The work on the show started in May 1970. In the first unaired The Partridge Family’s pilot,
Shirley Jones’ character’s name was Connie, and she had a steady boyfriend, played by Jack
Cassidy. When the show was sold, the mother’s name was changed, and her boyfriend
disappeared.
It was a brilliant idea making Shirley Partridge a single, working mother. There was no strong,
dominant father figure in that family, like in many musical real life families in the 60s or 70s.
Shirley was a widow, but not a typical one - quite young, very attractive, and her children
looked like each had a different father.
She was a great mother. She loved her children, spent
a lot of time with them and listened to their problems, but she also disciplined and educated
them. There were rules that must be followed at the Partridges’ house, and Shirley’s parental
responsibility was indisputable. She was the boss.
She had a lot of work running the house. There was always something to be done, but she
also thought about herself. Shirley dated, attended classes, and had hobbies.
She was smart
and funny. And sexy. There was an impressive number of former and current boyfriends she
had. When at home, Shirley looked like a typical housewife, but when she went on a date, she
looked very glamorous.
David played the oldest son, 16 year old Keith Douglas Partridge.
Born in 1952, Susan Dey,
a popular teen model, became the oldest daughter, Laurie. Susan and David were both very
beautiful. They above all were chosen for their looks. It was not important that Susan had no
acting experience.
The middle child was played by Danny Bonaduce, a child actor born in
1959, who appeared on tv shows and movies since 1967. Two youngest kids were played by
Suzanne Crough and Jeremy Gelbwaks.
Instead of a father, the Partridges had a manager. Reuben Kincaid played by Dave Madden,
a popular comedy actor, who appeared on TV and in Las Vegas. He was a true family’s friend.
The kids often made fun of him, but they knew Reuben was always there for them.
At first, in Season 1 there were a lot of episodes with Danny Partridge as the main character.
The network insisted on it, but soon everybody knew who was the real star of the show.
The Partridge Family’s first episode was aired on September 25, 1970. The single ‘I Think I
Love You’ was released in the summer. It entered the charts on October 10.
Twice the song
was played on the series. First on November 13, episode Number 8, ‘But The Memory Lingers
On’. The next day the song shot to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. On November 21 ‘I
Think I Love You’ became number 1, and stayed at that place for three weeks. The best selling
single of 1970. It was also a number 1 in Canada and Australia.
The madness started.
In the weeks before the show’s debut David was told that he could
expect big things for himself. He was aware he could become a teen idol. There were
interviews, press parties, and photo sessions. Teen magazines lined up. The Kellogg
Company, the network’s and the show’s sponsor, filmed commercials with the members of
The Partridge Family. But no one could have predicted the sheer madness - that explosion of
worship.
When the big night came, critics weren’t very impressed. Most of them waited to see more.
Julia Inman wrote on September 26, 1970 : ‘The series has set out to accomplish several
things for its producers. One of them is to give ABC-TV another pre-fab rock group like NBC’s
the Monkees. Another is to build David Cassidy into another teen idol. As frequently happens
in sitcoms this show bends reality to the breaking point, but there were some honest
touches.’.
Interviews with David appeared in many known newspapers. He looked like a boy, but talked
like someone much older and very aware of what was going on, smart and sophisticated.
The things he said testified to the fact he had his own strong opinions on many topics,
especially about show business. In an interview published on September 29, David said, :
‘Bernard Slade knows how to write for television and not offend the Bible Belt or the kids. The
real trouble is that so many people are put off by youth today, so writers, by trying not to offend,
do offend our intelligence. They don’t write about kids like they really are.’
Of course in teen magazines David’s image was different. In weeks before the show's debut
a lot of information about him appeared. Some teen magazines, e.g. Tiger Beat, run special
columns on David. There were contests. The most well-known was organized by the Tiger
Beat’s editor, Ann Moses, when David’s dog had puppies. The contest was a great success.
There were thousands of entries. All the puppies were given away to the very happy winners.
The winning names were ‘Cassy’, ‘Dainty’, ‘Happy’, ‘Tiger’ and ‘Pepper’.
Whatever music or tv journalists thought about The Partridge Family was irrelevant. The public
loved the show and the songs. The first album peaked at number 4 on January 2, 1971.
David Cassidy became a household name and an overnight sensation.
From the very first
moment, he took the world by storm. Millions of girls (and boys) watching the first episode
were hooked just from the moment they saw him and heard him sing. It was love at the first
sight on a global scale. Every American girl under 14 was in love with him.
They loved his voice - warm, soft, seductive, breathy, but if necessary strong and full of
passion. Every girl thought he sang just for her. We can read such a statement in many
memories. They loved the way he looked. So beautiful and so cool.
Those heavily lashed
hazel eyes, hair, killer smile, his long straight legs every woman could die for, beautiful hands,
everything about him was just perfect.
His clothes: unbuttoned shirts, tight pants. And
something more, something those young teens even couldn’t name. Bedroom eyes.. Sex-appeal.
Comments
Post a Comment