I haven't done a post related to a back door pilot in sometime or the Brady Bunch, which is also odd, so let's do it!
I remember this episode of The Brady Bunch watching it (reruns) as a kid and being confused as to where the Bradys went. Being a kid and not knowing everything (what?) and not knowing a) this was reruns and b) what a backdoor pilot was, this episode got to me. I came here to watch "The Brady Bunch" where are they?
This backdoor pilot is from season 5 which would also happen to be the final season of the series. Season 5 is genuinely kind of odd it kind of becomes. There's an episode where Greg steals a goat and the parents think that he's hiding a girl in his room which is the goat, but woah. There's an episode where Greg gets Peter to dress up as a some other guy named "Phil Packer" and it's gets weird. Though I do like there's a random episode where they go to Cincinnati, not often do you get shows just going to Cincinnati as a plot line. I will add that I love "Never Too Young" (that's also my Bobby's my favorite kid Brady bias)
This is the season they really don't know what to do with Cindy, they want to keep her "the youngest one in curls" but she's not that young anymore and they didn't want to write older plots for her as much because they did it Jan before so... uhhh I don't know. They also added Cousin Oliver, who really can't be blamed for "ruining the show" the show was dying, he came in January 25, 1974, the series finale aired on March 8th so really at this point the network was like "ehhh, who cares we're not going to continue this" but you know reasons.
Oh yeah our episode is from January 4, 1974, it's called "Kelly's Kids" . You can also tell maybe that Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, was also looking to find another show make, feeling that this show was on the way out.
You what be interesting? The Bradys have neighbors but we see them so why not make up a neighbor couple and see where that goes. (The pitch meeting for "The Ropers") This back door pilot starts with telling you that Ken Barry and Brooke Bundy are in this episode.
Ken Barry, oddly, had experience in taking over a show after the main actor leaves and becoming it's own show. He was featured in episodes The Andy Griffith Show as a widowed father named Sam Jones to then take up the leading role in the spin-off called "Mayberry R.F.D" where he plays a single widowed father with a young son. (So the viewers wouldn't be scared that Andy left or something,) That show was purged during CBS' we need TV shows to be hip modern and no more rural... era. In this Brady Bunch episode he plays a man maned Ken Kelly.
Brooke Bundy was doing roles in different shows since the 1960's she was in alot of shows like "The Donna Reed Show" , "My Three Sons" , "Wagon Train", etc.. if "Kelly's Kids" had become a series, it would have been her first starring TV show role. She played Kathy Kelly. (They need to calm down)
The episode starts by tricking the Brady Bunch viewers into thinking it's a normal episode, like that episode where Mike's Grandpa ends up marrying Carol's Grandma. Then it goes to the family room and Carol and Mike are talking to Kathy and Ken. Ken is talking about they are adopting a child.
So we noticed you have 6, can we have one?/ Copyright Paramount
The Brady Bunch was a unique show at the time, there wasn't really anything about a blended family in a show. We don't get it much it much now in TV. The idea of a show about a family with adopted son is very different to what TV was doing at the time... interesting for the concept.
The adopted child is named Matt, who is played by Tood Lookinland, this kid is the younger brother of Mike Lookinland who is Bobby Brady. (fun) Like his brother, he also was doing some acting and he would even appear in a an American adaptation series of the Swedish movie "The New Land" later in 1974.
Like I said, the episode baits with Brady's and switches to show us Matt Kelly now being introduced to his family and we are in their house. The laugh track needs to calm down. Anyway, you know what a spinoff needs there's a woman named Mrs. Payne (obvious name is obvious) her job is to be annoying. She comes in and says "uh you have kids, ew" even more "eww, adopted child, I don't have children, eww boys ,eww children" This is also Molly Dodd's second time playing in the show and she's a good actress, and she's good here playing this woman we aren't supposed to like or something. Laugh track tells me I'm supposed to laugh.
ha ha ha? / Copyright Paramount
Kathy was talking to Carol on the phone, and that's for us to remember this is supposed to be "The Brady Bunch" she is worried that Matt is lonely so her idea is to get another kid. Matt's been with them for... 1 day... and she's worried he's lonely. What? This is kind of forcing things, they barely showed Matt being lonely or whatever. The next day, they decide to go to the adoption orphan house whatever it is , and they ask for a 2nd kid. (can we do that?)
They are interested in two good friends of Matt named Dwyane and Steve. To add a little more to this, Dwyane is African American and Steve is Asian. Back to how much speed running is going on here. the Kellys are thinking up something the original idea was to adopt one more kid, on the 2nd day they just adopted one, but you know speed running, but now as they talk to the Bradys because they are trying to remind me that this is in fact, the Brady Bunch.
Anyway, the Kellys decide the logical choice is to adopt both Dwayne and Steve. We're 9 minutes in and about 2 days of stuff and they've too fast. (I wouldn't trust this couple they do things too on the fast lane, they need to calm down and think)
More after the jump
