Sunday, January 20, 2008

So long, Sam...

Last night I heard that actor Allan Melvin passed away. He's best know as Sam, the butcher, on "The Brady Bunch", at least that's how I remember him. Sure, I had seen him on "All in the Family" and other shows, but I didn't see those other shows until they were long into reruns. Actually, "The Brady Bunch" went off the air in 1974, so technically I saw that in reruns too, but at a much younger age.

I was probably same age as Bobby when I started watching the show. We had a giant station wagon similar to theirs, but we didn't have an Astro-Turf lawn, nor one bathroom between six kids. How the heck does that work with three girls? Marcia must have started her shower and make up and 4am to make to school on time. I'm sure the boys blew off the shower, though Greg may have spent some time on his hair, he had to in order to get the groovy chicks. At least Alice had her own bathroom, stuck in the back recesses of the house. She may have been locked away down there so she wouldn't run off in the middle of the night. There was no way Carol was going to do everything around the house. Maybe that is why Sam and Alice never got married? Maybe she wasn't allowed to leave.

I still watch "The Brady Bunch" if it comes on, sure it is painfully dated and super sugar coated, but I can't help myself. Maybe it makes me feel young again. Maybe that is why I watch all those old shows when the come on, Columbo, Quincy, MASH, etc. My wife makes fun of me, telling me I'm stuck in the 70's, and she is probably right. We all probably like TV shows or movies that were from a time in our lives where things seemed the best. These shows may seem lame to others, but their quality is artificially boosted by our memories of the time. I'm sure everyone can think of an example, but I still think Columbo was an awesome show, no matter what anyone else says.

I just heard Suzanne Pleshette died, too! Is it 70's TV show death day or something?

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