Former 'Brady' Star Calls Variety Show 'Spectacularly Bad'

By PopEater Staff Posted Aug 31st 2009 12:39PM

Susan Olsen -- who starred as Cindy Brady in 'The Brady Bunch' -- readily admits that the 'The Brady Bunch Variety Hour' was really bad.

Olsen, who co-wrote 'Love to Love You Bradys' which focuses on the variety show, talked with Meredith Viera on 'Today,' about her experience then. Watch It

"There had been other 'Brady' ventures that haven't been all that great, but this one is just so spectacularly bad," she said

"It all came from [the 'Bunch' cast] appearing on 'The Donny and Marie Show' and the ratings went through the roof and so they said, 'Well let's give them their own variety show,'" Olsen explained of its origins.

"The actual Brady family moved from their home to the beach and now they have a variety show, which made no sense at all and that's part of the beauty of this show is the whole thing makes no sense," the actress added of the storyline.

Why would the cast want to return? "Half of the reason why all of us agreed to do it was because we had been out of production for a couple of years and we missed each other."

MSNBC.com also has an excerpt from Olsen's novel, detailing the behind-scenes-drama of the cast.

"It was the seventies, man! That's what I find myself saying when it comes to talk of drug use having an influence on 'The Brady Bunch Variety Hour' and the whole decade in general. Certainly in Los Angeles drug use was fairly normal," Olsen wrote.

"While I had yet to really begin my tasting of all the mind altering substances life had to offer, Maureen [McCormack, who played Marcia] was obviously having a problem with substances," the book continued.

Mauren's drug use caused the tensions on set to run for lack of a better word, high. "So when we were all left waiting for hours for her to show up for work, our reaction was less sympathetic than it would have been for somebody else. It just seemed like Maureen getting away with not caring how much she put other people out. She gets away with it because she's beautiful and talented and popular -- Maureen Maureen Maureen! (Sorry, I had to.)" the former Cindy Brady described.

Tags: susan olsen, SusanOlsen, the brady bunch, TheBradyBunch

Comments

(21)

Tuesday 01 September

By kack

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i love cindy brady and the brady bunch, but she needs to give carol brady her hair back!! what is up with that horrible hairdo? i think maybe she is longing for the 70s!! please tell me that is not back in??

By Hattie

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Another case of "cute" kids with no talent who cannot make the jump between puberty and adulthood. What a loser.

By Ray

I'll tell ya what's "spectacularly bad" is your hair Cindy....it's 2009!!! Get out of the 70's!

By LauraM

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Old Krappie Mee should have reminisced about her days doing that stupid 'name that toon'. She was the epitome of bad hair, bad singing and dancing not to mention that idiotic grin. Even Cher's delivered herself from that period, not KM.

By rkeith306

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The answer is simple - they did it for the money!

By BrokeDog

What ... this is "news"? We've known for years that that show was bad, that several of the cast "experimented" with the mind-altering pharmaceuticals, and that everyone "slept" with each other ... (oh, except for Robert)! Tell us something NEW, Cindy Brady!

By Mick

the person who wrote this article needs to go back to remedial english. susan's book is an autobiography, NOT a novel. duuuuhhhh!!! plus, maureen mccormack already wrote all about her drug use in her own novel, i mean autobiography. duh!

By Deb

I think she looks great! As for her hair, the bangs just need a little trim to keep out of her eyes! I'm not trying to be negative, because I see plenty of that on here already! Why so much hate?

By ccrider

SORRY....I fell asleep during this interview....both had me bored to death..look no talent is no talent....please keep the gory details to your self and let us enjoy the sitcon for what it was....fun

By lakeguy80@aol.com

I think Alice was hot then and I think she is hot now. I'd do her in a heartbeat. You know Sam the butcher was too old for his meat to work. HOT HOT HOT !!

By Bobby G

I grew up in the 70's. I know "The Brady Bunch," but I don't think I ever caught a single episode of this variety show that came later. Maybe they didn't air most of them (or maybe I had moved on). I've read all of history (good and bad). Cindy Olsen is not saying or doing anything unusual or wrong as far as this book. She is merely lending her name as co-author. I found her to be genuine and likable in this interview. I also think her hair style choice is a deliberate and clever wink at the past. It's not as if she is a tired old hippie stuck in the '70s. She does not seem at all out of touch with the present.

oops! I meant Susan Olsen (not Cindy).

By Shelby

It's Susan Olsen, not Cindy. lol.

By D

I see Cindy is still the TATTLETALE!!!!!!!
(Mr. Brady was wrong....we ALL love a tattletale)

Wednesday 02 September

By Angie

I love Susan Olsen. She seems to have it all together, but I can't get past that hair. I'm not a superficial person but please get into 2009, you will look 100% better.

By Skyboi

Yawns....In a few days, this story will be forgotton.

By jljniel

I think the 70's was a great decade. Ashame that the brady's went to pot. Now we have a whole new generation coming up from disney. Let's see how many make it without any damage.

By WTF

DAMN!!!! Whoever wrote this article obviously does not know how to proofread therefore making me wonder how the hell did they get the credentials to be a reporter?!?!?

It's McCormIck! Not McCormAck!!! Also of all the common names in the world how the hell do you manage to screw up MAUREEN?!?!

By Everette E. Wright

I foubd it very interesting indeed. Even tho the variety show did not match up well with the TV series it was at least an idea worth trying. Does anybody remember "After Mash" well it had about the same run as your show did. It didn't last long either. So at least you all tried it and there is nothing wrong with that. Good luck to you Susan in the near future.

By Pam

I loved the Brady Bunch and I still watch the reruns at 52. In fact I think TV will eventually go back to the stuff that worked like Variety shows, and GOOD family shows. There is mostly crap on TV nowdays. I also do not remember the variety show. Thank GOD for TV Land-cause they show all the good shows.

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