Sept. 26, 1969 (a Friday): "The Brady Bunch," the last of the old-fashioned family sitcoms and an icon for Generation Xers, who can probably tell you everything you ever wanted to know about it. I remember that Robert Reed was never happy doing the show and preferred playing Lt. Adam Tobias on "Mannix,"; once when he was a celebrity guest on "Password" and Allen Ludden mentioned "The Brady Bunch," Reed jumped in and said "and Mannix!". Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick rivaled David Cassidy and Susan Dey ("The Partridge Family," which aired back-to-back with "The Brady Bunch" from 1971-73) as teen idols of the early '70s. And I'm sure Jan's taunt of "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!" brings back memories for those born in the '60s or who were first exposed to the show in reruns in the '70s.
Side note: "The Brady Bunch," "The Partridge Family, "Room 222," "The Odd Couple," and "Love, American Style" were the forerunners of ABC's TGIF lineup of the late '80s and practically all of the '90s. In fact, I remember one Friday night Nickelodeon ran these shows, billing them as "your parents' TGIF." The difference is that the '70s block was not as kid-oriented, especially after 9 PM (ET).
Side note: "The Brady Bunch," "The Partridge Family, "Room 222," "The Odd Couple," and "Love, American Style" were the forerunners of ABC's TGIF lineup of the late '80s and practically all of the '90s. In fact, I remember one Friday night Nickelodeon ran these shows, billing them as "your parents' TGIF." The difference is that the '70s block was not as kid-oriented, especially after 9 PM (ET).
