Eve Plumb

Eve Plumb
Eve Plumb attending "Heroes For Autism" event at Avalon, Hollywood, CA on April 19, 2009
Born	Eve Aline Plumb April 29, 1958 (1958-04-29) Burbank, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, painter
Years active	1966–present

Not to be confused with Eve's Plum, the rock group.

Eve Aline Plumb (born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television sitcom The Brady Bunch.

Early career

Eve was a young child when her acting career began in TV commercials in 1966. The following year, she appeared on The Virginian, 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.

Jan Brady, the middle sister

In the 1969–1974 ABC hit series The Brady Bunch, Plumb portrayed Jan Brady, one of three sisters. The premise had Jan's widowed/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!" The show would ultimately become one of the most beloved in TV history. After ending its primetime run in 1974, "Brady Bunch" reruns went on to even greater success in syndication. They have been on the air ever since. The show has also spawned numerous spinoffs, reunions and feature films.

A couple of "Brady" episodes featured the kids singing and as a result, Plumb and the rest of the younger cast recorded several albums: "Merry Christmas from The Brady Bunch," "Meet The Brady Bunch," "The Kids From The Brady Bunch" and "The Brady Bunch Phonographic Album." There were also various solo singles. The children appeared on "American Bandstand" and also took part in a concert tour of the country under the name "The Brady Bunch Kids". In 1974, Eve provided a monologue for the Pat Williams Orchestra's recording of "California Love Story." The single was co-produced by Plumb's father, Neely Plumb, a recording executive. In 1993, MCA released a greatest hits collection entitled "It's A Sunshine Day: The Best of The Brady Bunch."

From 1972–1974, Plumb and her TV siblings lent their voices to a Saturday morning cartoon titled "The Brady Kids." During the run of "The Brady Bunch," Eve 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, comic 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 Runaway. She went on to appear in the sequel, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn. She starred 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 could not 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. Reischl became known among "Brady Bunch" fans as "fake Jan." 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.

Plumb 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 2007, "The Brady Bunch" cast was honored with the TV Land 'Pop Culture' award, but Plumb was the only surviving cast member who didn't attend the ceremony to accept the honor. 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, Eve 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 (TV series), 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, Plumb 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"). She also studied with the LA-based "Groundlings" improv comedy troupe.

Eve appeared in a number of made-for-television movies, including "The House on Greenapple Road" in 1970, "The Force of Evil" and "Telethon" in 1977, "Secrets of Three Hungry Wives" in 1978, "The Night the Bridge Fell Down" in 1983 and "Yesterday Today" in 1992. Her film credits include "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" in 1988, "...And God Spoke" in 1993, "Nowhere" and "Breast Men" in 1997 and "Manfast" in 2003.

In August 2008, Plumb appeared on an episode of the NBC daytime drama Days of our Lives. From October 2010 to May 2011, Plumb 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. From November 4, 2011 to December 4, 2011, Eve was part of the cast of "Love, Loss and What I Wore" at the Westside Theater in New York City.

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 Tribune 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".

Personal life

Plumb was born in Burbank, California. Her father was Neely Plumb, a saxophonist who later worked as a recording executive and 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 was the first of the 'Brady' kids to marry and the first to divorce. Her first husband was Rick Mansfield, whom she wed in 1979 and divorced two years later. She and her second husband, business consultant Kenneth Pace, have been married for 15 years and live in New York City. The couple 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."

In popular culture

The 1990s rock band Eve's Plum is named after her.

External links

• Official website
• Eve Plumb at the Internet Movie Database