BEVERLY HILLS, CA.- It’s a sunshine day as
Julien’s Auctions presents 'Brady Bunch and More: Eve Plumb's Jan Brady & Career Archives' taking place online Monday, October 2nd, 2023. The exclusive auction celebration of the career of the beloved television star and artist, Eve Plumb, most famous for her iconic role of Jan on The Brady Bunch will showcase a “very Brady” collection of her career archives and personal memorabilia, such as Plumb’s and the cast autographed original teleplays of some of the most famous Brady Bunch episodes, early career photographs, documents, personal items, as well as jewelry, a vintage Barbie watch and other Brady ephemera from the classic television series and enduring pop culture phenomenon that spawned a franchise that included spin-off series, feature films, an animated series, television specials, soundtracks and more.
At age six, Plumb began her career with appearances in commercials and on some of television’s most popular TV series, such as The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Lassie, and Family Affair. In 1969, she landed what would become her most famous role, Jan Brady on the series The Brady Bunch, that made Plumb a household name. In the sitcom about a blended family of six children, Plumb’s portrayal as the middle child of three daughters was a standout and became the focus of many of the series’ most iconic episodes. Plumb appeared in the series that aired from 1969 to 1974 which enjoyed even greater success in the show’s syndication run starting in 1975 with Brady mania spawning several television reunion films and spin-off series that featured Plumb reprising her role such as The Brady Girls Get Married, The Brady Brides, A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys. Plumb voiced Jan in an animated spinoff series The Brady Kids and joined her sitcom siblings to form the Brady Bunch musical group where they released many popular albums and performed in numerous sold-out concerts around the country. Plumb’s other notable television work included her searing portrayal of a young prostitute in the controversial 1976 made-for-television movie Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway and its sequel, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn, her role as Elizabeth March in the TV miniseries Little Women, and guest appearances in popular series, such as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote and Law and Order: SVU. She’s appeared on the silver screen such as in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, Gregg Araki’s Nowhere, the critically acclaimed independent film Blue Ruin and in stage productions of Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss and What I Wore and Same Time, Next Year. Plumb has been painting for more than two decades where her paintings have been exhibited at prestigious galleries across the United States. On the 50th anniversary of the Brady Bunch series, Plumb reunited with her sitcom siblings to renovate the iconic Studio City, California house that was used as the exterior shots of the Brady family home on the HGTV series, A Very Brady Renovation. The series’ debut episode on September 9th, 2019 made HGTV history as the network’s most watched season premiere and went on to become HGTV’s highest-rated series delivering more than 28 million total viewers.
Highlights of the auction include
A pair of signed The Brady Bunch original pilot teleplays with autograph book and ephemera (estimate: $500 - $700) titled "The Honeymoon" by Sherwood Schwartz, the creator and executive producer of the series and signed by Eve Plumb with "Role of Jan" written on the earliest draft. The lot is accompanied with a book of autographs and inscriptions Plumb collected from the cast and crew after the pilot's production and before the pilot was sold to series and ephemera related to the pilot. The first script, dated September 19th, 1968 is titled The Brady Brood (the show's original title) and the second script, dated October 2nd, 1968, has "BROOD" crossed out on its cover and replaced by "BUNCH" in red marker, likely in Plumb's hand. The autograph book is signed by Sherwood Schwartz, the episode's director John Rich (who writes "I hope you never have to carry Fluffy's cage again!...Loved your work in the picture--and you're a sweet girl, too!"), Martin Landau (whose series Mission: Impossible was also a Paramount Television production at the time of the pilot's production), Susan Olsen (who has also doodled a bug), Barry Williams (who writes "It has been a lot of fun and a lot of work too but after all it was more fun. I know that the series will sell and that we will all be working together again..."), Ann B. Davis, Maureen McCormick ("Your the nicest and sweetest sister I've had. I'm sure you will go far in acting. Best of luck...See you when we start shooting the shows), Florence Henderson ("You're a doll! Keep sweet / Love, Mommy"), Mike Lookinland, Christopher Knight, Robert Reed ("To dear Eve...from her father"), Billie Hayes (who played "Witch" on H.R. Pufnstuff [NBC, 1969-70]), Ronald Reagan, and others. Ephemera includes stills from the pilot episode of the series, a Los Angeles Times article calling The Brady Bunch "the worst" of a slate of new series and more. The episode aired on ABC on September 26th, 1969.
The Brady Bunch original “The Not-So-Ugly Duckling” teleplays (estimate: $500 - $700) from episode 34 of the series including call sheets and three set photographs from the episode. Plumb has written "druggist" on the first teleplay, which is missing a scene between Jan and a druggist which appears in the second script and the final episode where she asks him for advice on how to remove her freckles. The scripts include Plumb’s written inscription of "sunglasses / bathing suit" and several drawings by Plumb. In Jan's first iconic episode, she is devastated when the boy she has a crush on takes an interest in her older sister Marcia. To cheer her up, the family decides to throw a surprise party for Jan who invents a fictional boyfriend (the infamous George Glass), and nobody can find him to invite him to the party. This episode establishes Jan's insecurities and her competitiveness with her older sister, two of the qualities for which the character is most remembered and beloved.
An original teleplay for episode 40 of the series The Brady Bunch, Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up? signed and lightly annotated by Eve Plumb
An original teleplay for episode 40 of the series The Brady Bunch, "Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?" signed and lightly annotated by Eve Plumb (estimate: $500 - $700) with call sheets from the production of the episode, two prints of a publicity still from the episode, and a Variety tear-sheet with an advertisement for the episode. In the episode, one of the show's most famous, Jan is angry that Marcia accidentally received her invitation to a classmate's birthday party. Feeling that people consider her indistinguishable from her sister, she buys a curly black wig to become "the new Jan Brady."
A pair of original teleplay drafts from the iconic The Brady Bunch episode "Her Sister's Shadow," (estimate: $500 - $700) with one signed on the cover by Eve Plumb with items from the production of the episode including a sheet of notepad paper with directions for Eve Plumb's cheer routine from the episode, call sheets, a shooting schedule, and extra script pages. The teleplays labeled "FINAL DRAFT" and dated June 14th, 1971 include Plumb’s sketches of Jan haunted by her sister's shadow and a small animal. "Her Sister's Shadow" became Eve Plumb’s most famous episode in her role as Jan Brady and produced one of the most iconic catchphrases in television history when she uttered the dialogue, "All I hear at school all day is how great Marcia is at this - how wonderful Marcia is at that! 'Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!'"
Signed The Brady Bunch original “The Not So Rose Colored Glasses” teleplay and ephemera (estimate: $500 - $700) (photo left) from the production of episode 62 of the Brady Bunch, signed on the cover by Plumb with call sheets, a shooting schedule, and extra script pages. In the episode, Jan has trouble with her vision and is mortified when she has to wear glasses. She refuses to wear them, resulting in calamities including an accident with her bike ruining a portrait of the kids which Mike planned to give Carol for their anniversary.
An original teleplay from the production of the Brady Bunch episode "The Subject was Noses," one of the most iconic of the series (estimate: $500 - $700), signed by Eve Plumb with call sheets, extra script pages, and a shooting schedule. In the episode, Marcia cancels her date with nice guy Charlie when popular hunk Doug Simpson asks her out on the same night, telling Charlie that "something suddenly came up." When brother Peter throws a football that accidentally hits her nose, Marcia utters the character's most famous line, "Oh, my nose!" When Doug sees the swelling, he cancels their date using Marcia's earlier line, sending her back to Charlie. TV Guide ranked "The Subject was Noses" as one of the 100 Greatest Episodes in 2009.
The Brady Bunch Christmas scripts, mug, and ephemera (estimate: $500 - $700) (photo right) including the original Christmas episode "The Voice of Christmas" and the blockbuster 1988 reunion made for TV movie A Very Brady Christmas.
The iconic Hawaiian adventure teleplays and ephemera from the production of the episode series: episode 73, “Hawaii Bound!,” episode 74, “Pass The Tabu!,” and episode 75, “The Tiki Caves” including call sheets, candid photographs most from the production, travel information, xerographs of maps, TV Weekly issue dated August 13th, 1972 with a color caricature drawing of the Brady Bunch in Hawaii on the cover, memo from Sherwood Schwartz announcing a screening of the rough cut of episodes and more (estimate: $500-$700). In the series of episodes, the family goes on vacation to Hawaii and Peter and Bobby find an ancient Tiki Idol rumored to bring bad luck to all who encounter it. Guest stars included David “Lippy” Espinda, Patrick Adiarte, Don Ho, and Vincent Price.
Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway script and its sequel Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn T-shirt with scripts and ephemera related to the television movies which both starred Eve Plumb (estimate: $500 - $700).
Photo-matched Erte Mouvement sterling silver art deco earrings (estimate: $1,000 - $2,000), with onyx and coral stones, first designed by the artist for a series of 1924 fashion drawings, in a red velvet jewelry box with "CPA" and Erte's signature debossed in gold on the inside. Together with a photograph of Eve Plumb wearing the earrings and a collector's receipt signed by Plumb.
Other highlights include: a vintage Barbie wristwatch (circa mid-1960s) with a light blue leather band; a script and call sheets for the 1964 pilot of The Barbara Rush Show; a script for The Smothers Brothers Show and a letter to Plumb signed by Tom and Dick Smothers; a group of black & white and color headshots and photo proofs; scripts for television commercials (including a scene guidesheet for a talking Barbie commercial); a storyboard for a hair color commercial; photographs of Plumb's commercials taken by her father on his television set; behind-the-scenes photographs of Plumb filming commercials; a printing stamp with the words "EVE PLUMB"; a signed Screen Actor's Guild contract from 1967; American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) membership cards, circa 1968; a temporary work permit, circa 1964; three 33 1/3 recordings of Plumb's voice tracks from commercials; early resumes; and more.
