Eve Plumb is looking back on clashes she witnessed during the filming of ’70s sitcom The Brady Bunch, particularly a friction between co-star Robert Reed and creator Sherwood Schwartz.
Plumb reflected on the behind-the-scenes dynamics in a new interview as she promoted her memoir Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond, admitting “we knew there was tension”.
Plumb said tensions between Reed and Schwartz were noticeable on set, often resulting from disagreements over the show’s tone and direction.
“You’d hear the door slam, and then we’d go on and do something else. It’s like it is in any family. When there’s discord, you figure out a way to get through it.”
Her own relationship with Reed, she noted, remained more professional, adding that she remembers him as kind, thoughtful and highly talented.
“He was sophisticated, loved opera, had a gorgeous house in Pasadena,” she recalled. “I didn’t know him on a ‘let’s have lunch’ level, but all of my dealings with him were professional and pleasant.”
She also recalled a memorable gesture from Reed, who once treated the cast to a trip to New York City, including a stay at the Plaza Hotel and a cruise.
“Who does that?” she said. “A week at the Plaza for all of us—I don’t know what it cost. I couldn’t do it now.”
Plumb, who was just 11 when she was cast as Jan Brady, said the set still maintained a strong sense of unity, with adult cast members helping guide the younger actors.
