The Krofftettes
Encyclopedia
The Krofftettes were a dance troupe, who also performed water ballet, featured on The Brady Bunch Hour
from 1976 to 1977. They were the first to perform synchronized swimming
as a regular feature on a prime-time network program.
The group was created by Sid and Marty Krofft
as a spinoff of The Ice Vanities, which performed skating routines on their other variety endeavor, Donny & Marie
. When ABC programming executive Michael Eisner
asked the Kroffts to create a new show for The Brady Bunch
, Sid decided that the next best thing to ice would be a gigantic swimming pool, inspired by Esther Williams
movies of the 1940s and 50s.
On October 25, 1976, the Kroffts held auditions for the group with choreographer Joe Cassini in the ABC headquarters at 1313 N. Vine in Hollywood. There they met Charkie Phillips
, a classically trained dancer from Florida and competitive swimmer with an extensive background in water ballet. Phillips was selected to help Cassini choose dancers who could also handle the rigors of synchronized swimming
.
Originally, ten Krofftettes were featured in the pilot episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour on November 28, 1976, and also included Laura Steele and Michelle Horowitz. However, they did not come back when the show returned the following January leaving only eight members.
Alternates included Michele Adler, who filled in for Linda Hoxit
on the pilot.
Valerie Jean Miller (for Dee Kaye
) and Susie Guest (for Susan Buckner
) also served as alternates on synchronized swimming, one episode each. Laurie Bartram appeared with the group in one dance number featuring The Hudson Brothers.
in Hollywood above the floor. It contained 47,756 gallons of water complemented by spiral staircases, psychedelic lights, steep water slides, rushing water jets, and overhead runways. Seven porthole windows along the sides of the tank and underwater cameras allowed crew members to film the swimmers performing “aquabatics.” The production crew ended up having to put Sparkletts bottled water in the pool and install a recycling pump station outside the sound stage. Finally, an overhead camera was installed to film the pool from above as the swimmers formed kaleidoscopic shapes in the water.
Both the swimmers and stage crew faced many challenges with the swimming pool during production. Because the pool was located next door to the ice rink for Donny & Marie
on Stage 1, the Krofftettes entered exited the water in frigid air temperatures while rehearsing for the pilot episode. This caused steam to rise out of the water. Attempts to equalize the temperature of both the water and air then turned the pool into a warm bath. Because the pool had no indentures along the sides or ladders, the swimmers were forced to tread water for lengthy periods of time.
Unlike traditional synchronized swimming
, the Krofftettes were expected to sit on the bottom of the pool floor in various formations. In order to accomplish this, the women had to completely exhale all of their breath so that they would sink in a state of hypoxia
. The ABC network
would not allow the use of goggles and any unsightly air bubble escaping from a desperate nostril was absolutely forbidden.
Because the Krofftettes had double duty as dancers on stage with the Bradys during the day, swimming sequences were often relegated to late night hours. This required the women to work more than 15 consecutive hours on days they were filming.
Other hazards with the swimming pool included props weighed to the bottom which presented unwelcome obstructions. In addition, the Kroffts decided in one production number to have gas canisters in the pool which they ignited during filming as a special effect. The Krofftettes were also forced to smear Vaseline
into their scalp so that everything would stay in place while under water. This could only be removed with a recipe of Spic and Span
along with Joy dishwashing liquid
which turned everyone’s hair green. Turbans and other head pieces were then used for the remainder of the series.
At one point, Sid Krofft
wanted to put dolphins in the pool with the Krofftettes. When he was informed that they would die in chlorinated water, Sid is credited with replying, “Well, how long would they live?”
The Krofftettes were the first water ballet troupe to be filmed on video tape, which presented its own set of challenges. The Kroffts experimented with an under water camera but relied more on large porthole windows in which cameras taped from outside of the pool itself. Cast, crew, and visitors alike were known to visit the stage and observe the young women during rehearsals through these windows, which included Chevy Chase
and Paul Shaffer
who were working at KTLA
on a television special. Shaffer noted in his autobiography, We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives, that Chase would cut production meetings short so that everyone could go watch the Krofftettes perform.
' final film in 1963. Choreographer Charkie Phillips
also staged synchronized swimming for thirteen episodes of NBC’s The Big Show
in 1980, and then with Miss Piggy in The Great Muppet Caper
(1981). Many of the original Krofftettes appeared in both productions, in addition to a notable water ballet sequence in Mel Brooks
’ History of the World Part 1. In 2009, a comprehensive documentary of The Krofftettes was featured in the book Love to Love You Bradys
by Susan Olsen
and Ted Nichelson.
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....
from 1976 to 1977. They were the first to perform synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming
Synchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
as a regular feature on a prime-time network program.
The group was created by Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
as a spinoff of The Ice Vanities, which performed skating routines on their other variety endeavor, Donny & Marie
Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)
Donny & Marie was an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond...
. When ABC programming executive Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
asked the Kroffts to create a new show for 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...
, Sid decided that the next best thing to ice would be a gigantic swimming pool, inspired by Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
movies of the 1940s and 50s.
On October 25, 1976, the Kroffts held auditions for the group with choreographer Joe Cassini in the ABC headquarters at 1313 N. Vine in Hollywood. There they met Charkie Phillips
Charkie Phillips
Charlotte “Charkie” Phillips is an American choreographer best known as a water ballet choreographer for television and films in the 1970s and 80s...
, a classically trained dancer from Florida and competitive swimmer with an extensive background in water ballet. Phillips was selected to help Cassini choose dancers who could also handle the rigors of synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming
Synchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
.
Membership
The core group of Krofftettes consisted of eight women:- Charkie PhillipsCharkie PhillipsCharlotte “Charkie” Phillips is an American choreographer best known as a water ballet choreographer for television and films in the 1970s and 80s...
- Christine Cullen Wallace
- Susan BucknerSusan BucknerSusan Buckner is an American film and television actress. Prior to her acting career she was crowned Miss Washington in 1971 and in September went on to become a Miss America top ten finalist , eventually losing to Miss Ohio, Laurel Lea Schaefer. Her acting career is sprinkled with supporting roles...
- Linda HoxitLinda HoxitLinda Hoxit was a prolific dancer and model on television and in movies during the 1970s and 80s. She is the former girlfriend of rock legend Al Kooper and was featured on the cover of his album "Act Like Nothing's Wrong" with her head super imposed with Kooper's hairy torso and legs.Hoxit is a...
- Judy SusmanJudy SusmanJudy Susman is a noted dancer and synchronized swimmer in both film and television during the 1970s and 80s. She was the first wife of actor Todd Susman....
- Lynne LathamLynne LathamLynne Latham began her noteworthy dance career on television with featured roles on The Dean Martin Show and also went on tour with Sammy Davis Jr. In the 1970s she returned to Dean Martin as one of the Ding-a-ling Sisters and also appeared as a dancer on the Donny and Marie Show...
- Dee KayeDee KayeDee Kaye is an accomplished classically trained dancer, who is also known for her comedic talents. She is the daughter of character actor Danny Klega....
- Robyn BlytheRobyn BlytheRobyn Blythe is a dancer and actress from the 1970s and 80s, best known for her featured role in Alice Cooper's film Welcome to my Nightmare and as a member of The Krofftettes synchronized swimming troupe on The Brady Bunch Hour....
Originally, ten Krofftettes were featured in the pilot episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour on November 28, 1976, and also included Laura Steele and Michelle Horowitz. However, they did not come back when the show returned the following January leaving only eight members.
Alternates included Michele Adler, who filled in for Linda Hoxit
Linda Hoxit
Linda Hoxit was a prolific dancer and model on television and in movies during the 1970s and 80s. She is the former girlfriend of rock legend Al Kooper and was featured on the cover of his album "Act Like Nothing's Wrong" with her head super imposed with Kooper's hairy torso and legs.Hoxit is a...
on the pilot.
Valerie Jean Miller (for Dee Kaye
Dee Kaye
Dee Kaye is an accomplished classically trained dancer, who is also known for her comedic talents. She is the daughter of character actor Danny Klega....
) and Susie Guest (for Susan Buckner
Susan Buckner
Susan Buckner is an American film and television actress. Prior to her acting career she was crowned Miss Washington in 1971 and in September went on to become a Miss America top ten finalist , eventually losing to Miss Ohio, Laurel Lea Schaefer. Her acting career is sprinkled with supporting roles...
) also served as alternates on synchronized swimming, one episode each. Laurie Bartram appeared with the group in one dance number featuring The Hudson Brothers.
Background
The Kroffts obtained the services of a professional pool company, and the pool arrived in sections that were bolted together and sealed. They had to get clearance from the City of Los Angeles that the substructure of sound stage would hold it up, and because the water weight distributed itself evenly over the floor the pounds per inch was given approval. The swimming pool was forty-five feet long, twenty-five feet across, and sixty-eight inches deep, and was constructed on Stage 2 at KTLAKTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
in Hollywood above the floor. It contained 47,756 gallons of water complemented by spiral staircases, psychedelic lights, steep water slides, rushing water jets, and overhead runways. Seven porthole windows along the sides of the tank and underwater cameras allowed crew members to film the swimmers performing “aquabatics.” The production crew ended up having to put Sparkletts bottled water in the pool and install a recycling pump station outside the sound stage. Finally, an overhead camera was installed to film the pool from above as the swimmers formed kaleidoscopic shapes in the water.
Both the swimmers and stage crew faced many challenges with the swimming pool during production. Because the pool was located next door to the ice rink for Donny & Marie
Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)
Donny & Marie was an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond...
on Stage 1, the Krofftettes entered exited the water in frigid air temperatures while rehearsing for the pilot episode. This caused steam to rise out of the water. Attempts to equalize the temperature of both the water and air then turned the pool into a warm bath. Because the pool had no indentures along the sides or ladders, the swimmers were forced to tread water for lengthy periods of time.
Unlike traditional synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming
Synchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
, the Krofftettes were expected to sit on the bottom of the pool floor in various formations. In order to accomplish this, the women had to completely exhale all of their breath so that they would sink in a state of hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
. The ABC network
ABC Network
ABC Network may refer to any of the following:*American Broadcasting Company, a private television network in the United States.*Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, regional radio and television broadcaster in Japan....
would not allow the use of goggles and any unsightly air bubble escaping from a desperate nostril was absolutely forbidden.
Because the Krofftettes had double duty as dancers on stage with the Bradys during the day, swimming sequences were often relegated to late night hours. This required the women to work more than 15 consecutive hours on days they were filming.
Other hazards with the swimming pool included props weighed to the bottom which presented unwelcome obstructions. In addition, the Kroffts decided in one production number to have gas canisters in the pool which they ignited during filming as a special effect. The Krofftettes were also forced to smear Vaseline
Vaseline
Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly based products owned by Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, deodorants and personal lubricants....
into their scalp so that everything would stay in place while under water. This could only be removed with a recipe of Spic and Span
Spic and Span
Spic and Span is a major U.S. brand of all-purpose household cleaner, invented by housewives Elizabeth "Bet" MacDonald and Naomi Stenglein in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1933. The women experimented until they came up with a formula that included equal parts of ground-up glue, sodium carbonate, and...
along with Joy dishwashing liquid
Joy dishwashing liquid
Joy dishwashing liquid is a major brand of dish-cleaning detergent product made by U.S.-based personal and cleaning products manufacturer and marketer Procter & Gamble....
which turned everyone’s hair green. Turbans and other head pieces were then used for the remainder of the series.
At one point, Sid Krofft
Sid Krofft
Sid Krofft is a Canadian/American puppeteer and television producer. He created and produced a wide array of shows and TV series and specials with his brother, Marty, beginning in the 1960s.- Biography :...
wanted to put dolphins in the pool with the Krofftettes. When he was informed that they would die in chlorinated water, Sid is credited with replying, “Well, how long would they live?”
The Krofftettes were the first water ballet troupe to be filmed on video tape, which presented its own set of challenges. The Kroffts experimented with an under water camera but relied more on large porthole windows in which cameras taped from outside of the pool itself. Cast, crew, and visitors alike were known to visit the stage and observe the young women during rehearsals through these windows, which included Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
and Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
who were working at KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
on a television special. Shaffer noted in his autobiography, We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives, that Chase would cut production meetings short so that everyone could go watch the Krofftettes perform.
Legacy
The Krofftettes brought water ballet back to a national audience for the first time in nearly 15 years, following Esther WilliamsEsther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
' final film in 1963. Choreographer Charkie Phillips
Charkie Phillips
Charlotte “Charkie” Phillips is an American choreographer best known as a water ballet choreographer for television and films in the 1970s and 80s...
also staged synchronized swimming for thirteen episodes of NBC’s The Big Show
The Big Show (TV series)
The Big Show is an American comedy-variety-musical television series produced and broadcast by NBC for several months in 1980.The series aimed to revitalize the moribund variety television genre, which had been in a downward spiral since the cancellations of the Ed Sullivan Show and The Carol...
in 1980, and then with Miss Piggy in The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 mystery comedy film directed by Jim Henson. It is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Henson's Muppets. This film was produced by Henson Associates, ITC Entertainment and Universal Pictures, and premiered on 26 July 1981. The...
(1981). Many of the original Krofftettes appeared in both productions, in addition to a notable water ballet sequence in Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
’ History of the World Part 1. In 2009, a comprehensive documentary of The Krofftettes was featured in the book Love to Love You Bradys
Love to Love You Bradys
Love to Love You Bradys: the bizarre story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour is a 2009 coffee table book written by The Brady Bunch actress Susan Olsen, with Ted Nichelson and Lisa Sutton....
by Susan Olsen
Susan Olsen
Susan Marie Olsen is a former American child television actress and current animal welfare advocate. Olsen is best known for her role as Mike and Carol Brady's youngest daughter, Cindy Brady, on the 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch for the full run of the show, from 1969-1974.-Early...
and Ted Nichelson.
External links
- Complete Guide to The Brady Bunch Hour
- Interview with Linda Hoxit
- The Brady Bunch on TVLand.com
- The World of Sid and Marty Krofft at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Krofft.net - The Krofft Fan Network