1. She was a savvy real estate mogul at the age of 11.

 

Margin! Margin! Margin! Sometimes things do go Jan Brady's way, especially when it comes to real estate profits. At the age of 11, child actress Plumb purchased a Malibu beach house for $55,350. The 1950s blue cottage sat at the south end of the exclusive Escondido Beach. After nearly half a century of ownership, Plumb sold the flat-roofed bungalow in June 2016 for $3.9 million — a little over 10 times its original value, adjusting for inflation.

Image: The Everett Collection

2. She was the first Brady kid to get a solo record deal.

 

The Brady Kids made their recorded singing debut as a group in 1970 with the holiday album Merry Christmas from the Brady Bunch. Maureen McCormick and Chris Knight would cut an album together in 1973. Barry Williams dropped a single titled "Sweet Sweetheart" in November 1971. Even Mike Lookinland served up a piece of bubblegum for Capitol Records in 1974 with "Love Doesn't Care Who's In It." In February 1971, Plumb beat them all to the solo punch (if not the charts) with "How Will It Be?" for RCA Records in February 1971. You can see her promoting the 45 here in Billboard with DJ Jim Lange. It also happened to be an original tune, unlike Barry's Goffin-King cover.

Image: Billboard

3. She gave up Jan to be Dawn.

 

The Brady Bunch Hour variety show will forever be associated with "Fake Jan," the substitute sibling (Geri Reischl). Eve Plumb famously did not reprise her role of Jan, though she was not against the idea. She agreed to do the Brady Bunch Variety Hour 1976 special but balked at the commitment to a full season. She was up for a few episodes, but when the network presented her with an all-or-nothing contract, she walked. Plumb had aspirations of being a more serious actress. She proved that — and shocked Brady diehards — with her title role as a prostitute in Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. The made-for-TV movie featured the protopunk tune "Cherry Bomb" by the Runaways in the soundtrack and spawned a sequel, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn.

Image: The Everett Collection

4. She made her big-screen debut in 'I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.'

 

In 1988, Keenen Ivory Wayans (and his Wayans brothers) spoofed the Seventies blaxploitation genre with I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. The comedy showcased loads of iconic Black talent from the past, including Clarence Williams III, best known as Linc from The Mod Squad. Plumb played his wife.

Image: MGM/UA

5. She was in Dick Tracy without actually being in Dick Tracy.

 

In 1967, William Dozier, creator of the camp classic Batman, looked to replicate his success with another comic hero — Dick Tracy. A pilot was made, but the show never made it to series. The opening credits introduced the cast, in cartoon and in-the-flesh form, including Eve Plumb as "Bonnie Braids." Her character did not appear in the pilot, however! She was clearly meant to show up in unrealized later episodes.

6. Her dad produced the 'Batman' theme.

 

We've mentioned Batman and music, so we must bring up her dad, Neely Plumb. The producer, sax player and composer produced loads of records, including singles by TV stars Carol Burnett and a very young Don Johnson. (Yes, he produced Eve's single, too.) He also produced the recording of Neal Hefti's "Batman Theme"!

Image: RCA

7. Her sister was in a bunch of cool stuff, too.

 

Plumb's older sis Flora was 14 years her elder. Eve eventually played a runaway in Dawn and Clarence Williams III's wife in Sucka — coincidentally, Flora was in the Mod Squad episode "Home Is the Streets." Flora also appeared in The Wild Wild West, Mannix, Marcus Welby, Lou Grant and Quincy. You can see her here in The Young Lawyers (1970). Sadly, she never popped up on The Brady Bunch.

Image: The Everett Collection

8. There was a '90s alternate rock band named after her.

 

Grunge-pop band Eve's Plumb released a couple of records for Sony in the early Nineties. Their first single, "Blue," was a picture disc with Jan Brady's face on the record. But the band is probably best remembered because lead singer Colleen Fitzpatrick went solo under the name Vitamin C and scored a platinum record in 1999 with "Graduation (Friends Forever)."

Image: Sony/550

9. Eve had a cool spoken-word record, too.

 

Back to Eve's musical career for a moment. Composer Pat Williams, who wrote the Streets of San Francisco theme song, made a record in 1974 called "California Love Story." The song featured a spoken word bit recited by Plumb. "A sweet Santa Ana wind is blowing along the road this afternoon," she reads. "I miss you, Billy." Take a listen.

Image: Capitol

10. She brought the Partridge and Brady families together in 'Little Women.'

 

Every generation has its adaptation of Little Women, from the Winona Ryder take in the Nineties to the recent Greta Gerwig spin. In 1978, a miniseries cast loads of beloved television talent. Plumb played the ill-fated Beth. Susan Dey was Jo March. That's right — Laurie Partridge and Jan Brady as sisters! William Schallert and William Shatner were in it, too!

Image: The Everett Collection