Allan Melvin Movies

Blanche Hefner has walked out on husband Barney several times in the past, but this time it's permanent. As usual, Barney tries to drown his sorrows at Archie's bar, thoroughly depressing the other patrons. Hoping to divest himself of Barney, Archie tries fixes his pal up with a wealthy and hefty widow named Martha Birkhorn (Peggy Rea). Written by Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf, Phil Sharp, and Milt Josefsberg, "Barney the Gold Digger" was first telecast on February 5, 1979 (in a Monday-night slot, a brief departure from the series' customary Sunday-evening home). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The irrepressible Pinky (Eugene Roche) plays another practical joke on Archie while attending an out-of-town VFW convention. Thus, when Archie awakens from a drunken stupor, he finds that he is sharing his motel bed with an attractive black woman named Marabel (Jonelle Allen), who insists that the two of them had engaged in an evening of unbridled passion. Both amused and touched by Archie's flustered efforts to apologize, Marabel reveals the joke, and agrees to help Archie get even with Pinky. Written by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, "Archie's Other Wife" first aired on November 5, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Estelle Parsons appears as Blanche, the "straying" wife of Archie's pal, Barney Hefner. When Blanche throws Barney over in favor of an electrician, Barney drowns his sorrows at Archie's bar. Realizing that Barney's self-pity is driving away customers, Archie enlists Edith's aid in bringing the Hefners back together. Written by Milt Josefsberg and Phil Sharp, "Reunion on Hauser Street" first aired on October 8, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Surprise, surprise! It is Archie Bunker, who, as head of his lodge's membership committee, demands that a minority-group member be allowed to join. Actually, Archie is covering his own behind: The lodge has been threatened with legal action from various civil-rights groups if it does not open its doors to either a Jew or an African American. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone (so to speak), Archie lobbies for the membership of a black Jewish man named Solomon Jackson (James McEachin). Written by Ben Starr and Charles Stewart, "Archie the Liberal" originally aired on March 5, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Reversing the usual procedure, it is Mike and Gloria who are angry at Archie. The reason? Against their wishes, Archie entered their son, Joey, in a beautiful-baby contest. Criticized in some quarters as a banal episode, "The Baby Contest" at least served as a non-controversial safety valve in the overall saga of All in the Family. Written by series stalwarts Larry Rhine and Mel Tolkin, the episode originally aired on December 11, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fifth and final season of The Brady Bunch finds a newcomer amidst the familiar faces. Joining stars Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as Mike and Carol Brady, Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen as the various and sundry Brady kids, and Ann B. Davis as Alice the housekeeper, is child actor Robbie Rist as the infamous Cousin Oliver, whose addition to the family was a gimmick to "freshen up" the then five-year-old series. There are thousands upon thousands of Brady Bunch fans who are of the opinion that the world would be no worse off with one less Cousin Oliver, but thankfully (for these fans) the kid showed up in only six episodes. No matter what one's opinion of the estimable Oliver, it cannot be denied that several of the fifth-season Brady Bunch episodes are among the series' best and most memorable. These include "Adios, Johnny Bravo," in which Greg Brady adopts a new name in preparation for a showbiz career; "Mail Order Hero," distinguished by football legend Joe Namath in a guest appearance as himself; "Never Too Young," featuring a pre-Little House on the Prairie Melissa Sue Anderson as little Bobby Brady's first major crush; "Marcia Gets Creamed," a textbook example of the venerable adage "Never hire your relatives"; "The Elopement," wherein the Brady kids labor under the false assumption that Alice is about to marry her erstwhile beau Sam (Allan Melvin); "Two Petes in a Pod," with series regular Christopher Knight in a dual role; "The Cincinnati Kid," an episode built around the real-life opening of the Kings' Island amusement park in Cincinnati; and the series' final episode, "The Hair-Brained Scheme," the one in which Greg's hair turns orange. Also worth mentioning is the episode titled "Kelly's Kids," the story of a husband (Ken Berry) and wife (Brooke Bundy) who adopt a trio of interracial kids, which was filmed as the pilot for a series that never sold. ~ All Movie Guide

A riddle posed by Gloria sparks a major brouhaha on the topic of Women's Lib. Gloria knows the answer to the riddle, and so does Edith -- but Mike and Archie are stumped. Archie, of course, reacts with his usual bombast, while Mike begins to question the validity of his own liberal sentiments. Allan Melvin, who showed up as a cop in the second-season episode "Archie in the Lock-Up," makes his first appearance in the role of Archie's pal Barney Hefner. First aired on October 7, 1972, "Gloria and the Riddle" was written by Don Nicholl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Even after four seasons and 73 episodes, The Brady Bunch is still the same old story, but a good story indeed: widow Carol (Florence Henderson) is married to widower Mike (Robert Reed), resulting in a household full of children from their respective previous marriages: Mike's sons, Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland), and Carol's daughters, Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen). Riding herd on this crop of humanity is sensible but slightly off-kilter housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis). The season gets under way with a three-part story set in Hawaii, replete with guest appearances by Vincent Price and -- who else? -- Don Ho. Among the most memorable "stateside" episodes during season four are "The Show Must Go On??," a musical extravaganza spotlighting the talents of the entire Brady brood; "Goodbye, Alice, Hello," in which the kids give Alice the silent treatment for betraying a confidence; "You're Never Too Old," featuring Robert Reed in the dual role of Mike Brady and Mike's foxy grandpa, and Florence Henderson likewise double-cast as Carol and Carol's peppery grandma; "A Room at the Top," wherein Greg and Marcia battle over possession of the family attic; and best of all, "The Subject Was Noses," the one in which a misguided football smashes Marcia's nose flat -- and we mean flat! ~ All Movie Guide

Season three of The Brady Bunch is pretty much the same as seasons one and two, not that anyone is complaining. Once again, the diverse members of the Brady clan, brought together two seasons earlier by the wedding of widow Carol Martin (Florence Henderson) and widower Mike Brady (Robert Reed), do their darnedest to live harmoniously under the same suburban roof, with sensible housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis) acting as sidelines observer and occasional plot motivator. The season opens with the series' first multi-episode story, in which the Bradys embark upon a memorable trip to the Grand Canyon -- and along the way are detained by an eccentric old prospector played by Jim Backus, here working for producer Sherwood Schwartz for the first time since the cancellation of Gilligan's Island. Subsequent episodes worth mentioning include "The Wheeler Dealer, in which oldest son Greg Brady (Barry Williams) buys his first car; "The Personality Kid," which finds middle son Peter (Christopher Knight) adopting a zany new personality and living to regret it (remember the "Porkchops and Applesauce" scene?); "Juliet Is the Sun," wherein oldest daughter Marcia (Maureen McCormick) develops a swelled head the size of Massachusetts when she lands the lead in her school play; "Her Sister's Shadow," an exercise in frustration for middle daughter Jan (Eve Plumb), who for the first -- and, astonishingly the last -- time utters the immortal rant "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"; "Getting Davy Jones," the celebrated episode featuring the titular ex-Monkee; "The Teeter-Totter Caper," a potent warning against incipient juvenile delinquency spotlighting youngest Brady kids Bobby (Mike Lookinland) and Cindy (Susan Olsen); and "Sergeant Emma," in which series regular Ann B. Davis delivers a bravura performance in the dual role of housekeeper Alice and her martinet cousin Emma. ~ All Movie Guide

The most conspicuous change in The Brady Bunch during its second season is manifested in the series' familiar theme music. Whereas a rock group called the Peppermint Trolley chanted the "Story of a Lovely Lady" ballad at the beginning of each first-season episode, the shows seen during season two were heralded by the Brady kids themselves singing the now-familiar title theme. Need anyone be reminded that those "kids" consist of Greg (Barry Williams), Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Peter (Christopher Knight), Jan (Eve Plumb), Bobby (Mike Lookinland), and Cindy (Susan Olsen)? And can there be a TV addict alive who doesn't know that the kids' parents are Mike and Carol Brady (Robert Reed, Florence Henderson), or that the family's housekeeper is the kind-hearted, level-headed Alice (Ann B. Davis)? (And five points for everyone who remembers that the Brady's pet dog is named Tiger -- you know, the one who chased Fluffy the cat to parts unknown in the series opener.) The most memorable of the series' second-season episodes include "The Dropout," in which Greg Brady is talked out of forsaking college by no less than baseball legend Don Drysdale; "The Slumber Caper," which served to reunite series star Robert Reed with his former co-star on The Defenders, E.G. Marshall; "A Fistful of Reasons," wherein Peter Brady goes head-to-head with a school bully for the sake of stepsister Cindy; "Confessions, Confessions," a case study in misguided family loyalty; "Where There's Smoke," in which Greg Brady not only nearly picks up a nasty habit but also performs a song; "The Liberation of Marcia Brady," wherein the titular heroine strikes a blow for gender equality; and "Alice's September Song," a poignant tale of romance and remembrance focusing on the Brady housekeeper. ~ All Movie Guide

Season one of The Brady Bunch opens famously with the wedding of widow Carol Martin (Florence Henderson) and widower Mike Brady (Robert Reed), attended by Carol's daughters, Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen) and by Mike's sons, Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). This occasion also serves as the first -- and last -- appearance of the girls' pet cat, Fluffy, and is quickly followed by a chaotic "family honeymoon." Certainly an auspicious start for five years' worth of warm-hearted hilarity. The first season's best-remembered episodes include "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," in which Alice the housekeeper (Ann B. Davis) gets the mistaken notion that her services are no longer required; "A Clubhouse Is Not a Home," the first of many episodes in which the Brady kids build an elaborate prop; "A-Camping We Will Go," the contents of which should be self-explanatory; and "Sorry, Right Number," in which Mike installs a pay phone to teach his family a lesson in economizing (this episode also marks the first appearance of Alice's off-and-on beau Sam [Allan Melvin]). Other memorable episodes include "Vote for Brady," a cautionary tale of campaign promises unfulfilled; "Is There a Doctor in the House?," dramatizing a medical "turf war" arising from the kids' measles; "The Undergraduate," wherein Greg Brady develops a crush on his attractive teacher; "Brace Yourself," the story of Marcia's dental misfortunes; "The Possible Dream," with guest star Desi Arnaz Jr.; and "The Grass Is Always Greener," the one where Mike and Carol switch jobs for a day. ~ All Movie Guide

Arlene Golonka makes her first series appearance in the role of bakery worker Millie Hutchins. Falling in love with Millie, Howard sets himself up for a potentially painful experience when he runs afoul of Millie's former boyfriend, tough guy Clyde Plaunt (Allan Melvin). Best line: "It doesn't always work, Howard!" (in context, it's hilarious). Written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret, "Howard's Main Event" originally aired on October 16, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide