MovieChat Forums > Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1975) Discussion > Brady Bunch homage??

Brady Bunch homage??

posted 19 years ago by david_k
18 replies | jump to latest

There was an episode of the Brady Bunch with the same title as this movie. In that episode, Alice decides she is no longer needed by the Bradys and moves out.

I know that Scorsese borrows from his influences as a tribute, such as the sequence at the beginning of this film which is homage to "The Wizard of Oz." Does anyone have any idea how the title of this film came to have the same title as a dreadful Brady episode? The Brady Bunch does not seem worthy of this tribute, but I don't believe it is possible that the identical titles are the result of coincidence.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JC_Aliss 19 years ago

Brady Bunch was already off the air before this movie first premiered.

[–] Connie_n_Raymond_Marble 19 years ago

That Brady episode originally aired on October 17th of 1969, five years BEFORE Alice was released, making it entirely possible that Robert Getchell, the writer, swiped his title from Sherwood Shwartz.

The Brady Bunch rocks, by the way.

We'll see who's the filthiest person alive! We'll just see!

[–] WarpedRecord 16 years ago

It appears this question still hasn't been answered, but I fully agree that "The Brady Bunch" rocks, and while I'm at it, so did Divine (in cha-cha heels, of course).

I've always loved the title of this film, and I am taken aback that it may have been borrowed from the Bradys. Still, it makes me appreciate the genius that is Sherwood Schwartz that much more.

[–] amylovely1 19 years ago

This is true...and I just wonder what the actual story is... Did the writer work on Brady Bunch originally..I mean it's fascinating.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] stevenfallonnyc 18 years ago

I think somehow either Scorsese or whoever named the film, somehow came across that there was a Brady Bunch episode with the name, and copped it for the movie. Love or hate the Brady Bunch, it is a decent title for the film.

[–] dgaston 18 years ago

The movie was based on the book by Robert Getchell (also the screenwriter) which predates both. When the book was released it was a best-seller.

It is not uncommon for a TV writer to adopt a title from popular culture. ("Hey, WE have a Character named Alice!" the episode practically writes itself.)

"Why can't we all just get along?"

[–] Bry-2 17 years ago

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was an original screenplay (which is available through interlibrary loan, and dated 1973) by Getchell, the novel was probably a "novelization" from that and the movie, by him or ghostwriters. It was released as a mass-market paperback on April 30, 1975, the movie had come out the preceding December.

He may have borrowed the title from The Brady Bunch; somebody ask him!

--The important thing is Post-its.-- M. Scorsese

[–] frank56 18 years ago

I'm watching the film now, and I think perhaps the title refers to the first flashback scene where young Alice is declaring that she can sing better than Alice Faye....maybe?

[–] sjbradford 17 years ago

Martin Scorcese *loved* "The Brady Bunch", which is why he named this movie after a Brady episode. In fact, he originally wanted Florence Henderson to portray Alice, and young Mike Lookinland (Bobby) to play Tommy, but they were unfortunately busy with their TV series.

[–] Bry-2 17 years ago

That was funny.

--The important thing is Post-its.-- M. Scorsese

[–] a-wheeler 17 years ago

huh?

The title refers to Alice's transitory nature in the story. She leaves Monterey, she leaves Santa Fe, she leaves Phoenix and then she leave Tuscon. It also refers to her life in general -- she is not the same person she was at the beginning of the film.

It has nothing to do with her singing.

[–] pinbackwiggly 16 years ago

I know where they can find MY fingerprints, Mr. Brady!

[–] miriamwebster 15 years ago

Does anybody seriously think that Martin Scorsese ever watched--let alone, paid homage to--The Brady Bunch? The phrase "(Alice/whoever) Doesn't Live Here Anymore" had been around for years prior to Brady Bunch episode, sort of as a generic term for "he/she has changed."

The phrase even turns up as a gag line in the 1972 Paul Bartel horror movie Private Parts (not to be confused with the same-named Howard Stern movie); was Bartel paying homage to Brady Bunch, too? Not likely all these adult male filmmakers of gritty movies were sitting around scrutizing a sitcom directed primarily at kids.

Final point to ponder: Like most other sitcoms, names of specific Brady Bunch episodes never appeared onscreen and originally were only known to insiders and, much later, to BB fans and historians who had access to episode logs. Ridiculous to think that even if on extreme long-shot that Scorsese (or writer) did see episode, they would take trouble to track down an in-joke title that would be absolutely meaningless to movie's target audience.

[–] Local Hero 15 years ago

Aside from the fact that I think it absolutely plausible that Scorsese may have watched The Brady Bunch (What, couldn't he get the signal atop his cinematic Mount Olympus?), I agree with everything else you have to say. I think the phrase "So-and-so doesn't live here anymore" was a common, decades-old line to express in a playful way the idea that someone has changed or moved on.

The imdb trivia page, for instance, includes this: "It was based on the 1933 song 'Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore,' written by Joe Young, Johnny Burke, and Harold Spina, and popularized by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians."

I don't know the definitive answer, but I'd say that most likely the Brady Bunch connection was a coincidence-- both are playing off the same common phrase.

...Then again, if the Brady Bunch title was ever seen by Scorsese, who knows? -- it may have stuck with him.

[–] miriamwebster 15 years ago

In making-of extra on Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore DVD, Ellen Burstyn reveals the script (and its title) were written quite some time before Scorcese was even approached to direct. So clearly he had no input into title, whether there is Brady Bunch influence or not.