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Here’s the story of a boy who fell for Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
Barry Williams, who starred as Greg Brady in the hit sitcom “The Brady Bunch,” recently appeared in the CW docuseries “TV We Love,” where he opened up about having a crush on his co-star Maureen McCormick.
Producer Lloyd Schwartz, son of creator Sherwood Schwartz, also appeared in the episode about “The Brady Bunch” and discussed directing the 1973 episode “Room at the Top.” In it, Marcia Brady (McCormick) and Greg, tired of sharing bedrooms with their younger siblings, fought to claim the attic space of their home as solo bedrooms.
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The “Brady Bunch” kids, circa 1970. In the CW docuseries “TV We Love,” Barry Williams (right) spoke about his crush on Maureen McCormick (left). (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
“I remember this scene. I remember the day,” said Williams. “Lloyd discovered that there might have been a little bit too much attraction between brother and sister. Maureen McCormick was very, very attractive. I was gravitated right to her. And it was coming out in our scenes together.”
“I’m sitting a little too close, leaning in a little too far,” said the 71-year-old.
“[Lloyd] was right. It’s very hard to hide. That’s chemistry. Lloyd was on the set, and he pulled me aside. He said, ‘Good scene. I just want you to keep in mind here that she is your sister.’”
In the scene, Greg goes into Marcia’s room and sits on the bed next to her. He tries to comfort her after pushing her too far during an argument, and she bursts into tears.
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Schwartz said Williams’ feelings for McCormick during filming were undeniable.
“As [the child stars] started getting older, my challenge was, in some ways, to keep them off of one another,” he said.
Christopher Knight, who played middle brother Peter Brady, wasn’t surprised.
From left: Christopher Knight, Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams, stars of “The Brady Bunch,” at the premiere of The Who’s rock opera ‘Tommy,” circa 1972. (Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
“I dare say that if you find anyone who grew up watching the show, their first crush was probably Marcia Brady,” he said.
Earlier this year, Knight recalled on an episode of “The Real Brady Bros” that the chemistry between the two stars was more than platonic.
“You two were looking a little close — a little less like brother and sister and more like…” Knight began.
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Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams, circa 1972. (Darlene Hammond/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
“You mean dreamy-eyed?” Williams suggested.
“The longing, kind of wide-eyed,” Knight, 68, responded. “Yeah, that was you — and she was looking dreamy.”
“It was sort of on-again, off-again with Maureen and me throughout the years,” said Williams. “There was always a little dance being played that was broken up by hiatus.”
From left: Maureen McCormick, Lloyd J. Schwartz and Barry Williams. Schwartz directed the 1973 episode of “The Brady Bunch” titled “Room at the Top.” (Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
In 2024, Williams told Us Weekly he also had a “teenage crush” on his TV mom, the late Florence Henderson.
“I had a teenage crush on her, for sure,” said Williams. “And she’s got a very lively personality and great sense of humor, but I knew that I wanted to have music in my career [in] acting, and so I talked to her a lot about that.”
“I had found this singer coming into the Copacabana near Beverly Hills,” he recalled. “I can’t think of exactly where it was, but I invited her to go together as a date, and she said, ‘OK,’ so I was thrilled. And now for me, it was a date.”
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Barry Williams admitted he also had a crush on his TV mom, Florence Henderson. The actress died in 2016. She was 82. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“We were recognized, and so people were whispering about us, which is strange, but we talked about the singer, his orchestrations, the band that he had, and what touring was like,” Williams added.
“And she gave me an idea of what that life would look like now at the end of the date. And this is chronicled in my book as well. I did go in for a little kiss, and she was nice enough to return it. So, it was a highlight. Nice little peck, yes.”
In 2023, Susen Olsen, who played Cindy Brady, set the record straight about the outing.
“I disliked the rumors that Florence Henderson and Barry Williams had an affair,” Olsen told Fox News Digital about her co-stars at the time.
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“Barry had a crush on her,” the 64-year-old clarified. “She was very kind to him. She let him take her out for her birthday. So I don’t like the implication that’s been out there, that something was going on with them. There wasn’t anything going on with them except for mutual respect and love.”
In McCormick’s 2008 memoir, “Here’s the Story,” the former child star recalled a trip to Hawaii where the cast filmed the first episode of Season 4. It was there that she and Williams kissed.
The cast of “The Brady Bunch” — including Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen, Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland — in December 2019. (Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“As soon as I stepped off the plane, I started to think about him more intensely in the way I had fantasized for a long time,” she wrote in her book, as quoted by Us Weekly. “We had spent the past three and a half years staving off the desire of a mutual attraction despite the intimacy of working closely with each other every day.”
McCormick also described performing a duet with Williams. In 1972, the cast released their second studio album, “Meet the Brady Bunch,” and embarked on a national tour.
“We stood on opposite sides of the stage, inching slowly toward the center,” she wrote, as quoted by the outlet. “Finally, we turned and sang to each other. It was choreographed to be a romantic moment, and there was so much sexual tension between us, we didn’t have to pretend.”
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Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams are seen here performing in 1972. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
In September 2024, McCormick chose not to kiss and tell. Instead, she told Us Weekly she celebrates the friendships with her castmates that have lasted over the years.
“The show will just always hold a super warm spot in my heart,” she said. “It’s just an amazing bond, so I feel very lucky to have that.”
“The Brady Bunch” aired for five seasons on ABC from 1969 to 1974, and its success inspired numerous spinoff titles.
“TV We Love” airs Mondays at 8 p.m.
