Why ‘Brady Bunch’ Star Susan Olsen Was ‘Fascinated’ By This Legendary Guest Star

Desi Arnaz Jr. kissed Marcia (Maureen McCormick) on the cheek while Davy Jones played at her dance. Joe Namath coached Bobby (Mike Lookinland) in football. But The Brady Bunch had another famous guest star who didn’t play herself, like the other celebrities played themselves. This guest star gave middle daughter Jan (Eve Plumb) some confidence and made quite an impression on Susan Olsen, who played the youngest Brady kid, Cindy.

Jan’s Aunt Jenny Played For Laughs

In the episode titled “Jan’s Aunt Jenny,” legendary comedian Imogene Coca played the eccentric aunt who gave Jan a lesson on looking at who people are on the inside and not judging people by their looks.

In the story, Jan spotted a snapshot of her great aunt when the woman was younger and realized how much she looked like Jan, per IMDb. When Jan feared she would grow up to look like Aunt Jenny, who she saw as old, the woman paid the Brady house a visit and Jan learned not to judge a book by its cover.

Jenny, as played by Coca, was witty, charming, kind, and confident, which is just what Jan needed to see. Olsen, who was only 11 years old at the time, recalled watching Coca at work, not realizing what a television legend she was.

“I wasn’t that familiar with her, but it was really amazing to me that she was so shy, and then she had a hard time rehearsing,” Olsen said in an interview with Remind. “Then once the cameras were on, just changed, went right into the performance. I was fascinated with her.”

Coca, of course, had made a comedic name for herself on the variety series Your Show of Shows, starring Sid Caesar, and also starred in her own series, The Imogene Coca Show. After her stint on The Brady Bunch, Coca went on to appear in numerous TV shows and movies through the years, including a memorable turn as Aunt Edna in National Lampoon’s Vacation.