Life Is Not a Stage

June 13, 2011
Henderson's depiction of the perfect mother of the perfect family as Carol Brady provided Americans "a cultural icon," but her true upbringing in Indiana as "a small child confronted by the unpleasant side of humanity," devoid of affection, with an alcoholic father, an absent mother, and a home without running water or electricity, taught her "not to be dependent on other people." Her musical talent shone on Broadway while working with Rodgers and Hammerstein, Josh Logan, Noel Coward, and David Merrick. A natural on live television, Henderson charmed Jack Paar, broke new ground as "the Today Show girl" and as the first woman to sub for Johnny Carson. She discusses raising her own family while on the Brady Bunch set; Robert Reed's troubles as actor and closeted gay man; warm friendships and a date with Barry Williams, her Brady Bunch son. In this genuinely introspective narrative, Henderson reflects honestly on the birth control pill as liberation; affairs, including a one-night stand with former New York City mayor John Lindsey; stage fright; and postpartum depression. 16 pages of photos.

September 1, 2011
Well, she was right about one thing. Henderson speculates in this memoir that her revelation that she had a brief dalliance with New York City mayor John Lindsay would be the focus of the publicity surrounding the book, and indeed many of the prepublication articles have zoomed in on that episode (which takes up slightly more than a page and is entirely nonscandalous). But the book is not one of those Hollywood bios, the ones with a shocking revelation on every page. It is pretty much what we would expect from Mrs. Brady: the story of Henderson's life as a performer, taking us from her early stage appearances, through The Brady Bunch, and beyond, including her popular spin on Dancing with the Stars. The book is competently written and straightforward, and there are plenty of entertaining showbiz stories and some real eye-openers, such as the surprising fact that Gene Hackman originally tested for the role of Mike Brady. Like its author, the book is likable and engaging, especially for those with fond memories of The Brady Bunch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)