The Brady Bunch: The Complete First Season DVD Review:

In 1969 started a pop culture phenomenon that seems silly to even introduce. It seems that all you would need to do is whistle the beginning of the theme song, or make reference to one of the famous episodes and deep down we would all know that it was The Brady Bunch. Although there must be some that have never seen The Brady Bunch, and I’m certain that the numbers will only increase as the generation gap does the same, before that happens the first season has been released on DVD in a slim four disc set.

A man named Brady has three boys and then he marries a woman that has three girls of her own, as the song says. The first season spends a great deal of time showing the family adjust to their new situation despite the fact that the kids call their step-parents “Mom” and “Dad”, as early as the second episode. Whether it is dealing with issues of sharing (stamps, the clubhouse, the bathroom), the house being too small for such a large family, or any of the kids feeling lonely or lost in the new crowd (even Alice joins in on this theme), most episodes work well because the family has no co-existed for a very long time.

Another theme that seems to run strong through at least half of the episodes is the theme of boys vs. girls. Should girls be doctors? Is there anywhere that boys can go that girls shouldn’t be allowed? How is camping the same with girls? What happens when Greg and Marsha both run for the office of school president? What happens when Mike is left to run the household after Carol leaves and Alice sprains her ankle? What happens when Mike and Carol switch roles for a day? All of these questions are answered in season one. A list of all twenty-five episodes is below:

Disc One
1. The Honeymoon
2. Dear Libby
3. Eenie, Meenie, Mommy, Daddy
4. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
5. Katchoo
6. A Clubhouse is Not a Home
7. Kitty Karry-All is Missing
Disc Two
8. A-Camping We Will Go
9. Sorry, Right Number
10. Every Boy Does It Once
11. Vote for Brady
12. The Voice of Christmas
13. Is There a Doctor in the House?
Disc Three
14. Father of the Year
15. 54-40 and Fight
16. Mike's Horror-scope
17. The Undergraduate
18. Tiger, Tiger!
19. The Big Sprain
Disc Four
20. Brace Yourself
21. The Hero
22. The Possible Dream
23. To Move or Not to Move
24. The Grass is Always Greener
25. Lost Locket, Found Locket

Despite the fact that a great deal of the dialogue is either overly sweet, or extremely cheesy, there is a certain charm about the perfect family. It is even easy to ignore how horrible most of the acting is at times. There are some episodes, such as “Father of the Year”, that are sincerely touching.
The picture on the episodes is not always consistent, often switching from being a sharp and clear image to a grainy and fuzzy one, all within the same scene. It isn’t extremely bad, but definitely noticeable. The audio also seems to be somewhat inconsistent as well. However, it still is a fairly neat package, with a fantastic hologram cover on the box. It is slim and should fit on your DVD shelf quite easily. It is so thin that you might even be lucky enough to not have anyone notice that you own it. However, even if it is noticed, The Brady Bunch is a guilty pleasure many of us can relate to.

There are actually a few special features, including a special featurette about the Brady family. There are also a few commentary tracks, some with three of the original Brady kids, and a few others with Sherwood Schwartz, the show’s creator. They are all nostalgic and somewhat interesting. The true highlight, however, is the episodes themselves in all their color glory, as the opening boasts.

Ryan Izay

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