The Brady Bunch
The Private Ear
TV Flash files “The Private Ear” as hour 58 of 117 in the TV Flash guide — The Brady Bunch (1969–1974) on ABC, season 3, episode 9, aired 1971-11-12, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E09: listed hour 58 of 117 in the The Brady Bunch guide, hour 9 of 23 in season 3. It aired 1971-11-12 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor” (S03E08). Next is “Her Sister's Shadow” (S03E10).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Peter eavesdrops on his siblings' private conversations with the help of Mike's tape recorder.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Private Ear sit in the The Brady Bunch guide?
S03E09 is listed hour 58 of 117 — hour 9 of 23 in season 3, season 3 episode 9.
When did The Brady Bunch S03E09 air?
The Private Ear aired 1971-11-12 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Where should I start?
The theme song is the map: three sons, three daughters, Alice, the staircase. Early episodes sell the blend; you do not need later movies to meet the household.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Brady Bunch arrived in 1969 as Sherwood Schwartz's blended-family machine — six kids, two parents, Alice, and a staircase that became architecture as branding. Florence Henderson and Robert Reed keep the household civil while the kids turn sibling logistics into syndication folklore. Theme-song world-building, plus the origin of every later stepfamily sitcom's smile.
The staircase is the brand. *The Brady Bunch* arrived in 1969 as Sherwood Schwartz's blended-family machine — six kids, two parents, Alice, architecture as branding. Florence Henderson and Robert Reed keep the household civil on ABC while Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, and the rest of the brood turn sibling logistics into syndication folklore. Ann B. Davis's Alice is the extra parent. Theme-song world-building did the oral history. Schwartz's second high-concept hit after *Gilligan's Island* premiered…
Filed against
- Robert Reed as Mike Brady
Robert Reed's Mike Brady kept The Brady Bunch civil — Sherwood Schwartz's blended-family machine arriving in 1969, six kids, Alice, a staircase that became architecture as branding. Florence Henderson across the landing. TV Flash files…
- Florence Henderson as Carol Brady
Florence Henderson kept the staircase civil as Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch — Sherwood Schwartz's blended-family machine, six kids, Alice, architecture as branding. 1969 domestic engineering that syndication never let age out. TV Flash…
- Barry Williams as Greg Brady
Barry Williams’s Greg Brady sat at the top of The Brady Bunch staircase — Sherwood Schwartz’s 1969 blended-family machine, six kids, two parents, Alice, architecture as branding, Florence Henderson and Robert Reed keeping the household…
- Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady
Maureen McCormick owned the staircase as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch — Sherwood Schwartz’s blended-family machine, six kids, two parents, Alice, architecture as branding. Florence Henderson and Robert Reed keep the household civil…
- Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson
Ann B. Davis’s Alice Nelson kept The Brady Bunch civil — six kids, two parents, a staircase that became architecture as branding, Florence Henderson and Robert Reed holding the household while sibling logistics turned into syndication…