The Brady Bunch Episode #31

Welcome to my review of The Brady Bunch Episode #31! This episode is titled Call Me Irresponsible and originally aired on October 30, 1970. This is the episode where Greg gets his first job and doesn’t do so well. FYI, the number one song the day this episode aired was I’ll Be There by The Jackson Five.

The show opens with Greg looking constipated at the top of the stairs. He slowly walks down and, after much hesitation, walks into his Dad’s den to ask him a very important question. Making it seem super important, he asks that his mom be present as well. He tells his dad, “This could be the most important thing I’ve ever had to say”. Dramatic much, Greg?

He tells his parents that he’s not getting any younger and how he’ll be 15 next month. It turns out all this drama is Greg wanting a car. He says he’ll be 16 before you know it and will need a car. He wants to start working part time after school to save money. Greg wants to work with his dad in the architecture business. Mike talks to Mr. Phillips and he agrees to give Greg a job after school. The end. Kidding!

Greg hustles Peter, Jan, and Bobby about investing in his car. He’s trying to hit them up for money now. I like the way he works. Seems smart to me. The kids decide to pay per ride instead of being an investor.

Greg’s Groovy Job

The next scene shows Greg cleaning out the garbage can in Mike’s office. Mike then sends Greg on a delivery. He puts blueprints of a design in a tube that Greg is to deliver to Forest Printing. That same yellow tube (and similar storyline plot) was used in The Cincinnati Kids episode in Season 5 when the family goes to an amusement park in Cincinnati. Anyway, Greg doesn’t go straight to the printers. He stops off at the newsstand for the newest car magazine. While looking at the magazine, the blueprints fall out of the container and roll into the street where everyone steps on it.

Greg shows up at home with the empty container. Loser! Mike is pretty tough on Greg and makes him feel like crap. Hey! Perhaps you should use better containers with a more secure closure. Mike calls his boss and tells him what happened. Mr. Phillips tells Mike that Greg is fired. Mike is going to work through the night to recreate the designs that were lost. That’s a lot of guilt to lay on a 14-year-old.

The next scene is of Greg pouting on his bed. Marcia shows up to offer her sympathy. She sits on his bed next to him. I’m sure that excited young Barry Williams. All the kids have now made an appearance except for Thindy. She isn’t on this episode. I don’t know why.

Second Chance

Both Carol and Alice talk to Mike and try to get Greg his job back. The new plans Mike drew up throughout the night are even better than the ones that Greg lost. Mike goes to bat for Greg and asks Mr. Phillips if Greg can deliver the new designs. Greg is super excited for a second chance. On his way to the printers, the chain on his bike breaks. He runs into his friend Randi and her dad who offers to give him (and his bike) a ride.

They drop Greg off but he leaves the designs in the car. He runs around like a maniac trying to find Randi’s dad so he can get his designs back. He finds Randi at acting class. She tells him that dad dropped her off but was then going to drop the car off at the garage to have some work done. The garage? There’s only one auto repair place in town?

Greg is still running around looking for the designs. Mike is at home frantically pacing back and forth. He’s wearing a really ugly coat. Mike is trying to get Carol to calm him down when Greg walks in acting like nothing happened. The designs were delivered “No problem”. He doesn’t tell them any of the obstacles he encountered in trying to deliver the designs. He just acted all cool.

Tag

The tag is of Mike and Carol reading the newspaper. Greg comes down in a coat and tie. He’s going over to Randi Peterson’s house to watch TV. Mike and Carol decide to stay home and do the same instead of going to a movie.

I hope you enjoyed my review of The Brady Bunch Episode #31. There were a lot of extras in this episode. Maybe that’s why Susan Olsen didn’t appear. They used her pay to give to the extra actors. Jack Collins (Mr. Phillips), Annette Ferra (Randi), Bob Peoples (Randi’s dad), Barbara Morrison (acting teacher) and Gordon Jump (mechanic) were all in this episode.

Come back soon! While you’re waiting, please mosey on over to my eBay store and check out my pinups and posters. Groovy.