Another holiday in the books. However, before I went to bed, I saw headline news announcing that American icon Florence Henderson, 82, had died on Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. It’s said you can measure a person’s life by her friends and family. If true, Florence Henderson had a great life.
I will always love her as Carol Brady on the Brady Bunch. I can remember growing up during the 70s and just loving the Brady family. Everyone knows the story of the man who met the lovely lady. The jingle itself is a masterpiece. Show producers scratched their heads trying to figure out how they could explain how this family got together. Producers explained the story in a memorable jingle. Ask anyone on the street about the Brady Bunch theme and you won’t find many people unfamiliar with the famous theme song.
And like every other American boy in the day, I loved Marcia Brady, even after she got hit in the face with a football. Florence Henderson portrayed the woman whom we wanted to call mom. She loved her husband, kids and the family dog. Carol Brady was perfect. From what I understand, the kids on the show loved and adored Mrs. Henderson.
She did Broadway, Hollywood, commercials, television and made a WWE appearance. She even appeared in a “Weird Al” Yankovic video. She spent six decades entertaining us. When a celebrity passes, I rarely think too much of it since I didn’t know the person, but Florence Henderson is an exception. For those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s, she reminds us of when bell-bottoms, butterfly collars and disco ruled.
Most of us older folks remember the 70s as a special decade. We had unforgettable television, the greatest music, shag carpet, funky wallpaper and ugly brown Tupperware containers. We also had Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter.
With Mrs. Henderson’s death, all the adults from the Brady Bunch are gone. Robert Reed, Ann B. Davis, Allan Melvin, and Sherwood Schwartz preceded Mrs. Henderson in death.
I can also remember her Wesson fried chicken commercials from many years ago. Actor Christopher Knight, who played her television son Peter, described Mrs. Henderson. “She was just a wonderful warm and stern mothering figure. She, to me, was just someone I never wanted to disappoint.” Thank you Florence Henderson for your contributions as an entertainer. You made the world a better place.
Marc is a grandparent and longtime resident of Clermont County. Visit his author page at www.lifewithgrandpa.com and blog at www.wisegrandpa.com.