Expert: Mike Caldwell - 12/11/2006

Question
Hi there, Mike!  Like you, I'm a Bradyholic and know tons of trivia about the show. I first became addicted at the age of four when my babysitter Linda would have me watch two back to back episodes on Channel 48.  Anyway, here is my question for you...  As you're probably aware, almost all of the stations showing BB reruns edit out a few minutes of the show to squeeze in a few extra commercials. One example I can specifically remember is when Jan is buying her "new Jan Brady" afro wig, she first tries on a purse, thinking it is a wig.  I haven't seen that segment on a BB rerun in years...  ANYWAY...  I swear I can remember a certain scene that also was cut out, but I've almost convinced myself I'm hallucinating because it is rather risqué.  Here's the scene:  Bobby and Cindy are heading out of the house to take a swim in one of their neighbors’ new swimming pool.  As they’re passing through the kitchen on their way out, Alice notices they're both wearing bath robes.  After she asks where they're going dressed like that, they tell her about the pool party.  Alice pops open one of their robes and gasps in shock because both are in their birthday suits!!!  After they explain that's how the neighbors told them to dress, she forbids them to go and shakes her head in shock at the new "liberal" neighbors!

Sooo...  Is this a real scene or something close to one?  My memory of it may have changed over the years.  If you could, please let me know what episode (if any) this scene is in.  If it helps, I'm pretty sure it was Season 5 as Cindy had her braids at that point.

Thanks in advance for you help!

Answer
Good question, these "lost scenes" tend to conjure up quite a bit of discussion.  There are apocryphal tales of a lost episode in which a Brady dates a black person, etc.  Long story short, to cut to the chase - as enticing and interesting as the notion may be, such tales have never passed the barriers of urban legend.  As such, after countless interviews with Susan Olsen and Mike Lookinland, etc, no mention every came to pass of such a thing.  To boot, the Barry Williams "tell-all" book of the early 1990s would have certainly mentioned such scandal, and with his hunger for a dollar, nothing came to pass.
After a good bit of research, nothing has ever come to pass in terms of a credible account that such a lost scene ever came to pass, and it makes perfect sense, given the conservative nature of the writers, network executives, and the like.  
There are no true accounts of such a scene ever being conceived or taking place.  Clearly the ancient Sherwood Schwartz would never have condoned of such a concept even coming to the writers meetings.  
Yes, for reruns these days, given the increase in commercials, some minor scenes would be cut to suit the shorter program time, but having seen them all, I can assure that nothing of the sort ever came to pass.  The big rumor was that this scene came from the "Goodbye Alice, Hello" episode when Alice ends up working at a diner.  Unfortunately I've seen the cut scenes and nothing even close to relevant to a "pool party" comes up.  
So it's urban legend!  I'd love to hear otherwise, but for now, that's the poop.