The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom series starring Shirley Jones as 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 ABC network as part of a Friday-night lineup, and had subsequent runs in syndication. Contents [hide] 1 Premise 2 Background 3 Cast and characters 3.1 Notable guest stars 4 Episodes 5 Production 5.1 Music 6 David Cassidy Rolling Stone interview 7 Broadcast history 7.1 Ratings 7.2 Syndication 8 Reception 8.1 Awards and nominations 9 Media 9.1 Albums 9.1.1 Danny Bonaduce album 9.2 Animated spin off 9.3 The New Partridge Family 9.4 DVD releases 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links Premise[edit] The Partridge Family, season 1 In the pilot episode, a group of musical siblings in the fictitious city of San Pueblo, California convinces their widowed mother and bank teller, Shirley Partridge, to help them out by singing as they record a pop song in their garage. Through the efforts of precocious ten-year-old Danny, they find a manager, Reuben Kincaid, 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, a 1957 Chevrolet Series 6800 Superior, for touring, paint it with Mondrian-inspired patterns, and depart to Las Vegas, Nevada for their first live gig at Caesars Palace. Subsequent episodes usually feature the band performing in various venues or in their garage. The shows 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 takes place in their home town rather than on tour. Background[edit] Created for television by Bernard Slade, the series' executive producer was Bob Claver. The show was inspired by and loosely based on The Cowsills,[1] a family pop music group that was famous in the late 1960s. In the show's early development, the Cowsill children were considered by the producers, but because the Cowsills were not trained actors and were too old for the roles as scripted, Slade and Claver abandoned that idea.[2] 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, Jones' real-life husband at the time. 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. Shortly after the series ended, scriptwriter Roberta Tatum launched a lawsuit against Screen Gems concerning the creation of the show. Tatum claimed that she had submitted a similar premise to Screen Gems prior to 1970 called Baker's Half-Dozen. The matter was resolved out of court, with Tatum receiving a reported $150,000 from Screen Gems.[3] The Partridge Family, season 1 Cast and characters[edit] Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge: vocals, keyboards, tambourine, percussion David Cassidy as Keith Partridge: lead vocals, rhythm guitar, electric lead guitars, banjo Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge: vocals, harmony, piano, Hammond organ, percussion Danny Bonaduce as Danny Partridge: vocals, bass guitar Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris Partridge (season 1): vocals, drums Brian Forster as Chris Partridge (seasons 2–4): vocals, drums Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge: tambourine, percussion Dave Madden as Reuben Kincaid: band manager Ricky Segall as Ricky Stevens (season 4): singer Notable guest stars[edit] During its four-season run, many actors made guest appearances on the show. Some of them were known at the time, such as Morey Amsterdam, John Astin, Carl Ballantine, Edgar Buchanan, Dick Clark, Jackie Coogan, Howard Cosell, Jodie Foster, Ned Glass, James Gregory, Margaret Hamilton, Pat Harrington, Jr., Arte Johnson, Harvey Lembeck, Harry Morgan, Slim Pickens, Richard Pryor, Barbara Rhoades, William Schallert, Nita Talbot, Larry Wilcox, Dick Wilson, and William Windom. While others would later become famous, such as Meredith Baxter, Richard Bull, Bert Convy, Farrah Fawcett, Norman Fell, Tony Geary, Louis Gossett, Jr., Harold Gould, Jackie Earle Haley, Mark Hamill, Ann Jillian, Gordon Jump, Cheryl Ladd, William Lucking, Stuart Margolin, Richard Mulligan, Michael Ontkean, Noam Pitlik, Annette O'Toole, Charlotte Rae, Rob Reiner, Jack Riley, Jaclyn Smith, Vic Tayback, Nancy Walker, and Frank Welker. The Partridge Family, season 3 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.[4][5] 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 ABC, Getting Together, starring Sherman and Wes Stern as Bobby Conway's business partner Lionel Poindexter. Episodes[edit] Main article: List of The Partridge Family episodes Shirley Jones and Ricky Segall, season 4 Production[edit] 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".[6] 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. Music[edit] Led by music producer Wes Farrell, a group of hired studio musicians (informally referred to as the 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.[7] 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" which also features the tag "Come on, Get Happy (we're gonna chase all your blues away)"—was likely a hidden influence[weasel words] in the "wide-audience appeal" approach of the show and its music. Significant[editorializing] 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,[editorializing] 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,[weasel words] as it featured no lyric, only the Wes Farrell tune. In the pilot episode, a song titled "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. Its lyrics, as transcribed, were clearly intended[weasel words] to be in contention for the series theme. This song, which was never available on any Partridge LP, was likely buried by producers.[weasel words] The song has been credited to The Love Generation, a group of LA studio musicians (similar to the Wrecking Crew) and jingle singers. David Cassidy Rolling Stone interview[edit] In the midst of his rise to fame, David Cassidy soon grew tired of the show.[8] In May 1972, he appeared nude on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in a cropped Annie Leibovitz photo. He used the article to get away from his squeaky clean image.[9] Amongst other things, the article mentions Cassidy was riding around New York in the back of a car "stoned and drunk".[10] Broadcast history[edit] ABC moved the show from its 8:30 pm Friday night slot (where it was first in its timeslot) to Saturday at 8:00 pm (opposite CBS' top-rated All in the Family, with which it could not compete successfully). After 96 episodes and eight Partridge Family albums, ABC canceled the show. Ratings[edit] 1970–1971: No. 25 1971–1972: No. 16 1972–1973: No. 19 1973–1974: Not in the Top 30 Syndication[edit] Nickelodeon featured a run of The Partridge Family from 1993 to 1994 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 Fox Family, ION Television, and Hallmark Channel. As of January 2011, it airs on Antenna TV. The cast was reunited in the 1990s on The Arsenio Hall Show and The Danny Bonaduce Show and were featured on The E! True Hollywood Story, 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 and successor of series producer Screen Gems).[11][12][13][14] Reception[edit] Awards and nominations[edit] Year Association Category Result 1971 Grammy Awards Best New Artist[15] Nominated Golden Globe Awards Best TV Show – Musical/Comedy Nominated 1972 Best TV Show – Musical/Comedy Nominated 2003 TV Land Awards Quintessential Non-Traditional Family Nominated Hippest Fashion Plate – Male to David Cassidy Won 2004 Favorite Teen Dream – Female to Susan Dey Won Irreplaceable Replacement for Brian Forster replacing Jeremy Gelbwaks Nominated 2006 Favorite Singing Siblings Nominated The Most Irreplaceable Replacement for Brian Forster replacing Jeremy Gelbwaks Nominated 2007 Most Beautiful Braces – Susan Dey Nominated Media[edit] Albums[edit] Main article: The Partridge Family discography 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 David Cassidy and Shirley Jones, who sang background, were the only cast members who were actually featured on the recordings.[7] As the show and other associated merchandising took off,[clarification needed] David Cassidy became a teen idol.[16] 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 charts in December of that year. It sold over five million copies, was awarded a gold disc, and made the group the third fictional artist to have a No. 1 hit (after The Chipmunks and The Archies).[17] 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.[17] 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".[18] These singles were showcased on million-selling albums including Up To Date, Sound Magazine, Shopping Bag, Notebook, Crossword Puzzle, and Bulletin Board.[19] Their holiday album A Partridge Family Christmas Card was the No. 1 selling Christmas record of 1971.[20] Record sales success was replicated internationally, with The Partridge Family achieving huge hits in Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In all, The Partridge Family released 89 songs on 9 albums between 1970 and 1973. Danny Bonaduce album[edit] 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. Though Bonaduce was credited as lead singer on all the songs, he insists that he had a very weak voice and that 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 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.[21] Animated spin off[edit] 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. The New Partridge Family[edit] In 2004 VH1 produced a pilot for a syndicated The New Partridge Family, starring Suzanne Sole as Shirley, Leland Grant as Keith, Emma Stone as Laurie and Spencer Tuskowski as Danny. The pilot was the only episode produced. DVD releases[edit] 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. On October 15, 2013, Sony released The Partridge Family - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[22] The 12-disc set features all 96 episodes of the series as well as bonus features. On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including The Partridge Family.[23] They subsequently re-released the first two seasons on June 24, 2014.[24] DVD name Ep. # Release date The Complete 1st Season 25 May 3, 2005 June 24, 2014 (re-release) The Complete 2nd Season 24 November 8, 2005 June 24, 2014 (re-release) The Complete 3rd Season 25 October 14, 2008 The Complete 4th Season 22 February 3, 2009