The Bradys Cosco Stool in the kitchen is one of the most forgotten pieces in The Brady residence.
Even though it was there for the entire run of the show, it is rarely noticed, or referenced. The Bradys themselves seldom ever actually used it. For all five seasons, it was in the corner by the Alice/Laundry room door -- except when it wasn't. In the Brady home, a lot of the details were impermanent and inconsistent.
The stool itself was a mainstay in American homes in the 1960s and 1970s. Information about the history of Cosco stools here:
Bewitched
Bewitched
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Hazel
I Dream Of Jeannie
I Dream Of Jeannie
My Three Sons
Father Knows Best
The Donna Reed Show
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
Petticoat Junction
Dennis The Menace
The Paul Lynde Show
Can I just say, I love this site and all your observations. I love TBB. I love it so much that I was about to easily spot some of the big gaffes they made in A Very Brady Renovation such as when one presenter said there was no fourth wall in Mikes den. It was there in almost every episode as you could see it from the living room! Presently I am rewatching TBB and I am noting down times certain shots appear so I can go back and take screen grabs. I just love TBB set. Keep up the good work Johnny.
ReplyDeleteThe stool is another item that HGTV forgot about. They didn't even mention locating a hutch and chandelier for the dining room that were seldom seen but appeared at least once to verify they were once there.
ReplyDeleteWowsers! I never noticed a chandelier. Just checked The Hero and there it is, hidden behind some streamers. For all the nitpicking that I have done with the HGTV show, the actually did a fantastic job all things considered. Another boob I spotted; they said the jack and jill bathroom didn't have a shower. It did. Or at least one appeared in My Brothers Keeper when Bobby takes a bath and you can see it on the wall above the taps. Anyway, what is the 'hutch' you mention?
DeleteThe hutch (aka china cabinet) on the fourth wall in the dining area. It's very visible in The Hero and at least one other episode.
DeleteCheers. In Great Britain we generally call them display cabinets. Have never heard them being called a hutch before. I too noticed they never had one in Renovation but I guess that was because they had the door there to the other two bedrooms. I wish they had given that door the same sort of trim that went round the door to Mikes den and the mystery hallway. As it is, they have painted it to almost be invisible.
DeleteI think the new door in the dining area was meant to blend into the wall as much as possible to keep it less noticeable since there was not a door on that wall on the set. I've heard someone associated with the renovation use the excuse that a china cabinet was not placed there because of the door. Well, the door is approximately where the hutch would be, but not completely as it is far into the corner next to the rock wall that contains the sliding doors. If you look at the pictures and videos of the renovation, you can clearly see a large blank wall between the door and the television set, allowing plenty of room to place a medium to large sized hutch there. A hutch would also de-emphasize the new door if placed beside it and partially hide the door from the angle as you're coming in the front door and walking toward the dining area. That's my take on the situation.
DeleteYes, I understand the confusion of the term hutch. In the US, they are referred to as hutch, china cabinet, and even display cabinet to showcase nice dishes. What we call a curio cabinet, which they did relocate, is a much smaller cabinet meant to display a variety of curious type items, such as individual dishes, statues, pottery, trinkets, etc. Cheers to you too, mate!
DeleteI meant they did locate (not relocate) a matching curio cabinet just like the one the Bradys had. It is on the brick wall beside the horse in the dining area, opposite the dining table.
DeleteYes, I thought they painted the door to not stand out but to me I feel that makes it stand out even more. Because we hardly ever saw that wall (and often when we did they cheated and put Reed in front of the closed curtains behind the patio doors) I do not think that it would have stood out too much. They also could have had a fake hutch which was actually a door. ;) Thanks for explaining the definition of the 'curio' cabinet as well. I find amazing to think that they created the Brady set from scratch and then raided the Paramount stores to furnish it and this is what the fans (at least I) obsess over. It would be great if someone did this to the facade that is the front of the Bewitched house. I hear The Golden Girls house is up for sale as well!
DeleteI never noticed the chandelier! I will post a couple pics of the hutch, but yes, that was SO rarely seen!
DeleteI always thought your name was Dinsdale, not Dimsdale.
DeleteAmazing job finding those stools in all those shows, even if the last one was an episode with that annoying, giant-haired, punch-worthy little shit, Ricky Segall.
ReplyDeleteI have one
ReplyDelete