Saturday, August 30, 2014

Beyond ‘The Brady Bunch’: Ann B. Davis’s Most Surprising TV Moments

Ann B. Davis was everybody’s favorite TV housekeeper. The 88-year-old actress, who died on June 1, was best known for her role as live-in maid Alice Nelson on the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch. And while she was also famous for her Emmy-winning role as Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show in the late 1950s, Davis popped up in a few more shows over the years. Here’s a look at five surprising Ann B. Davis TV moments.

The Dating Game
Looks like teen idols Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick weren’t the only Brady alums to appear on The Dating Game. Smack in the middle of her Brady Bunch stint, Davis tried her luck at love on the campy television dating show. The TV legend asked questions like:  ‘If you had to sleep at the zoo tonight, what cage would you hope they would put you in?” And yes, one of her suitors actually described himself as “truly one of the world’s great lovers. And I’d like to have the opportunity to show you just how nice it can be.” And she actually picked him!  What would Sam the Butcher think?

Love, American Style
In 1970, Davis had her trippiest TV appearance ever when she appeared on the Love American Style segment, “Love and the Trip.” She played Vi Cooper, a mom who finds a stash of marijuana in her future daughter in law’s luggage. After debating on ways to get rid of it (“Burn it in the fireplace,” “bury it”), Davis’s character and her curious husband decided to smoke it instead!


The Love Boat
In 1980, Davis made a pit stop on ABC’s The Love Boat, but her character didn’t find love there. She played Agnes in the episode “Invisible Maniac/September Song/Peekaboo,” a woman who mistakenly believed a sex maniac was loose on the ship.  (Don’t worry, it wasn’t Gopher or Doc!)


The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
All of the Brady cast (except for Eve Plumb) reunited in 1977 for this bizarre family variety show, but Davis really surprised us when she acted witchy in a Wizard of Oz themed sketch. Who knew Alice could sing and cackle like that? And why were The Scarecrow (Greg Brady), the Tin Man (Peter) and the Cowardly Lion ( played by Rip Taylor) singing the song “Car Wash?”


The John Forsythe Show
And before she became famous for that bright blue maid uniform, Davis played a gym teacher! On the 1965 NBC sitcom The John Forsythe Show, the actress played Miss Wilson, the phys-ed teacher at the fictional Miss Foster’s School for Girls. But this fledgling sitcom did a switcheroo mid-season and segued into a spy-themed show, which totally confused viewers. No wonder it only lasted one season!

Ann B. Davis on The Brady Bunch: 





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