Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick starred in the classic sitcom The Brady Bunch, on which they played step-siblings, from 1969 until 1974. In a new interview, Williams is admitting that he could not hide the fact that he was attracted to McCormick during their time working on this show.
Williams’ Crush On McCormick
Williams, who starred as Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch, just appeared in the CW docuseries TV We Love. There, he confessed that he had a crush on McCormick, who played Marcia Brady on the hit sitcom.
Producer Lloyd Schwartz, son of creator Sherwood Schwartz, appeared in the docuseries as well. He recalled directing the 1973 episode “Room at the Top.” In this episode, Marcia and Greg fight to claim the attic space of their home as solo bedrooms after they each get tired of rooming with their younger siblings.
“I remember this scene. I remember the day,” Williams recalled. “Lloyd discovered that there might have been a little bit too much attraction between brother and sister. Maureen McCormick was very, very attractive. I was gravitated right to her. And it was coming out in our scenes together.”
“I’m sitting a little too close, leaning in a little too far,” he continued. “[Lloyd] was right. It’s very hard to hide. That’s chemistry. Lloyd was on the set, and he pulled me aside. He said, ‘Good scene. I just want you to keep in mind here that she is your sister.’”
Indeed, Schwartz was quick to agree, saying that Williams’ feelings for McCormick were undeniable.
“As [the child stars] started getting older, my challenge was, in some ways, to keep them off of one another,” he recounted.
Williams’ TV Brother Chimes In
Meanwhile, Christopher Knight, who played Peter Brady on the show, wasn’t surprised by this at all.
“I dare say that if you find anyone who grew up watching the show, their first crush was probably Marcia Brady,” he stated.
Earlier this year, Knight revealed on “The Real Brady Bros” podcast that the chemistry between McCormick and Williams was palpable.
“You two were looking a little close — a little less like brother and sister and more like…” Knight began.
“You mean dreamy-eyed?” Williams then interjected.
“The longing, kind of wide-eyed,” Knight, 68, replied. “Yeah, that was you — and she was looking dreamy.”
“It was sort of on-again, off-again with Maureen and me throughout the years,” Williams explained. “There was always a little dance being played that was broken up by hiatus.”
Williams And Florence Henderson
McCormick wasn’t the only person that Williams was crushing on during his time on The Brady Bunch. Indeed, he admitted last year that he also had a “teenage crush” on his TV mother Florence Henderson.
“I had a teenage crush on her, for sure,” Williams told Us Weekly. “And she’s got a very lively personality and great sense of humor, but I knew that I wanted to have music in my career [in] acting, and so I talked to her a lot about that.”
“I had found this singer coming into the Copacabana near Beverly Hills,” he remembered. “I can’t think of exactly where it was, but I invited her to go together as a date, and she said, ‘OK,’ so I was thrilled. And now for me, it was a date.”
“We were recognized, and so people were whispering about us, which is strange, but we talked about the singer, his orchestrations, the band that he had, and what touring was like,” Williams concluded. “And she gave me an idea of what that life would look like now at the end of the date. And this is chronicled in my book as well. I did go in for a little kiss, and she was nice enough to return it. So, it was a highlight. Nice little peck, yes.”
Who would have thought?!
Henderson sadly died in 2016 at the age of 82. As for Williams and McCormick, they are each now married to other people.
Though it’s been off the air for over 50 years, The Brady Bunch is still one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. It certainly is interesting to hear about all the crushes that were happening behind the scenes on the set of this classic show!