.

[@FPGSanctuary]

Hey that's Raj, Rerun, and Dwayne at 7:45 What's Happening!!

[@cellosareawesome]

Chris Knight's smile at 2:30 cracked me up!

[@candyforeman6053]

He was smiling a lil bit too hard🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@DinoMireles78]

This is why the 70's were AWESOME !!!

[@Beautifulmusiclistnr]

This show was a very good show. The kids always had talent, and the show came about because we loved the Brady kids, and we wanted to see them. I would pick this show over the crap we have today. It gave us a chance to see other celebrities like Farrah and Lee, the kids from "What's Happening", Milton Berle, etc. No other "tv family" has had a different show in 4 separate. Someone wrote "they ain't no Partridge Family". True. The Brady's are actually singing. The Partridge's lipsynched.

[@americanson099]

She knew better!

[@ApartmentKing66]

As a huge Brady Bunch fan, I couldn't have been more thrilled that this show was on the air. I was 10 at the time, but the "Brady Bunch" had been canceled and had been out of production for 3 years, and was in syndication by the spring of '77, therefore, whenever I watched the sitcom, I was watching stuff that was a minimum of 3 years old, which is an eternity when you're 10. But when I found out about this variety hour, I never missed one if I could help it. Emotionally, I had a rough, lonely childhood, an only child AND small for my age, so, an easy target for evil, cowardly bullies, and the Brady Bunch was my surrogate family. Mike Lookinland was my constant, imaginary buddy as Bobby was the character I identified with. The Brady Bunch filled a void in my life, but again, there was a disconnect because of the sheer age of the episodes that aired in reruns. They were filmed up to 8 years previous. But this variety hour was NOW...contemporary! This variety show was CURRENT, not 5, 6, or 8 years old! Again, I couldn't have been more thrilled. Of course, it's not Ethel Merman or Mitzi Gaynor, for gawwd's sake, but I didn't give a shit about performances or production values. My surrogate family was there for me...in the present.

[@ericking2564]

I LOVED THE BRADY BUNCH!!

[@vibeaux4552]

Because Geri Reischl instead of Eve Plumb appeared in this program, it exactly is how and why I call it "The 'Fake Jan' Variety Hour".

[@litlgrey]

Geri wears that as a badge of honor, and she'd probably love to hear you say that.

[@kennethsouthard6042]

Without her Florence would have had to hold the whole thing together musically by herself as, none of the others could carry a tune.

[@yvonneleslie7681]

I always knew that Eve was a smart girl...

[@PlumbPitiful]

@@kennethsouthard6042 ... That's ridiculous. Both Barry and Maureen are great singers.

[@kennethsouthard6042]

@@PlumbPitiful Maureen was off key and Barry was not that great.

[@bluestate69]

i still don't know WHY they did this? its not like we were all thinking," sure they can act, but can they sing and dance"??

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

bluestate69 we saw them sing as the silver platters on the Brady bunch when jan needed money for engraving. You don’t remember its a sunshine day?

[@kennethsouthard6042]

They all wanted to continue their careers and showcase themselves. While this might not have been the best vehicle at that time it was their only vehicle at least in respect to the kids. In regard to Florence Henderson and Robert Reed, I'm sure the money was significant.

[@helium73]

It's not that it's bad it's actually really good it's just a bit bizarre. Plus not enough Cindy.

[@jaengen]

Cindy was a hack. Fake Jan all the way!

[@TheKjbleu]

Don't you mean THE BEST SHOW IN TELEVISION ISTORY!

[@iangoodwin7903]

So bad it's good.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Uhhhhhhh.... No, it's just bad! 😫😫 But Cindy was hot!

[@WatchVenusSpa]

Second only to Pink Lady and Jeff as the single worst TV show of all time but the single greatest show of all time to watch when you're high!

[@tdc221]

2 things: First, it's a shame the Brady Bunch didn't hang on through the mid 70's - Susan Olsen turned into a very good looking girl! I mean, she played the cute young kiddie just fine, but she.....well she matured quite nicely! It's ironic - Susan hated disco (good for her!) And second, Bob Reed's moves rock!! (in a 70's kind of way)....great clip, thanks for posting!

[@dad1717]

My eyes hurt and my ears are bleeding, and I think I need some serious therapy to cope with what I’ve just seen. ...and they allowed this on tv?!

[@octgirl62]

Eve Plumb was very smart to stay away from this trainwreck. LOL

[@pallen49]

+karen houghton ...Exactly why didn't she do this?...Tho you are right in that it's a ' 'choo-choo ' wreck ...lol

[@octgirl62]

i saw in another video that "Bobby" thought it was stupid and wasn't really into it, but Florence Henderson (Mom) told him it was a job and he needed to put his all into or not do it alt all. so even they thought it was stupid. LOL

[@pallen49]

karen houghton ..Oh really, i didn't know that...Well, look like '' Bobby '' was an obedient '' son ''...And who would've known that '' Jan '' was so '' rebellious ''...lol. Bad Jan, bad Jan...tho very smart..but bad...yep yep, she needed to got sit in the corner and have a snicker....LOL..

[@octgirl62]

yeah. jan was bad. LOL

[@andreamurphy1126]

karen houghton .... Eve Plumb was A Stuck up Biotch. She didn't want to be " Typecast". That's all. She said so years later. She thought she was All that & she obviously wasn't. Look at her now. In 2019 she looks like a Hag.

[@billbright1755]

Cut cut Cut! Come on people, we’re going for upbeat here, so again from the top. And,, Action! The whole show should have used the kazoo theme, hard to beat disco kazoo. Join us again next week for our special, the Bradys meet the Adams Family.

[@calisongbird]

@dustydog008 Eve Plumb refused to participate in this. Can you blame her?

[@moonbeam7702]

I’m guessing this was a compilation? Either way, it was awesome! Thanks for posting it 🙂

[@beavisskywalker461]

the only way to properly enjoy this show is with a big bag of pot

[@brianlanders1545]

beavis Skywalker : And AC/DC drowning out this cheesy music.😂😂😄

[@Javajunkiedc]

I'm currently reading this book. Even Plumb actually really wanted to do the show, but did not want to commit to as many episodes they said it would be. She was also reportedly very upset when she watched the first special and saw the *fake Jan.*

[@plawson8577]

She was WISE to sit this one out.

[@JeffersonDinedAlone]

So much of television programming is so wretchedly bad that it would be quite difficult to actually discern the worst; where, and how, would the list end?

[@diytom3448]

I do enjoy watchin this. I was 13 when it was originally on I hated the show because the kids acted so bratty in the house scenes

[@chriscanale9535]

Disco Brady

[@donholt9073]

Even though this show was weird & funny. But Greg & bobby are hot!

[@RJS1974]

Don Holt Bobby has a noticeable bulge in his jump suit.

[@redneon06]

I love the Brady Bunch so much but this show was just overkill.

[@jasonfagan1454]

Damn Killer.. Mello out

[@xavierdallenmusicuniverse6304]

“Overkill” is the word for it 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@AlexanderNevermind888]

When you watch these you see that Carol Brady probably was the one who enjoyed every single scene she was in. She really seemed to be having a blast.

[@SeattleRexx]

Now I know what's lying outside the seventh level of Hell...non-stop replays of this......

[@thomasfulmer9638]

I'm watching this and I'm wondering how stoned the producers were.

[@aliciathefatpenguin]

things that the viewers weren't supposed to know: - the guy who played Mr. Brady was actually gay - the girls who played Marcia and Jan had a falling out - the guy who play Greg was romantically involved with the women who played Marcia and Mrs. Brady - the girl who played Marcia ended up addicted to drugs and promiscuous, even had an abortion

[@Pewtooyou]

And Sam the Butcher use to love sniffing Alice's bum...

[@neguys]

Compared to today's train wreck of TV shows this ain't too Bad

[@Tull1996]

The Brady's without Jan is like Black Sabbath without Bill Ward.....it's just not a real reunion. (I'll bet no one ever thought someone would work Black Sabbath into a Brady Bunch analogy).

[@retromousex5118]

This was cool to watch. I never knew this existed. Good job.

[@ruict]

I remember as a kid watching it. I thought it was great. really don't care what anyone says. it's part of Brady history, and I'm glad it's still around after all these years. Bringing back memories. I have a smile in my face. it's definitely better than all this reality crap on tv today. Long live the Brady bunch.

[@gladyspop.1692]

Yeah..., Long Live The Brady Bunch ..👍🏻

[@TeamJRob]

you gotta be kidding.

[@FPGSanctuary]

Cousin Oliver dancing with the family at 8:57 ? :P

[@hairypolack]

I think thats Paul Williams, who looks a LOT like Cousin Oliver. Hes clearly not into dancing

[@FPGSanctuary]

Yeah, I was trying to be funny.

[@davidlightfootsr.373]

+hairypolack so true. he does look like cousin Oliver lol

[@andreamurphy1126]

FPG Plant & Animal Sanctuary - Kenn Andersen .... Ugh, No, that's Paul Williams.

[@scottdavis0801]

2019. And i remember cousin Oliver. That's funny cause Paul Williams does look like cousin Oliver!

[@BetterABleedingHeart]

Oh the pain...the pain....

[@TeamJRob]

Didn't someone listen to the kazoos in the intro song and think this is not gonna work?

[@northvilletunnels]

The last have of the 70's was cocaine and acid. Look up the Hudson Brothers.

[@schallrd1]

The chorus girl segments are worth the price of admission.

[@will27ns]

what audience were they going for with the orange + purple afro wigs?

[@goosewhisperer6275]

LOL! Clowns?

[@bailando74]

It was the 70s.

[@josephbaginski6364]

Trumpterds and lesbians

[@kiana304]

That's not cousin Oliver at 8:57. It is singer, song writer Paul Williams. They are often mistaken for each other.

[@northvilletunnels]

Hahahahaa

[@aprildelacerda4257]

lOVE THE BRADY BUNCH!

[@SOGGYmilktoast]

Nice GREG suit Elvis?!

[@georgem2334]

Oh, fuck, this is some messed up shit! I love it! God help me, I love it!

[@edwinombac]

Insanity sold! Love it though, felt a little crunchy at times, but what the hell!

[@Statuskuo75]

This has now made me a drug addict.

[@ravenel2]

The fact that they could even attempt this at all is something. You can see how extremely talented Florence Henderson was, Barry was extremely good, and the rest of them, even Chris Knight, could at least go onstage and be presentable. This was the 70s.

[@philaman1972]

Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that viewing this clip may lead to permanent, irreversible brain damage.

[@benotafraid9875]

The stage production cost a lot

[@christidupree7061]

Jan turned out prettier than Marsha! Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! Lol.

[@christidupree7061]

Ah, ok....that explains it. I didn't know that.

[@patrickwilliams5465]

ah come on, the show wasn't that bad.

[@smoocifilms6169]

patrick williams the show was pretty great to me

[@jasonfagan1454]

Very enjoyable

[@OscarsMama]

Oh yes it was

[@LathanCroweTV]

When this premiered, people realized that God had finally abandoned us and the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse were upon us. ;o)

[@carmesundae2]

god does not abanned anyone

[@soxster101]

The tv family that never went away!

[@okiedokey9962]

Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors were huge stars during this time . As I remember these shows were popular.

[@navymiguelito]

They couldn't turn the beat around with that choreography if their lives depended on it. I was 12 years old when this show aired, and at a time when variety shows were a thing. It was harmless entertainment and where three channels on the tv left little viewing options.

[@stephendobbins9251]

This is absolutely awful but I can't stop watching it. It's good and awful at the same time. Eve Plumb must of been sitting back when this was being shown on TV and thinking to herself "Good grief, I am so glad I didn't do this show." What's funny is that Robert Reed and Florence can actually sing pretty good. Not great but good. Maureen McCormick (Jan Brady) could have had a great singing career if she wanted to because she was the best singer of the bunch. She could keep a tune in a bucket.

[@PUBNave]

Oh geez. :p I love the 70's. Not the best performance but they did a good job.

[@gdubbs680]

Oh no! I loved this crap in 76

[@maleficentdiva]

actually some parts of this were good, not all, but some were good.

[@sanfordsson]

Wow the last minute or so is fucking hard to watch.

[@cmsahe]

This is lovely! Those who said this was the worst tv special ever are haters.

[@justplainbill100]

cmsahe no it wasn't by a long shot. That would have been the Star Wars Holiday Special. Even as a 9 year old I knew how AWFUL it was. ;)

[@ApartmentKing66]

A lot of these people pig pile on the show simply because it's fashionable to do so. I liked it, and I don't give a shit what anyone thinks. I don't need anyone's permission to like something.