The Brady Bunch super-mom, Carol Brady, portrayed by Florence Henderson, is one of televisions admired personalities and approachable Internet celebrities. She was the ‘70s roll-model mother.
The sweet, wholesome suburban portrayal of television’s working housewife/mother is actress Henderson’s real nature. She is the embodiment of the loving, exuberant and funny woman we’ve thought we knew, and do.
Florence Henderson’s extraordinary career and universal appeal on stage, screen, television and online, spans three decades. Her impressive credits are extensive. She’s also an author of two cookbooks, the latest “Short-Cut Cooking,” and gives many public demonstrations.
As guest on the Donny & Marie Show for a desert demonstration, host Donny Osmund’s slip sparked a playful reprisal by Flo, squirting whipped cream then hot fudge at one another. The ensuing food fight was aired live, and the audience loved it.
Florence was born on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the youngest of ten children. She has raised her own four (Barbara, Lizzie, Joseph and Robert) with ex-husband, Ira Bernstein, and is a grandmother of two.
Her real-life children, growing up with their mother who had two families was confusing to the youngsters. The Brady Bunch ran for five seasons (1969-1974). They were told that television was acting. They would ask their mother, “Yeah, well how come you don’t yell at those kids?” And she’d say, “Because I’m not allowed!”
Florence regards her life as blessed. She started singing in high school at St. Francisco Academy, Owensboro, KY. At 17 she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York where she also auditioned for Broadway shows.
She was given a small part in Joshua Logan’s Wish You Were Here, and later in the lead roll of Fanny (age 20). Richard Rodgers, of Rodgers & Hammerstein, cast her in the lead roll of the national touring company for Oklahoma.
Her already impressive career expanded to include playing Maria in The Sound of Music, Noel Coward’s The Girl Who Came to Supper, Nellie in South Pacific, and Anna opposite Ricardo Montalban in The King and I.
When asked, she said some of her favorite people are Marilyn Horne, Barbara Bush, Dean Martin, Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Her favorite food is pasta with cole slaw, turkey sandwich with cole slaw, and chicken fingers (with cole slaw).
Not just your typical suburban mom, Flo is on the Net with her own very attractive interactive Web site. She answers questions posted to her forum at http://www.flohome.com and shows her many serious and playful sides. “I’m a 70s mom,” says Florence, “and my daughter is a 90s mom. I know a lot of women my age who are real computer freaks.”
“I still get so much fan mail addressed to Carol Brady, and I think a lot of it’s through the Net. And I always answer it, if it’s legible.”
Producers are organizing a regularly scheduled live celebrity talk program on the Web. The new Flo Show should premiere in the spring. Many celebrities are anxious to participate and meet the public one-on-one in this way.
 Susan Olsen with her TV mom, Florence Henderson |
Mother and her daughter Barbara, as director, hosted the first Emmy Awards Webcast. Florence recounts, “Everybody who spoke to us was so excited. I remember Tony Bennet said the theme for the Internet should be Fly Me to the Moon. After the show we had sit-down interviews with the winners and took questions from around the world. It was great to see the screen fill up with questions from everywhere — Norway, Israel, Australia!” |
“I am in touch with all of my kids,” says Flo including those from The Brady Bunch. “Although I don’t see them that often, we still talk and keep up with each other’s lives.”
Carol’s TV son, Greg, took his mother on a date. “I guess in a sense it was a date, because Barry thought it was. That whole thing got blown way out of proportion. It has made for a good story though!”
Young Barry Williams knew Florence liked live performances, so he took her to the Coconut Grove. Their table was way in the back. She suggested the way to get a better table was to tip the maitre d’ who then recognized them both, and they were reseated at a “great table.”
“Later I asked Barry what he’d planned to tip, and he said a dollar! It was a very sweet thing, very innocent.”
Comments about the Brady Bunch Movies: “I liked the first one very much, and not just because I was in it! I didn’t see the second one but I didn’t hear very good things about it.”
Media-savvy, Henderson is the first woman to guest host The Tonight Show. She is host to NBC’s Later Today show. She was the City of Hope’s 1998 Woman of the Year. Florence really gets around. Her body of professional work is far-reaching, and personal interests not limited to entertainment and charities.
Faced with an almost career-ending fright of flying, hypnotherapy freed her from this and the obstacle of stage fright. Her husband John Kappas is a hypnotherapist. The Kappas’ live on a 87-foot yacht docked at Marina Del Rey, California or somewhere out on the Pacific Ocean.
Henderson’s sincerity, enthusiasm and commitment to quality has helped endear her as one of the most respected and well-liked performers of our time. When asked her recommendations for Mother’s Day, Florence said:
“Tell all those who relate to Carol Brady to call their mothers, and don’t play ball in the house—(laughing)! Forget candy, chocolates, flowers. Make a phone call or send a card. There’s nothing more wonderful to a mother than to hear her child’s voice or to see something in their own handwriting.”
Does email count?: “Not on Mother’s Day!”