'Greg Brady' tells: The truth about my date with TV mum Florence Henderson
With the passing of Brady Bunch legend Florence Henderson, attention has again returned to one of the most mythologised events in the TV history – the so-called ‘date’ between Barry Williams, who played oldest Brady son Greg, and his TV mum.
Far from being the sordid age-gap affair that some people apparently wish it was, Barry says that it was just another example of what a kind woman Florence was. He confirms he was just 15 when he asked his 36-year-old co-star out.
‘When those little things called hormones start kicking in, you get excited by even inanimate objects,’ he told People magazine.
‘It wasn’t that I sought to bed her. I just wanted to spend time with her. It was flattering that she gave me any attention at all.’
The outing, which just involved having dinner together and seeing a show at an LA hotel, was a one-off, and progressed no further than that, Florence told the magazine before her death.
‘He had a crush on me, and he asked me out for a date, which I’ll never forget,’ she confirmed.
‘He was too young to drive, so his older brother brought him to my hotel, and then I drove us to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, where we saw a singer.
‘It was so sweet because Barry made sure we had a good table. After the show, his brother picked him up and took him home. The crush was a very serious thing for him, so I was never condescending. I certainly liked him too, but I wasn’t exactly the Cher of the TV mom set.’