The Brady kids had a lot more than Alice looking after them!

The Brady Bunch featured one big family: mom, dad, six kids and, of course, Alice, who earned her place in the household after helping keep the Brady family on track.

Although viewers got to know the Bradys, their family tree had a few branches we rarely saw. The grandparents weren't regular fixtures on the show, but it turns out the kids did have a grandmother figure looking after them — just not one who appeared onscreen.

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According to a 1973 interview with the Springfield News-Sun, Mrs. Frances Whitfield was the "grandmother in residence" and teacher to the Brady kids behind the scenes.

"They really are like a family in many ways," Whitfield said. "I guess you could call me grandmother in residence."

Whitfield was a grandmother in real life, but she also filled that role for the young actors. Her primary job on The Brady Bunch was serving as an on-set tutor. She also represented California's education and labor departments and was responsible for looking after the six children's welfare.

When the series began, Barry Williams was just 14 years old, while Michael Lookinland was only 8. Whitfield watched the young cast grow up, both as actors and as kids, and she got to see plenty of the family fun that happened when the cameras stopped rolling.

"Bob Reed bought each one of the children a movie camera on Christmas, and a projector the next year," Whitfield said. "He had them out to his house and had them compete in a home movie contest. That's sort of grown into a tradition."

Apparently, the Bradys weren't just making memories for the television cameras! And after spending so much time with the young cast, Whitfield had another reassuring observation: The sibling affection viewers saw onscreen wasn't just for show.

There was no major sibling rivalry brewing behind the scenes, either.

"The kids are professionals," Whitfield said. "They come from good homes where they are secure."

Whitfield had been working as a tutor for movie and television productions for a decade by the time of the interview, so she knew a thing or two about keeping young Hollywood stars on track. She brought plenty of experience, patience and understanding to the job.

During the first semester of the school year, Whitfield and a second instructor taught the Brady children for three hours each day. During the second semester, the children other than Barry Williams, who attended Pepperdine, went to public schools.

"These kids are smart," Whitfield said. "They're the kind who would do well in any school. There's no problem getting them to study."

It sounds like the Brady kids had their television parents looking after them onscreen and a real-life grandmother making sure they stayed on track offscreen. That's quite a family operation!