剛來美國時，電視裏反複播放的一些老電視連續劇成了我學英語的一個途徑，結合字幕加上幽默搞笑的小故事，真是寓教娛樂，既鍛煉了英語聽力又對美國人的文化娛樂有一些側麵的了解。記得經常看的有：《The Golden girls》, 《I love Lucy》 和 《The Brady Bunch》 等等， 而其中 《The Brady Bunch》 是最吸引我的，大概因為它是涉及家庭關愛孩子成長的故事。
這個情景喜劇從1969年到1974年在美國廣播公司播出， 一共5 季117集。它在20世紀70年代和80年代美國家庭娛樂節目中非常受歡迎。在該係列劇中，父親Mike Brady是一個喪妻的建築師，他有三個兒子，按年齡大小分別是Greg, Peter and Bobby（13歲到7歲），他娶了卡羅爾·馬丁·布雷迪Carol Martin Brady，卡羅爾有三個女兒，按年齡大小分別是Marsha, Jan and Cindy（12歲到6歲）。這兩家合二為一，家中有一名管家，愛麗絲 （Alice）。這麽一個重組的龐大又複雜家庭，因著父親的豁達開明，母親的賢淑智慧以及管家的勤勞操持，解決了一個接一個新家庭衝突，化解了孩子成長過程中遇到的問題, 打造了一個溫馨詼諧其樂融融的歡樂家庭。扮演劇中的主要9個角色的男女演員個個活潑、英俊、健康、自然又美麗，著實養眼。
隨著時光流逝，40年過去了，現在有的電視台還有《The Brady Bunch》陸續播出。前一段時間，看到雜誌《CELEBRITY》上刊登40年後主要演員的現狀報道。看後不禁感慨萬千，尤其看到英俊的男主角在他59歲時因為結腸癌及愛滋病去世 （1992年），更是令人噓唏不已。好在其它幾位主要演員平安無恙，並活出各自的精彩。
由於人懶加筆拙，我就照搬《CELEBRITY》的報道，一起分享一下這9 位主角的現況：
40 Years Later: You Will Never Believe How ‘The Brady Bunch’ Look Now?
Celebrity
| February 5, 2016 | By Lauren Boudreau
We all have fond memories of The Brady Bunch. It is time and time again considered one of the defining shows of the 70s. However, during its original run, the show never received critical acclaim or high ratings. It wasn’t until its syndication that the show became popular with children and teenagers, which led to reunion shows and spin-off movies.
It's hard to imagine the lovable cast as anything but their roles on The Brady Bunch. But that does leave one to wonder, where are they now?
SOURCE: Playbuzz.com/Deardoctor.com
Robert Reed played classic family man Mike Brady, which he is most known for. However, he is also known for work he did before the Brady’s, such as his roles in The Defenders and The Boy in the Plastic Bubble with John Travolta. After The Brady Bunch, Reed reprised the role of Mike Brady a few times and did a few smaller films before finally becoming a drama teacher at the University of California in Los Angeles. He died in 1992 at 59 from what was attributed to colon cancer. However, it was later learned that his death was hastened by AIDS. SOURCE: Playbuzz.com/Deardoctor.com
SOURCE: Playbuzz.com/Deardoctor.com
As the first woman to ever co-host The Tonight Show, Florence Henderson has done quite well for herself. Her role as matriarch Carol Brady made her famous, but after that, it was all her. In 2008 she got her own show, The Florence Henderson Show, and has had roles in The King of Queens, 30 Rock, and The Cleveland Show. SOURCE: Playbuzz.com/Deardoctor.com
SOURCE: Godvine.com
Ann B. Davis (like most of the Brady bunch) is most known for her role as Alice, the quirky, advice-giving housekeeper. She did theatre all her life before getting the acting bug in 1956. But in 1976, after The Brady Bunch ended, she quit show-biz altogether and became a born-again Christian.
SOURCE: Sitcomsonline.com/Wikipedia
After leaving her role as the down-on-her-luck middle sister Jan Brady, Eve Plumb was asked to sign another five-year contract to play the role of Jan for reunion attempts, but decided against it in order to play more dynamic roles, such as a teen prostitute in Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. Plumb still appears on TV and in movies occaisonally, but is also a critically acclaimed painter. She currently paints from her studio in Laguna Beach, California.
SOURCE: Nydailynews.com
Unlike Eve, Mike Lookinland appeared on numerous Brady Bunch reunion specials. However, he eventually found his way behind the camera, working as a production assistant on numerous films. He credits Mike Reed, his fictional father, for influencing his passion for cameras when Reed gifted each Brady cast member with Super 8 cameras. Currently, however, he lives in Salt Lake City where he operates a business that makes decorative concrete.
SOURCE: Pinterest
After The Brady Bunch, Maureen McCormick struggled with drug addiction and body image issues. She found it difficult to shake her good-girl persona and had a tough time finding work. After marrying Michael Cummings, she did several stints at rehab and released her only CD, a collection of country songs, in 1995. She has since returned to the screen doing a variety of TV movies.
SOURCE: Pinterest
The oldest Brady boy, Barry Williams, had a few guest-starring roles on General Hospital, Three’s Company, and That ’70s Show. He also delved into musical theater touring with Grease, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music. Most recently, he had a job on Sirius Satellite Radio as a DJ spinning 70s music.
SOURCE: Photos.toofab.com
The youngest Brady daughter, Susan Olsen, took a different direction after her stint as Cindy Brady. She became a graphic designer and worked for a clothing store in Malibu, California. She also started her own company, Man in Space, where she created glow-in-the-dark Converse sneakers. She also became a popular talk show guest and eventually starred in her own talk show on KLSX Real Radio 97.1 called Ober and Olsen, with Ken Ober.
SOURCE: Bradybunch.wikia.com
Christoper Knight, like Ann B. Davis, suddenly dropped out of show-biz. He did a stint at UCLA after The Brady Bunch ended, but dropped out two years later to do more acting work. He had a sudden career change in 1988 when he decided to work with computers. He joined computer company Martec where he excelled as a sales representative. He eventually became vice president of a number of computer companies before founding his own TV turner company at Eskape Labs in 1998. More recently, however, he returned to TV as a reality star.
Haha, me too!