Avenue G

The ex-Brady, looking good -- Picture courtesy of wireimage

by blogSpotter
My early teenage years spanned the late 60's and early 70's. I was from a somewhat dysfunctional family and sought some refuge in the fake comfort of television sitcoms -- Beaver, Hazel and Mayberry RFD to name a few. I was delighted when The Brady Bunch hit the scene-- a show which played on the groovy vibe of the era and focused more on its teen stars than the adult characters. Maureen McCormick played Marcia, the eldest daughter. She played into the popular cheerleader stereotype with a couple of episodes centering around sibling rivalry with Jan (Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!) and vanity (I’ll never date again with these braces!).

Maureen is from a modest and un-Brady background. Her father was a teacher and her mother was a homemaker. She was the youngest of 4 and the only girl. One brother is mentally disabled and lived with the parents until recently. One brother was a ne’er do well who ended up in a protracted lawsuit with Maureen over family assets. Maureen’s maternal grandfather contracted syphilis in WWI and gave it to the grandmother. The grandmother gave the disease to Maureen’s mother in utero and the condition affected her psychologically for life. Maureen worried that she would also show evidence of the disease, needlessly so.

Maureen got her start at age 8, doing Chatty Cathy commercials. From there, the photogenic girl made an easy segue over to Brady Bunch in 1969. Maureen says that her real family was weird enough that she actually found safe haven on the Brady set. She had a partially-requited love with co-star Barry Williams (French kiss while filming Hawaiian episode); she found wonderful surrogate parents in the forms of Florence Henderson, Bob Reed and Anne B. Davis. Anne was in real life much like her Alice character -- a rock of Gibraltar.

The series wrapped in 1974 after 6 wonderfully kitschy years. Maureen fell victim (as did we all?) to the late 70s disco-drug insanity. The pre-Aids polyester era of sex and cocaine drew her into a vortex of addiction, bulimia, one-night stands, and shallow relationships with producers, dealers and actors. She had an abortion at one point because she and the father were barely conscious much less able to birth and raise a child. Maureen is really a sweet, wonderful person when not strung out (in some ways like Marcia sans the Brady clan). Her acting skills never took her far out of the wholesome blonde role so her subsequent career has been mostly TV bit parts (Love Boat, Passions) and B movies (Rerurn to Horror High).

Maureen probably found her best role as mother, wife and rescuer to her family of origin. She renounced drugs and married Michael Cummings (a member of her church) in 1986. They are still married and have a teen daughter, Natalie. Maureen cared for her mother as she ailed from cancer and took custody of her mentally disabled brother. She did end up in a bizarre family feud with her slacker brother Kevin. Kevin conspired with the mentally declining, aged father to try and move a family trust (built mostly from Brady residuals) into his name. It turned into a knock-down drag-out court case -- Maureen actually signed over much of the money before consulting friends, attorneys and other family members.

Well that’s the story .. of a lovely lady -- But I digress. :-) As someone who worshipped at the altar of Marcia, it’s fascinating to see that the real person has bumps and bruises like the rest of but also has come thru in flying colors. Maureen’s most recent TV appearance has been as a contestant on MTV’s Celebrity Fit Club. She lost considerable weight, gained perspective on age and looks and even made amends to someone she’d hated for 30 years -- Marcia Brady. A woman this well put-together doesn’t ever have to compete with a TV fantasy; the real girl is far more impressive.

© 2008 blogSpotter

Labels: Television