Once one of “three very lovely girls,” as the theme song of “The Brady Bunch” put it, Eve Plumb is now “a lovely lady.” The once-and-always Jan Brady in the enduring 1969-74 ABC family comedy and most of its spinoffs and permutations, Plumb now recounts her screen experiences and more in a new memoir, “Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond,” written with Marcia Wilkie. Plumb appears at the Huntington bookstore The Next Chapter on May 1, at 7 p.m., for a talk and book-signing.
The “Beyond” for Plumb, who turns 68 on April 29, has included roles in numerous TV series, stage productions and films, plus TV-commercial voice-overs, since her “Brady” days. As well, she and her husband of nearly 31 years, former IT consultant Ken Pace, have become entrepreneurs with their lifestyle and coffee mail-order company, PlumbGoods.
The straight-talking, no-nonsense Plumb, who resides in New York, spoke by phone with Newsday contributing writer Frank Lovece.
An undercurrent throughout your memoir is about how some male behaviors toward teen or even preteen girls — from a pat on the back to being picked up and carried — were considered acceptable when you were a child actor but wouldn’t be acceptable now.
I used to think, “What’s the big deal?” But then I started clocking it in my past and in my current life and I realized it really wasn’t OK. As we hopefully grow as a people we realize that perceptions change and realizations change and that unwanted touching is unwanted touching. Because the touch is just the end point of control. So if some guy is putting his hand behind my back to move me forward [on a stage], it’s, like, “I can walk, thank you.” A lot of touching is swept under the rug as being polite or nice. It’s not polite. … And women have [had to learn how] to say no without offending or somehow making it worse.
And this continued even as a grownup, being picked up and carried around on a stage without your permission, like when you were studying improv with The Groundlings in Los Angeles.
Yeah. It’s because I’m small and because a lot of times if you’re an improv actor that is not well-trained, shall we say, you’re going for the joke, you’re going for the big thing, and the big thing is, “I’m going to pick her up!” … Yeah, no thank you. Don’t grab me.
You reveal in the book you’re in remission from breast cancer that was diagnosed in the early 2010s. Was it cathartic to talk about or are you thinking, “Well, maybe my medical history was a little too personal?”
I didn’t ever want to talk about it, and [in the book] I talk about why. But I was encouraged by friends and family to, because it is such a big part of my life. … Enough time had passed where I wouldn’t be so sensitive about it and have to hear people go, “Oh, no!” or, “You know what you should do?” Now it’s over.
Let’s clear up a credits thing. One source says you appeared in an episode of [the 1968—75 NBC police show] “Adam-12,” but it’s not in IMDB.
I did. I played a little girl in my string of little-girl-in-peril [roles]. … I’m trying to think now because we didn’t talk about it in the book. … It was a night shoot outside at a pool. They had this dummy that was very frightening because the face was all disintegrated. I guess I fall into the pool and they pull me out and I get mouth-to-mouth [resuscitation] from — was Kent McCord one of the guys?
He played the younger cop partner, Officer Jim Reed.
Yeah. Kent McCord, mouth to mouth. Talk about a man and a little girl in a weird situation.
I’m sure Kent was a consummate professional.
Of course. And again, nothing would have been thought of [as being untoward].
Something else not in the book: The Brooklyn punk-rock band Lunachicks had a 1989 single called “Jan Brady.” Did you know about this? Did they call up and say, “Hey, would you like us to send you a copy?”
No to all of it.
The legendary Imogene Coca played Jan Brady’s Great-Aunt. Jenny Did you know who Imogene Coca was or were you too young?
I think I was too young.
How about Jim Backus in the Grand Canyon episode [and later in a guest role as Mike Brady’s boss]?
Yeah. Same
I thought maybe you’d seen him on “Gilligan’s Island” [an earlier hit from “Brady” creator Sherwood Schwartz, and in continuous reruns since].
No. I was watching “Mary Tyler Moore.”
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