Partridge Family

Music Home >> Music Genres >> Undetermined Music



< < < < < > > > > > More Info on Partridge Family Similar Undetermined Music Search Artistopia

Biography

The Partridge Family was an American Sitcom|television sitcom series about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. It ran from September 25, 1970, until March 23, 1974, on the American Broadcasting Company|ABC network as part of a Friday-night lineup, and had subsequent runs in television syndication|syndication .

History

Created for television by Bernard Slade , the series' Executive Producer was Bob Claver. The show was inspired by and loosely based on The Cowsills ,''C'mon, Get Happy , p. 51-52 a family pop music group that was famous in the late 1960s. In its early development, the Cowsill children were considered by the producers for featuring on The Partridge Family, but because they were not trained actors, Slade and Claver abandoned that idea. Shirley Jones had already been signed as mother Shirley Partridge and star of the show.

The pilot was filmed in December, 1969. It differs from the version that aired in 1970. In the unaired pilot, Shirley's name is "Connie", and she has a boyfriend, played by Jack Cassidy , the husband of Shirley Jones . Laurie has a line of dialogue about her late father once getting drunk at a Christmas party, and the family lives at a different address. This unaired pilot is not available on home video.

Premise

In the pilot episode, a group of musical siblings in the fictitious city of San Pueblo, California convinces their recently widowed mother, Shirley Partridge ( Shirley Jones ), to help them out by singing as they record a pop song in their garage. Through the efforts of precocious 10-year-old Danny, they find a manager, Reuben Kincaid ( Dave Madden ), who helps make the song a Top-40 hit. After some more persuading, Shirley agrees that the family can go on tour. They acquire an old school bus for touring, paint it with Piet Mondrian|Mondrian inspired patterns, and depart to Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas for their first live gig at Caesars Palace . The Partridge children were played by David Cassidy (Jones' real-life stepson) as her eldest son Keith, Susan Dey as Laurie, Danny Bonaduce as Danny, Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris, and Suzanne Crough as Tracy.

Subsequent episodes usually feature the band performing in various venues or in their garage. The shows would often contrast suburban life with the adventures of a show business family on the road. After the first season, more of the show's action took place in their hometown rather than on tour.

At the end of the first season, Jeremy Gelbwaks' family moved out of the Los Angeles area, and the part of Chris was recast with actor Brian Forster . According to David Cassidy, Gelbwaks "had a personality conflict with every person in the cast and the producers".''C'mon, Get Happy'' Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus by David Cassidy and Chip Deffaa , 1994 DBC Enterprises, Warner Books Inc, p. 87 A dog named "Simone" was featured in the first season, but was phased out during the second season. At the beginning of the fourth season, a four-year-old neighbor named Ricky Stevens (Ricky Segall) was featured and would sing a children's song during each episode, but was dropped mid-season. ABC moved the show from its 8:30 p.m. Friday night slot to Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (opposite CBS' top-rated All in the Family ), and after 96 episodes and eight Partridge Family albums, ABC canceled the show.

Cast members

Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge: vocals, keyboards, tambourine , percussion

David Cassidy as Keith Partridge: lead vocals , lead guitar s, banjo

Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge: vocals, piano , percussion

Danny Bonaduce as Danny Partridge: vocals, bass, occasional guitar (acoustic, electric)

Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris Partridge (season 1): vocals, drum s

Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge: vocals, tambourine , percussion

Dave Madden as Reuben Kincaid: band manager

Brian Forster as Chris Partridge (seasons 2-4): vocals, drum s

Ricky Segall as Ricky Stevens: singer (1973–1974)

Guest stars

During its four season run, many actors made guest appearances on the show.

Alan Oppenheimer	Ann Jillian	Ann Morgan Guilbert	Annette O'Toole	Arte Johnson
Barbara Rhoades	Bernard Fox	Bert Convy	Brooke Bundy	Bruce Kimmel
Carl Ballantine	Charlotte Rae	Cheryl Ladd	Dick Clark	Dick Wilson
Edgar Buchanan	Elaine Giftos	Farrah Fawcett	Fran Ryan	George Chakiris
Gordon Jump	Herb Edelman	Harold Gould	Harry Morgan	Harvey Lembeck
Holly Near	Howard Cosell	Howard Morton	Jack Riley	Jackie Coogan
Jackie Earle Haley	Jaclyn Smith	James Gregory	Jared Martin	John Astin
Jodie Foster	Judson Pratt	Larry Wilcox	Leonard Stone	Louis Gossett, Jr.
Mark Hamill	Margaret Hamilton	Meredith Baxter	Michael Lembeck	Michael Ontkean
Morey Amsterdam	Nancy Walker	Ned Glass	Nita Talbot	Noam Pitlik
Norman Fell	Pat Harrington, Jr.	Richard Bakalyan	Richard Bull	Richard Mulligan
Richard Pryor	Richard X. Slattery	Rick Hurst	Rob Reiner	Robert F. Simon
Rosemary DeCamp	Season Hubley	Slim Pickens	Stuart Margolin	Tony Geary
Val Bisoglio	Vic Tayback	William Lucking	William Schallert	William Windom

Country singer Johnny Cash made a cameo appearance in the pilot episode. Ray Bolger played Shirley's father in three episodes, and Rosemary DeCamp played Shirley's mother in four episodes. Then-Governor Ronald Reagan 's daughter, Maureen Reagan , was also featured in one episode. Future '' Charlie's Angels stars, Jaclyn Smith , Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Ladd all made guest appearances on separate episodes.

Bobby Sherman appeared in episode 25 (the last episode of the first season) as struggling songwriter Bobby Conway; this episode led into a short-lived spinoff series on American Broadcasting Company|ABC , Getting Together (TV series)|Getting Together , starring Sherman and Wes Stern as Bobby Conway's business partner Lionel Poindexter.

Episodes

Music

The Partridge Family was produced for ABC by Screen Gems . The company promoted the show by releasing a series of albums featuring the family band, though most cast members did not actually play on the recordings.''C'mon, Get Happy'', p. 56-60 Led by music producer Wes Farrell , a group of hired studio musicians (informally referred to as the The Wrecking Crew (music)|Wrecking Crew ) actually created the Partridge Family's sound. The harmonious background vocalists were brothers John and Tom Bahler, Jackie Ward and Ron Hicklin (initially the Ron Hicklin Singers ). David Cassidy was originally to lip sync with the rest of the cast, but he convinced Farrell just weeks into production that he could sing and was allowed to join the studio ensemble as the lead singer. He and Shirley Jones, who sang background, were the only cast members who were actually featured on the recordings.

Despite best attempts, the Partridge Family Theme, shown over opening credits, underwent more than one incarnation. Initial episodes feature the song "When We're Singin'" in place of the popular title later used, "C'mon Get Happy". The latter—a play upon the 1920s song " Get Happy (song)|Get Happy " which also features the tag "Come on, Get Happy (we're gonna chase all your blues away)" -- was likely a hidden influence in the "wide-audience appeal" approach of the show and its music. Significant is the verse lyric that began the initial theme "When We're Singin'":

"Five of us, and Mom working all day,

we knew we could help her if our music would pay,

Danny got Reuben to sell our song, and it really

came together when Mom sang along..." ''(from "When we're Singin')

Later, when the new version appeared, it featured new lyrics sung to the "When We're Singin'" tune. With the new chorus finalized, "C'mon Get Happy" showcased the new verse:

"We had a dream, we'd go travelin' together,

We'd spread a little lovin' then we'd keep movin' on.

Somethin' always happens whenever we're together

We get a happy feelin' when we're singing a song... ''(from "C'Mon Get Happy")

Also of interest, when the first theme is replaced by Danny Janssen's new lyric, the "outro" credits music bed is also replaced, from the organ/horn call-and-response music, to a newer jazzy instrumental of the title theme, which Janssen likely saw no profit from, as it featured no lyric, only the Wes Farrell tune. In the pilot episode, an unreleased song, "Together (Havin' A Ball)", is featured prominently. This song is not the Partridge Family that we eventually would know, and does not feature Cassidy/Jones vocal layering later added to studio musicals and singers. The lyrics of "Together (Havin' A Ball)", as transcribed, were clearly intended to be in contention for the series theme. This song, which was never available on any Partridge LP, was likely buried by producers. However, thankfully for many fans, the song was finally released 35 years after the fact in 2005 on a 'Very Best of' CD compilation. The production was "very Saturday Morning" sounding, being written and recorded by the same folks who composed the theme for Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)|Josie and The Pussycats , among others. The lyric combines elements of current pop, The Beatles ' Come Together , and Elvis Presley 's personal slogan "TCB", or Taking Care of Business, along with narrative, "Just doin' their number" and "playin' and singin'" their "new sound." The song has been credited to The Love Generation, a group of LA studio musicians and jingle singers, but in reality these featured the background vocalists who recorded on ALL of the Partridge Family platters, so it is considered a lost track.

As the show and other associated merchandising took off, David Cassidy became a teen idol .''C'mon, Get Happy , p. 68-73 The producers signed Cassidy as a solo act as well. Cassidy began touring with his own group of musicians, performing Partridge songs as well as hits from his own albums, to thousands of screaming teenagers in major stadiums across the USA, UK, Europe, Japan and Australia.

The Partridge Family's biggest hit came in 1970 with the song I Think I Love You , written by Tony Romeo (who had previously written several of the Cowsills' hits), peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard (magazine)|Billboard charts in December of that year. It sold over five million copies, was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc , and made the group the third fictional artist to have a #1 hit (after The Chipmunks and The Archies ). The song's companion LP, The Partridge Family Album , reached Number 4 in the Billboard 200 . It was also awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in December 1970, having sold over one million copies. A string of hit Partridge singles followed: " Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted ", " I'll Meet You Halfway ", " I Woke Up In Love This Morning ", " It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love) ", "Am I Losing You", "Looking Through The Eyes Of Love", "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", and "A Friend And A Lover." These singles were showcased on million selling albums including "Up To Date", "Sound Magazine", "Shopping Bag", "Notebook", "Crossword Puzzle", and "Bulletin Board." The Partridge Family's "Christmas Card" album was the #1 selling Christmas record of 1971. Record sales success was replicated internationally with The Partridge Family achieving huge hits in Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

In all, The Partridge Family released 89 songs between 1970–1973, on 8 albums and one non-LP single.

David Cassidy Rolling Stone Interview

In the midst of his rise to fame, David Cassidy soon grew tired of the show.''C'mon, Get Happy'', p. 92-95 In May 1972, he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine . He was nude in the photoshoot but the cover was cropped. Annie Leibovitz was the photographer. He used the article to get away from his squeaky clean image. C'Mon Get Happy pg 167 Amongst other things, the article mentions Cassidy was riding around New York in the back of a car " Substance intoxication|stoned and drunk" and the continued inference Cassidy smoked pot. Rolling Stone magazine - David Cassidy - "Naked Lunch Box" (the title of the article), written by Robin Green , 11 May 1972. Cassidy denied it was his saying he did not use illegal drugs at the time of that interview.

Danny Bonaduce album

Though Danny Bonaduce was not part of the session band, he, too, got a recording contract, and circa 1972 released a self-titled album, Danny Bonaduce (album)|Danny Bonaduce . Though Bonaduce was credited as lead singer on all the songs, he insists that he had a very weak voice and that Bruce Roberts (singer)|Bruce Roberts provided most of the vocals on the album. The first track on the album, a song entitled "I'll Be Your Magician", in which the 13-year-old Bonaduce seduces a woman into having sexual intercourse with him, has developed a cult following for its camp (style)|campy entertainment value. The original, watered-down, version of the song was recorded with Cassidy for the "Sound Magazine" album, but it was discarded and never released. In fall 2010, Cassidy dared Bonaduce to learn how to play the bass guitar lines on the songs the Partridge Family performed. Bonaduce learned the bass guitar line for "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted", stating that although he had no ability to read music, the song was relatively easy to learn; Cassidy and Bonaduce have performed together on rare occasions since that time.Parry, Wayne (2011-04-10). . Associated Press . Retrieved 2011-04-10.

Animation spin off

The Partridges had a brief resurgence in animated form which saw the family propelled into the future. The animated Partridges first appeared when the kids did a series of guest spots on Goober and the Ghost Chasers . That idea evolved into a CBS Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera -produced cartoon in 1974, Partridge Family 2200 A.D. (also called The Partridge Family in Outer Space when rerun later as part of Fred Flintstone and Friends ). Shirley Jones and David Cassidy did not voice their animated counterparts (Shirley Partridge was renamed Connie Partridge in the cartoon), and Susan Dey and Dave Madden had very limited involvement with this cartoon. During a Feb. 2, 2008 interview with Mark Simone on WABC (AM)|WABC Radio 's Saturday Night Oldies show, Jones had no recollection of any animated version of the series ever being produced.((Citation needed|date=November 2003))

Syndication

Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon featured a run of The Partridge Family in the mid-80s as part of its Nick-At-Nite lineup. The network used interviews and commercials featuring cast members, and created a new version of the bus for promotion. The show also aired at various times on ABC Family|Fox Family , ION Television , and Hallmark Channel . , it airs on Antenna TV . in 1989 it was aired on WGBS-TV Philly 57 and UPN Philly 57. In 1995 it was aired on WPSG UPN 57 of San Francisco (SF).

The cast was reunited in the 90's on the Arsenio Hall Show and The Danny Bonaduce Show and were featured on The E& #33; True Hollywood Story , Biography (TV series)|Biography and VH1's Behind The Music .

When the digital subchannel Antenna TV premiered in January 2011, The Partridge Family became one of its offerings through the network's distribution agreement with Sony Pictures Television (parent company of series producer Screen Gems ).

The New Partridge Family

In 2003 VH1 produced a pilot for a syndicated The New Partridge Family , starirng Suzanne Sole as Shirley, Leland Grant as Keith, Emma Stone as Laurie and Spencer Tusowski as Danny. The pilot was the only episode produced.

Ratings

Season 1 (1970& ndash;1971): #25

Season 2 (1971& ndash;1972): #16

Season 3 (1972& ndash;1973): #19

Season 4 (1973& ndash;1974): Not in the Top 30

Discography

Awards and nominations

Film
Award	Year	Category	Result	Recipient
Golden Globe	1971	Best TV Show - Musical/ Comedy	nom
	1971	Best TV Actress - Musical/ Comedy	nom	Shirley Jones
	1972	Best TV Show - Musical/ Comedy	nom
	1972	Best TV Actress - Musical/ Comedy	nom	Shirley Jones
	1973	Best Supporting Actress - Television	nom	Susan Dey
TV Land Awards	2003	Quintessential Non-Traditional Family	nom	Danny Bonaduce , David Cassidy , Suzanne Crough , Susan Dey , Brian Forster , Jeremy Gelbwaks , Shirley Jones
	2003	Hippest Fashion Plate - Male	won	David Cassidy
	2004	Favorite Teen Dream - Female	won	Susan Dey
	2004	Irreplaceable Replacement	nom	Brian Forster For replacing Jeremy Gelbwaks.
	2006	Favorite Singing Siblings	nom	Danny Bonaduce , David Cassidy , Suzanne Crough , Susan Dey , Brian Forster , Jeremy Gelbwaks
	2006	The Most Irreplaceable Replacement	nom	Brian Forster For replacing Jeremy Gelbwaks.
	2007	Most Beautiful Braces	nom	Susan Dey

DVD releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all 4 Seasons of The Partridge Family in DVD Region 1. Seasons 1 and 2 have been released in region 2 and 4.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date
The Complete 1st Season	25	May 3, 2005
The Complete 2nd Season	24	November 8, 2005
The Complete 3rd Season	25	October 14, 2008
The Complete 4th Season	22	February 3, 2009

Copyright Citations

This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Partridge Family


1. The Archies 2. Clam Abuse 3. The Cowsills 4. Rupert Holmes 5. The Partridge Family 6. Ian Partridge 7. Bobby Sherman 8. Hal Blaine 9. Earl Palmer drummer 10. Mickey Dolenz 11. Simon & Garfunkel 12. Caesars Palace 13. 70's 14. Archies 15. Barry Mann 16. Bewitched 17. Bobby Hart 18. Climax 19. Cousin Oliver 20. Cowsills 21. Debbie Boone 22. Rainmakers 23. Shorty Rogers 24. Stuart Margolin 25. The Brady Bunch

Undetermined Music Artists