David Cassidy on the Web
Dreamboat David Sails In Again
Sunday, April 22, 2001
By Patricia O'Haire
http://articles.nydailynews.com
Remember 1970's "I Think I Love You"? It was the "Livin' La Vida Loca" of its day. Tune in any radio station at the time and you'd be sure to soon hear the catchy single, which spent three weeks at No. 1.
The male singer on the record, of course, was David Cassidy, co-star with his then stepmom, Shirley Jones, in the hugely popular pop-group sitcom "The Partridge Family." Cassidy has just turned 51, and though his hair is showing a touch of gray, he's still as slim and handsome as ever. As recently as last November, he was named one of the Sexiest Men Alive by People magazine.
He may never have another hit like "I Think I Love You," but he will sing it on Friday and Saturday night when he appears at Atlantic City's Showboat. He will also reprise other hits - including "Rock Me Baby," "Lying to Myself" and "How Can I Be Sure" - plus some new tunes he has written.
He is the son of actor Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward. His parents divorced when he was 3, and his father went on to marry Jones (he died in 1976). David's half brothers Shaun, Patrick and Ryan Cassidy have all made names for themselves in show business.
David Cassidy occasionally sounds as if he wishes the whole Partridge phenomenon and his fame as an early-'70s heartthrob would evaporate, but that is unlikely. Long before the members of 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and their ilk were born, Cassidy was a teen idol. It was a golden moment in bubblegum pop, and Cassidy was one of its icons.
His posters hung in millions of bedrooms and his face was on fan mags, lunchboxes and cereal cartons. He was one of the first teen personalities to be merchandised globally. At 21, he was the world's highest paid male performer.
He appeared before crowds of screaming girls everywhere, selling out Madison Square Garden and other arenas. When the balloon inevitably burst, he walked away from it all to hone his acting chops.
His career has taken off in many directions since he left "The Partridge Family" in 1974, after four years on that psychedelically painted bus. He appeared onstage in London (with Laurence Olivier, no less) in a play called "Time," and on Broadway with brother Shaun in the play-with-music "Blood Brothers." He has also toured in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
Cassidy has become a successful writer, penning several TV scripts as well as the tell-all memoir "C'mon Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus." He also co-wrote (with Don Reo) and produced "The Rat Pack Is Back," about the Las Vegas days of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. For over a year, it has been running at the Sahara Hotel in Vegas.
More recently, Cassidy himself spent two years onstage in Vegas - where he lives with his wife, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, and their 10-year-old son, Beau - in the $75 million musical extravaganza "EFX." When he left that, he went into a revue called "At the Copa," which he also co-wrote (again with Reo) and produced.
The Showboat gig is the first stop on his latest concert tour. Cassidy will perform one show Friday at 9, and two on Saturday, at 8 and 10:30. Tickets are $49.75 and $125.
