Classic Cartoons: THE BRADY KIDS

Everybody remembers THE BRADY BUNCH. Most people remember both the failed 70's variety series and the short run of the one hour 90's drama. There are even some people that can recall the bad BRADY BRIDES sitcom. But, very few remember the 2nd series based on the franchise, THE BRADY KIDS Saturday cartoon series.

THE BRADY KIDS ran for just one year, producing 22 half hour episodes. The series is listed as having two seasons, but the "second" season was just five episodes in the early fall of 1973, before being done on ABC.

The series premiered on on September 9, 1972, on ABC. The finale episode aired on October 6, 1973, after the five original, second season episodes had aired.

The production company was Filmation, along with Paramount Television. THE BRADY BUNCH creator Sherwood Schwartz was also involved in the short lived series.

The first 17 episodes feature all six child actors from the live action series. When a second season of five episodes was to be produced, three of the actors, Barry Williams, Chris Knight and Maureen McCormick did not return.

Character actor Larry Storch (F-TROOP) provided a lot of the non-Brady voices, including Marlon, the kids pet bird. Mop Top, the new family dog, and a couple of the recurring kid characters that interacted with the Brady Kids.

THE BRADY KIDS featured a lot of recycled animation from other Filmation cartoons, like THE ARCHIES and FAT ALBERT. Musical sequences were one of the more common spots this could be scene, but there were other scenes, or sequences, that were lifted and reused on this series. This practice allowed quicker turn around and cheaper production costs.

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Season 1: ABC - Saturdays at 10:30a.m. (17)
Season 2: ABC - Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. (5)

About THE BRADY KIDS:

The show is about the six Brady children and their animal friends. Their new dog; Two pandas named Ping and Pong and their bird Marlon, which had magical powers. The kids were a musical group and performed at least one song in each episode.

The main hangout for the kids was the family treehouse, in the back yard of the Brady household. Interacting with the Bradys were Chuck White, a boastful, self-absorbed "friend" of Greg's, who was not above cheating to get whatever he wanted. Chuck's sidekicks were Fleetwood and Babs. Babs had a crush on Greg.

VOICES:

The Bradys
Greg Brady ............... Barry Williams
Peter Brady ............... Christopher Knight
Bobby Brady ............. Mike Lookinland
Marcia Brady ............. Maureen McCormick
Jan Brady ................... Eve Plumb
Cindy Brady ............... Susan Olsen
Marlon (bird) .............. Larry Storch
Mop Top (dog) ........... Larry Storch
Ping & Pong ............... Jane Webb
Chuck White ............... Larry Storch
Fleetwood ................... Larry Storch
Babs ............................ Jane Webb