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Prohibition, schmohibition! Louise wasn’t about to let any silly law keep her from her bestest friend and constant companion. In fact, she loved it so much, she’d wrap herself up like a big present just for their special times together.
These days Louise has toned down the dress code a wee bit, but she’s still happily hitting the bottle and is shown here as she tries to explain why both red and white wine actually go with any meal. Ten minutes after this photo was taken she was doing her infamous Don Knotts routine, and someone had to drive her home pretty soon after that.
Sherwin (“Gizmo” to pretty much everybody) was the most enthusiastic science teacher anyone ever encountered. He’d do anything for a laugh, but was a strict grader and even paddled a kid or two. He liked to get the lesson over with so he could talk about his latest inventions, and there were always a lot of them.
Gizmo is now retired, and is trying to get a patent on his most recent invention, the Automatic Hair Styler. When everyone sees how well it works, he’ll be a shoe-in for inclusion in the Inventors’ Hall of Fame.
Starla and Esther lived next door to each other, across the street from the beach. They spent most of their lives playing in the sand and surf. They had tons of fun, but they didn’t have sunscreen.
But who cares, when you’ve managed to spend your life at a beach! Starla and Esther now share Esther’s home and rent Starla’s. They think they had a pretty good ride, and they’re oh, so right.
Oh, the way the ladies used to line up to get a glimpse of this quartet. That’s Eric on top; his dark skin, muscular thighs and long eyelashes made him very popular with the ladies. The lovely lad in the white belted suit is Merle, whose massive biceps and sassy wifebeaters had women for miles around in his thrall. Kneeling, with a hint of the crotch-flash move that made him famous at the time, is Donny. And Kenny, trying as usual not to look stocky, is the fourth and maybe the most-loved member of this hot pile-up of fun.
They’re still hanging out together and enjoying the good times, bless their sexy hearts. Donny, on the far left, still flirts with the idea of a crotch-flash; so much so that he talked the others into joining him at a nudist colony. That’s Eric beside him, still quite the ladies’ man—he’s been cheating on his high school girlfriend for almost fifty years now. Then there’s Merle, whose biceps and breasts suffered a little after he gave up exercising. He only wears socks with sandals when his wife’s not around. And Kenny’s still trying not to look stocky. Good luck, dude! Ladies: any of these guys will still whip it out for you.
Back in the mid-70s, his freshly-earned liberal arts degree tossed in the back of his VW van along with a knapsack and a tent, young Benjamin (“Scooby-Doobie” to his close friends) had only a few things on his mind: getting laid, getting high, and maybe getting a job. Someday.
The only thing that’s really changed about Benjamin (now “Ben” to his close friends) is his smoking methodology—oh, right, and his broken nose, and the nickname. He’s still got his van, the degree (which might as well still be fresh, unused as it is), the knapsack, the tent and the really short term memory. He is a true example of sticking to one’s guns, never giving up the dream, and having been lucky enough to meet his real true love at an early age.
The elder two Brody brothers, Bobby and Barry, liked having their picture taken. Barry in particular thought he was a pretty handsome guy who should be looked at and admired. But the two younger brothers, Benny and Brian, were always hamming it up and ruining the shots. Well, the shots that Mrs. Betty Brody did not ruin herself with her intrusive shadow.
And here are the Brodys at a family reunion last summer. Bobby, who now goes by "Big Bob," is still a jovial guy who likes having his picture taken. Barry’s just glad he hasn’t gone bald yet. Brian learned to smile for the camera instead of scowling. But Benny is still a cut-up. There are probably only three photos of him that don’t show his tongue, and one is his driver’s license.
Lucy loved gymnastics, and gymnastics loved her back. She was state champion from the time she was eight until she graduated high school, and had a room full of trophies and medals.
Lucy’s just as flexible now, and she exercises every morning on her front lawn. She hocked her trophies after her third husband died and got the place just before the real estate crisis, so she’s sitting pretty. If things get any tougher, she plans to mail her medals to one of those “cash for old gold” places she keeps hearing about.
Back in the day there was nothing Meg loved like a rousing backyard barbecue. Hell, with six kids to raise and a husband who looked like Prince Charles, she didn’t have a lot to smile about, and used pretty much any family occasion as an excuse to get tanked.
And here’s Meg yesterday morning, spending a little down time with a few of her kids. She still loves a good buzz, and why shouldn’t she? “I’m what the real Mrs. Brady would have looked like,” she sometimes says near the end of the evening, then does a very lame Florence Henderson impression. After she passes out, her kids joke that she looks more like Alice.
