Brady forever

You can't keep a good Brady down - or away from the spotlight, for that matter. Whenever the six youngest cast members of "The Brady Bunch" seem ready to recede permanently into the darkness of post-stardom, they suddenly flutter back into the picture - older, savvier, with new skills and more sensational tales of behind-the-scenes naughtiness.

Last week, Maureen McCormick, better known as picture-perfect eldest sister Marcia on the long-running TV series, spilled her guts in a tell-all memoir titled "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice." Not to be outdone, cast mate Christopher Knight (aka Peter) recently debuted as host of the new TV game show "Trivial Pursuit: America Plays."

There's even a Brady in the fine arts. This weekend, Eve Plumb, the multifaceted actress who played tormented middle sister Jan, is in Scottsdale to present "Room Service," a series of still lifes she painted, at Bonner David Gallery.

It's uncanny, and a bit eerie, this latest "Brady" flare-up. Are they isolated events, or, God forbid, part of a finely orchestrated comeback strategy? At this point, "Mike Lookinland for U.S. Senate" campaign buttons seem like a bizarre but plausible extension of the trend.

"It's kind of a funny coincidence," Plumb agrees, deftly brushing aside the insinuation of a "Brady" media putsch. "Certainly, we all still talk. We do shows together. But we don't coordinate projects or anything."

How does one explain the now-middle-aged "Brady" cast being viable almost 40 years after the show's demise? Undoubtedly, part of the fascination is rooted in the titillating disconnect between their squeaky-clean TV image and the lurid, pseudo-incestuous details that emerged later. In her memoir, McCormick discusses her romance with on-air sibling Barry Williams, her dates with Michael Jackson and Steve Martin, cocaine binges, Playboy mansion parties and a spiraling addiction that incited her to trade sex for drugs.

In short, McCormick's sordid life was the "Brady" reunion TV special that we all wanted, but were never allowed to see.

Not that the public's enduring interest in the "Brady" cast is strictly prurient. Audiences still love it when the cast reunites in front of TV cameras, as it did last month for an episode of Knight's game show. "The Brady Bunch" offered an appealing vision of mixed-family unity that has somewhat miraculously weathered the VH-1 era.

For the actors, especially those who seriously pursued post-"Brady" acting careers, the show is a well-documented mixed-blessing. Plumb, for instance, hardly wants to be known as Jan for the rest of her life, but is careful to express gratitude for the role. She refuses to inflate the behind-the-scenes "Brady" mythology, a la McCormick, but is just as mindful not to poke holes in it. After all, what good is a deflated mythology?

Offered the opportunity to categorically deny widespread rumors that she and McCormick shared a backstage, same-sex kiss during their "Brady Bunch" years, Plumb demurs. When asked if the rumor is false, she simply says: "Right."

Most likely, McCormick will always be Marcia, Plumb will always be Jan, and Knight will always be the kid whose squeaky pubescent voice almost ruined the Brady family's bid for music stardom. The fringes of pop culture - stretched ever outward by the reality TV age - are simply too vast to escape. And that's fine, according to Plumb.

"If (Jan) is why people initially come to see one of my shows, I'm OK with that," the artist says, striking the kind of Zen-like tone that always eluded her on-screen alter ego. "The most important thing is doing what I love."

Brady Roll Call

Getting reacquainted with America's favorite sibling sextet.

Maureen McCormick (Marcia)

Age: 52

Post-"Brady" High Point: Losing 34 pounds on VH-1's "Celebrity Fit Club."

Post-"Brady" Low Point: Having sex for cocaine in her craaaazy 20s.

Update: Now married and living with her husband of 23 years, Michael Cummings, McCormick suspended her moratorium on all things Brady by writing a tell-all memoir.

Barry Williams (Greg)

Age: 54

Post-"Brady" High Point: In 1992, his memoir, "Growing Up Brady... I Was a Teenage Greg," spent more than three months on The New York Times best-seller list.

Post-"Brady" Low Point: Lost to Danny Bonaduce in a celebrity boxing match.

Update: Currently hosts a '70s-themed music show on Sirius satellite radio. Does occasional TV and musical theater.

Eve Plumb (Jan)

Age: 50

Post-"Brady" High: Garnered critical praise the NBC TV movie "Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway" (1976).

Post-"Brady" Low: Seeing her name hijacked by '90s alternative rock flame-outs Eve's Plumb.

Update: A self-taught artist, Plumb is carried by numerous galleries nationwide.

Christopher Knight (Peter)

Age: 51

Post-"Brady" High: Scoring the supermodel on VH-1's "Surreal Life 4."

Post-"Brady" Low: Starring with TV sibling Barry Williams as a gay couple on "That '70s Show."

Update: Now married to "Surreal Life" cohort Adrianne Curry, Knight hosts the syndicated TV game show "Trivial Pursuit: America Plays."

Mike Lookinland (Bobby)

Age: 47

Post-"Brady" High: Scoring a bit role in Irwin Allen's "Towering Inferno."

Post-"Brady" Low: Getting busted for drunk driving near his home in St. George, Utah, in 1997.

Update: Reportedly sober after a long bout with alcoholism, the redheaded Lookinland now operates a custom countertop business in his native Utah.

Susan Olsen (Cindy)

Age: 47

Post-"Brady" High: Scored a radio talk-show hosting gig in Los Angeles in the mid-'90s.

Post-"Brady" Low: Became nauseated during a live radio interview earlier this year after having too much to drink the previous evening.

Update: The littlest Brady worked in graphic design through much of the '90s.

"Room Service" by Eve Plumb

When: Through Oct. 30. Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays

Where: Bonner David Galleries, 7040 E. Main St., Scottsdale

Information: Plumb's first-ever show in Scottsdale is based around a series of oil-on-canvas still lifes inspired by her frequent stays at the Hotel Valley Ho. Call (480) 941-8500 or visit bonnerdavid.com for more information.

Maureen McCormick book signing

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe. (480) 730-0205.