The Brady Bunch:
The Complete First Season

(Paramount Home Entertainment, 3.1.2005)

I have to admit (with some disgrace) that up until this DVD release, I'd never watched an episode of The Brady Bunch in its entirety. I did see the two fairly recent cinematic entries, which hardly qualifies as real Brady knowledge, as the films just seemed to satirize the dated-dynamic in contrast to the happenin' nineties. Initially, the thought of commenting on the first season (1969-70) of this treasured series seemed like a daunting assignment for a Brady beginner. However, I solved this dilemma by thinking of a family from my early youth, similar in tone and theme to the Bradys: the Tanners. That's right, Full House was my once-a-week fix for wholesome, remixed, family goodness with a sprinkle of social commentary when I was a kid.

Danny Tanner is a lot like Mike Brady with a touch of (sorry Bob) Carol. Also, Alice is sooo Joey Gladstone (minus her good housekeeping). Both patriarchs give endless lectures on the perils of youth and the virtues of righteous morality. Before everyone decides to reach for the tar and feathers, I'll admit that Full House doesn't contain half the charm of The Brady Bunch. Thankfully, this DVD collection made a Brady buff out of me and I look forward to the rest of the seasons as they're released on DVD (season two should be available in June, three in August, and four in November).

Christopher Knight (Peter) puts it eloquently on the fourth disc's commentary track: "You have to enter a specific kinda mental space when you watch the show." Granted, there are many eye-rolling moments throughout the course of the season but there's also this allure, this intangible chemical reaction that floods my mind as each episode plays out. Maybe it's in the catchy credits, the writing, the mise-en-scene, the direction, the acting, the bold societal observations, or the blatant artificiality of it all -- the camp. It's likely all of these things...and more.

The show actually looks pretty good with each episode looking progressively better than the last. The first disc is plagued by some nasty dirt and damage. However, this is clearly a flaw with the original source material and reparations might've been too timely and costly. There isn't much to complain about with this release. I doubt the show has never looked so sharp with its dazzlingly vivid color palette. Audio comes in Dolby Digital Mono and is exceptionally clear and crisp, which is important in a dialogue/squabble-heavy sitcom of this kind.

The extras are a notch thin but Paramount may be holding off for future Brady releases. There have already been numerous interviews and specials dedicated to this iconographic pop culture staple. On this release, we get three commentaries and a 17-minute featurette.

The first commentary is located on the show's launching episode, "The Honeymoon." Here, we get to listen to creator Sherwood Schwartz as he tells stories about casting twelve Bradys, the theme song, the show's origins, the lack of comedy in particular scenes, among other somewhat interesting, albeit redundant, issues (we hear a lot of these tidbits on the disc's slightly more informative featurette). Also, due to his late age, Schwartz can be somewhat monotonous and difficult to listen to. There are also pauses every minute or so where he just watches the show and mumbles to himself (all right, the mumbling part was a joke but he does kinda talk at the show once or twice).

The two other commentaries are much livelier and naturally more entertaining. Doing the commentaries are three grown Brady kids: Barry Williams (Greg), Christopher Knight (Peter), and Susan Olson (Cindy). These tracks are particularly amusing due to the cast's consistently energetic, surprisingly adult, self-mocking attitude. All three actors get along very well, reminiscing on matters such as the sets, costumes, Robert Reed's blue eyes and Shakespearian tongue, hair color/curls, Astroturf wrinkles, and so much more. These are some great tracks, not to be missed by fans.

Finally, we get a moderately short (but sweet) featurette called "The Brady Bunch - Coming Together Under One Roof." Along with the commentary contributors, we get Lloyd Schwartz (son of the show's creator), Mike Lookinland (Bobby), and the author of "The Brady Bunch Files." Also worth noting, Schwartz tells us that he originally planned to cast silver screen sensation Gene Hackman as Mike Brady.

If you watched the series during its initial run or in syndication, chances are you've already made up your mind about re-watching it. Be that as it may, the worthy extras, good video presentation, and clear audio may influence your decision. You even get the pre-theme song "in color' logo with an exceptionally disturbing shot of Greg Brady painfully smiling at the camera. If that's not enough to convince you, the DVD's slim cases come packaged in a groovy hologram of the tic-tac-toe'd bunch. -- Neil Karassik