News of the Week: The Brady Bunch House, Fireside Chats, and the Joys of Doing Laundry

Here’s the Story…

One of my fondest childhood memories is going down to the corner store on Friday nights to get a big bag of junk food to eat while watching The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family. And I don’t think I ever got sick from all of the Marathon bars, Doritos, and ice cream I ate. (For the record, The Partridge Family is a funner show, though The Brady Bunch has more classic episodes and lines.)

The house used on the show — located in Studio City — has been declared an official historic landmark by the city of Los Angeles. That means it’s protected, and if you play ball in the house you could get arrested.

In related news, here is a diorama of the Partridge family fighting the Brady family.

Final Jeopardy

Am I crazy or did Tuesday’s episode of Jeopardy! have the easiest Final Jeopardy of all-time? And all three contestants missed it! The category was Books & Authors.

“In this 1897 work the title character enters an inn with his face almost entirely covered in bandages.”

Answer at the end of the column.

Something You Probably Don’t Know About Scotland

Did you know that Scotland has only 1500 residents? I guess I should mention that I’m talking about Scotland, Connecticut.

Did you know there’s a Scotland, Connecticut?

It’s a small town, which makes this third question even more intriguing. Did you know that this town of 1500 residents has six zip codes?

The History of Ranch Dressing

I bet you woke up this morning and thought to yourself, hey, how did ranch dressing become so popular in the United States but not anywhere else in the world? Well, here’s your answer!

Uploaded to YouTube by The Hustle

A Chore I Actually Like Doing

I like doing laundry, okay?

We all need little tasks we can complete, the daily chores or regular assignments that give us a sense of accomplishment. And it feels so good to cross them off of our mental list of things we have to do that day.

I get up every Saturday morning at 4 a.m. to do laundry. I like the peace and quiet and darkness of my apartment at that hour, where I can get things done without the typical botherations of the prime hours of the day. No getting in anyone else’s way or having to work around their schedule. There’s freedom to just get done what you need to get done.

Also, while the washer and dryer are going, I watch reruns of Concentration (the 1970s version with Jack Narz) on Buzzr.

I bet Alice on The Brady Bunch didn’t like doing laundry. She was doing it for eight people.

Someday I’ll tell you why I like doing the dishes by hand …

RIP Lou Holtz, Country Joe McDonald, Alexander Butterfield, Jennifer Runyon, Alan Trustman, Jeremy Larner, Corey Parker, and Tommy DeCarlo

Lou Holtz was the legendary coach for Notre Dame. He died last week at the age of 89.

Country Joe McDonald was the counterculture singer who performed at Woodstock and was known for the song “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag.” He died Saturday at the age of 84.

Alexander Butterfield was the aide to President Nixon who revealed there were tapes of conversations from the Oval Office during the Watergate hearings. He died Monday at the age of 99.

Jennifer Runyon starred on the sitcom Charles in Charge and appeared in such films as Ghostbusters, Up the Creek, and The In Crowd, and filled in as Cindy in A Very Brady Christmas. She died last week at the age of 65.

Alan Trustman wrote such films as the original The Thomas Crown Affair and co-wrote Bullitt and They Call Me Mister Tibbs! He died last month at the age of 95.

Jeremy Larner won an Oscar for his screenplay for the Robert Redford film The Candidate. He also wrote several books and was a speechwriter for Eugene McCarthy. He died last month at the age of 88.

Corey Parker starred in the sitcom Flying Blind and had regular roles on Will & Grace and Love Boat: The Next Wave. He also appeared in several films, including Biloxi Blues and Big Man on Campus. He died last week at the age of 60.

After posting a tribute song to his Myspace page, Home Depot worker Tommy DeCarlo became the new lead singer of Boston and remained for 20 years. He died Monday at the age of 60.

This Week in History

The Great Blizzard of ’88 (March 12, 1888)

It was also known as The Great White Hurricane. The storm disrupted life from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine. Approximately 400 people died and damage was estimated at $25 million (over $900 million in today’s dollars).

FDR’s First “Fireside Chat” (March 12, 1933)

There were 31 “fireside chat” radio addresses by President Roosevelt. The last one was in 1944.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Frozen Laundry” by Stevan Dohanos (March 8, 1952)

This is the risk you take when you hang out your laundry to dry in March.

March Is National Sauce Month

Whenever I see the word “sauce” I think of pasta sauce. But there are other types of sauces too.

But let’s start with this Homemade Spaghetti Sauce from Tastes Better From Scratch or Grandpa Frank’s Italian Spaghetti Sauce from The Fresh Cooky.

Rosemarie’s Kitchen shows you how to make a Cheese Sauce For Steamed Vegetables, The Cozy Cook has this Creamy Ranch Chicken, Recipe Tin Eats has this Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce, and Alex Guarnaschelli has My Mother’s Chicken with Barbecue Sauce (note: that’s her mother’s chicken, not mine).

Oh, the Final Jeopardy answer (uh, question): “What is The Invisible Man?” The contestants said Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Man in the Iron Mask.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

March Madness Begins (March 15)

It would be a chore for me to watch college basketball, and not the type of chore I’d enjoy. But if you like it, here’s the full schedule for this year’s tournament.

Academy Awards (March 15)

The 98th annual ceremony airs on ABC at 7 p.m. ET.

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

One of the Post’s most popular covers is “Shamrock Chapeau,” from the March 20, 1943, issue. Here’s the story behind it and the artist, Charles Kaiser.