From Bradys to Bunkers: TV transformed
A half-century ago, the fictional Carol Brady was living TV’s version of don’t ask, don’t tell.
he married Mike Brady and merged their families as “The Brady Bunch” (shown here with Alice, the housekeeper). He had three sons and was widowed; she had three daughters and, well … ???
The plan was for her to be divorced, said Lloyd Schwartz, a “Brady Bunch” producer and the son of creator Sherwood Schwartz. ABC said no. “Divorce was a taboo topic on television, so they said, ‘Let’s just leave it so you don’t know.’”
Schwartz relates that in “History of the Sitcom,” which CNN airs at 9 p.m. Sundays. Its two-hour opener (July 11) offered a quick, slick ride through depictions of family and sexuality. Read more…