Gee, Dad, I Never Thought of It That Way
Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, was apparently in the habit of sending lengthy memos to the show’s producers about problems he had with the scripts. Here’s an excerpt of one such memo:
It is a long since proven theorem in the theatre that an audience will adjust its suspension of belief to the degree that the opening of the presentation leads them. When a curtain rises on two French maids in a farce set discussing the peccadilloes of their master, the audience is now set for an evening of theatre in a certain style, and are prepared to accept having excluded certain levels of reality. And that is the price difference in the styles of theatre, both for the actor and the writer–the degree of reality inherent. Pure drama and comedy are closest to core realism, slapstick and fantasy the farthest removed. It is also part of that theorem that one cannot change styles midstream. How often do we read damning critical reviews of, let’s say, a drama in which a character has “hammed” or in stricter terms become melodramatic. How often have we criticized the “mumble and scratch” approach to Shakespearean melodrama, because ultra-realism is out of place when another style is required. And yet, any of these attacks could draw plaudits when played in the appropriate genre.
You really need to read the whole thing.
Look, Reed’s not wrong, and it’s admirable that he’s such a professional that he would apply the same standards of excellence to playing Mike Brady as he would apply to playing Iago. It’s probably a point of pride to him to do so. However, he could probably stand to take a bit of his own advice. The tone of his memo is entirely inappropriate for what it is. It comes across merely as grandstanding and intellectual bullying.
Via the Shakespeare Geek, who doesn’t grant the premise.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
“The tone of his memo is entirely inappropriate for what it is.”
That’s a helluva point. People sometimes criticize the most what reminds them of themselves…
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
DeLisa, that’s very true. And I think we reserve our most bitter judgements for the things we hate about ourselves when we see them in others.
In this case, I think the choice may be a deliberate one. The subtext seems to be “You should listen to me because I’m smarter than you.” I don’t know who this would work on, but I doubt television producers would be among that group. And if I remember the episode correctly, the hair did turn green, so Reed lost his appeal.
I should add that as a kid, I was put off by the green hair, because I didn’t find it believable within the context of the show. I remember thinking “That wouldn’t really happen.” Reed was right, though just a bit pompous.
As a kid, I also had a Reed-like reaction whenever a realistic sitcom would have a supernatural incident, like in a Halloween episode or something. The early stirrings of a future drama major, perhaps.