United Artists
"The Brady Bunch" is one of the most recognizable TV show titles of the 20th century, but the hit series very nearly had a different name. According to Elizabeth Moran's book "Bradymania!," Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of "The Brady Bunch" (and "Gilligan's Island" before that), initially called the series "Yours and Mine." While there was network interest in his pitch, they all wanted to make changes he wasn't willing to accept. He hit a dead end — until a Lucille Ball movie came out and changed everything.
Ball's 1968 film "Yours, Mine and Ours," which co-stars Henry Fonda, depicts a large, blended family, much like the titular clan in "The Brady Bunch." It was so successful that network execs started to realize that Schwartz's show could be a hit just as he had envisioned it. "ABC said, 'Hey, you know that show you were trying to sell us, well we'll do it your way,'" Schwartz said. "So in effect, that movie was my pilot." There was still one issue, however: The name of the film ("Yours, Mine and Ours") and Schwartz's show ("Yours and Mine") were far too similar, so the latter had to be changed.
Schwartz's first idea was "The Brady Bunch," but when they tested it, people thought it sounded like a Western show. They also tested "The Brady Brood," which apparently made people think about witches. Ultimately, the name was decided because of a deadline. Schwartz had to turn in something, so he went with "The Brady Bunch" as that had been his gut instinct. "I also like alliteration wherever possible," he said. "You remember 'Brady Bunch' — you bite it off. It's kind of a memorable phrase, it seemed to me."
The producers of Lucille Ball's film tried to sue Schwartz
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When "The Brady Bunch" debuted on ABC in 1969, the producers of "Yours, Mine and Ours" saw it as a blatant copy of their story about two families blending together. They launched a lawsuit against "The Brady Bunch" creator Sherwood Schwartz, accusing him of stealing their idea for his sitcom. Luckily for Schwartz, he had registered his idea for the show with the Writers Guild of America before the movie was made. "I should have sued them," he said.
"The Brady Bunch" actually got off to a rocky start and it was far from a ratings monster during its five-season run, but, much like "Gilligan's Island," it became a hit in syndication. Today, it's considered to be one of a handful of shows that defined the '70s. Its name (along with its memorable opening credits sequence) brings to mind family, sweetness, and good cheer. Schwartz was right to go with his initial title, which in itself took a bit of workshopping — he was toying with the names Bradley and Barton before he decided on Brady.
