Florence Henderson in Palm Beach County in 2010 to talk about cataract prevention and treatment. (J. Gwendolynne Berry/The Palm Beach Post)
Florence Henderson, who will be forever known as Carol Brady, the always sunny matriarch on “The Brady Bunch,” died Thursday of heart failure. She was 82.
Sixteen years ago, I sat down with Henderson at New York City’s Rockefeller Center Studios when she was co-hosting “Later Today,” a spin-off of NBC’s wildly poplar “Today.”
Here’s our chat, which was published on May 20, 2000 in The Palm Beach Post.
Florence Henderson will always be America’s Mom. As “The Brady Bunch’’s Carol Brady, Henderson starred in one of TV’s most beloved comedies. “Growing Up Brady”, NBC’s Sunday night movie, goes behind-the-scenes of the forever popular series.
We caught up with Henderson after a recent taping of “Later Today,” the morning chat show she co-hosts in New York City with Jodi Appelgate and Asha Blake. Sitting in NBC’s green room, Henderson looks tired. After all, she’s been up since 5 a.m. But that doesn’t stop her from answering questions about her sex life, “The View” and her much ballyhooed date with Brady Bunch son Barry Williams, detailed in the new movie.
Question: What was the deal with you and Barry Williams?
Answer: It was very innocent, very sweet. It was one date. We went to Coconut Grove, a famous hotel in Los Angeles. There was this great tenor singing and Barry was becoming very interested in music then. He went on to have a very good voice. It was very innocent. Read the book. Watch the movie. I hope it’s treated fairly in the movie.
Q: You don’t seem to get tired of “Brady Bunch” questions. You even seem to enjoy it to a certain degree.
A: It is like a second family to me, and I never get tired of talking about my family, either. I figure it takes less time to answer a question in a civil way and it’s part of the fabric of my life.
Q: You once said on “Later Today” that you have more sex than Jodi and Asha. Do you?
A: Of course I do.
Q: Why did you say that?
A: Because I think it’s true, number one. That’s the real reason. They brought up some question about sex, and in listening to them, and their lives, and how tired they are, and what they go through, I figured I’ve got to be way ahead of them. And I’m in better shape.
Q: You still look great at 66. But the interesting thing is, you have this sexy image about you. A comic told a joke at a Friar’s Club roast that you’re now the oldest woman he wants to sleep with. What’s up with that?
A: I love it. I think it’s wonderful. I think because I feel comfortable with myself. I am fairly attractive. I love people. I love women. I love men. I think they feel it and I’m not judgmental about people, their behavior and their sexual orientation. I just try to see the good in everyone. When you have that outlook, it frees you to have a sense of humor and make people laugh about something that might be sexy or a little risque. I’ve always done that. It keeps you young.
Q: What irks you about Jodi and Asha?
A: Sometimes it’s hard to get in a word edgewise. And I think they feel the same way about me. Three women who are very strong women, we all have opinions, we all like to talk and what we’re learning, like in any relationship, is how to step back and let the other one come forward. We don’t get a lot of time on camera to talk to each other. We wish we had more time to talk with each other. We think that helps the show, so people can see our personalities and get to know us better. Let them learn to love us, or maybe not.
Q: If you guys were “Charlie’s Angels,” who would be Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson?
A: I’d think I’d be Farrah (laughs). I’d have to get a wig. Kate, whom I know, she’s more serious. I’d give Kate to Asha. Well, Asha can do Kate or Jaclyn. Jodi could do Kate Jackson pretty well.
Q: What’s the toughest thing about doing “Later Today/”
A: For me, it’s getting up in the dark. That’s the hardest part for me. The rest of it, I’ve done so much live television in my career, for me it’s a great challenge and a lot of fun. And you have to be willing to make mistakes and have a little humility because sometimes you’ll appear rather stupid … but that’s all part of the game.
Q: If “Later Today” got into a fight with “The View,” who’d win?
A: We’d win. We’re all in the same age group. Barbara Walters is a little older than I am, so she’d be easy to knock off. I can handle Barbara, and I’m think the other two can handle Joy (Behar) and Meredith Viera. Jodi and Asha are getting in better shape. It’s like ‘The Brady Bunch’ could always take ‘The Partridge Family.’ No contest.
