The Brady Bunch: Taking a trip down memory lane

By MEGAN BARRETO

The Brady family came into our lives in 1969 and, for some of us, our lives are permanently marked by Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan and Cindy -- and let's not forget Mike, Carol and Alice (and Sam, the butcher). The list goes on -- from guest stars like Joe Namath and Davy Jones to recurring characters like 'Cousin Oliver' and the family dog, Tiger -- the Brady Bunch made a mark on our lives and defined the classic sitcom.

Forty-five years ago on September 26, 1969 the first episode of 'The Brady Bunch' aired on ABC. In the pilot, fittingly titled, 'The Honeymoon, Mike and Carol married in a chaotic backyard wedding, thereby introducing America to a family that would weave itself into the fiber of popular culture.

The Brady family defined what is now called a 'blended family,' when Mike, a widower with three boys, met Carol, who had three girls. IMDB says that it was clear in the pilot that Mike was a widow, but the status of Carol's first marriage was kept a secret. Creator Sherwood Schwartz maintains Carol was divorced from her first husband, but nothing about it was mentioned in the series. At that time, divorce was a subject matter that was still considered largely taboo for television, particularly a series aimed at family audiences.

The website Today I Found Out reports that the series did not go without drama and rumors -- Mike Brady, 'hated the ridiculous, juvenile stories' the 'Brady Bunch' cooked up it was said that he would frequently send Schwartz memos telling him what was wrong with the episodes and how he could improve them.

Despite the rumored drama on the set, 'The Brady Bunch' created fans all over the world. From Facebook fan pages to Tumblr sites, millions of fans are still hooked on the classic series.

Take a trip down memory lane in photos -- and test your trivia with The Huffington Post's 5 things you probably didn't know about 'The Brady Bunch.'

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