A Very Brady Christmas
Ah yes, 1988’s Christmas gift to us was a return to the Brady household to catch up on our favorite blended family.
I remember anticipating this special coming on, and wondering who was going to play the role of Cindy, since the actress who played her had overdosed and died. A certain maternal figure in my life had told me that was the case and I believed her absolutely. She was never wrong, right? One of my friends kept saying it wasn’t true, but I was sticking to the story I’d heard first.
So, the special comes on and there’s my proof, no Susan Olsen. The role was being played by another actress, Jennifer Runyon. Surely the story I had was true then, right? Why else would there be a different actress in the role of Cindy? And yet, this friend kept insisting that she was right, and was practically screaming it at me (oh yes, you were, too).
Turns out she was right. Go figure. That “maternal figure” finally realized that she was thinking of the actress Anissa Jones who played Buffy in Family Affair. As far as we could tell, Susan Olsen was alive and well. And that wouldn’t be the first time that I’d look like a fool for taking a family member at their word and not doing my own research. Of course, I was pretty young, and it’s not like I had the internet at my fingertips with all its tubes and such. ;)