The first time the world met The Brady Bunch kids was not on TV, but in court

Don't worry, Alice was there to make sure the kids impressed the judge!

AP Photo

The last time that Barry Williams appeared on TV before The Brady Bunch premiered, he was on an episode of Adam-12 called "A Dead Cop Can't Help Anyone."

In the episode, Williams plays a boy who is mistakenly believed to be kidnapped. Six months later, everybody in the world would know which TV family Barry Williams belonged in, but just before that happened, Williams found himself dealing with the law again, only this time in the real world.

On that day, Williams wasn't the subject of interest for a couple of confused cops, but for a smiling judge, who wasn't just considering a matter involving Williams, but all his soon-to-be TV siblings.

In August 1969, just one month before The Brady Bunch premiered, the Brady Kids introduced themselves to the world in court, where they all appeared on the same day to get their Paramount Studios contract approved to do the show.

"Are Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams, Eve Plumb, Christopher Knight, Susan Olsen, and Michael Lookinland here?" the judge asked, according to The San Antonio Express, which sent a photographer and report to cover the big event.

Each kid obediently raised their hand when their name was called.

"Everything seems to be in order with the exception of a savings plan," the judge said. "If 20 percent seems reasonable to go into U.S. Savings Bonds, I'll approve their contracts."

Everybody easily agreed, as is the nature of The Brady Bunch, and the judge surveyed the kids one more time before sending them on their way, saying, "You look like a good group."

Little Eve Plumb spoke up then to correct him.

"It's the Brady Bunch," the eleven-year-old future Jan Brady said.

The judge wished them luck with the show. When they left the courtroom, the first person to congratulate them was Ann B. Davis, the actor who played Alice.

"That's looking pretty sharp," Davis told them before ushering them back out into the real world where their images would soon become inseparable from their famous TV characters. "Now, let's keep looking neat."

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36 Comments

Pacificsun 43 months ago
That's a really cool story I've never heard before.
WordsmithWorks 43 months ago
Were the kids contractually obligated to line up in age order, Cindy in the front, Greg in the back?
dewyduster WordsmithWorks 43 months ago
Maybe the photographer had OCD.
Pacificsun WordsmithWorks 43 months ago
No, but how many school pictures have you ever seen where the teacher didn't line up the kids too!
Corey 43 months ago
Poor Mike Lookinland had to get hair dyed to jet black to match Barry and Christopher
RedSamRackham Corey 37 months ago
* Mike's real life younger brother was 1 of the Kelly Kids. ☺
GoUTVols1961 43 months ago
I like to watch Robert Reed squirm when Florence Henderson kisses him.
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Peter_Falk_Fan Stefanie24 43 months ago
I read that Florence Henderson interview. It was in 2004 with the Miami Herald. Here is part of that interview:

While she and Reed rehearsed a kiss for the pilot, “the director wanted something different," Henderson said. “I saw Bob get very antsy and protective of himself. All of a sudden, I realized, ‘My God, Bob’s gay!’”
* Yet he had been previously married and had a daughter! ♣
bradyguy Adanor 23 months ago
Greg. Orange hair.

Sigh.
awerthmannjr RedSamRackham 20 months ago
Like many gay men who were in the closet.
Deleted 43 months ago
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43 months ago
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Moverfan 43 months ago
Down, boy--I say down! (Sorry...just channeling Foghorn Leghorn and it had to go somewhere.)
MadMadMadWorld 43 months ago
It was even better when the girls had to sit in those short skirts, and one was sitting right behind you. Or, like 'Greg', he got to see them audition for cheerleaders and they jumped up-and-down! There was the winner he voted for (so as not to upset sister "Marcia' or his gf on that episode, a gorgeous-looking Tannis G. Montgomery), an actress named Rita Wilson, making her debut in the business, at 16. A little over 15 years later (Apr. 1988), she married a struggling actor, Tom Hanks. Tannis is a strange first name I have never seen for an actress, before or since. Here is the famous episode from Dec. 1972, "Greg's Triangle." https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0531097
bradyguy 23 months ago
Ummmm...except Tom Hanks was NOT a struggling actor in 1988. He had been the STAR of 10 movies already and was about to become even BIGger in the next few months...
jokerfan1 43 months ago
Whatever happened to FLUFFY??!!
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Adanor Corey 43 months ago
The reason why he didn't work out was that the trainer frantically went to the pound and found a dog that looked like Tiger. He did not tell the director that this was a different dog. He was hoping that no noticed. Of course, the dog DID NOT know how to act and they had to nail his collar to the floor to get him to stay in one place. Oddly enough that was the episode that was all about Tiger, but fortunately he only appeared briefly. That was his swan song and his dog house did remain it covered some equipment.
Corey Adanor 43 months ago
Actually Adanor there is a more infamous story. Bobby Brady is an animal killer. Bobby actually killed two Tigers, a parakeet and a guinea pig. He most likely killed Fluffy too. (This is only a joke.)
bradyguy Corey 23 months ago
Tiger died during the first season...not between 1 and 2...
bradyguy Adanor 23 months ago
Nope. The doghouse didn't cover equipment...it covered a spot on the lawn ("astroturf") that had been burned by a lighting mishap...
Andybandit 43 months ago
Cool story. I am not a big fan of the Brady Bunch. I am sorry.
Andybandit 43 months ago
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CountStone62 Wilbur88 43 months ago
Your stupid
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