|
 Cast members who played the six Brady children reunited to
remake the home for a series called "A Very Brady Renovation,"
which will debut on Discovery Inc's HGTV network in September.
HGTV bought the house outside of Los Angeles that was used for
exterior shots of the Brady family home. The network's celebrity
design experts worked with the actors to make the interior look
like it did on TV. In real life, the inside shots were filmed
miles away on Hollywood soundstages.
"It is almost a perfect replication, from fabrics to carpeting,
to furniture, to decorating," Barry Williams, who played oldest
brother Greg, said at a Television Critics Association meeting
where networks preview upcoming shows.
The authenticity extended all the way to "the fake grass in the
back yard," he said.
Williams worked on recreating the attic that teenage Greg had
decked out in 1970s style. "Yes, the beaded curtains are there!"
he said.
"The Brady Bunch" originally aired from 1969 to 1974 on the ABC
network and still runs in syndication. One of the first shows to
focus on a non-traditional family, it centered around a widowed
father of three boys who married a single mother with three
daughters and served up invariably cheery storylines.
Renovators on the HGTV show added 2,000-square feet of space to
the home evoke the original design and include everything from
the kids' shared bathroom to architect Mike's den and
housekeeper Alice's little-seen bedroom.
Each cast member was given a different room to work on and took
part in everything from demolition to installing cabinets and
hanging artwork.
[to top of second column] |
Christopher Knight, who played middle brother Peter, said he asked
to work on the kitchen in part because of his famous "porkchops and
applesauce" line in one episode. "I had to be close to the food," he
joked.
HGTV has not divulged what will happen to the home after the series
ends. Because it sits in a residential area, it cannot be opened to
tours as a commercial museum, cast members said.
All of the actors said they welcomed the chance to help preserve a
piece of TV history.
When the house came up for sale in 2018, Susan Olsen, who played
youngest daughter Cindy, said she "worried the wrecking ball might
come to it."
"It would kind of be like wrecking the American family," she said.
Maureen McCormick, who portrayed eldest daughter Marcia, added: "I
had such an affinity for this house. In some sort of way, I'm a fan
of it just like America loves it."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sam Holmes)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
