Eve Plumb
Encyclopedia
Eve Aline Plumb is an American actress and painter
. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television
sitcom The Brady Bunch
.
, The Big Valley
and Lassie
. In 1968, she appeared on It Takes A Thief
and Family Affair
; in the latter she played a terminally ill girl on the episode "Christmas Came A Little Early". In 1969, aged 11, she appeared on an episode of Gunsmoke
.
hit series The Brady Bunch, Plumb portrayed Jan Brady, one of three sisters. The premise had Jan's divorced mother, Carol, marrying Mike Brady, a widower with three sons. The show was one of the first to deal with the emerging issue of blended families. Plumb's featured storylines included Jan's insecurity over wearing glasses, being a middle child, embarrassment over not having a boyfriend and concerns about her future appearance. But it was in an episode centering on Jan's jealousy of her older sister, Marcia, that Plumb spoke what many consider to be the most quoted and most famous line of the entire series: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"
A couple of "Brady Bunch" episodes featured the kids singing and, as a result, Plumb and the rest of the younger cast recorded several albums, including "Merry Christmas from The Brady Bunch" and "Meet The Brady Bunch." The children also took part in a concert tour of the country under the name "The Brady Bunch Kids". From 1972–1974, Plumb and her TV siblings also lent their voices to a Saturday morning cartoon titled "The Brady Kids."
During the run of "The Brady Bunch," Plumb and her young co-stars became very popular in teen fan magazines of the day, including "16" and "Tiger Beat." They were also featured in a variety of other media, including paperback books, coloring books, lunch boxes, board games, posters and even paper dolls.
. She went on to appear in the sequel, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn. She appeared as "Beth" in NBC
productions of Little Women
, both a TV movie and a short-lived series. Plumb declined to reunite with the Brady Bunch cast for the 1976-77 variety show The Brady Bunch Hour
. Much was made of her absence, including accusations that she no longer wanted to be associated with the Bradys. Plumb has stated in interviews that she was willing to do to the variety show's original special episode, but couldn't commit to an option for several additional shows. Actress/singer Geri Reischl
was cast to replace Plumb in both the special and the ensuing series. She became known among "Brady Bunch" fans as "fake Jan." Many years later, the variety show controversy would be parodied on an episode of "The Simpsons."
In the 1980s, Plumb did take part in several Brady made-for-TV movies
projects, including 1981's "The Brady Girls Get Married," which led to "The Brady Brides," a short-lived sitcom in which she co-starred with Maureen McCormick (Marcia). She also appeared in the 1988 TV movie A Very Brady Christmas
and the 1990 spinoff dramedy series, The Bradys
. To promote their latest incarnation, Plumb and the rest of the cast were interviewed on the "Sally Jessy Raphael" show. The episode is remembered for being shot outdoors in Florida during a rainstorm. Eve was later interviewed as part of a 1995 retrospective special titled "Brady Bunch Home Movies." It was produced by former TV sister Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady). Also in 1995, Plumb appeared on a special 'child stars' installment of the "Jenny Jones Show." In 1996, she was a guest on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," where she reminisced about her "Brady" years. Eve took part in the 1996 "E True Hollywood Story: The Brady Bunch." In 2001, Plumb appeared on a special Brady-themed edition of the NBC game show "The Weakest Link." In 2004, she was part of the TV Land
production The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady after All These Years
. Plumb appeared on the December 18, 2006 premiere episode of the NBC
game show
Identity
. In 2008, Eve joined several of her former "Brady Bunch" co-stars on a special Brady-themed week of the syndicated game show "Trivial Pursuit: America Plays." It was hosted by former "Brady" brother Chris Knight (Peter). Also in 2008, she was a guest on the "Florence Henderson Show," hosted by her former TV mom.
Plumb appeared in various television series through the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, including Here's Lucy
, The Love Boat
, Fantasy Island
, Wonder Woman
, One Day At A Time
,The Facts of Life
, "Murder She Wrote," "The Super Mario Brothers Super Show," Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and All My Children
.
Of note, Eve was a member of the cast of the Saturday morning sitcom
Fudge
(1995–1997), playing the title character's mother, Mrs. Ann Hatcher. She also appeared in the movie Fudge-A-Mania
(1997). To promote the series, she was a guest on the "Jon Stewart Show." Plumb was the original Pam Burkhart on That '70s Show
(only seen in episode 6 "The Keg"). In addition, she made a cameo appearance
in the 1988
movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
. Eve also studied with the LA-based "Groundlings" improv comedy troupe.
In August 2008, Plumb appeared on an episode of the NBC daytime drama Days of our Lives
. From October 2010 to May 2011, Eve starred as the title character in the New York production of Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, inspired by a book and website of the same name. The role was her first New York stage role. She made several TV appearances to promote the show, including "Access Hollywood," "The Joy Behar Show" and "Geraldo At Large."
From September 7, 2011 to September 17, 2011, Plumb co-starred in "Same Time Next Year" with Broadway's John Bolton at the Surflight Theater in Beach Haven, NJ.
Plumb has been painting for more than two decades and has enjoyed good success at select galleries across the U.S. Utilizing oil on canvas, her focus is on "spontaneous still life".
in 1990, Plumb was profiled while making a cameo appearance in the stage spoof "The Real Live Brady Bunch." It was reported that after a performance, fans asked Plumb "What was your favorite 'Brady' episode?" She replied somewhat jokingly "The last one." Seeing their disappointment, Plumb modified her answer by saying "The Grand Canyon
episode was kind of cool." She has since stated that she and her Brady costars have an unspoken agreement to always be courteous and polite to fans of The Brady Bunch.
In the TV Land
special The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady after All These Years
, broadcast on September 29, 2004, Plumb stated that she had never seen The Brady Bunch Movie
. When asked to give the audience an update on her life today, she stated that she was "still auditioning".
. Her father was Neely Plumb, a saxophonist who later worked as a staff producer on music soundtracks for major film companies. Her mother, Flora June Plumb (née Dobry), was a ballerina. Plumb has two siblings, Flora Plumb, an actress, and a brother, Ben.
Plumb's first husband was Rick Mansfield, whom she married in 1979 and divorced two years later. She and her second husband of 15 years, business consultant Kenneth Pace, reside in New York City
. They moved there after living for many years in Laguna Beach, California
, where Plumb worked as an artist, served as chair pro-tem of the city's Board of Adjustments/Design Review Board, and was part of the makeup crew during the annual "Pageant of the Masters."
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
.
Early career
Eve was a young child when her acting career began in TV commercials in 1966. The following year, she appeared on The VirginianThe Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, The Big Valley
The Big Valley
The Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...
and Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
. In 1968, she appeared on It Takes A Thief
It Takes a Thief
It Takes a Thief is an American action-adventure television series that aired on ABC for two and a half seasons between January 9, 1968, and March 24, 1970. It starred veteran movie actor Robert Wagner in his television debut as sophisticated thief Alexander Mundy, who works for the U.S. government...
and Family Affair
Family Affair
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...
; in the latter she played a terminally ill girl on the episode "Christmas Came A Little Early". In 1969, aged 11, she appeared on an episode of Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
.
Jan Brady, the middle sister
In the 1969–1974 ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
hit series The Brady Bunch, Plumb portrayed Jan Brady, one of three sisters. The premise had Jan's divorced mother, Carol, marrying Mike Brady, a widower with three sons. The show was one of the first to deal with the emerging issue of blended families. Plumb's featured storylines included Jan's insecurity over wearing glasses, being a middle child, embarrassment over not having a boyfriend and concerns about her future appearance. But it was in an episode centering on Jan's jealousy of her older sister, Marcia, that Plumb spoke what many consider to be the most quoted and most famous line of the entire series: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"
A couple of "Brady Bunch" episodes featured the kids singing and, as a result, Plumb and the rest of the younger cast recorded several albums, including "Merry Christmas from The Brady Bunch" and "Meet The Brady Bunch." The children also took part in a concert tour of the country under the name "The Brady Bunch Kids". From 1972–1974, Plumb and her TV siblings also lent their voices to a Saturday morning cartoon titled "The Brady Kids."
During the run of "The Brady Bunch," Plumb and her young co-stars became very popular in teen fan magazines of the day, including "16" and "Tiger Beat." They were also featured in a variety of other media, including paperback books, coloring books, lunch boxes, board games, posters and even paper dolls.
Later career
After The Brady Bunch ended, Plumb won the role of a teenage hooker in the gritty 1976 made-for-television movie Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage RunawayDawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway
Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway is an NBC made-for-television movie. It premiered on September 27, 1976. The movie is about a 15-year-old girl named Dawn Wetherby who runs away from home to Hollywood, California and becomes a prostitute to support herself. Dawn finds herself taken under the...
. She went on to appear in the sequel, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn. She appeared as "Beth" in NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
productions of Little Women
Little Women (1978 film)
For other motion pictures of this title, see Little Women Little Women is a 1978 romantic family drama television film directed by David Lowell Rich and based upon Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Suzanne Clauser...
, both a TV movie and a short-lived series. Plumb declined to reunite with the Brady Bunch cast for the 1976-77 variety show The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in association with CBS Television Distribution, which aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977....
. Much was made of her absence, including accusations that she no longer wanted to be associated with the Bradys. Plumb has stated in interviews that she was willing to do to the variety show's original special episode, but couldn't commit to an option for several additional shows. Actress/singer Geri Reischl
Geri Reischl
Geri Lee Reischl is an American actress and singer, known for her work as a child actor in the 1970s, most notably on the variety show The Brady Bunch Hour and various television commercials.-Acting:...
was cast to replace Plumb in both the special and the ensuing series. She became known among "Brady Bunch" fans as "fake Jan." Many years later, the variety show controversy would be parodied on an episode of "The Simpsons."
In the 1980s, Plumb did take part in several Brady made-for-TV movies
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
projects, including 1981's "The Brady Girls Get Married," which led to "The Brady Brides," a short-lived sitcom in which she co-starred with Maureen McCormick (Marcia). She also appeared in the 1988 TV movie A Very Brady Christmas
A Very Brady Christmas
A Very Brady Christmas is a 1988 movie based on the television series The Brady Bunch, featuring all of the original actors who appeared in the series except Susan Olsen who was on her honeymoon when the film was being made; Jennifer Runyon took her place as Cindy...
and the 1990 spinoff dramedy series, The Bradys
The Bradys
The Bradys is a six-episode American drama series that aired on CBS in 1990. It was a revival of the early 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch , and was about the trials and tribulations of the extended Brady family some 15 years after the end of the earlier series...
. To promote their latest incarnation, Plumb and the rest of the cast were interviewed on the "Sally Jessy Raphael" show. The episode is remembered for being shot outdoors in Florida during a rainstorm. Eve was later interviewed as part of a 1995 retrospective special titled "Brady Bunch Home Movies." It was produced by former TV sister Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady). Also in 1995, Plumb appeared on a special 'child stars' installment of the "Jenny Jones Show." In 1996, she was a guest on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," where she reminisced about her "Brady" years. Eve took part in the 1996 "E True Hollywood Story: The Brady Bunch." In 2001, Plumb appeared on a special Brady-themed edition of the NBC game show "The Weakest Link." In 2004, she was part of the TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
production The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady after All These Years
The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years
-About The Special:The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years was a TV special hosted by Jenny McCarthy that aired September 26, 2004, on TV Land. It featured all the living cast members from the 1969-1974 ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch, who spoke about the...
. Plumb appeared on the December 18, 2006 premiere episode of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Identity
Identity (game show)
Identity is a reality/game show, hosted by Penn Jillette and produced by Reveille where contestants could win money by matching 12 strangers one-by-one to phrases about their identities.-Format:A contestant is introduced to twelve strangers...
. In 2008, Eve joined several of her former "Brady Bunch" co-stars on a special Brady-themed week of the syndicated game show "Trivial Pursuit: America Plays." It was hosted by former "Brady" brother Chris Knight (Peter). Also in 2008, she was a guest on the "Florence Henderson Show," hosted by her former TV mom.
Plumb appeared in various television series through the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, including Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy is Lucille Ball's third network television sitcom. It ran on CBS from 1968 to 1974.-Background:Though The Lucy Show was still hugely popular during the previous season, finishing in the top five of the Nielsen Ratings , Ball opted to end that series at the end of that season and create...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, One Day At A Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
,The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
, "Murder She Wrote," "The Super Mario Brothers Super Show," Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
.
Of note, Eve was a member of the cast of the Saturday morning sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Fudge
Fudge (TV series)
Fudge is an American children's television series produced by Amblin Entertainment in association with MTE, based on a series of Judy Blume books about a young boy nicknamed Fudge. The series ran for two seasons , with 24 episodes following a telefilm adaptation of Blume's novel Fudge-A-Mania,...
(1995–1997), playing the title character's mother, Mrs. Ann Hatcher. She also appeared in the movie Fudge-A-Mania
Fudge-a-Mania
Fudge-a-Mania is a 1990 children's novel by Judy Blume and the third in the "Fudge" series .-Plot:...
(1997). To promote the series, she was a guest on the "Jon Stewart Show." Plumb was the original Pam Burkhart on That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
(only seen in episode 6 "The Keg"). In addition, she made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the 1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes...
. Eve also studied with the LA-based "Groundlings" improv comedy troupe.
In August 2008, Plumb appeared on an episode of the NBC daytime drama Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. From October 2010 to May 2011, Eve starred as the title character in the New York production of Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, inspired by a book and website of the same name. The role was her first New York stage role. She made several TV appearances to promote the show, including "Access Hollywood," "The Joy Behar Show" and "Geraldo At Large."
From September 7, 2011 to September 17, 2011, Plumb co-starred in "Same Time Next Year" with Broadway's John Bolton at the Surflight Theater in Beach Haven, NJ.
Plumb has been painting for more than two decades and has enjoyed good success at select galleries across the U.S. Utilizing oil on canvas, her focus is on "spontaneous still life".
Post-Brady reflections
In an article published by the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
in 1990, Plumb was profiled while making a cameo appearance in the stage spoof "The Real Live Brady Bunch." It was reported that after a performance, fans asked Plumb "What was your favorite 'Brady' episode?" She replied somewhat jokingly "The last one." Seeing their disappointment, Plumb modified her answer by saying "The Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
episode was kind of cool." She has since stated that she and her Brady costars have an unspoken agreement to always be courteous and polite to fans of The Brady Bunch.
In the TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
special The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady after All These Years
The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years
-About The Special:The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years was a TV special hosted by Jenny McCarthy that aired September 26, 2004, on TV Land. It featured all the living cast members from the 1969-1974 ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch, who spoke about the...
, broadcast on September 29, 2004, Plumb stated that she had never seen The Brady Bunch Movie
The Brady Bunch Movie
The Brady Bunch Movie is a 1995 American comedy film based on the 1969–1974 television series The Brady Bunch.The film features all the original regular characters, all played by new actors...
. When asked to give the audience an update on her life today, she stated that she was "still auditioning".
Personal life
Plumb was born in Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. Her father was Neely Plumb, a saxophonist who later worked as a staff producer on music soundtracks for major film companies. Her mother, Flora June Plumb (née Dobry), was a ballerina. Plumb has two siblings, Flora Plumb, an actress, and a brother, Ben.
Plumb's first husband was Rick Mansfield, whom she married in 1979 and divorced two years later. She and her second husband of 15 years, business consultant Kenneth Pace, reside in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They moved there after living for many years in Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
, where Plumb worked as an artist, served as chair pro-tem of the city's Board of Adjustments/Design Review Board, and was part of the makeup crew during the annual "Pageant of the Masters."