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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Brady Bunch house

Most of us have some sort of childhood memory...good or bad...about the Brady Bunch. Mine is more of an early-twenties memory...but enough about my age.

Whatever your memory, do you know the story behind the house? It wasn't built on the Paramount backlot. Instead, it was a real home located at 11222 Dilling Street in North Hollywood. The home was a split-level built in 1959 by Luther B. Carson. Carson's widow still lived in the house in 1969 when it was selected for the television show. She was paid a modest sum for its use, but only a few shots were ever taken of the exterior. That's why, over the 5-year run of the show, the trees and shrubs never changed.

Below is the house as it looked then, although the window on the left side was just a prop, and the house as it appears today, with the fake window removed, the trees fully matured and an iron fence constructed to keep people from trying to peek in the front window for a glimpse of the Brady Bunch living room. Ironically, the Peeping Toms wouldn't have seen the Brady Bunch interior, as the interior set was built at Studio 5 on the Paramount lot.

From tvparty.com, catsafterme.com and bigwaste.com

The house as it looked in 1969
catsafterme.com
The house as it appears now
sitcomsonline.com
The famous staircase
midcenturymonster.com
The living room and entry
bradybunchremodel.com
The Brady kitchen
bradybunchremodel.com

20 comments:

  1. My memory is "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"....lol! I don't think I ever missed an episode!

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    1. I can't remember any of the story lines, but I've always remembered the gorgeous stone walls and columns and that planter. I guess even 40 years ago, I was destined to write this blog. :)

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  2. Oh gosh yes! Haha I watched the re-runs devotedly! Did you know that the "Cunninghams House" in Happy Days is also a real California residence?! It looks practically frozen in time (except the big porch swing the studio decorated the porch with isn't there) So neat!

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    1. Yes, I ran across a picture of the Cunningham House when I was reading about the Brady House. That really is cool! On the not-so-cool side, I hadn't ever thought about fanatical fans trying to look in their windows till I was writing this post. It's been over 40 years since The Brady Bunch was on TV. Who would have thought people would still be bothering the poor owners!

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  3. Yeah had a secret crush on Marsha. As an architect too, don't know how Mr. Brady got any work done.

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    1. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough on this blog to come clean about your youthful fantasies...:) And I wonder too how he got anything done. On days when I have the two grandsons, I feel that way. Six? I'd be pulling my hair out.

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  4. About a year or so ago I started re-watching The Brady Bunch from season 1. Sometimes I wasn't even paying attention to what was going on I was too busy scanning the house looking at all the furniture, kitchenware & belongings. *hahah*
    I kept on seeing a pair of lucite / acrylic grape candle holders on the coffee table in the living room. I was thrilled when a month or so later I found the same candle holders at a garage sale. *WEEEWWW*

    I always liked that entrance way into the house & the living room.

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    1. I find myself doing that anytime I watch a movie set in the 50s or 60s...LOL The architecture and decor are usually much more interesting to me than the plot.

      We ran into a cache of the lucite grapes about a year ago, but we only have one set left. I remember those so well from my childhood. So cool that you found the grape candleholders!

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  5. Great post Dana! I was envious of Peter Brady's groovy pad, when he remodeled his fathers den into a bedroom!

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Everybody has a Brady memory, it seems. :)

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  6. Love it! I was a huge Brady fan since it had moved into daily syndication when I was a kid. I was fascinated by all the siblings, being an only child. I loved their stylish modern home, though was always slightly bothered by the fact that the exterior and interiors never lined up architecturally. (Even at age 7-no kidding.) Looks like the current home has had another set of windows put in by the front door.

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    1. My daughter is an only child too, and you only children become little adults by the time you're 5. At 7 I was plotting how to get away with beating up my little brother. I didn't have time to worry about architecture...LOL

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  7. I just saw this post in your Popular Posts section! I have always loved the Brady house. The interior stone work, the whole split level thing and the kitchen table and chairs. So cool. Thanks for the info about the use of the real home too. Great stuff. x

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    1. I think most people have a special place in their hearts for the Brady house. That TV show really made an impression on people, as silly as it seems now.

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  8. Me again! Things look abit different on your blog! It looks great! I was so excited to see some pics of your home too in the side bar. It's gorgeous!! Are these new blog changes or am I just highly unobservant?!
    In regards to the Brady Home, another home I have always loved from a movie was the ranch style California home where Mitch lived in The Parent Trap with Haley Mills. Found some great info on the house just now over at hookedonhouses.net x

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    1. We've all been too busy to do much with out Etsy stores lately, so I removed the sidebar links to them, and I added a new profile photo. Other than that, everything is the same. Maybe taking off the Etsy link raised my house photos up enough that you were finally able to see them. :)

      Thanks for the tip about hookedonhouses.net. I'll have to check it out!

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  9. Hey, this is pretty cool. Back in Feb we visited "A Christmas Story House" in Cleveland, OH. That made me wonder if someone ever built a replica Brady home. I know the actual home looks nothing like it did back when the show aired and the interior of the original home is different. But imagine if some bored millionaire decided to build a replica home and then offer tours. People would flock to the place! I am actually surprised that no one has built their own Brady Home or a Cleaver Home. If I ever hit the lottery I am building both!

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    1. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you win the lottery soon, because it would be so cool to visit replica Brady and Cleaver houses. You'd make yet another fortune on tours!

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  10. Grapes are great! This is a unique, simple scented candle, which is why I love it! You just won't find
    grape candle
    selection anymore. It usually has some type of floral or perfume in it. So this is a great option to keep it subtle.

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  11. This candle is grapes :This is a wonderfully grape scented candles . Had a small jar in my living room and it filled the room. I love burning multiple scents at once and this blends well with other fruity PI candles I've bought. I just placed my second order and it has this scent in it. Smells like grapes, but tastes sweet, not pediatrics. Suitable for those who like fruity scents.

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