Full
Real Name: Geri Lee Reischl (pronounced
"Reh-shelle")
Nick Names: "Brat" "Fake Jan"
Birthdate: December 31, 1959 in Bellflower, California
Family: Geri was adopted by her parents during the New Year holiday of 1960. Geri married her husband in 1979 and has two grown children
Films: Brotherhood of Satan (1969);I Dismember Mamma (1972)...a.k.a. "Poor Albert and Little Annie"
Television:Gunsmoke, playing "Anne Burney" in episode: "Captain Sligo" (#16.16), January 4, 1971; Apple's Way, playing "Jan Cooper" in episode: "The Engagement" (episode # 2.6), 10/20/1974 ; The Interns, playing "Jane Doe" in episode "The Prisoners" (episode #3215), 12/11/70; The Bold Ones, playing "Lisa" in episode "The Glass Cage" (episode #32812), 12/12/71 ; The Brady Bunch Hour (1976-77, 9 episodes), playing Jan Brady; Geri also did voice-overs for the movie musical, Tom Sawyer (1973)
Other appearances: Performances with the Brady Bunch Kids include: The Mike Douglas Show, All-Star Anything Goes (Brady Kids vs. DeFranco Family), and the 1977 Easter Seals Telethon hosted by Michael Landon.
Geri sang and played guitar in a California band by the name of Sand Dabs from 1974-76. She went on to perform at U.S.O clubs, Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm, the Harrahs Club, and with Marty Robbins at the Palomino Club of North Hollywood. Geri was one of Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Kids" in his Lake Tahoe night club act, and in the summer of 1976 toured the United States and Montreal doing an act with Canadian singing sensation Rene Simard. Geri is a huge fan of country music and sang on the television show Pop Goes the Country filmed at the Grand Ole Opry.
Geri's most famous commercial appearances include Mattel Toys, Pepsi Cola print advertisements, and a series of "Wizard of Oz" theme commercials for the breakfast cereal Crispy Wheats-n-Raisins in which she played Dorothy.
In addition to countless other commercials for almost every kind of product, Geri filmed a television pilot with Canadian singer Rene Simard entitled Rene and the Proteens.
Additional Information: Geri's
first appearance was at the age of six playing Gretl in a production of
The
Sound of Music,
starring Patrice Munsel, at the Melodyland Theatre
in Anaheim, California. There she was discovered by a talent agent who
signed her on the
spot and immediately Geri landed parts in two commercials.
In October of 1976 she was chosen, after five auditions, from amongst 1,500 other hopefuls, to replace Eve Plumb as Jan on The Brady Bunch Hour.
Trivia: The reason why the forehead of Geri's hair is pulled down so tightly in The Brady Bunch Hour is due to the fact that it was short in front, and the producers felt she would look more like Eve Plumb if she parted her hair down the middle and hid her existing bangs.
Geri is afraid of going in water over her head. Dancing around the perimeter of a huge swimming pool on The Brady Bunch Hour created some nervous moments for her.
Where Is She Now?: (2007) Geri resides in Southern California with her husband of 28 yrs. She loves doing charity events all around the country. Geri still remains in contact with some of the Brady's and she can be seen at celebrity events. Her two children are now adults so this gives her lot's of time to do things.
Geri Reischl today (2007)