How did the Brady family afford Alice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

first poster here--I know the maid's quarters were downstairs. My point was that they ONLY has 3 bedrooms in such a huge house. How does one have room for maids quarters, but only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for 6 kids?

Actually I knew a lot of real actual (not sitcom) families during the Brady Bunch era where the kids shared bedrooms and bathrooms. In fact, in most families I knew, everybody used the same bathroom, including the parents. Though these families did not have live-in housekeepers who wore uniforms.

I actually grew up in a house with (gasp!) ONE BATHROOM.

Perhaps that should be a new thread. "I grew up in a one-bathroom house. Ask me anything."

Grew up in a family of seven with one bathroom and three bedrooms. We lived.

[Anonymous]

I'm about to take a trip and share a hotel room with 3 friends and I'm dreading the bathroom logistics.

Can't imagine negotiating with 5 siblings!

[Anonymous]

penguinsix wrote:In the Very Brady Sequel movie it was revealed that Carol Brady's husband was a college professor who went on a 'three hour tour' off of Hawaii and was never heard from again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Professor_(Gilligan's_Island)

To this day, I still know the words to Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island intro music. That's just sick.

I still like the Munsters and Bewitch. I would dream of becoming Samantha

[Anonymous]

We had a woman who evolved from 1 x weekly housekeeper, to after school care 5 days a week for myself and my older sister, to a full time babysitter/housekeeper when my younger sister was born. This was in the 70s in Southern California, I am pretty sure at the peak she was paid about $200/week. I had (have) two working parents but we were by no means wealthy, probably the equivalent of how my DH and I do today but we cannot afford an Alice.

I remember long debates about which was best the Brady Bunch or the Partridge Family. I recall my sister was in a Partridge Family tribute band when we were in elementary school.

All time favorite line, "Something suddenly came up"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a woman who evolved from 1 x weekly housekeeper, to after school care 5 days a week for myself and my older sister, to a full time babysitter/housekeeper when my younger sister was born. This was in the 70s in Southern California, I am pretty sure at the peak she was paid about $200/week. I had (have) two working parents but we were by no means wealthy, probably the equivalent of how my DH and I do today but we cannot afford an Alice.

I remember long debates about which was best the Brady Bunch or the Partridge Family. I recall my sister was in a Partridge Family tribute band when we were in elementary school.

All time favorite line, "Something suddenly came up"

Didn't want to fuck anyone on the Brady Bunch. Wanted to fuck Keith Partridge sooo bad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real question is how did they have that big house with maids quarters, yet only 3 bedrooms upstairs.

The maids quarters was downstairs I think.

Were not was!

Actually, because they only had one housekeeper, and therefore only one place for her to live, singular ('was') would be correct.

[Anonymous]

Architects used to make good money back in the day. Plus, I'm sure he had a hand in designing the house they lived in which probably brought the cost down significantly. Hypothetically speaking, of course!

[Anonymous]

This thread was hashed out over 3 years ago. Why was this revived?

[Anonymous]

Yep. He was an architect, which was a big deal back in the day. That's how he afforded to raise 6 kids in a huge house in California (No. Cal right?) with a wife who didn't work until long after the last kid was gone (then she became a real estate agent) and a live in housekeeper. And since he likely designed the house -he built it to have a room downstairs behind the laundry room (and likely a bathroom bc you rarely saw her go upstairs) for Alice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep. He was an architect, which was a big deal back in the day. That's how he afforded to raise 6 kids in a huge house in California (No. Cal right?) with a wife who didn't work until long after the last kid was gone (then she became a real estate agent) and a live in housekeeper. And since he likely designed the house -he built it to have a room downstairs behind the laundry room (and likely a bathroom bc you rarely saw her go upstairs) for Alice.

Exactly. It's not hard to believe an architect couldn't afford live-in help back in the 70s.

His house had the three bedrooms, because at the time, he had just three boys. Assuming the oldest had his own room before Carol and the girls came along. Kids shared rooms back then.

Carol SAH and Alive was affordable before they came into the picture, so they kept her around (presumably because they could afford it, and now there were four more mouths to feed and clean up after.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread was hashed out over 3 years ago. Why was this revived?

Insane grammar nazi revived it. Let no mistake slip by, even if it's years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

first poster here--I know the maid's quarters were downstairs. My point was that they ONLY has 3 bedrooms in such a huge house. How does one have room for maids quarters, but only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for 6 kids?

Actually I knew a lot of real actual (not sitcom) families during the Brady Bunch era where the kids shared bedrooms and bathrooms. In fact, in most families I knew, everybody used the same bathroom, including the parents. Though these families did not have live-in housekeepers who wore uniforms.

Yeah, I'm wondering how young all the posters marvelling at the kids sharing rooms and bathrooms are. My dad designed and built our house, and we had 8 kids in 4 bedrooms, and all shared one bathroom. (My parents did have their own, but it had to be a MAJOR emergency for us to be able to use theirs! There was a half-bath downstairs for regular emergencies --- or you just barged in on your siblings and told them to hurry the hell up.).

We did not have a maid, nor did anyone I knew. But I think that live-in help was just a lot cheaper because there weren't that many work options for women. Alice would have been born in the 1920's or so, right? So if she did not become a teacher or go to secretarial school, and didn't get married.....her options were pretty limited. Room, board, some spending money, and an employer that wasn't a total a-hole were probably enough to keep her. I'm seeing a great TV special with Alice's back story:

Alice dropped out of school early to work in the factories during WWII. She fell in love with the boy next door, who then went off to the Korean War to fight and die (M.A.S.H. tie-in). Alice always stayed close to her true love's family, particularly his little brother Mike, who she always treated like her own little brother. After Mike's wife (Roberta) had Peter, her health suffered due to problems with a difficult delivery. Alice was sick of factory work (particularly he sexist idiot of a boss--Laverne and Shirly tie-in), She saw Mike and Roberta were struggling --- they all agreed Alice would move in and help Roberta with the new baby and little Greg. Sadly, because adequate birth control wasn't available in many states in the '60s, Roberta got pregnant again and did not survive childbirth when Bobby was born. And that's the story, till the one day that that lady met this fellow....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Answer, free room and board and easy access to late night booty calls from Sam the Butcher.

Eww.
The visual now is stuck in my head.
Going to bed now.

Wondering what kind of nightmare awaits me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was just wishing for Alice in my life today. The 70s were a golden time...

Riiiiight. Vietnam, Nixon, gas shortages............

[Anonymous]

they need to put Brady Bunch on netflix. i would so binge watch it.