ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200010
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
He has the same show-biz, Johnny Bravo grin, the same blue eyes, even the same dark brown hair, though the hairline is receding a bit.
Barry Williams - otherwise known as Greg Brady of the 1970s television phenom "The Brady Bunch" - has not become another statistic in the gallery of adorable child actors who have lost their bloom. He hasn't outgrown his features like Beaver Cleaver - at least it doesn't look that way in color glossies provided to the press.
``Brady Bunch'' fans will get to see for themselves this week. Williams is making two appearances in Southwest Virginia with a nostalgia-heavy "multi-media lecture/performance" complete with Brady-esque choreography (with synchronized turns and kicks, no doubt), authentic Brady stage clothes, classic show clips and a dash of dirt with tales of inter-cast dating.
Williams also promises to answer the question that has dogged Brady fans for years: What happened to Tiger? (According to Williams' 1992 book, ``Growing up Brady,'' the canine television star actually was run over by a florist's truck ``while scouting around for a suitable place in which to relieve himself." After this fairly gruesome explanation, Williams quips, ``TV superstar one day, road pizza the next.")
Who knew that a moral-laden, albeit groovy, 1970s sitcom would bring so much fame and fortune years later?
There were the revivals: "The Brady Kids," "The Brady Bunch Hour," "The Brady Girls Get Married/The Brady Brides," "The Bradys" and, of course, the stage play and recent motion picture. Williams, incidentally, appeared in everything but the stage play.
There were the books: "The Brady Bunch Book," "Growing up Brady: I was a Teenage Greg" and "Life Lessons from the Bradys" to name a few.
Now Greg Brady returns to us as an adult to help us relive this piece of popular culture in person.
The Brady saga began for Williams in 1968 when, at age 14, he began shooting the "Brady Brunch" pilot, which was picked up by ABC for its debut a year later.
With his boyish good looks and a resume filled with appearances on shows such as "Dragnet,'' "The Invaders" and "It Takes a Thief," Williams made it past nearly 12,000 other would-be child stars.
For five far-out years, he enjoyed success first as a dorky 15-year-old and later as a post-pubescent heartthrob with a deep, sexy sing-song voice. When the show ended and its popularity began to wane, however, Williams had difficulty even getting other auditions.
Williams, now 41, turned to regional and dinner theater productions of shows such as "Grease," "Oklahoma" and "West Side Story." He eventually made it to Broadway with a role in "Pippin" and more recently has toured in the lead role of the Broadway musical comedy "City of Angels."
True to his roots, Williams also has made television appearances on "General Hospital," "Murder She Wrote" and "Highway to Heaven."
But he has always been a Brady.
These days, he's on the university lecture circuit, doing that Greg Brady thing. He'll be at both Radford University and Virginia Tech this week.
In perhaps his greatest episode of all time, Greg Brady transforms himself from the affable big brother to the bratty teen-age rock star Johnny Bravo. Greg's mother warns him about the rigors of show business, saying, "Fame is a fleeting thing, but a college education lasts a lifetime."
The part about fame may be true for Johnny Bravo, but it certainly doesn't apply to Greg Brady.
Barry Williams will speak at Radford University tonight at 7 in the ballroom of Heth Student Center. Admission is $3 for the public. On Thursday, Williams will speak at Virginia Tech in Squires Student Center at 8 p.m. A reception will follow in the Williamsburg Room. Admission is $2.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Why is Greg smiling? Find out this week at Radfordby CNBUniversity and Virginia Tech. color.