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Forget the Tricks — Bring on the Treats!
Posted by lisasutton Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
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Over the years, Halloween has become a bigger holiday for adults than for children. That’s pretty understandable, since the past few generations seem to include legions of people (myself included) who refuse to grow up. Each year at this time, a variety of seasonal candies that seem to be exclusive to second-most-popular holiday suddenly appear on store shelves. Although some can be found year-round, here is my list of confections that bring back a cornucopia of sweet and spooky memories for me: DUM DUMS: Made small on purpose for the wee ones, Dum Dums remain the perfect small treat for little goblins. TOOTSIE ROLL FLAVOR ROLLS: You can get the chocolate ones year round, but I’d only dare to eat cherry, vanilla or banana at Halloween. WAX LIPS: I must confess, as much as I loved wearing wax lips, (they always got a big laugh) eating them was another story… to this day, I get nauseous remembering the one and only time I tried to consume one of the waxen wonders. PIXY STIX: It's as fun to say as it is to eat! Interestingly — Pixy Stix were originally created as a drink mix, but kids figured out way back in the 1930s that it’s much more efficient to dump the sugary powder right into your mouth. SWEETARTS: The grown up offspring of Pixy Stix, SweeTarts are for neat freaks who prefer their tangy, sugary substance in pill form and not all over the bottom of your trick-or-treat bag. CARAMEL APPLE SUCKERS: Caramel apples are about the only way you can get me to eat fruit most of the time, but on Halloween, rumors of nefarious practices with homemade treats ruined the real deal for most of us decades ago. I don’t know if anyone ever really got a razor blade in an apple or were poisoned with a popcorn ball, but the invention of Caramel Apple Suckers made the real ones obsolete, anyway. If you don’t count tooth decay, these remove the risk. CANDY DOTS: Crunchy, compact and colorful. These throwbacks have been popular since the 50s, but I defy you to eat a whole strip without getting any paper along with the pretty little candy buttons. ORANGE [CIRCUS] PEANUTS: While our parents pilfered the chocolate bars out of our bags, as kids, we were left with some puzzling remnants. Orange Peanuts (a.k.a. circus peanuts) remain one of the most bizarre of all Halloween treats: slightly chewy, fruit-flavored candy in the shape of a peanut. Apparently, they are supposed to be marshmallow soft, but inevitably, the ones I got were always stale and crunchy. CANDY CORN: The No. 1 Halloween treat, hands down. According to Brach’s Confections, each year Americans eat enough candy corn that if the kernels were laid end to end, they would circle the Earth 4.5 times. ‘Nuf said. Photo Courtesy: C Squared Studios Posted in Halloween, TV Land, collectibles, holidays | 2 Comments »Those Singing Bradys
Posted by lisasutton Thursday, October 15th, 2009
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Every living Brady fans knows the Brady Six (a.k.a. The Silver Platters) did a handful of musical performances on The Brady Bunch, but you have to be a of a certain age or a superfan to know they had a musical career off screen as well. As Chris Knight tells it, his mother came up with the bright idea when the Brady’s Friday night neighbor, The Partridge Family started selling millions of records. Why not have our kids sing, too? Most of those darned Partridges don’t even sing! Within a few weeks of the suggestion, the Brady kids were herded into the recording studio and slapped out the hastily recorded Merry Christmas from The Brady Bunch, replete with 12 traditional holiday tunes guaranteed to make you wish you were wearing ear mufflers. One single was released: Thindy thinging "Frothty the Thnowman." The Christmas LP sold well enough, and about a year later it was followed up with Meet The Brady Bunch, which contained the big hit from the TV show, "Time to Change." The next LP was The Kids from The Brady Bunch, which had images from the Brady’s Saturday morning cartoon and featured "It’s A Sunshine Day." The Bradys hit the polyester trail on the state fair circuit and played actual live gigs around the U.S. They were paired with such chart-topping groups as Tony Orlando and Dawn, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods and even The 5th Dimension. Younger fans wont get the significance of these groups, but they were huge in the '70s and they surprisingly often opened for the Bradys. A third LP came out called Phonographic Record with a cover shot of the Bradys in the turn-of the century costumes. Could a pie fight be far behind? The final Brady LP released was Chris Knight and Maureen McCormick, pairing the two simply because they were receiving the most fan letters at the time and not based on Chris’ musical abilities — though Maureen had a pretty good voice and had a few separate solo singles apart from the LP. Eve, Barry and Mike each had solo singles apart from the group as well. The Brady Bunch went off the prime time schedule in 1974, but that was not the end of their singing careers. Due to the popularity of the Donny & Marie show, producers Sid & Marty Krofft decided to carbon copy the singing Osmonds and cast TV’s favorite family in The Brady Bunch Varity Hour in 1976. It had to be seen to be believed, but the entire cast (minus hold-out Eve Plumb) came back to sing and dance in glittery outfits to the disco hit tunes of the day and do comedy sketches with the likes of Tina Turner, Farrah Fawcett Majors and Charo. Even H. R. Pufnstuf himself made an appearance. Each of the Bradys LPS was released on CD at some point, though they're no longer available; however, a greatest hits comp is still in print and easy to find. For fans of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (or those of you who just like reading about bad television) a brand new 300-page, glitter-laden book called Love to Love You Bradys, co-written by Susan Olsen (a.k.a. Cindy Brady) and yours truly has just been released where you can read the whole “only in the '70s” story. Boasting about Brady Treasures
Posted by lisasutton Thursday, September 24th, 2009
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I learned a long time ago not to brag about my collection, but for a long time I used to boast proudly that I had the world’s biggest Brady Bunch collection. OK, so it probably was never true, but I do have enough Brady-related goods that it would be hard to find a person with more. Darn, am I bragging again? Compared to the Partridge Family or Monkees, there isn’t all that much vintage Brady stuff out there, so it’s not too hard to get a modest collection going. When The Brady Bunch debuted 40 years ago, the target audience was ripe for merchandising. Before the show even aired, there were items in the works, which are now probably the two most sought after of the Brady collectibles: The Kitty Karry-All doll and the Brady Bunch Lunch Box. The first season also spawned a series of paperback books that were sold in schools via the "Weekly Reader" program. One of the most pricey items in the Brady milieu is a complete set of bubblegum cards. They were tested as a set of 55 in 1969 and more widely released in 1971 as a full set of 88. With a display box and wrapper, the set routinely goes for over $1,000. 1971 also saw the arrival of a pair of comic books with first-season press photos on the covers. As The Brady Bunch grew in popularity, so did the list of items available. Afan club kit was released via Tiger Beat magazine in 1972; back then a whole slew of teen magazines featured articles on the Bradys. Some paper dolls and a View Master set appeared around that time. 1973 saw the biggest increase in Brady merch when the Larami company licensed the name and put out a dozen or so carded toys that had nothing to do with the Bunch, but had their picture on the blister card. The Fishin’ Fun Game, Chess and Checkers set and Toy Tea Set had nothing to do with the show, but were found in five-and-dimes across the country around the same time Davy Jones was singing at Marcia’s prom. The Whitman company produced several paper doll sets and coloring books, but also manufactured a magic slate and frame tray puzzle. The eco-themed Brady Bunch Game is another highly sought-after item from this era, and has a way-before-its-time green theme that involves picking up trash as you go around the board. Not including the Bradys' record collection, there are around 50 or so items that were sold in stores. Over the years, newer items have been added to the list, which is good to know for collectors since many of the vintage items are very difficult to find. Lisa Sutton is co-author of Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour. She lives minutes from the real Brady House in Southern California and has an enviable collection of Brady memorabilia and knowledge, garnering her the official title of "Bradyologist." Photo courtesy: Lisa Sutton Posted in Brady, Monkees, TV Land, The Brady Bunch, anniversary, collectibles, marathon | 2 Comments »The Brady Bunch Turns 40
Posted by lisasutton Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
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The Summer of '69 packed a cultural punch that may never be equaled. The first men landed on the moon just weeks before a million hippies landed at Woodstock. The Stonewall riots rocked New York around the same time the Manson Family terrorized Los Angeles. News of the Vietnam War was still being served daily with our dinners, and the world was ready for a breath of fresh air. That breath — often thought of as a last gasp of TV innocence — came on Sept. 26, 1969 with debut of The Brady Bunch. Although it was a sweet family sitcom, The Brady Bunch was actually a bold concept; two families coming together to become one. At the time it was happening in real life, but not on TV. It was never explained what happened to Carol’s first husband or Mike's first wife, but it didn’t really matter. The theme song explained the story well enough to convince millions to welcome the Bradys into their homes on a weekly basis for five years of prime-time viewing. Always a favorite with families, the show never cracked the Top 30 in its original run. It did, however, become a staple in reruns as the perfect viewing for kids when they came home from school. As a result, since its original airdate each new generation has adopted the Brady family as their own, making it one of the most-watched sitcoms in TV history. Many revivals and re-thinkings of the Bradys would come over the years: The Brady Kids Cartoon, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Brides, A Very Brady Christmas and the dramatic The Bradys all had legions of fans tuning in to see what TV’s favorite family was up to. The continuous exposure kept The Brady Bunch in our hearts and minds over the years, and it evolved into a full-fledged institution in the 1990s. A stage show called "The Real Live Brady Bunch" played in several cities to huge success. As a result, the Jan Brady of that show, Melanie Hutsell, ended up on Saturday Night Live and reintroduced the phrase “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” to the masses via a series of appearances as Jan Brady on the show's “Weekend Update.” A second Bradymania swept the country, resulting in two very successful Brady Bunch movies. It’s hard to explain why The Brady Bunch remains so popular, but it has a magical combination of simple plotlines that everyone can relate to with a universal sentimentality based on family values. The groovy threads and retro dialogue doesn’t hurt, either. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the show's debut, Collectiblog will examine The Brady Bunch and its lasting mark on popular culture. Lisa Sutton is co-author of Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour. She lives minutes from the real Brady House in Southern California and has an enviable collection of Brady memorabilia and knowledge, garnering her the official title of "Bradyologist." Posted in Brady, Saturday Night Live, TV Land, The Brady Bunch, anniversary, marathon | 2 Comments » The Bradys: Where Are They Now?
Posted by lisasutton Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
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What happened after that lady met that fellow, anyway? Well, many of the cast members are still hard-working industry types – some of them in front of and behind the camera. Others have written books about, yep, you guessed it… their time on that original '70s show. Florence Henderson (Carol) Robert Reed (Mike) Barry Williams (Greg) Maureen McCormick (Marcia) Christopher Knight (Peter) Eve Plumb (Jan) Mike Lookinland (Bobby) Ann B. Davis (Alice) Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver) Sherwood Schwartz (Creator) Lisa Sutton is co-author of Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour. She lives minutes from the real Brady House in Southern California and has an enviable collection of Brady memorabilia and knowledge, garnering her the official title of "Bradyologist." Credits: Brady Bunch Cast © 2004 Jan Van Ham Posted in Brady, TV Land, The Brady Bunch, anniversary, marathon | 4 Comments » |
About the Author:
Lisa Sutton has been collecting TV toys and retro memorabilia pretty much from the first time she first refused her mother's orders to turn off the TV and clean her room. A lifetime of obsessing over television and teen idols led her to a career as a journalist and TV producer. As a maven of pop culture, she has been involved in a variety of music and television projects including Rhino's Grammy-nominated "Have A Nice Decade" box set, the Emmy-Nominated "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed" and the RLTV talk show, "The Florence Henderson Show." |
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