The Brady Bunch Episode #9
Hello, and welcome to my critique of The Brady Bunch Episode #9. This episode originally aired on November 21, 1969 and is entitled Sorry, Right Number. Mike gets pissed that his kids are always on the phone so he installs a pay phone. Stupid. Just have them use their cell phones. Hello? I’m funny. I always thought this was a dumb episode, but I’ll review it anyway.
The show opens with Mike and Carol in Mike’s office (aka Greg’s groovy room for one episode). Carol has her shoes off and is kicking back on the sofa doing some kind of needlework. Mike is pretending he knows how to use a protractor. The phone rings and Mike picks it up and starts talking to Ed. Umm…..I didn’t know they had caller ID in 1969. It turned out to be Martha on the phone. Stupid Mike. After Martha called, Sam called for Alice, and then someone for Marcia. Mike was getting all pissy about people using the phone especially since his boyfriend Ed couldn’t get through, so Carol said they should get a second line. Mike ended up getting his own phone in his office. Well isn’t that special.
Sam the Butcher
This is the first appearance of Allan Melvin, better known as Sam the Butcher. He had a lot of lines in this episode and was great. How come he arrives through the side door in the kitchen where Alice sleeps? I don’t recall there being a door leading to the outside there. Was it ever used again?
The second phone line ends up not working out because the Brady rats keep sneaking into the den/office to use Mike’s phone. Mike gets pissed and has a family lecture. He tells the kids they can’t use his phone and to basically quit being little turds. The kids all fight over the other phone and tell each other to shut up and stuff. It’s not very Brady like.
In going through the monthly bills, Mike goes bananas over the phone bill. He can’t believe how much it is and compares it to the national debt. Later in the episode, Mike says the new phone will cost $36 a month and Carol says that’s more than the recent phone bill. Funny. Mike and Carol discuss the problem while getting ready for bed. Why is Carol brushing her hair? Do people really brush their hair before they go to bed? Why? That’s like showering before going to the gym.
Sam’s Meat
The next scene has Alice at Sam’s butcher shop. Sam says to Alice “When you start to criticize Sam’s meat, something is definitely wrong.” Tee hee. That’s nasty. Alice spots a pay phone in Sam’s butcher shop and decides to pass on the info to Mr. Brady.
Cut to the Brady family room where the pay phone on the wall is covered with a lovely gift wrapped box. It reminds me of Justin Timberlake’s SNL skit, Dick In A Box. Mike comes home and unveils the new pay phone. The kids hate it and are not happy at all. Oh well. Too bad. Mike sees this as a way to teach them responsibility. I agree.
The new pay phone rings and Mike answers it. It’s a wrong number. Mike said they were looking for O’Brien’s Taco and Tamale Shop. Isn’t O’Brien Irish? Couldn’t the writers have written something better? Was Robert Reed adlibbing?
Pay Phone Business Call
Mike has an important phone call to make but Carol can’t get pathetic Martha off the line, so Mike has to use the pay phone for this important business call. Mr. Crawford, the man Mike is talking to about a multi-million dollar deal, doesn’t like the fact that Mike is using a pay phone. Why should that matter? Was it unprofessional to use a pay phone? Is it unprofessional to ride your bike to work or take the bus instead of a company limo? I don’t see what difference it makes, but I guess it was needed to make the storyline work.
Mr. Crawford, who wasn’t going to do business with Mike because he was making a business call from a pay phone, ends up getting one in his house because of his chatty teenagers. Mike signs on with the multi-million dollar deal where he gets to use his protractor, and everything is groovy once again in the Brady household. The pay phone gets taken out, the regular one returned, and all the kids have learned a lesson. The end.
I was sad that Bobby and Cindy only had a few lines in this episode. I think they were some of the best actors on the show. Also, there really aren’t enough lines in this episode for me to make fun of Thindy. That makes me sad.
Thanks for reading my review of The Brady Bunch Episode #9. I’ll be back soon.