The Brady Bunch's Geri Reischl

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"In this article, it says I like mountain climbing but I have never done that in my entire life. They put Hansel and Gretel, but it was The Sound of Music. My dog Mendi was a 'she' and she never went with me to the set when I worked. 'Born to,' but I was adopted. The author must not have taken good notes! The rest is all correct."

"If anyone ever told me that I would be a member of The Brady Bunch, I would tell them I don't know what they are talking about," said pretty Geri Reischl.

Geri, who plays Jan Brady on the new ABC show, feels now that all of her dreams have been answered. "I've always loved the business," said the pretty blond with green eyes, "in fact, you might say that show business has come very easily to me. My first encounter was in Hansel and Gretel at Melodyland in Anaheim, California. I played the part of Gretel and thought I was sitting on top of the world. At that time, an agent saw my performance and asked if I would be interested in getting into show business. At first I thought it was all a put-on, but when I saw that he was sincere, I really got excited."

"I soon appeared in Gunsmoke, The Interns, The Bold Ones, Apple's Way, and I loved it. I also did many commercials, 28 so far. Those are really fun." Geri's feature films include Brotherhood of Satan and Poor Albert and Little Annie.

"Acting isn't the only thing I'm interested in," she said. "I love singing. I enjoy all kinds of music, but I think country rock is my favorite. I had my own rock band for two and a half years called The Sand Dabs, which consisted of four boys and me as the lead singer. And if you don't think it was fun being the only girl with four great guys, you're mistaken!"

Geri, a native Californian, was born December 31, 1959 and weighs 98lbs. "It's a good thing I'm only 5'1/2" tall or short," she said laughing, "otherwise I might be too thin for my size. I'm glad I'm the way I am because I can eat whatever I want without worrying about putting on weight. I'm not much of a junk eater, but when the urge is there, I'm not one to stop it."

Born to Wanda and Herbert Reischl, an advertising executive in Bellflower, California, Geri has an older brother, Jack. "We're a very close family," she said smiling. "I think it's great when someone my age can relate to their parents. We're all like good friends and enjoy doing things with one another. My folks, and brother, for that matter, are really behind what I want to do, so my being on The Brady Bunch seems that much more rewarding."

"I really think I'm very lucky," she said smiling. "My friends are the same ones now that I had before the show, but I have to admit, my time is a little more limited. They are all thrilled for me and whenever I can I have them come to the studio to watch the tapings. From time to time people would kid me and say, 'I hope being on a show like The Brady Bunch won't change you. Or, don't let it go to your head. I mean it when I say, 'no way.' I'm so happy I'm doing what I'm doing, how can I let it go to my head?"

While Geri doesn't have too much time these days for relaxation, she enjoys mountain climbing when she gets a minute. "I don't even know how I got interested in that, but there's excitement attached to it. I love playing tennis, (which my parents think makes more sense than mountain climbing) and horseback riding is a definite favorite of mine. When I don't have the time to do these things, I manage to have my Yorkie Mendi on the set just to give me a good and normal balance as to what life is all about. He loves being in front of all the lights, in fact I think Mendi is the biggest ham of all. He's trying to give Lassie a run for his money!"