The house chosen in the Spring of 1969 to be used for all exterior shots in the hip-yet-square TV series The Brady Bunch still stands unassumingly in Burbank, California deep in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. The widow who owned the house at the time was paid a very modest sum for its usage, and exterior shots from every angle were gathered. These initial shots were recylced for the entire five-year duration of the series. Although the house wasn’t a two-story dwelling that would match the already-designed interior, producers didn’t care because it captured so well the look of the California middle-class that was trying to be conveyed. In order to correct this slight problem, the answer was to simply add a phony window to the upper level.
Bob and I drove over to see this house after we had attended the Hollywood Collectors Show nearby on October 2, 2005. A fence had been added to slow down those fans who insisted on peering in the windows to see if they could catch a glimpse of Alice vacuuming the floors. Other than that (and the elimination of the phony window), it was instantly recognizable. I pulled out my cell phone and gave Ashleigh a call to let her know where I was.
Head-on frame blow-up of the house
Me calling Ashleigh in front of the now-fenced-in property
The driveway establishment shot. Sometimes the cars that pulled in here didn’t match the car that ended up at the garage.
Me from the driveway angle
Return to Sunday 2005 in California…
What…..no Tiger!!!
Dave Chasteen
December 16th, 2007