Davy Jones, a Brady for life

25 years later, Jones was still heavily associated with The Brady Bunch.

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Davy Jones has had a really interesting career trajectory, one that put artistry and commercial success in direct conflict. He rose to fame as a part of The Monkees, a fantastic pop group with some fantastic songs. But, The Monkees was a TV show depicting a fictional band, and it was all put together by television producers. So, as a collection of TV characters, The Monkees were a corporate entity. But, as a band of people, The Monkees chased legitimacy and put out some very catchy tunes.

The Monkees was canceled in 1968. Three years later, Jones reappeared on the small screen with his first TV appearance after his show got axed. He triumphantly returned on The Brady Bunch, where he played himself. High-schooler Marcia is the president of the Davy Jones Fan Club and hastily promises the singer can perform at the school's dance. Hilarity and chaos ensue, until, predictably, the Brady kids wrangle their favorite singer into performing at the prom. It's a fan-favorite episode that showed Jones had legs as a performer beyond The Monkees

Fast forward 25 years, and that episode of The Brady Bunch was still one of the things most closely associated with Davy Jones. He'd spent the interim years at odds with his legacy, both chasing and ducking his reputation and his past. But in 1994, Jones was on the road with "Real Live Brady Bunch," a tour that lovingly recreated some of the sitcom's most iconic scenes.

"A few times, I said, 'You have a choice, you can be an actor or you can be a star.' And for the past few weeks, I've been a celebrity on the road with 'Brady Bunch,' being Davy Jones from The Monkees," said Jones. "But I'm not following the Monkeemobile around car shows, and I'm not opening supermarkets yet."

The tour allowed Jones the financial freedom to pursue further artistic endeavors, such as novel writing. He'd recently retreated into the backwoods of Suffolk, England, where he spent a year and a half in an antique cottage. There, he wrote and recovered from a recent divorce. The remote cottage allowed him the chance to build up his energy to get back on the road. As he aged, that time off became more critical to Jones' success.

"I'm a 48-year-old guy. I'm getting a couple of gray hairs. I've probably got more lines on my face than Union Station, but I'm still found attractive by Monkee fans and Brady Bunch fans," said Jones.

"I have fun with what I do, and I'm not having to retain any particular image. Yeah, I'm still the dream, the guy with stars in his eyes." 


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33 Comments

Lillyrose 6 months ago
This episode "Getting Davy Jones" is sweet! The ending is really sweet. He is also a great singer. The Monkees were a great band. Great music, great singing. One of my favorite bands (my other favorite band is The Beach Boys. I also like The Partridge Family, but I know they weren't a real band).
dmarkwind 16 months ago
Also remember Jones' animated appearance in the New Scooby Doo Movies episode, The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall.
LynCarrigan 16 months ago
Have never watched the Brady Bunch and probably never will. Would some of you like to change my mind?!!
dmarkwind LynCarrigan 16 months ago
Meh. Can't see that you've missed much. Resisted watching it during the show's initial run, but have seen a few episodes since, SiIly kids stuff with a bad laughtrack. It's not Shakespeare either (most of the time), but I'd much rather watch Producer Sherwood Schwartz's other popular show - GIlligan's Island. Wish there'd been more seasons of GIlligan and less of the Bradys!
Bapa1 LynCarrigan 16 months ago
You're good.
vinman63 LynCarrigan 15 months ago
Robert Reed wasn't on the last episode. He thought the plat was stupid.
LynCarrigan 8 months ago
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Lillyrose LynCarrigan 6 months ago
The Brady Bunch is a very cute and sweet show. My favorite episode is "The Cincinnati Kids." Very sweet. I also really like "The Subject was Noses" and "Marcia Gets Creamed." "Getting Greg's Goat" is hilarious!
FlaFeral 16 months ago
Wow..25 years ago eh? Lemme blow the dust off this mate..if it were Scotch id give it a go ..as is,plppphh (blows raspberry?
Bapa1 16 months ago
Took my wife and daughter to see Davy in concert some twenty years ago. He not only did a "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia bit, he sang The Brady Bunch Theme, and then performed the song 'Girl'. Great show, and we got to meet him later. Good guy. RIP
tootsieg 16 months ago
The casting of The Monkees was pure genius. All of the actors/musicians were perfect for their role.
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Bapa1 16 months ago
We once listened to the song, and tried to count how many times he said 'Girl'. We lost count
Avie 16 months ago
"'A few times, I said, "You have a choice, you can be an actor or you can be a star." And for the past few weeks, I've been a celebrity on the road with 'Brady Bunch,' being Davy Jones from The Monkees,' said Jones."

The two are not mutually exclusive: you can be both, if both should accrue to an actor via the public's desire to see that actor. But if the actor had the choice between one or the other, which would he or she prefer to be? That's the real heart of it.
JamesB 16 months ago
Davy Jones' Brady Bunch appearances, whether TV or film, were great moments which were not only entertaining, but showed a cool progression in the music from 70's to 90's blending.

Do celebrities (using that term loosely) still appear at Supermarket openings? Do Supermarkets even open today???
secuga JamesB 16 months ago
They probably do in the United Kingdom. It has been more than 40 years since I have seen one here in the southern U.S. Just a guess on my part.
LalaLucy 16 months ago
He definitely was one to keep a sense of humor and perspective on it all. Really appreciate that, especially knowing so much about the struggle the guys were up against to be respected, the effects of which you can still find today among the uninformed. 🙄 Now, I am not what you call a BB fan. Marcia honestly majorly grates on me among my many problems with the show, but being a Monkees lover for life, I did like this episode on the level that I got to see Davy on it. I truly loved his contributions to the Monkees. He had a lot of charm, a great voice and a ton of showmanship. I was heartbroken when he passed and shocked he was first, being the baby of the group.
Moverfan LalaLucy 16 months ago
He and Mike Nesmith shared a birthday--December 30 (31?). Different years, though. I have their first album, The Monkees, on vinyl and the back of the album jacket has mini biographies of the guys.
LalaLucy Moverfan 16 months ago
Yep. I have that too!
DocForbin 16 months ago
Fun fact: It was due to Davy Jones being on the Monkees that another aspiring rock star named David Jones decided to change his name to David Bowie.
Andybandit 16 months ago
The episode with DJ and Marcia was my favorite on TBB.
Jasmine23 Andybandit 16 months ago
Mine, too!
cperrynaples 16 months ago
Fun Fact: Davy was in the 1995 Brady Bunch Movie!
Bapa1 cperrynaples 16 months ago
Peter and Mickey also appeared. Funny movie.
Bricat2001 16 months ago
i just want METV to bring back the monkees tv show already
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Bapa1 Bricat2001 16 months ago
Totally agree.
Bapa1 AnnieM 16 months ago
My system doesn't carry that channel, but I wish it did. My daughter has it, and I watch it after I put my Grandkids to bed. Really good channel
timothys71 Bricat2001 15 months ago
The show aired in reruns on Saturday mornings for a couple years after the original prime-time run ended, and many of the episodes aired with music from the group's later albums dubbed in. I don't know if the company that owns the distribution rights makes those altered versions available, but if they do, it would be cool if MeTV could run the original versions of all the episodes and then run the altered versions for the next broadcast cycle.
Bricat2001 timothys71 15 months ago
wow! i never knew that, i wonder if there is a DVD set available that has the original versions of the episodes.
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LoveMETV22 16 months ago
Had a comforter similar to the pic- forget the year though.
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