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Florence Henderson, the matriarch of Generation X, died on Thanksgiving night after suffering heart failure at age 82. Can this year get any worse?
Henderson shot to superstardom when she was cast as Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, the situation comedy that first premiered in 1969. Henderson’s All-American good looks and her character’s progressive attitudes towards familial dynamics really resonated with the children of Generation X, many of whom were being raised by television in households wracked by divorce. Although The Brady Bunch only lasted five seasons on air, Henderson gained iconic status over the following decades thanks to the miracle of syndication.
As was typical of television stars then and now, Henderson spent the remainder of her career unable to escape her association with the Bradys. Instead of being resentful about this development and her inability to land another breakout role, though, Henderson really leaned in to Bradymania. She appeared as “Carol Brady” in dozens of television episodes over the next 40-plus years of her career after the show’s initial cancellation, both on Brady spin-offs (The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Brides, The Bradys) as well as other non-Bradycentric programming (The Love Boat, Day By Day, Instant Mom). She remained a consistent presence on television throughout the decades, appearing on game shows like The Match Game and reality television programs like The Surreal Life and My Fair Brady, and even scored her own daytime talk show, The Florence Henderson Show, which ran from 2007-2009.
In an FAQ that appeared on Florence Henderson’s official website, FloHo.com, she answered a question that she no doubt got asked every single day of her life: What was her favorite episode of The Brady Bunch? Her answer:
My favorite episode is the one where Peter tries to act like an older guy to double date with Greg. (“Peter and the Wolf” original airdate 10/12/73) Christopher Knight (Peter) wore a VERY fake moustache and I thought he did a really great acting job in this episode. I think it’s a great episode.
(For what it’s worth, Flo also HATED the movie A Very Brady Sequel, which she was not asked to participate in: “I didn’t see the second one but I didn’t hear very good things about it.”)
So, on this day after Thanksgiving, pour one out for Florence Henderson and watch her favorite episode of the show that made her famous. You can stream “Peter And The Wolf” on Hulu or CBS All Access.
[Watch the “Peter And The Wolf” episode of The Brady Bunch on Hulu]
