The Brady Bunch Creator Bought Out One Star's Nightclub Contract To Shoot The Pilot

Here's the story of an actress named Ann B. Davis, whom you best know as Alice Nelson on "The Brady Bunch." But before she landed the part of the Bradys' wisecracking housekeeper — arguably the best "Brady Bunch" character — she was actually telling jokes at nightclubs.

During a 2004 interview with the Television Academy, Davis opened up about her pre-showbiz days, revealing that she was trapped in a miserable routine until TV royalty came knocking. "I had been doing nightclub work, which I was very unhappy [with], but I was doing it because I had to eat," Davis shared. Her comedy act consisted of "a few songs" and "jokes written by a friend," placing her on a very specific shortlist of go-to women. "I was one of a list of funny ladies of the same age and type and price," she recalled, noting she frequently competed for roles against friends like Nancy Kulp and Kathleen Freeman (who both appeared on "The Beverly Hillbillies").

But legendary showrunner Sherwood Schwartz knew exactly who he wanted in the blue apron for his upcoming sitcom about "a lovely lady" and "a man named Brady." Determined to land the funny woman, he did everything in his power, including clearing her of her nightclub obligations.

When Sherwood Schwartz went to meet Ann B. Davis for the first time, he was told, "You can't have her; she's busy," Davis described to the Television Academy. Undeterred, Schwartz flew Davis down from Seattle to Los Angeles "at his expense" for a quick meeting before rushing her right back to the airport so she wouldn't miss her evening show. The audition was a total home run. Schwartz was so convinced that Davis was Alice Nelson that he did the unthinkable just to get her on set. "The next day, arrangements were made," Davis recalled. "Sherwood Schwartz bought out the last two weeks of my nightclub, flew me back down to Los Angeles ... and we shot the pilot."

According to Davis, the show's title was different at the time and debated early on. "I think it may have been called 'The Brady Brood,'" she explained. "... At some point there was a discussion: Which is a better word, 'The Brady Brood' or 'The Brady Bunch'? Everybody I knew voted for 'Bunch.' They thought it was a funnier word."

Once the pilot was delivered and ABC officially ordered it to series, Davis' days of telling jokes in clubs were over for good, and she went on to play a major role in a TV show that would help define an era. "Once it was bought, I never looked back," she declared, "and I never had to do nightclub work again."