The Brady Bunch Season #3

 The Brady Bunch Season #3

💎💎Episode #23: The Fender Benders💎💎 – Carol is involved in a minor car accident with Marcia, Bobby and Cindy as passengers. Carol and Harry Duggan (Jackie Coogan), the other driver involved, initially agree to pay for their own damage. Duggan later files a lawsuit against Carol, claiming the accident was due to her reckless driving and that he was injured as a result. Carol goes to court to dispute the exaggerated charges and wins with a big assist from Mike. Guest Stars: Robert Emhardt as the judge Carol is in a car accident with a man who agrees to pay for his own damages. However, he changes his mind and Carol finds herself summoned to court with Bobby and Cindy testifying against her. A minor parking lot car accident winds up in small claims court after the other driver claims he was seriously hurt because of Carol’s supposed reckless driving, but Mike decides to expose the ruse in court. Carol is involved in a minor fender bender in the supermarket parking lot. Marcia, Bobby and Cindy were passengers in the car at the time. According to Carol, she was backing out of her stall. A Harry Duggan was backing his car out of its stall across the aisle without looking and after she had started backing out, he hit her. Since both cars sustained about the same amount of damage – a dented fender apiece – Mr. Duggan and Carol decided to fix their own cars and leave it at that. However, Mr. Duggan later recants, stating that his car requires major repairs, claiming the accident was due to her reckless driving and that he was injured as a result. He threatens to sue unless Carol pays for the damages. The problem for Carol is that Marcia, Bobby and Cindy, as witnesses, can’t agree if Carol’s story is indeed accurate. The four people in Carol’s car have to figure out if Carol was indeed at fault and if not how to prove that Mr. Duggan’s increasingly elevated sense of injustice against him is a total lie. Carol goes to court to dispute the exaggerated charges and wins with a big assist from Mike. Carol, Marcia, Bobby and Cindy return home from a shopping trip. Carol looks worried; she’d gotten into a fender-bender accident in the parking lot of the shopping center while backing her car out to leave. The damage is minimal, but she worries about Mike’s reaction. Mike asks Carol about the accident. Carol insists that she looked over both her shoulders for any approaching cars and was backing out slowly when she was struck by the other driver’s car, whom she claims was backing out unsafely. Carol also tells Mike that the damage to the other driver’s car was about the same as that of her car. The other driver, Harry Duggan, visits the Brady home. He talks briefly with Mike, trying to convince him that Carol is at fault and that her ability as a driver is hindered by the fact that she’s a woman. Carol counters, saying that Duggan caused the accident himself, having backed out haphazardly. Duggan also presents Mike and Carol with a list of expensive repairs that his car needs, claiming that Carol’s negligence caused them. The list is obviously phony, repairs that his car needs but he is unwilling to pay for himself. When the Brady’s refuse to acknowledge his outrageous claims, Duggan storms out of the house saying he’ll make a small claims case of it. Just after Duggan leaves, Bobby and Cindy appear and tell their parents that they never saw their mother look toward the rear of the car. Because they’re material witnesses, Bobby and Cindy will have to appear in court as well.

Cindy worries about the accident, wondering if she had in fact backed out safely and had looked carefully over both shoulders for other cars. Mike comes up with a way to figure out what happened in the car: He’ll have everyone present at the accident recreate their actions while Greg backs the family’s other car toward the station wagon. While they recreate the scene, the family discovers that, while Marsha, seated next to Carol, saw her mother look very carefully behind the car, Bobby and Cindy didn’t because they were bickering over spilled ice cream while sitting in the backseat. Mike explains to everyone that it only takes a split second to miss something vital… and yells for Greg to stop reversing just in time to avoid another fender-bender. The court date arrives and Carol and Marsha, Bobby and Cindy all appear before the judge. Duggan arrives late, limping slightly and wearing a neck brace, much to the outrage of Carol and Marsha. Duggan also claims several times that he is unable to turn his neck. He is also allowed to explain his side of the incident first, claiming that Carol was driving recklessly and that she’s a lousy driver because she’s a woman, a claim that the judge dismisses immediately. He also presents the judge with the list of “damages” to his car. The judge then allows Carol to explain her side of the incident, with the two arguing over the logistics of the accident. The judge stops the argument and asks if the children were witnesses. Marsha testifies that she saw her mother look to the rear for other drivers, while Bobby and Cindy tell the judge they didn’t see their mother’s actions because of the fight over the ice cream. The judge I is about to render a decision that suggests that both parties have offered solid cases when Mike has a brainstorm: He tosses his briefcase on the floor, making a loud bang that makes Duggan instantly turn his “injured” neck. The judge sees through Duggan’s ruse immediately and decides in favor of Carol. The family reconvenes in the courtroom and the kids ask if they can talk to the judge for a decision about the spilled ice cream.

Carol is in a minor car accident in the parking lot at the supermarket with a man who agrees to pay the damages. However, a short while later, he changes his mind and Carol finds herself summoned to court with Bobby and Cindy testifying against her, citing that they didn’t see Carol look before she pulled out. However, Marcia, who was also in the car with Bobby and Cindy, disagrees with her two younger siblings. Carol comes home from the supermarket with damage to her rear fender of her car and dreading what Mike is going to say. When Mike finds out he takes it fairly well, especially when Carol explains the fault was that of the other driver, Harry Duggan, who barrelled out of his parking space while she was backing out and he was not looking beforehand. The damage to Duggan’s car was about the same. After exchanging names and addresses, they agreed to fix their own cars. Mike says it would have been better to report it.

💎💎Episode #22: My Fair Opponent💎💎- As a joke Marcia’s plain-looking friend Molly Webber is nominated to be hostess on Banquet Night. Marcia’s mission to transform Molly into a knockout succeeds, only to discover that she is running against her friend. Marcia’s plain and awkward classmate Molly Webber (Debi Storm) is nominated for hostess of the school’s Banquet Night as a cruel joke by other students. Marcia is angered by this, so she decides to make over Molly to deflate the joke. Marcia is in a bind when a nominee drops out and Marcia becomes the other nominee. She considers dropping out herself until experiencing Molly’s arrogant new behavior. Molly uses Marcia’s campaign speech without acknowledging Marcia for her help and with it, wins the contest. Molly has a change of heart and confesses. Molly’s class nominates ugly duckling Molly Webber for Senior Banquet Night host as a joke. Marcia decides to give her a makeover so she can win. But what will Marcia do when she discovers at the last minute that she’s Molly’s competition? Marcia is upset, not for herself, but for a classmate named Molly Webber. Their classmates nominated Molly for hostess for Senior Banquet Night, the culmination of their graduation events. The nomination was a gag since Molly is a shy, insecure, clumsy, Plain Jane of a girl who not only has no chance of winning against the most popular girl in the class, Patty Hobert, but will be humiliated through the final selection process. Mike and Carol convince Marcia that if she is upset about it, that she should do something to help Molly. So, Marcia decides to become Molly’s version of Professor Henry Higgins. Marcia is sable to transform Molly into a beautiful, confident and poised young woman who has a real shot of winning. Marcia even helps Molly write her speech for the selection committee. A problem arises when Patty has to drop out of the race due to a family issue, leaving Molly to run against the first alternate: Marcia. Marcia decides to drop out of the race to allow Molly to be able to bask in her new-found confidence. But Marcia soon comes to the realization that she has a created a monster in ungrateful Molly, who now sees herself as unbeatable. And an extra incentive to be hostess is the fact that the new guest of honor of the Banquet will be alumnus Colonel Dick Whitfield, an astronaut. So, it becomes a contest between Marcia and a Marcia creation, who in some respects has the best parts of her creator.

For a joke, Molly Webber, a Plain Jane, is nominated for hostess on Banquet Night. This practical joke sends Marcia on a mission to transform Molly into a knockout and she succeeds but discovers she may have succeeded too much when she finds herself running against her. Marcia comes home from school in a bad temper. She tells Mike that her senior class has played the dirtiest trick ever but is so worked up she cannot talk about it further. Eventually, she tells her parents that the senior class held nominations for the hostess of Senior Banquet night. They nominated Molly Webber, a shy unattractive girl who would be unsuited for the hostess, just for a joke. Molly did not realize it was a joke, as she was so thrilled to be nominated, but she will stumble at the interview at the teacher selection committee and be crushed, all because of the joke. The parents suggest Marcia do something to help Molly. My Fair Lady gives Marcia the idea on just how to do it. So, Marcia brings Molly home to start coaching her My Fair Lady. The family soon sees Marcia has her work cut out, Molly is timid, clumsy, barely speaks, wears frumpy clothes and glasses, lacks self-esteem and confidence and cannot understand why she was nominated as she has no chance to win. Marcia gets to work and is soon making progress. The transformation is truly astonishing and Molly is grateful to Marcia. Then Marcia comes home with a new problem with Molly. Yes, the class thought Molly was a knockout. But the other girl nominated to be hostess against Molly has dropped out, so the next in line against Molly instead – and that is Marcia. Marcia is torn between her desire to be hostess and consideration towards Molly. Eventually she chooses the latter and decides to drop out. Then Jan tells Marcia that the guest of honor at the banquet is going to be Colonel Dick Whitfield, the astronaut. Marcia is upset that it won’t be her that Colonel Whitfield will be escorting on the night but sticks by her decision to drop out. However, Marcia changes her mind when Molly acts arrogantly towards her. Molly accused Marcia of dropping out because she knew Molly will be too strong a competition against her and dares Marcia to beat her. So, Marcia sets out to beat the monster she created. This not easy as Marcia has to learn to waltz and out best the speech she helped Molly write. At home, the doorbell rings and Marcia opens the door to Molly. Molly has realized how she treated Marcia and apologizes. Then she has a surprise for Marcia – Colonel Whitfield himself. The Colonel explain that Molly has told him and the Principal what Marcia did for her and they have decided that under special extenuating circumstances there are going to be co-hostesses at the Banquet – Marcia and Molly. Marcia is so excited she unwittingly slams the door in their faces while rushing off to tell her parents. She realizes her mistake immediately and invites them in politely. Then she accidentally goes outside while letting them in. After the Banquet, Marcia tells her parents that she got to first waltz with the Colonel. This is something the Colonel will never forget – because Marcia kept stepping on his feet. She continues to waltz up the stairs.

💎💎Episode #21: Cindy Brady, Lady💎💎 – Feeling immature because she is the youngest, Cindy feels that she isn’t appreciated until she gets a mysterious letter from a secret admirer. When she can’t do what her older sisters can, Cindy decides to act more mature than her age. Bobby tries to help by posing as a secret admirer; when Mike wants to expose him, Bobby asks his friend Tommy (Eric Shea) to reveal himself as the admirer. Cindy initially turns Tommy off with her mature airs, but then when she starts acting her age Tommy expresses true affection for her. Cindy is jealous of her older sisters and doesn’t want to be treated like a kid anymore. Bobby tries to cheer her up by pretending to be a “secret admirer”. But what will Bobby do when Cindy sets up a date for them to meet? Cindy is feeling like a little kid around Marcia and Jan, who are going on dates and getting dressed up. Cindy wants to do all those things her older sisters are doing and tries to act older in an effort to get what she wants. Cindy’s new mature attitude seems to be noticed by someone as she ends up getting a secret admirer, who is sending her notes and presents. Mike eventually catches her secret admirer delivering Cindy’s latest gift, he who ends up being not who Mike and Carol expect. Despite a talk Mike and Carol have with the secret admirer to tell Cindy certain things, Cindy eventually does meet the person she believes is her secret admirer – who in reality isn’t that same person – and learns that acting grown up does have its disadvantages. Her real secret admirer, however, still has to face the music.  

With Jan trying to create a more mature hairdo and Marcia beginning to balance dates, Cindy begins to feel left out and is called immature by her two older sisters. Cindy tries to make herself more grownup by trying to act more mature and even tries dressing up in Carols clothes. Later, Cindy suddenly feels important when she suddenly gets a mysterious letter from a secret admirer. Jan is trying a new hairdo called “The Exotic Miss”. Cindy is looking on and wondering how she would look in it. Jan tells her she would look silly in it because she is just a child. Cindy goes off in a huff over this. Later, Cindy is in the proximity while Marcia is on the phone sorting out her date. Cindy wants a boy too, but Marcia tells her she is too young for dates and is just a baby. This has Cindy stalk off in another huff and starting to grow up too fast by trying out clothes and hairstyles that are too old for her. When her parents find her, Cindy tells them that she is now grown up and mature. Cindy is not happy when her parents make her change out of them, saying it is not fun being a little kid when you have two older sisters who are now going out on dates. Mike tells Cindy that she is trying to act her sisters’ ages instead of her own and in a few years, she will be a teenager herself and be able to do the things her sisters are doing now. Cindy is not impressed and goes off in another huff. Cindy goes to Alice and tells her how fed up she is at being treated like a baby by the family. Alice tells Cindy that she cannot fight nature and knows it all too well – her facial creams are not doing much to counteract her aging features. She gives Cindy a demonstration of her nightly facial applications, which does cheer Cindy up. But Cindy still wants to grow up quickly. Her next tactic is to read A Farewell to Arms, a book that is tool old for her, which ends wit her asking Mike and Greg for the meaning of the difficult words she finds. Greg tells Cindy to stick to Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. This has Cindy stalking off in another huff, saying those are children’s books. Mike tells Greg that Cindy feels left out because she is not as old as her sisters. Later, Greg apologizes to Cindy and he and Peter offer to take her out on more adult activities with them. Cindy refuses, saying it is not fun to date her own brothers. Then Cindy goes too far when she intercepts a call from Marcia’s date and asks for a double date. Carol overhears and quickly puts an end to it. She tells Cindy that they told her to act her own age, but Cindy says it is such a dumb age, wishes she was 15 instead of 8 and goes off in another huff.

Then a package arrives for Cindy. It is a candy bar and a note from a secret admirer. Cindy is excited and wondering who her admirer is. Mike arrives home with a wilted bunch of flowers and another note from the secret admirer. A third package arrives from the secret admirer. And then a fourth packages arrives, containing a ring. Before long, the admirer is sending presents and notes every day. Then the secret admirer phones Cindy. He tells her that he cannot meet her face-to-face because he does not have a convenient time to meet her except when she has Ballet class. Cindy tells her secret admirer her lesson is canceled because the teacher is sick and invites him over the next day. The presents a quandary because the secret admirer is in fact Bobby, who started the whole thing to make Cindy feel better. Bobby composes a farewell note from the secret admirer and sneaks out of bed to post it. But he gets locked out of the house and Mike, aroused by the noises of Bobby trying to get back in, catches him and the note. The parents understand Bobby’s motives but tell him he was building Cindy up for a big let-down. They order Bobby to tell Cindy the truth the next morning, but Bobby cannot find the courage to do it. Instead, Bobby bribes another boy, Tommy Jamison, to act as Cindy’s secret admirer and meet her for the date. Cindy comes downstairs, dressed and acting like a grownup. Tommy is horrified and he starts to leave, telling Cindy she is too grownup for him. Cindy tells him she was just pretending for the date and stops her grownup routine. Now that Cindy is acting her own age and herself, Tommy takes a shine to her and starts enjoying his date. The parents come home and see Tommy. When Alice tells them that Tommy is Cindy’s secret admirer, the parents immediately seek out Bobby. They are not impressed that Bobby bribed a boy to act as Cindy’s date. Then Tommy returns the bribe money to Bobby because he is enjoying dating Cindy. The parents are pleased with the happy ending but warn Bobby that the matter is not quite closed. Cindy finds the lizard that Tommy gave her has escaped and asks Alice if she has seen it. Alice says she has – she is standing on the table in fright because of it.

💎💎Episode #20: Sergeant Emma💎💎 – Alice takes a vacation leaving her duties to her Cousin Emma. But the Brady’s have trouble adjusting to Emma’s militaristic style. When Alice goes on a week’s vacation, she invites her identical Cousin Emma (Ann B. Davis), a former Army WAC, to care for the household. Emma starts the Brady kids on a rigid schedule of exercise and work. When Mike and Carol approach Emma to commend her for teaching discipline to the kids, Emma decides that they too should join the sessions. Everyone can’t wait until Alice returns from her vacation and a “Welcome Home” party intended for Alice is misconstrued by Emma as the Brady’s show appreciation. Alice’s Cousin Emma, a former Master Sergeant, takes Alice’s place while she is away and she subjects the Brady’s to a demanding military-like routine that makes them feel like they’ve been drafted into the Army. Alice is taking a week-long vacation, so she has arranged for her efficient cousin, Emma, to take over her job during her absence. Emma is a twenty-year Veteran, a Master Sergeant with the Women’s Army Corps. Emma ends up running the household like it is the Army, the kids being Army Privates. She only will allow things that are up to Army regulation. Carol and Mike get off only marginally better as “Officers”. As such, the kids, in their words, would like an “Honorable Discharge” from Emma’s Army. Mike and Carol, however, realize that is not possible due to the sensitivity of Emma being Alice’s cousin. Is there any way to make their time with Emma less Army and more civilian? When Alice goes on vacation, Cousin Emma – a Sergeant from the Women’s Army Corps – fills in. She ends up driving the family crazy through her micromanagement of the household and by making them do daily calisthenics. However, the exhausted Brady’s learn a lesson about being appreciated when they throw a “Welcome Home” party for Alice that Emma interprets as a farewell bash.

Alice has decided to take a well-deserved vacation, but feeling like she’s deserting the Brady family, she calls in her Cousin Emma. The Brady’s are in for a big surprise when she turns the household into an Army barrack. The family soon plots to get rid of the power-hungry pest by trying to get her to take a few days off. Alice goes on vacation. She is naturally a bit upset because she is going to miss the family and anxious as to how the Brady’s will cope in her absence. She has arranged for Cousin Emma to come over for her, whom she says is efficient, well-organized and a born manager. Emma arrives just as Alice is leaving. The Brady’s soon find out that Emma operates her efficiency and organization in a military manner, a carryover from her WAC days. This means running the whole household as if they were in the Army. The moment the kids come home from school Emma starts drilling them military. It gets worse the next morning when Emma and her whistle wakes up the kids at six to take them out for military calisthenics and then no breakfast until after inspection time. Inspection time does not many Army standards. Then she assigns rosters for the chores. The kids rapidly get fed up. Carol is worried over it and is not happy about being banished from her own kitchen. Mike does not understand the seriousness of the situation, thinking a little discipline is good for them. However, when he sees Emma running dinner service like a mess hall, he gets the feeling they have been drafted. He feels it even more when he tries to tell the fed-up kids that the exercises will be good for them and Emma overhears. The parents now find themselves drafted into those same calisthenics and then early morning military runs. This has the parents collapsing from exhaustion. The kids beg the parents to get rid of Emma, but the parents are afraid of offending Alice if they do so. So, the parents try giving Emma time off, but Emma declines, saying she never took passes in the Army and is not going to start now. It looks like they are stuck with Emma until Alice’s return.

The kids come up with some ideas to get rid of Emma. They plant a mouse in the kitchen, but soon find that Emma does not scare as easily as Alice. They try to convince Emma that she looks unwell, but all this gets is double calisthenics. Emma’s military regime continues. The time comes for Alice to come home and the parents decide to throw a welcome home party. They order a cake from the bakery, but Emma mistakes it for her farewell party. She is deeply touched and shows a softer, more human side to her nature. She tells the Brady’s she has really enjoyed her time here and would give them good conduct medals. Then Alice returns, to a huge welcome from the Brady’s and joins the party. After hearing how much Emma enjoyed her time at the Brady’s, Alice says she will never worry about going on vacation again because all she has to do is ask Emma to come back. The Brady’s are dismayed. The next morning, the Brady’s are surprised to hear a six o’clock wakeup whistle. It is Alice with Emma’s whistle. She tells them Emma told her that the Brady’s enjoyed their six o’clock calisthenics and is going to keep it up. She starts reading out the list of instructions Emma left for her: Six o’clock calisthenics, mess hall, inspections… by the time she has finished, she is very surprised to the family ha gone (back to bed).

💎💎Episode #19: The Power of the Press💎💎 – Peter finds popularity after mentioning his classmates in the school newspaper column. But with his schoolwork suffering, he tries the same tactic on his teacher with much different results. Peter joins the school newspaper and becomes popular when his classmates see themselves mentioned in print. Peter writes a flattering piece on his officious Science teacher Mr. Price (Milton Parsons), hoping it will help him gain a better grade. After the test Peter admits what he has done to Mr. Price, not realizing that he has read the piece – standard procedure when staff are mentioned in the paper. They both learn something from the discussion. After joining the school newspaper staff, Peter hopes to earn points with his teacher by writing a flattering column about him. An excited Peter has just been chosen from the many applicants to be the new bylined reporter, calling himself “Scoop” Brady, with his own column for the school newspaper. He wants to be a hard-hitting reporter, only telling the truth. He initially finds that topics for his column are hard to come by and that making those topics interesting is difficult. Advice he gets from the family to jazz up columns by naming specific people and flattering them in the process is a hit with the people involved, who shower him with favors when they see themselves mentioned in print. Because his job ends up taking up all his time, Peter neglects his schoolwork, which is especially troublesome as it is final exam time. He fails his final Science exam, the class led by Mr. Price, who is known as the toughest and dourest teacher in the school. Peter figures if the flattery worked on his classmates, he will use the power of the press to flatter humorless Mr. Price in hopes of passing Science class. Meanwhile, Marcia is preparing a puppet show roasting the teachers for the school’s year-end jamboree night. After the test Peter admits what he has done to Mr. Price, not realizing that he has read the piece – standard procedure when staff are mentioned in the paper. They both learn something from the discussion.

Peter “Scoop” Brady gets a job for the school paper and discovers that writing nice things about classmates has fringe benefits. So, when he makes a “D” on his final exam, he tries a snow-job article about his teacher to improve his grade. Peter joins the school newspaper staff, where he prints his classmates’ names in an effort to impress them. After nearly failing a Science test, Peter hopes to earn points with his teacher by writing a flattering column about him; however, Peter fails to win over his teacher. Peter comes home with the great news that he’s been given his own column in the school newspaper. Peter quickly becomes popular with his classmates when they find their names in his newspaper column. Meanwhile, when he starts getting a poor grade in his Biology class, he decides to improve it by flattering his teacher in his column.

Peter comes home all excited with the news that he has been given his own column in the school newspaper. He is call it The Whole Truth by Scoop Brady. The excitement fades somewhat when he realizes he has to learn to type. Scoop Brady soon as Marcia, Mike and Greg finding their pencils, erasers and paper going missing. Then Mike finds himself without his typewriter and Carol advises him not to look for his old brown hat, which is now Scoop Brady’s press hat. But Scoop is not getting far in learning to type beyond “The Whole Truth by Scoop Brady” (and wasting paper) and his new operation is causing inconveniences and arguments with his siblings, who start calling him “Stupe” instead of Scoop. Meanwhile, Marcia and Jan are preparing for their finals and practicing a puppet show satire on their teachers for jamboree night. Carol reminds Peter that he has finals too and he must not neglect them because of his column. Peter still cannot get beyond the title of his column because he cannot think of anything. Marcia and Jan come up with suggestions. This gets Peter going, but Greg and Alice think it is a bit dull. There suggestions have Peter thinking he should flatter the people he writes about, mention names and make it personal. This has the effect of making Peter popular at school as students reap the benefits of his column. He gets dates, gifts, movie passes and invitations to parties. However, Mike and Carol are worried that Peter may be neglecting his schoolwork because of his column and extra attention at school and Mike speaks to him. Peter realizes he has neglected to study for his Science final and the test is to be tough because the Science teacher, Mr. Price, is known for it. Greg and Marcia try to help Peter with last-minute cramming, but he scores a D on his paper and cannot face his parents. He turns to writing a flattering piece about Mr. Price in his column in the hopes of a higher grade. But when Greg sees it, he bursts out laughing and so does Marcia and Jan when he shows it to them. When Mike sees the article, he does not understand the joke until the kids explain that Mr. Price is the dullest teacher in the school; he lacks humor and does not communicate effectively because he over-uses Greek and Latin phrases, Then Carol finds the Science paper with the fail mark on it. When Mike sees this, he puts two and two together. He tells Peter that what he did was not honest reporting. The trouble is, Peter has already turned the article in. Mike tells Peter that he will surely think of something. Peter goes to Mr. Price to confess. Mr. Price shows Peter the article, which was excised at the editing stage and had not been printed. He has guessed what Peter’s motives were in writing it. To Peter’s surprise, Mr. Price says that reading between the lines of the article had him realizing his shortcomings as a teacher, as described above. Peter tears up the article and throws it in the bin. When Peter asks for a hint on what his final grade will be, Mr. Price tells him he will get exactly what he deserves. At home, Peter tells Mike what he did and that he was impressed at how nice Mr. Price was about it. Peter also tells Mike that he is not going to receive any more gifts from students. Mike is really pleased. The report cards come out and overall, Mike is pleased with them. Peter’s Science grade is a C.

💎💎Episode #18: The Big Bet💎💎- Bobby and Greg make a bet on how many chin-ups each can do. Confident Greg relaxes while Bobby practices and when the two finally compete. Bobby ends up on top, with Greg doomed to be his servant. Greg comments to a pesky Bobby that he can do twice as many chin-ups as he can. Greg did not mean anything by it, but Bobby demands a contest, with the loser acting as the winner’s servant for a week. Bobby wins and soon becomes a tyrant. He invites himself along on Greg’s date with Rachel (Hope Sherwood). Bobby is annoying and disruptive through the date and through his intentionally silly antics rips the soft top of Mike’s convertible, leaving himself with a large debt to Mike for the repairs. In the subplot, Carol and Mike attend a high school reunion with a bet of their own. Bobby takes advantage of Greg after he wins a bet that Greg can’t do as twice as many chin-ups as Bobby. Meanwhile, Carol tries to figure out which woman at Mike’s high school reunion is his old sweetheart “Bobo.”

After Greg boasts that he can do twice as many pull up as Bobby, the youngest Brady brother demands he put up or shut up, betting that the loser has to do everything the winner says. Greg dismisses an excited Bobby’s ability to do more chin-ups than anyone else in his class as being good for a kid his age, but nothing compared to what an older guy like he can do. Irked at Greg’s response, Bobby decides to bet Greg – that Greg can’t do twice as many chin-ups as him – a bet which Greg readily accepts, with the loser having to do what the winner says for an entire week. The bet gets the entire family involved, with specifically Marcia and Cindy rooting for one person In the battle of the ages. Beyond the swelled head the winner ultimately gets from the challenge, the question becomes if there is a limit to what the winner can tell the loser to do, especially if it directly impacts other important things going on in the loser’s life and has consequences on others not involved in their bet. Bobby wins and soon becomes a tyrant. He invites himself along on Greg’s date with Rachel. Bobby is annoying and disruptive through the date and through his intentionally silly antics rips the soft top of Mike’s convertible, leaving himself with a large debt to Mike for the repairs. Meanwhile, Mike has been invited to his twenty-year high school reunion. Carol’s task at the reunion ends up being to figure out who was Mike’s senior year crush. Carol armed only with the knowledge that her nickname was “Bobo”. Taking a play from Greg and Bobby, they make a bet that Carol cannot on one guess figure out who Bobo is of the reunion attendees.

Bobby bets Greg that he can do twice as many chin-ups as him. Greg, confident he’ll win sits back while Bobby practices. However, Greg is totally unprepared when he loses and Bobby begins taking advantage of the terms of winning. Meanwhile, Mike’s high school reunion has Carol trying to guess which person is “Bobo,” the nickname of an old flame of Mike’s. Bobby comes home in great excitement because he chinned himself up five times. This leads to a bet with Greg that he cannot do twice as many chin-ups. The loser has to do everything the winner says for a week. The contest will be held at the end of the week. Bobby trains hard with weights and taking revolting vitamin drinks from Alice. Greg does no training at all as he is confident, he will beat Bobby easily and is planning what he will tell Bobby to do. Meanwhile, Mike gets a letter from his old high school to invite him to the 20^th reunion of his graduation class. He and Carol accept. This has Mike digging out his old yearbook and a bet with Carol that she cannot find his high school crush “Bobo” at the reunion. The stakes are the same one that Bobby and Greg have made. Carol uses the yearbook to figure out who “Bobo” is. The chin-up contest begins. Bobby makes it to 11, so Greg has to do 22 if he is to do twice as many. But he only makes it to 19, which makes Bobby the winner. The things Bobby tells Greg to do include washing Bobby’s sneakers, taking out the trash, driving the girls to the library, cleaning Bobby’s bicycle, make his bed, sanding his skateboard, and let Bobby beat him at Checkers. Greg is fuming at the way Bobby is taking advantage of him, but reaches his limit when Bobby wants to be allowed to join Greg on his date at the movies with Rachel and says no. Bobby rushes off to complain to his parents. The parents seem sympathetic to Greg, but say that Greg has to honor the bet, telling him that no bet is a sure thing. Greg still refuses to have Bobby along but gets stuck with him anyway. At the movie, Bobby takes more advantage in making more demands on Greg and making a nuisance of himself. This spoils the date for Rachel and Greg. Finally, Bobby’s misbehavior leads to an umbrella getting stuck in the convertible top. Greg is not looking forward to Dad’s reaction. Mike and Carol come home from the reunion and Mike asks which one was “Bobo”. Carol guesses right. Then Greg comes home and shows his parents the damage to the car. Bobby apologizes, admits he behaved badly and has learned his lesson. He offers to pay for a new top, but Mike says it will cost $150. In bed, Carol starts making demands on Mike.

💎💎Episode #17: Jan’s Aunt Jenny💎💎 – Jan discovers that Aunt Jenny had closely resembled her in her youth. Jan corresponds with Jenny and receives a photo in return, leading her to worry that she will grow up to look just like her strange-looking Aunt. But when Jenny visits, Jan comes to appreciate her unusual lifestyle. Jan discovers an old photograph of a child that looks just like her. Carol explains it is Aunt Jenny (Imogene Coca) ad describes her to Jan. Jan is anxious to meet her Great-Aunt but changes her attitude on seeing a current photo of Jenny. Jan worries she will resemble the old and eccentric-looking Jenny at that age. Jan’s doubts is placated when she meets Aunt Jenny, a fun-loving Auntie Mame-type and realizes her beauty within. The subplot has the Brady’s cleaning junk from the attic and Mike attempting to restore an old record player. Note: Jenny mentions that while in Bangkok, Thailand, she played in a jam session with Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of Thailand who was playing the saxophone. The King was an accomplished Jazz saxophone player in real life. Jan discovers an old photograph of her Aunt Jenny as a child that looks just like her and worries she will resemble the old and eccentric-looking Jenny at that age, until she meets her and realizes her beauty within. The Brady’s clean the attic and Mike tries to restore an old record player he finds. Meanwhile, Jan and Cindy come across a photograph of Jan that neither remembers Jan ever taking. Their mother tells them it’s because it’s not photograph of Jan, but of their Aunt Jenny, taken forty-years ago when she was Jan’s age. Jan wants a glimpse into her future and writes to Aunt Jenny asking for a current photograph. Jan regrets doing so as Aunt Jenny forty-years-older is an odd-looking woman and Jan believes she will look like that when she’s Aunt Jenny’s age. Jan is even less excited when she hears that Aunt Jenny is coming for a visit to meet the family, most specifically Jan. Jan can’t hide her feelings about Aunt Jenny. She learns what the problem is but is not offended. But over the course of her truncated stay, Jan learns that there are far more important facets to Aunt Jenny than what appears on the surface.

Jan finds an old photo of her Aunt Jenny at her age and discovers that they look exactly alike. When she discovers what she looks like now, her excitement changes to disappointment – until she pays the family a visit. Jan and Cindy come across a photograph of Jan that neither remembers Jan ever taking. Their mother tells them it’s not a photograph of Jan, but of their Aunt Jenny, taken forty years ago when she was Jan’s age. Jan wants a glimpse into her future and writes to Aunt Jenny asking for a current photograph. Jan regrets doing so as Aunt Jenny forty years older is an odd-looking woman and Jan believes she will look like that when she’s Aunt Jenny’s age. Jan is even less excited when she hears that Aunt Jenny is coming by for a visit to meet the family, most specifically Jan. Jan can’t’ hide her feelings about Aunt Jenny, to who Jan’s feelings are obvious. Aunt Jenny learns what the problem is but is not offended. But over the course of what ends up being Aunt Jenny’s truncated stay, Jan learns that there are far more important facets to Aunt Jenny than what appears on the surface. While the family is cleaning the attic, Jan is awed when she sees a portrait that she finds out is her Aunt Jenny and asks to meet her. When Jenny visits, the family learns she has not aged gracefully – at least appearance-wise. The family – particularly Jan – learns that beauty is only skin deep.

Jan discovers her Aunt Jenny looked exactly like her when she was young. Curious about how she looks now and thinking perhaps that is how she’ll turn out to look, Jan asks for a picture of her now. This causes Jan to become distressed since Jenny, now doesn’t look too attractive. Carol turns out the attic. Mike finds an old gramophone and starts working to restore it. The girls get a laugh out of a photograph of Carol’s great-grandmother wearing an old-fashioned bathing suit. They find it even more funny when they hear she was arrested for indecent exposure because she was showing her knees. Then Cindy finds another photograph which looks like Jan and Carol says it is Aunt Jenny as a girl. Jan is awed at the resemblance and wants to know what Aunt Jenny loos like now. She writes Aunt Jenny in order to exchange photographs. When the photograph arrives, Jan is appalled at what Aunt Jenny looks like now. She gets worried that she will end up the same way and starts imagining things about getting wrinkly and ugly. The others are baffled about her conduct. Marcia goes to speak to Jan and Jan explains the problem and shows her the photograph. Marcia tries to talk sense into Jan, but Jan is inconsolable. Carol gets a telegram from Aunt Jenny to say she will arrive the next day to meet Jan. When Carol tells Jan, Jan is appalled. She explains the problem to her parents and does not listen when they try to reason with her. Meanwhile, Mike is making some progress on the gramophone, but it still needs work.

Aunt Jenny arrives, all eager to meet Jan the other kids. She has a colorful, impressible personality that any kid would like and she is a rich woman who travels the world and knows all sorts of celebrities. The other kids take an instant shine to Aunt Jenny and the gifts she has for them, but Jan is nowhere around. When Carol brings Jan down, Aunt Jenny is very pleased to meet her soul sister, but Jan is unenthusiastic. It gets worse when Aunt Jenny gives a caricature of herself Jan. Eventually, Carol and Mike are forced to explain the problem to Aunt Jenny. Aunt Jenny tells Jan that she does not like her appearance all that much either but chooses it over plastic surgery because there are too many plastic surgery beauties while her own appearance is more unique. (Later, Jan hears that Aunt Jenny turns down wedding proposals because she considers herself too young to settle down – and she is 40 years older than Jan!) This breaks the ice between them. Jan starts to like Aunt Jenny even more when she discovers what a real character her aunt is, such as winning an Ilama as a reward for a fundraising campaign. The kids are delighted when Aunt Jenny throws a sukiyaki party and slurping is allowed because it is considered polite and shows them how to eat rice. Jan is fascinated by all the stories Aunt Jenny has to tell about her travels and the wedding proposals that she gets. But then Aunt Jenny’s secretary phones (the latest of several of her calls that keep interrupting things) to remind her of a dinner at the American Embassy in Paris. This means Aunt Jenny has to go, much to the family’s dismay. Jan wishes Aunt Jenny could stay and Aunt Jenny is glad to hear it. She promises Jan that she will be back. Jan has definitely changed her mind and tells her parents that she now wants to look just like Aunt Jenny when she grows up. Later receives a gift from Aunt Jenny – a leg plaster cast. Aunt Jenny had an accident from skiing in Switzerland after the dinner at the American Embassy. She had her leg cast autographed and is now sending it to Jan. The parents are stunned at the signatures, which include Jean-Claude Killy, Peggy Fleming, Sir Edmund Hillary and Paul Newman. Then Jan receives a all from her boyfriend Stevie and tells him she will not be ready to settle down until she is at least 60 but a date on Saturday night is okay.

💎💎Episode #16: Dough Re Mi💎💎 – Wanting to make a record, Greg boos a recording studio and writes a song to perform with his siblings. However, when Peter’s voice begins cracking, Greg realizes it’s time to change and he’s got to rearrange the music. Greg needs $150 to cut a record. To get the money Greg forms a singing group with his siblings, but Peter’s voice begins to change. Greg comes up with a new song to accommodate his cracking voice. Two songs are featured: “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter” and “Time to Change.” Greg needs $150 to cut a music record. To get the money Greg forms a singing group with his siblings, but Peter’s voice begins to break. Greg comes up with a new song to accommodate the breaking voice. Two songs are featured: “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter” and “Time to Change.” Note: Christopher Knight disliked that episode – of all six Brady kids’ actions, he was the only one who didn’t like singing (even admitting it himself). This episode marks the onscreen singing debut of Marcia and Bobby. Greg’s singing debut was in Season 2 episode “Where There’s Smoke”, while Peter, Jan and Cindy first sang in “The Drummer Boy”. Christopher Knight disliked this episode because of all six Brady kids’ actors, he was the only one who didn’t like singing.

Greg writes a song to record with his siblings, but Peter’s voice begins to crack. Greg has written what he figures is a sure-fire hit song entitled “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter”. His excitement turns to dismay when he doesn’t have the $150 needed to rent the recording studio. Peter convinces him that family groups are big and that with the six of them, they can make the song better and share in the expenses. With Mike advancing their collective allowances, the kids are able to come up with the money and book the recording time. As the kids rehearse the song, they notice that something isn’t sounding quite right, namely Peter, whose voice is starting to change into manhood. With the recording date a few days away and the money being non-refundable, the kids have to decide if they will record without Peter who contributed to the process, record with Peter’s cracking voice, or forfeit the $150. Greg writes a new song, “Time to Change”, to accommodate the breaking voice.

Greg writes a song for his brothers and sisters and reserves a recording studio for “The Brady Six.” However, before they can record, Peter’s voice begins to change and starts cracking uncontrollably. Greg’s written a song entitled, “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter”, but his excitement turns to dismay when they notice something isn’t sounding right; Peter’s voice is cracking. With the recording date a few days away and the money being nonrefundable, the kids have to decide if they will record without Peter who contributed to the process, or forfeit the $150, or is there another option? The episode that made musical history… at least in the Brady’s world. Greg writes a song and invites his siblings to join him recording the song. One problem: Peter’s voice is going through puberty and cracks at inopportune times during the song. Songs: “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Better,” “Time to Change.”

Greg, wanting to make a record, books a recording studio and plans on singing a song with his siblings. However, when Peter’s voice begins to change, his hopes of recording Greg’s planned song are dashed. That is until Greg gets a new idea that just may accommodate Peter’s changing voice. Greg has shut himself in the boys’ bedroom to compose a song for a record. This has his siblings banging to be allowed in. When he finishes, he comes down yelling with excitement and dashes off. Meanwhile, Carol and Alice start a barbeque. Peter takes a phone call from Sam and is surprised that Sam mistakes him for one of the girls because he sounds like a girl. Then Greg comes up looking dejected, saying he lost a million bucks. He composed a song “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter”, but cannot record it because Mr. Dimsdale, who owns the best recordings studio, wants a $150 in advance and Greg does not have that kind of money. Peter wonders if the Mr. Dimsdale in question is the father of Johnny Dimsdale and looks thoughtful. Peter approaches the recording studio. He guessed right about Mr. Dimsdale and Johnny Dimsdale, but Mr. Dimsdale says that the answer is no, adding that it was the best price in town. Peter protests that the song is a guaranteed gold record and Mr. Dimsdale shows him a guaranteed gold record – The Five Monroes, a family that he is about to record. Back home Greg is coming up with money-making ideas when Peter comes home to say that Mr. Dimsdale told him that a family group sells millions of records and The Five Monroes were one example. He says the Brady’s should make more because there are six of them and five Monroes. Greg is struck by the idea of doing the song as a family group – The Brady Six – but still does not have enough money. Peter suggests they all chip in.

The other siblings take some persuasion as they are not convinced or enthused at coughing up money. Greg wins the girls over when he shows them they have terrific singing voices. They give all the money they have but have to take 50 cents off their allowances to raise the rest until the debt is paid off. They are now booked for Friday. Soon the kids are practicing their song and doing well. Then Peter’s voice begins to break and he starts squeaking through the song. All of a sudden, Sam’s remark about Peter’s voice make sense and Peter has been noticing strange things about his voice as well. The recording is six days away and the $150 is nonrefundable. The family tries honey and steam to ease Peter’s voice, but to no avail. That night the parents and Alice are awakened by what sounds like a coyote howling and find it is Peter trying to howl his voice back to its original form. The siblings take votes on whether or not to keep Peter, but finding the voting tied because Cindy voted both ways. Discussion over it has then undecided as to what to do and Carol refuses to make the decision for them. Eventually, they decide to call off the recording although they will lose the money and then Peter tells them he is dropping out. Then Greg gets inspiration, which has him locking himself in the boys’ room again to write another song and the other boys banging on the door. The song they record is “Time to Change”, a song all about growing up. The theme incorporates Peter’s breaking voice and also uses it as a gimmick. Another song will be recorded. Greg has Peter talking as little as possible in order to preserve his breaking voice for their gimmick.

💎💎Episode 15: Big Little Man💎💎 – Bobby becomes self-conscious about his height and tries different ways to make himself “big”. First, he tries stretching himself and then he decides to improve his mind by memorizing a bunch of worthless facts. Bobby is self-conscious about his diminutive height. Greg, in the subplot, gets a job at Sam’s butcher shop to save for a surfboard. The girls’ attempt to convince Bobby he is growing do not help, but Bobby learns the value of being small when he locks himself and Greg in Sam’s meat locker. Bobby is self-conscious about his diminutive height, but he learns the value of being small when he locks himself and Greg in Sam’s meat locker. Bobby develops a Napoleon complex, especially after Greg has to save him from a situation caused in part because he ended up doing something he wasn’t supposed to since he was too small to handle the job. Worried he’s going to remain height-challenged all his life, Bobby does whatever he can to grow, like doing body-lengthening exercises. In an ill-advised attempt by his sisters to encourage Bobby, they make him think he’s grown an inch and a half by doing the exercises. He tries to follow his mother’s advice by developing a more important aspect of himself, namely his intellect, but this does not help his self-esteem. Meanwhile, Greg has been working at Sam’s butcher shop part time to save for a surfboard. When Greg and Bobby become locked in the meat freezer, Bobby realizes that being small does have its advantages. Bobby become self-conscious when he’s the shortest one in the family and becomes convinced he’s going to remain height-challenged all his life. Following an ill-advised attempt by his sisters to encourage Bobby (they make him think he’s grown 1 ½ inches by doing stretch exercises) and then trying to flaunt his know-it-all genius, he has a chance to save Greg when they become locked in the meat freezer at Sam’s Butcher Shop. 

💎💎Episode #14: The Teeter-Totter Caper💎💎 – When they are not invited to Carol’s cousin’s wedding and asked to stay out of the way of their older siblings’ activities, Bobby and Cindy decide to how “important” they are by setting a world’s record for most hours on a seesaw. They get newspaper coverage for their attempt, which ultimately fails when they fall asleep short of the record. They then learn that they set a record for kids around their age. The older siblings realize the attention-craving Bobby and Cindy indeed have their place in the family and are worthy of respect. In the subplot, the older Bradys are planning for the wedding. After not being invited to a wedding and helping the older kids, Bobby and Cindy are off to set a new teeter-totter record. Bobby and Cindy seem to be excluded from doing a lot of things because they are considered too small or too young, including going to a relative’s wedding reception, to which even the older kids are invited. They decide they need to do something monumental to show everyone that they can do anything that bigger kids or grownups can do. Seeing a human-interest piece on the television news about two college boys who are attempting it, Bobby and Cindy decide to try and break the world endurance record for teeter-tottering, the current record being 124 hours. When they tell their family, no one really comprehends what they are trying to do until Alice finds out what the current record is. Mike and Carol allow the kids to continue until Bobby and Cindy or their bodies decide on their own to quit despite Mike and Carol realizing that there is no way they can break the record. But will Bobby and Cindy’s attempt in and of itself prove their point?

When they are not invited to Aunt Gertrude’s wedding, Bobby and Cindy decide to show how “important” they are by setting a world’s record for most hours on a seesaw. Bobby and Cindy seem to be excluded from doing a lot of things because they are considered too small or too young, including going to Carol’s cousin’s wedding reception, to which even the older kids are invited. They decide they need to do something monumental to show everyone that they can do anything that bigger kids or grownups can do. Seeing a human-interest piece on the television news about two college boys who are attempting, Bobby and Cindy decide to try and break the world endurance record for teeter-tottering. When they tell their family, no one really comprehends what they are trying to do until Alice finds out what the current is: 124 hours. Mike and Carol allow the kids to continue despite realizing that there is no way they can break the record. They get newspaper coverage for their attempt, which ultimately fails when they fall asleep short of the record. The older siblings realize the attention-craving Bobby and Cindy indeed have their place in the family and are worthy of respect.

When Bobby and Cindy are not invited to a wedding because they’re too young, they set out to do something important. Their goal break a teeter-totter record. As the rest of the family takes their attempts lightly, news reporters make a visit to the Brady household to report on their efforts. Meanwhile, Carol attempts to buy the perfect wedding gift for Cousin Gertrude. Carol’s Cousin Gertrude phones to say she is getting married. This is a surprise as Gertrude was regarded as getting past marriage and marriage material. Bobby and Cindy are not among the invites and Carol says it must be because Gertrude considered them too young. Bobby and Cindy are upset that their age is considered to be against them. They get even more upset when Greg and Peter don’t let him fix Marcia’s radio and Jan and Marcia don’t let Cindy help them paint a chair because they are too young. Cindy and Bobby decide to show them that little kids are important by doing something important. They are not sure what to do until they see a news item about two college boys out to break the teeter-totter record of 124 hours. They decide to set out to break that record. Nobody takes them seriously when they start at 8:03am the following morning. The family is more preoccupied with sorting their best clothes and getting the right gift for the wedding. But eventually it sinks in how serious the kids are – especially when reporters turn up to do an article on them. Bobby and Cindy explain to their parents that they called the papers in and show that little kids can be important. Mike and Carol realize what this is all about and are quite understanding. At dinner, they tell the other kids how little kids can be underestimated, ignored and taken for granted because they are little. All of a sudden, the older kids are sorry at not allowing Bobby and Cindy to help with the radio and chair. The family now understands the point that Bobby and Cindy are trying to make.

However, Mike says that no matter how serious Bobby and Cindy are about breaking the record, there is something that is bound to stop them. Sure enough, they get tired, fall asleep and are quietly removed from the teeter-totter. Bobby and Cindy are annoyed about this the following morning, but then the parents show them the article about themselves in the paper. They are thrilled, but still disappointed they did not break the record. Mike points out that the record was for older people, but is there a teeter-totter record for kids their own age? No.? Then they did set a record, for young kids. Gertrude phones. She has seen the newspaper and wants to have Bobby and Cindy at the wedding. This time, Bobby and Cindy are not thrilled at going and decline. They set off to break another record. Jan and Peter go off to break one too, as they are not going to be outdone by their younger siblings. Mike and Carol wonder if Gertrude has also set a record, waiting 25 years to get married. Alice says not yet as she is still fair competition. But it is a joking-point when the family comes back from the wedding.