Comments (Ashley Sollars
Known to millions as Carol
Brady, Owensboro native, Florence Henderson will present, for one engagement
only, her autobiographical one-woman show, “All the Lives of Me” at Owensboro’s
own Riverpark Center on October 25.
“A crowd-pleasing evening with "America's Favorite
TV Mom" features songs from her starring roles in such Broadway hits as Oklahoma, South Pacific, Annie Get Your
Gun and the Sound of Music.”
Tickets are $29.50-$39.50 and can be purchased from the
Riverpark Center Box Office, by calling 270-687-ARTS(2787) or online at
riverparkcenter.org.
I talked to Ms. Henderson exactly about what “All the
Lives of Me” embodies – her life – both before fame in
Now, I understand you were not born in
That is correct. You know I
am from right across the river in
It was the happenin’ place, huh?!
[laughs] Well, yeah!
Compared to Rockport, it was the big city! I have always claimed both.
Can you tell me a little bit about your time here,
the things you remember and the fond memories you have about the area?
I loved my years going to
high school there. Moonlight BBQ, Gabe’s Tower, Shady Rest. Those places
probably aren’t even still there! There were a lot of great friends I made
there. My best friend still lives in
What made you decide to leave and how did you pursue
a career in entertainment? Was acting your life’s dream?
I don’t ever remember not
singing! I came out singing! I always wanted to make people feel better, and
laugh and it was something that I wanted to do. When I was a kid, I grew up
very poor, as many people did back then and when I got to see a movie musical,
I was like, “Oh my goodness!” It was kind of the way people would tell me about
the Brady Bunch. “You gave me hope, I had a very tough childhood and I
pretended like you were my family.” So, I would go to these movie musicals and
think, “Oh my goodness, listen to that music, look how pretty everything is.
Maybe someday I could do that!”
THE LOVELY LADY WITH THREE VERY LOVELY GIRLS
How did you come about the role of Carol Brady?
PHOTO CREDIT | CHICAGO TRIBUNE
I was in California doing a
television show [The Dean Martin Show]; I actually lived in New York then. I
got a call from my agent to go down to Paramount Studios to meet all of these
people who were doing a television series. I said, “I don’t want to do a
television series! I am a Broadway performer and a musical performer; I live in
New York and I don’t want to be in a TV series in California.” He told me to
just go down and meet them and so I did and they asked me to put a scene on
film, which I did. I was on my way down to Houston to appear at the Shamrock
Hotel which was very famous hotel then, to do my act. It was opening night and
I was getting ready to go on stage and I got the call that they wanted me to
come back and do the pilot. So I had to get somebody to fill in for me in
Houston; and the rest is history. I never dreamt that the show would go. I did
the pilot and forgot about it. I was doing a movie in Norway and found out the
series sold. I really never thought the series would still be on today. In
fact, it’s never been off the air in this country.
It’s on TV Land now, right?
Right! And it’s in about 122
countries in the world. I get so much fan mail from all over the world and a
whole new generation is finding the show.
During the late Sixties and early Seventies, the
premise of the Brady Bunch, a “blended family,” was not something that was
portrayed on television very often – especially not an entire series about the
subject. Was this ever controversial for you and did you ever receive any
negative feedback from audiences?
No, not really. The series
started in 1969 and I think we were the first couple to sleep in the same bed on
television. The fact that it was a blended family; I think that it was
beginning to happen a lot. I can’t tell you how many times someone would come
up to me and say, “We are the Brady Bunch.”
I think it’s become a frame of reference. Even Michelle Obama’s brother
referred to the Brady Bunch at the convention!
Were you close to your television husband, Robert
Reed? How did his passing affect your life?
Oh yes, very close. I was so
fond of Bob. The fact that he died of AIDS and that it was made so public, yet
he died with so much dignity and courage and then to have the tabloids make
things so public, I always felt so badly about that. Bob was a wonderful human
being and a great actor. It was a very sad day. We all loved him and we were
his family,
Who were you most close to on the set?
Everybody, all the crew
especially. I remain close with all the kids and keep in touch with them.
Who came up with the patented “Carol Brady haircut?”
[laughs] I did! Sometimes, I
don’t know what I was thinking, but I would get an idea. That particular shag
do, it really caught on. It is still out there!
Do you ever get sick of being referred to as “Carol
Brady?”
Not really, for me it’s a
part of the fabric of my career but I’ve done so many things with my career. But,
I guess I receive more affection for creating Carol Brady than anything in my
life.
PERFORMING LIVE GIVES ME STAGE FRIGHT!
What has been your favorite character to play on the
stage?
I loved them all really. I
love doing The King and I, I love playing Anna, I love doing Annie Oakley in Annie get your Gun. But, I think Maria
in the Sound of Music is a character
that resonates with all audiences, no matter what their religion; they just
love that show and love that music.
Do you find live theatre or TV or movie sets to be
more comfortable for you? Which do you enjoy more?
I thin the most challenging
is performing live, always. You’re in the moment, you’re there and the audience
let’s you know quickly how you are doing. And on a TV show or television set,
you have the opportunity to do it again. I just did a movie for Hallmark which
by the way will air on Oct 28 with Donna Mills and Pam Grier, and you have an
opportunity to try things again. But I think live performing for me is the
biggest challenge.
IT’S ALL SO SURREAL…
How did you like being on Season 6 of the Surreal Life?
Very interesting! For me, I
said I wouldn’t stay in the house; I was going there to be a therapist and God
knows they needed it! It was the only form of television that I had not done. I
have been in television for a long time, and I’ve seen so many changes but I
had never done Reality TV. So I thought, “Okay, here’s a challenge!”
Was the Surreal Life something that you sought out,
or did they contact you?
They sought me out because when
Chris Knight was doing the Surreal Life
he wanted me to come and counsel him and his girlfriend.
He needed his mom!
Exactly! And I love Chris; I
think he’s a great guy and he’s smart, handsome and fun. I really had no
intention of doing that but the producers liked what I said and they asked me
if I’d come on and counsel some of the people on the show.
ALL THE LIVES OF ME
What can people expect when they come to “All the
Lives of Me?”
Well I hope that they will
be highly entertained. They will learn a lot about me that they don’t know. I
hope to make them laugh, feel some empathy, shed a tear, I don’t know. It’s
very autobiographical; there is a lot of wonderful music in it. It’s almost
like reading my life story but it’s in abbreviated form.
Obviously, your career is so multifaceted with your
singing, television, movie and Broadway appearances. Does the title of the
engagement purely reflect your talents or does the show give hints of personal
undertones?
Oh yes, oh yes!
What’s in the future for you?
My Hallmark movie and my
one-woman show. I always say tomorrow will be the most exciting day of my life!
MISC.
On a personal note, what was it like to work with
Kermit the Frog?
Kermit was one of the
sexiest, most adorable fellows I’ve ever met…
What would you like to tell your Owensboro and
Rockport fans?
I hope they will all come to
see me and come back stage after and say hello to me. I look so forward to
coming home!
