1 ‘Brady Bunch’ Actor’s Injured Nose Led To an Iconic Episode of the Sitcom

Dispite what Jan says, not everything is easy for Marcia. During “The Subject of Noses” episode of The Brady Bunch, Marcia had a super swollen nose from a football accident. In real life, though, the actor behind this character was in a much more serious accident.

Here’s what we know about this infamous episode of the sitcom.

‘Oh, my nose!’

There are a few iconic quotes from this sitcom. One of Marcia Brady’s best-known quotes is, “oh my nose,” from the episode titled “The Subject of Noses.” The boys were playing football in the backyard, while Marcia was inside on the phone with a boy. 

She had a big date coming up the following Saturday and, after getting a message from her mother, went outside to tell the boys to clean up their room. 

She got hit in the face with a football, screaming, “oh, my nose!” Almost instantly, her nose swelled up, causing her to worry about her date with Doug. Of course, it all worked out in the end, with Marcia going on several dates throughout the series.

Maureen McCormick, who portrayed Marcia Brady, really did break her nose, but not because of a football

The character of Marcia Brady is portrayed by Maureen McCormick throughout The Brady Bunch. Running for five seasons, there were plenty of adventures featuring this actor and even some episodes inspired by her real life. That even includes the “The Subject of Noses” episode of the comedy series.

According to History Garage, “the week before filming the episode, Maureen McCormick suffered a nose break from a car accident.” That inspired this iconic episode with Marcia Brady and the untimely football accident, written shortly after the real-life car accident.

‘The Subject of Noses’ is one of the most beloved episodes of ‘The Brady Bunch’

There were plenty of episodes of this series were Marcia stole the show, much to Jan’s disdain. Even with a broken nose, Marcia was known for being the prettiest of the Brady sisters. With Cindy being the cutest, where did that live Jan? 

The 1971 episode titled “Her Sister’s Shadow,” gave rise to the popular quote, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.” This family went on plenty of adventures together, though. They performed together, even landing a spot on a television show. The whole family (and Alice) even went on a vacation to Hawaii.

In 1990, this series was remade into a movie, The Brady Bunch Movie, with a new cast and a new set of problems that came with progress and change. To raise money for their family, the Brady kids decide to audition for a talent show.

Episodes of The Brady Bunch are available for streaming on Hulu.