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Florence Henderson's children once asked why she wasn't as nice as Carol Brady
Carol Brady was the mom that everyone loved, even Florence Henderson's children.
It can be challenging when two families come together to form one big family. Yet, super mom Carol Brady, her husband Mike Brady, and housekeeper Alice kept things in order on The Brady Bunch. Florence Henderson played the classic television mom, and no one else was better for the role.
Henderson had four children when she started her Brady Bunch journey, and in an interview with The Tampa Tribune in 1989, she talked about how being a mom helped her bring a few things to the character of Carol. "I had four children of my own, so I was the only one with hands-on experience on the show," she said. "My youngest was about [2 years old] when the series started."
She continued, "I brought as much to the role [as possible]. But television had a lot of rules. That was 15 years ago. TV parents couldn't really discipline children in any harsh way. You couldn't even raise your voice."
It's normal for actors to be completely different from their roles in real life. However, Henderson's children wanted to know why the Brady kids' mom was nicer than their mom. "When I'd go home, my own children would say, 'Hey, mom, why aren't you that nice at home?' and I'd remind them that my TV children were nice, too, and always obeyed."
Although the show was lighthearted and family-oriented, critics felt the problems in the episodes were solved too easily.
"Some critics jumped on The Brady Bunch because they said it was too sweet. We were criticized for solving little problems in 28 minutes," Henderson said. "But what's wrong with little moral messages that teach children to respect their parents and share with each other? We should be proud of that."
Despite the criticism The Brady Bunch faced, the show was still popular, and Henderson believed it was a success because it also showed a family communicating.
"I think that its appeal is that it shows a family communicating on all levels. The husband and wife communicate. The children communicate with each other and with the parents." [They] all genuinely cared for each other, and the viewers liked that."
20 Comments
I am guessing Mrs. Henderson children did not know that their mother was Mrs. Brady.
Some times the obvious is not seen.
The purity of children is what keeps the adults in the correct direction.
I always found the show to be trite and hopelessly corny. From reruns I developed a small appreciation for the ridiculousness of the later episodes. I have a taste for the ridiculous. I like MST3k movies.
I am a dissenter.
Sure, the show was kind of generic but that is why so many viewers STILL LOVE the show.
One of the worst things a parent can do is give in to a child. You see it so often at supermarkets. A child wants this or that. After saying no a few times the parent relents and allows the child to have what they want. A parent who allows a child to continue asking for something without putting a stop to the nagging is the parents first mistake. When they give in to the childs begging it's all over, until next time. The child has learned that they can get away with nagging and eventually the parent will give in and reward for their nagging by buying the item the child has pleaded for.
I know that some children can be little horrors and parents give in to them so as not to create a scene in public etc., but in my view it's better to have that scene and show the child that they can't get what they want by nagging or putting on a show rather giving in to them and teaching them that all they have to do is behave the same way next time they want something and the parent will eventually get that item for them.
I guess that's my roundabout way of saying that I feel that generally The Bady Bunch show was and is still a mostly good show for children to watch. Critics of the show may say it doesn't reflect real life. Well it may not reflect their experience of life, but for others it may reflect their experience of life when growing up.