I went to high school with Barry Williams aka. Greg Brady at Palisades Charter High School. We were pretty good friends because we were both geeky and both wanted to be actors. We ended up being in the same Broadway production of Romance/Romance in 1988.
Being reunited we hung out quite a bit and talked about old times. One night we had been out drinking and both were pretty drunk. I had heard the rumors about him and Florence Henderson (Mrs. Brady) so I asked him what really happened.
Well, he swore me to secrecy, but said it was only fair since I was kind of involved. I asked him how was I involved and he said he would explain later.
The only reason I am breaking my pledge now is, that shit had a show in Branson Missouri and I needed a job. When I called and asked about it, he acted like he didn't even know me.
So here is what he told me that night. He said he did have a big crush on Florence. He said she was nothing like the character she played. She was saucy and sexy and told dirty jokes. Some of them were actually raunchy. Barry said she was always making sexual innuendos.
He said, one day they were posing with giant all-day suckers. Barry said that he said, "all day was a long time to suck on anything." To which Florence replied, "Not for me it isn't."
It was at the point he felt like it was her trying to send him a signal. He began fantasizing about her endlessly and tried to figure out a way to get in her pants. He also said there was a rumor that Florence sunbathed topless. He said he snuck around one day and sure enough he saw that she did. He said she had a nice pair of tits.
They would often talk on the set. They both had an interest in music and Florence was always very nice to him. He thought she actually was overly nice which further his belief she was interested in him. He vowed to act on his obsession.
He got his opportunity when he found out Florence's birthday was coming up, she was turning 36. He overheard one of the women ask her what she was going to do for it and Florence said she didn't have any plans and made a comment that she doubted her husband even remembered it.
He and Florence had already talked about a singer that was playing at the Coconut Grove. So he built up his courage and asked if he could take her there for her birthday. When she said, "yes, why not." He was a bit shocked but overjoyed. She was not condescending or flippant about it. Maybe she did really want him, he decided.
He had just turned 16 and hadn't gotten his license yet. He had to figure out how he was going to make this like a real date so he asked Florence if it would be ok if his brother brought him to her hotel. She agreed.
He said his mind was racing and his hormones were on overdrive. It was going to be the perfect opportunity. He would be with her at her hotel after the event. He was just going to have to find a way to get his brother not to come pick him up and not realize what was going on.
He said at that point he really doubted anything would happen but he wanted to spend as much time with her alone as possible and give it every opportunity. So, on the night of the date, he met her at her hotel. He said she wore a pink dress with a deep v cut that showed a lot of cleavage. He told her she looked stunning. She smiled and said, "Barry you're so sweet."
When they got to the Coconut Grove they were shown to a lousy table, Barry recalls. Florence whispered in his ear, "Dear, I think the maรฎtre d is expecting a tip." She handed him 50 bucks to slip him and they were seated at a table near the stage.
They sat and had drinks. Barry wasn't old enough to drink. He thought it might be a problem when he ordered a rum and coke, but neither the waiter or Florence said anything about it. He said Florence drank like a fish and became quite tipsy.
After sitting and talking a bit he decided to make a small move and see how things would go. So, he scooted his chair close to her and took her hand and said Happy Birthday. She said thank you and allowed him to continue to hold her hand.
They talked about the show and their common interests and later he asked her about her personal life. He thought it was because she was tipsy that she opened up and told him about her marriage.
She told him that she had been married 14 years but it was a loveless marriage and she thought her husband was cheating on her. At that point he put his arm around her and said that must be very hard for you.
He didn't understand at first what she meant when she said, "it's ok. I've found a way to deal with it." He would find out later what she meant.