About
"I don't understand what, 'knew that it was much more than a hunch' means. I've talked to Dad about it and he said, 'I needed a rhyme for 'bunch'. And then he'd say, 'look I showed them how well the song has done, so don't argue with me.'"
In his nearly three-hour interview, Lloyd J. Schwartz talks about his early years including his memories of appearing on the set of the shows his father, Sherwood Schwartz, produced, including Gilligan's Island. He talks about his entry into television as an associate producer and dialogue coach on The Brady Bunch. He speaks in great detail about working with the adult and child cast of the show, discusses memorable episodes (including "54-40 and Fight," "Getting Davy Jones," "Hawaii Bound," "The Subject Was Noses," and "Bobby's Hero"), and comments on the series pop culture significance. He talks about his work as a writer on such series as Love, American Style and Alice and his work as an executive producer on series such as Harper Valley PTA. Schwartz describes the popular television movie sequels to Gilligan's Island for which he served as producer in the late 1970s and early '80s. He describes his work as a writer and producer on the various Brady spin-offs: The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Brides, and The Bradys. Finally, he discusses producing the syndicated series The Munsters Today, which ran from 1988-91, and the reality series The Real Gilligan's Island (2004-05). Karen Herman conducted the interview on September 18, 2007 in Studio City, CA.
Highlights
Lloyd J. Schwartz on A Very Brady Christmas
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch opening credits
Lloyd J. Schwartz on a typical production day on The Brady Bunch for him
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Ann B. Davis' character "Alice" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on producing Rescue from Gillian's Island, and various other Gilligan's Island reunions
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robbie Rist as "Cousin Oliver" on The Brady Bunch
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on his early memories of being on-set with his father Sherwood Schwartz; on his family being the basis for many Brady Bunch scripts
On shows he watched as a child; on visiting various sets as a kid, and on a rehearsal of The Frank Sinatra Show; on visiting the set of his father's show Gilligan's Island
On being a dialogue coach on It's About Time starring Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross; on writing for Love, American Style, and on his career as a comedian; on being hired as dialogue coach for The Brady Bunch
Chapter 2
On the production of The Brady Bunch
Chapter 3
On Ann B. Davis' character "Alice" on The Brady Bunch; on the socio-economic situation of the family on The Brady Bunch; on the Brady kids actors and characters
On elements of his life that made it into Brady Bunch scripts; on Robbie Rist as "Cousin Oliver" on The Brady Bunch; on the producers and directors of the show and their contentious relationship with Robert Reed
On Brady Bunch director John Rich; on The Brady Bunch opening credits
Chapter 4
On Brady Bunch directors Oscar Rudolph and Peter Baldwin; on his father, Sherwood Schwartz, hiring family members to work on The Brady Bunch; on manager Harvey Shotz, who represented the children actors on The Brady Bunch for a short time, and on the end of The Brady Bunch
On classic episodes of The Brady Bunch; on his own favorite episodes of The Brady Bunch
On coming up with story ideas for The Brady Bunch; on the merchandizing of The Brady Bunch; on The Brady Bunch stairs
Chapter 5
On the then-planned Brady Bunch live musical ; on the various Brady Bunch spin-offs, including The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Brides , A Very Brady Christmas, and The Bradys
On producing The Brady Bunch feature films with his father Sherwood Schwartz; on The Brady Bunch in the White House; on Growing Up Brady and on the legacy of the show
On being involved with theater during and post Brady Bunch ; on producing Big John, Little John and various other projects; on producing Rescue from Gillian's Island, and various other Gilligan's Island reunions
Chapter 6
On the then-future of Gilligan's Island; on writing episodes of Alice, Baywatch, and The A-Team; on contrasting his writing process with his father Sherwood Schwartz
On always being aware of the audience he's writing for; on writing The Invisible Woman and The Munsters Today; on career highlights
On going to TV conventions; on advice to an aspiring producer and to an aspiring TV actor;
on his family being in the industry, and on his son Andy writing for Scrubs; on this father Sherwood Schwartz' then-activities, and in his legacy; on how he'd like to be remembered
Shows
A-Team, The
Lloyd Schwartz on writing episodes of Alice, Baywatch, and The A-Team
Alice
Lloyd Schwartz on writing episodes of Alice, Baywatch, and The A-Team
Baywatch
Lloyd Schwartz on writing episodes of Alice, Baywatch, and The A-Team
Big John, Little John
Lloyd J. Schwartz on producing Big John, Little John and various other projects
Brady Brides, The
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Brides
Lloyd J. Schwartz on casting The Brady Brides
Brady Bunch Hour, The
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
Brady Bunch, The
Lloyd J. Schwartz on being hired as dialogue coach for The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on his family being the basis for many Brady Bunch scripts
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Ann B. Davis being cast as "Alice" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robert Reed as "Mike Brady" on The Brady Bunch, and on working with the kids on the show
Lloyd J. Schwartz on working with the kids on The Brady Bunch to develop their characters
Lloyd J. Schwartz on a typical production day on The Brady Bunch for him
Lloyd J. Schwartz on how he worked with his father Sherwood Schwartz on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the logistics of the set of The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the wardrobe of The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on his relationship with the kids and their parents on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on how the kids on The Brady Bunch dealt with fame
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Florence Henderson as "Carol Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robert Reed as "Mike Brady" on The Brady Bunch, and their contentious relationship
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Ann B. Davis as "Alice" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robert Reed and Florence Henderson's relationship with the kid actors while making The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Ann B. Davis' character "Alice" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the socio-economic situation of the family on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Barry Williams as "Greg Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Maureen McCormick as "Marcia Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Christopher Knight as "Peter Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Eve Plumb as "Jan Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Susan Olsen as "Cindy Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Mike Lookinland as "Bobby Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on elements of his life that made it into Brady Bunch scripts
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robbie Rist as "Cousin Oliver" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the producers and directors of The Brady Bunch and their contentious relationship with Robert Reed
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Brady Bunch director John Rich
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch opening credits
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Brady Bunch directors Oscar Rudolph and Peter Baldwin
Lloyd J. Schwartz on his father, Sherwood Schwartz, hiring family members to work on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on manager Harvey Shotz, who represented the children actors on The Brady Bunch for a short time
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the end of The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on classic episodes of The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on his own favorite episodes of The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on coming up with story ideas for The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the merchandizing of The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch stairs
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the then-planned Brady Bunch live musical
Lloyd J. Schwartz on producing The Brady Bunch feature films with his father Sherwood Schwartz
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch in the White House
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Growing Up Brady
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the legacy of The Brady Bunch
Bradys, The
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Bradys
Frank Sinatra Show, The (1957-58)
Lloyd J. Schwartz on visiting various sets as a kid, and on a rehearsal of The Frank Sinatra Show
Gilligan's Island
Lloyd J. Schwartz on visiting the set of his father's show Gilligan's Island
Lloyd Schwartz on the then-future of Gilligan's Island
Harper Valley PTA
Lloyd J. Schwartz on executive producing Harper Valley PTA starring Barbara Eden
It's About Time
Lloyd J. Schwartz on being a dialogue coach on It's About Time starring Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross
Love, American Style
Lloyd J. Schwartz on writing for Love, American Style, and on his career as a comedian
Munsters Today, The
Lloyd Schwartz on producing The Munsters Today
Rescue From Gilligan's Island
Lloyd J. Schwartz on producing Rescue from Gillian's Island, and various other Gilligan's Island reunions
Very Brady Christmas, A
Lloyd J. Schwartz on A Very Brady Christmas
Topics
Advice
Lloyd J. Schwartz on advice to an aspiring producer
Lloyd J. Schwartz on advice to an aspiring actor
Classic TV Series Episodes
Lloyd J. Schwartz on classic episodes of The Brady Bunch
Comedy
Lloyd J. Schwartz on classic episodes of The Brady Bunch
Fame and Celebrity
Lloyd J. Schwartz on how the kids on The Brady Bunch dealt with fame
Pop Culture
Lloyd J. Schwartz on how the kids on The Brady Bunch dealt with fame
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch opening credits
Lloyd J. Schwartz on classic episodes of The Brady Bunch
Television Industry
Lloyd J. Schwartz on advice to an aspiring producer
Lloyd J. Schwartz on advice to an aspiring actor
TV Theme Songs
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch opening credits
Professions
Genres
Comedy Series
Lloyd Schwartz on his family being the basis for many Brady Bunch scripts
Lloyd J. Schwartz on visiting the set of his father's show Gilligan's Island
Lloyd J. Schwartz on being a dialogue coach on It's About Time starring Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross
Lloyd J. Schwartz on writing for Love, American Style, and on his career as a comedian
Lloyd J. Schwartz on being hired as dialogue coach for The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on working on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on various Brady Bunch inspired shows and features
Lloyd Schwartz on the then-future of Gilligan's Island
Lloyd Schwartz on writing episodes of Alice, Baywatch, and The A-Team
Lloyd Schwartz on writing The Invisible Woman
Cop/Detective/Mystery Series
Lloyd Schwartz on writing episodes of Alice, Baywatch, and The A-Team
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Lloyd J. Schwartz on visiting various sets as a kid, and on a rehearsal of The Frank Sinatra Show
People
Peter Baldwin
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Brady Bunch directors Oscar Rudolph and Peter Baldwin
Imogene Coca
Lloyd J. Schwartz on being a dialogue coach on It's About Time
Ann B. Davis
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Ann B. Davis as "Alice" on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Ann B. Davis' character "Alice" on The Brady Bunch
Barbara Eden
Lloyd J. Schwartz on executive producing Harper Valley PTA starring Barbara Eden
Florence Henderson
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Florence Henderson as "Carol Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Christopher Knight
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Christopher Knight as "Peter Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Mike Lookinland
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Mike Lookinland as "Bobby Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Maureen McCormick
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Maureen McCormick as "Marcia Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Susan Olsen
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Susan Olsen as "Cindy Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Eve Plumb
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Eve Plumb as "Jan Brady" on The Brady Bunch
Robert Reed
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robert Reed being cast as "Mike Brady" on The Brady Bunch, and on working with the kids on the show
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Robert Reed as "Mike Brady" on The Brady Bunch, and their contentious relationship
Lloyd J. Schwartz on the producers and directors of The Brady Bunch and their contentious relationship with Robert Reed
John Rich
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Brady Bunch director John Rich
Joe E. Ross
Lloyd J. Schwartz on being a dialogue coach on It's About Time
Sherwood Schwartz
Lloyd J. Schwartz on his early memories of being on-set with his father Sherwood Schwartz
Lloyd J. Schwartz on how he worked with his father Sherwood Schwartz on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on his father, Sherwood Schwartz, hiring family members to work on The Brady Bunch
Lloyd J. Schwartz on this father Sherwood Schwartz' then-activities, and in his legacy
Frank Sinatra
Lloyd J. Schwartz on visiting a rehearsal of The Frank Sinatra Show as a child
Barry Williams
Lloyd J. Schwartz on Barry Williams as "Greg Brady" on The Brady Bunch