Religious-Minded Actress Ann B. Davis Defended 'The Brady Bunch' on TV's 'Sally Jesse Raphael' Show

Photo byMeTV.com

Actress Ann B. Davis (who died in 2014) was best known for playing Alice the housekeeper, on TV's classic sitcom, The Brady Bunch, which originally aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. In 1990, Davis appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael'soriginally TV talk show and defended The Brady Bunch against critics who attacked the famed comedy for it's family-oriented elements.

A Closer Look

The original Brady Bunch TV premise is this: widowed architect Mike Brady, played by Robert Reed (who died in 1992) has three young sons; he falls in love with and weds Carol, played by Florence Henderson (who died in 2016), who has three young daughters. Together, they become TV's first combined family, helped along by housekeeper Alice, played by Ann B. Davis.

To this day, The Brady Bunch remains one of the most popular TV shows in history; so popular that the initial series has ignited a franchise that extended over the decades into small-screen sequels, big-screen movies, an animated show; and even a live-stage production.

As a result, the show's stars have given countless interviews on television, in print, and online, in which they address the manifold reasons for the success of The Brady Bunch. Reed, Henderson, and former child stars Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen, have all shared their thoughts.

Such was the case, too, with Ann B. Davis on the Sally Jesse Raphael show in 1990.

Ann B. Davis (l.) with "Bradys" Florence Henderson, Susan Olsen, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland, Chris Knight, Barry Williams on "Raphael" show.Photo byYouTube.com

Backstory

In 1976, Ann B. Davis sold her home in Los Angeles and relocated to Denver, Colorado, where she joined an Episcopal community. The group later moved to Ambridge, Beaver County, in far western Pennsylvania. Davis had long been a volunteer for the Episcopal Church, working at the General Convention and attending services at affiliated churches across the United States.

Lasting Impression

Ann B. Davis was a very religious person; one who had extensive experience in the entertainment industry before The Brady Bunch. That included family-oriented movies with Doris Day and other traditional TV sitcoms like The Bob Cummings Show (in which she played Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz from 1955 to 1959).

That is why she had no qualms in defending the family-oriented aspects of The Brady Bunch when she appeared on the Sally Jesse Raphael show or anywhere else.