Episode 7: The Show Must Go On??

Hello again readers, family and friends.  Today we review “The Show Must Go On??”.  I stated in the previous blog how this episode ranked among my least favorites as a kid and how I was hoping that seeing it again through adult eyes might change my opinion.  Well, I will say it was not the boring experience I recall from childhood.  However, it remains in my bottom five.  To be fair, anytime the cast of a sitcom used an episode to take part in some kind of talent show, I found that I did not enjoy the episode.  I understand that after a few seasons of a successful show, the cast is entitled to some sort of vanity performance.  The actors and actresses want to show the world they can do more than play a precocious teen, adoring mother or whatever the role may be.  This was done on several shows.  Although the show Alice seemed to overdo it in the later seasons.  It even happened on M*A*S*H once!  So, despite my own reservations about the “The Show Must Go On??”, this blog must go on.  Let us begin our review!

The story begins with Greg and Marcia arriving home from school.  Marcia has some troubling news to share with Carol.  Greg even suggests she put on her sneakers so she can run for her life after sharing it.  What is this terrible news?  Carol must perform a song with Marcia in the high school’s Family Night Frolics!  So jarring is this news that it almost causes Carol to drop the dishes she is holding.  Carol’s reaction here seems really out of character.  She had no issue acting in a tv commercial, singing at church or writing a magazine article.  It would seem she has no problem being in the public eye.  During this conversation, Greg mentions the money raised from the talent show will go to buy special school equipment.  What a generic line.  Could the writers not agree on something more specific like a new floor for the gym, new chalkboards for the classrooms or new slide rules for the math department?

Carol’s objections continue into the next scene.  Mike even brings up Carol’s singing at church back in season one.  She claims she had no issue doing that because that was not in front of a paying audience.  This must have been thrown in for continuity’s sake.  Carol sure seemed upset about not being able to sing in that episode and not like one who could just shrug it off because it was a free performance.  The writers used this opportunity to bring up the show’s most referenced historical figure.  As Mike and the kids try to shame her into performing, Carol states how they are making her feel like a traitor.  Mike replies, “Not at all Benedict”.  A future blog might be just about Benedict Arnold as he was such a huge part of The Brady Bunch.  A funny moment occurs during this scene as Greg states, “If Marcia is willing to go out on a limb with her voice…” and Marcia looks irate for a brief second, but immediately fakes a smile so as not upset the room’s momentum in changing Carol’s mind.  After much cajoling, Carol agrees to be in the talent show.

“That’s the trouble with all the parents!”

During this scene, Greg comments on how there is a shortage of parents willing to perform in the show.   He even comments on how Carol’s reluctance matches “the trouble with all the parents” as none of them want to do their part.  If so few parents are willing to perform, why not put on some other kind of show?  The school could have the student body put on a play, perform their talents without parental assistance or just have a raffle to raise funds for special school equipment.  Maybe at one time there was a student body with lots of parents wanting to dance, sing, read poems and perform magic, but it would seem the era had passed.  The $2.00 being charged for the tickets in 1972 would amount to around $11.00 today.

So motivated are the Bradys to sell tickets to the show that even Peter and Bobby are helping out, despite their not even being of age to attend Westdale High.  Perhaps this scene was cut in syndication as I have no recollection of it.  Peter tries to sell tickets to a woman who answers the door.  She could care less about attending a talent show at the high school.  As she closes the door, her daughter walks up and is delighted to see Peter at her door.  Peter had no idea this was the home of Muriel.  Regular Brady viewers will recognize the actress playing Muriel, Karen Foulkes, as the same one who played Margie Ripple in “Will The Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?”  Why not have her just reprise her previous role as it is identical to that of Muriel?  Margie, er, Muriel is certain she could get her mom to buy some tickets for the show if Peter will go to the movies with her.  After some hesitation, Peter agrees.

Brandy Carson as woman (aka Muriel’s mother).

The unnamed and uninterested mother of Muriel was played by Brandy Carson.  This was one of two Brady Bunch appearances.  It was surprising to see what a short acting resume she has on IMDB.  She just has one of those faces that looks very familiar.  However, her acting credits list only two roles where she is named.  Those were on an appearance on the show Good Morning, World in 1968 and the movie “Victims” in 1982.  The rest of her roles were just general terms like “Campaign Worker” and “Animal Shelter Volunteer”.  The latter being her most recent IMDB credit dated 2012.  This episode’s credits list her as woman.  A Google search produced a 2009 article for an actress named Brandy Carson who has done a lot of stage work, but did not include a photo or any reference to her on camera work.

Carol is having trouble finding an act for she and Marcia to perform.  For Carol to have been so reluctant, she sure has taken over the act.  It would seem that Marcia would be the one deciding the song they will sing.  Carol wants to do something modern.  They should have done a Davy Jones song since Marcia is such a huge fan and there are no doubt plenty of his albums laying around the house.   A Google search of 1972’s top music hits offered up “Lean On Me”, “Rocking Robin” and “Mother and Child Reunion” as some mother/daughter performance options.  1971’s offerings included “Joy To The World”, “Knock Three Times” and “Me and Bobby McGee”.  The songbook Carol is perusing looks like ones I have seen on the shelves of the music section of used bookstores.  The props department did cover the name/title with a decorative cut of tape.

The episode’s b-plot begins over at Sam’s butcher shop.  Alice is recruiting him to sell tickets to the show and has assumed he will be taking her to see it.  He says not so fast as he has bowling practice that same night.  So chagrined is Alice that Sam doesn’t want to watch a show mostly consisting of parents and kids he does not know that she breaks up with him as she leaves his shop.  Readers, your thoughts are most welcome here.  Why does Alice need a date to attend a talent show?  Sam is helping out by peddling the tickets to customers and I can understand his lack of desire to attend the show itself.  He doesn’t have children attending the school nor does he serve as house servant to any of them.  I think Alice really overreacted here.  Alice’s angst carries over to the next scene as she swats flies and complains to Jan and Cindy about her love life.

The talent show gains another act in the next scene.  Mike arrives home from work and learns that Marcia and Carol will be performing a tune from the musical “Gypsy”.  He also learns that Greg has volunteered him to do a father-son act.  Mike objects as he can’t sing, dance or juggle oranges.  Greg gives a funny reply saying it is known Mike has no talent.  He and Mike will be giving a dramatic reading of a poem with guitar accompaniment.  The teacher, Mrs. Tuttle, picked out the poem they will be reading.  Mike is not happy about this, but is made to eat his words from earlier in the episode when he encouraged Carol to perform.

The poem selected by Mrs. Tuttle is “The Day is Done” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Mike begins reading it to the boys and they find it a terrible bore.  Greg even fakes falling asleep during Mike’s recitation of the rhyme.  Mike states it is a beautiful poem, but doesn’t work as a piece of entertainment.  He recalls facing a similar situation in college when he had to read a poem called, “Oh Bowser, Brave Bowser”.  He decides he will do the same for Longfellow’s poem that he did for the one in college. While “The Day is Done” is a real poem, a Google search produced nothing for “Oh Bowser, Brave Bowser”.

Down in the living room, the b-plot continues.  Alice brings Mike and Carol some freshly perked coffee while remaining overly perky herself.  She claims her issues with Sam are not troubling her at all.  Mike then says, “That is good Alice, because if him not taking you to a high school talent show was grounds for a breakup, your relationship was obviously doomed anyway.”  Carol elbows Mike who says, “Well it’s true.”  Of course this did not happen.  Alice goes to pour a cup of coffee only to find her relationship woes have her so distracted, she failed to put coffee in the percolator.  A funny line here would have been, “How about a nice cup of tea instead?”

Jan and Cindy intervene in Alice’s love life and save her relationship by lying to Sam.  The pair visit his store and tell him that Alice hasn’t give her butcher beau a second thought since she angrily left his store.  They claim another man has been taking her out every night!  Sam is immediately angry and closes up the store to go confront Alice with this news.  He barges into the Brady home without as much as a knock on the door.  Alice is understandably confused by his anger and accusations.  She doesn’t press the issue as he informs her he will be taking her to the Family Night Frolics.  As he storms out, she looks towards Heaven and says “I don’t know what you did, but thank you.”  It’s the first reference that I can recall to a higher power since “The Voice of Christmas”.   Readers, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Bonnie Ludeka and Frank Devol.

The next scene begins the Family Night Frolics.  A man and his daughter are playing instruments.  Readers, feel free to confirm what instrument the man is playing.  Barry Williams mistakenly identifies it as an accordion in his book.  He does share that the man playing the father is Frank Devol.  Frank Devol composed the theme song to the Brady Bunch.  Another well known classic TV tune to his credit was the theme from My Three Sons.  He wrote several others as well.  As far as acting goes, he had numerous roles, but the only regular gig he had was on Fernwood Tonight.  He did enjoy recurring roles on The Jeffersons and Petticoat Junction.  Frank Devol died in 1999.  The actress portraying the daughter was Bonnie Ludeka and this was her only role.

Mrs. Tuttle is emceeing the show and announces the next act as Carol and Marcia Brady.  The actress portraying Mrs. Tuttle had appeared in the previous Brady Bunch episode “Call Me Irresponsible”.   Before Carol and Marcia perform, we get another shot of the audience.  The look on Cindy’s face is a peculiar one.  It gives the impression that Susan Olsen had grown bored with doing the audience scene and gave mocking praise and this somehow made the final cut.

Carol and Marcia perform a well choreographed routine to accompany their song. The song is “Together, Wherever We Go” from Act II of the musical “Gypsy”.  Perhaps a reader has enjoyed this musical at some point and can advise on how Carol and Marcia’s routine compares to the original.  In the book “Growing Up Brady”, it is stated this song and dance was so enjoyed by Maureen McCormick that this episode is her favorite of The Brady Bunch.

The next act is Mike and Greg doing the dramatic reading of the poem.  He and Greg are both clad in tuxedos.  To jazz things up, sight gags are added to the dramatic reading.  Following the line, “As a feather is wafted downward” Peter and Bobby drop feathers from above.   The line, “From an eagle in his flight.” is met with a rubber chicken being dangled on a string.  When the poem mentions rain or mist, the boys pour water on Mike and Greg.  Soon all three of the sight gags are combined and Mike opens the shell of an umbrella.  With that comes the end of the episode and what one would assume is the end of the poem.  However, if one reads the entire poem, he/she will notice that Mike skips an entire verse and there are five more remaining as all the sight gags are combined.  As I watched this I could not help but think of the horror Mrs. Tuttle must have felt seeing this poem she selected become a spectacle of cheap gags.  Maybe she knew ahead of time and was okay with it.  As for Robert Reed, he should have won an Emmy for keeping his composure during this scene.  I suppose there is a sliver of hope that maybe he found this funny and enjoyed the scene, but based on other things I have read, I can’t imagine he approved of it.

The epilogue has Mike and Carol talking about what a hit their acts were at the Family Night Frolics.  Carol imitates Ed Sullivan’s “really big shoe” gag in talking of the success the Brady acts enjoyed.  Alice enters the family room and gives the dinner menu for the evening and it resembles a Thanksgiving meal.  She is celebrating and giving thanks that she and Sam are back together.

Thank you for reviewing “The Show Must Go On??” with me this week.  I welcome your own thoughts and critiques on this episode, whether they by praises or laments.  It’s nice that Maureen McCormick created a nice memory with Florence Henderson.  However, the episode is among my least favorites.  The Alice and Sam drama seemed petty and silly.  However, sometimes fights in a relationship are just that, so maybe it was more realistic than I am giving it credit for.  Regardless of the validity of the lover’s quarrel, it coupled with a talent show did not make for an entertaining Brady Bunch story.  Next week we review an episode that showcases The Brady Bunch we all know and love.  Please join me next week as we review “Jan, The Only Child”.  Have a great weekend!