David Cassidy on the Web
'The Partridge Family': Where Are They Now?
Musical Sitcom Ran For Four Seasons In Early '70s
Monday, November 3, 2008
www.wsbtv.com
With the recent release of the third season of "The Partridge Family" on DVD (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), there's no doubt that fans of the hit musical sitcom from the early 1970s have a reason to get happy all over again.
The show, inspired by the musical family The Cowsills, ran from 1970 to 1974 on ABC. One thing it had going for it from the very beginning was actress Shirley Jones, who was cast in the lead role of family matriarch Shirley Partridge.
As the Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for "Elmer Gantry," Jones had starred in such classic movie musicals as "Carousel," "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man," there was no doubt that Jones could act and sing.
"It all seemed to fall into place," Jones told Tim Lammers in a 2001 @ The Movies interview. "The fact that ('The Partridge Family') had music was the cherry on the top of the cake. I knew that it had a really good chance of becoming a hit show because of that."
The funny thing is, not a lot of people had faith in Jones' move from the big screen to television sets -- a move perceived as a career step downward at the time.
"I remember the agents and the powers that be telling me, 'Are you crazy? You want to do a television series? You're a movie actress,'" Jones recalled. "I said, 'Yeah, but I love the script and I want to stay at home. I've been traveling all over the world on movie locations, and I have three small sons.' It was a marvelous opportunity for me to spend time at home and be with my kids."
Another benefit of doing the show was that one of her co-stars, David Cassidy, her stepson with husband Jack Cassidy, was cast as her oldest son, Keith. Susan Dey (Laurie), Danny Bonaduce (Danny), Suzanne Crough (Tracy) and Jeremy Gelbwaks (Chris, 1970 only) and Dave Madden (Reuben Kincaid) rounded out the cast.
Over the years, "The Partridge Family" has not only become famous for its show, but the music. Among the cast's biggest hits are the feel-good anthem "Come On, Get Happy" and up-tempo love song, "I Think I Love You."
A bona fide television icon, Jones lovingly mused in the 2001 interview about the enduring success of the show. She also said her agents and the powers that be were right: but in this case, it wasn't such a bad thing.
"They were right. It did kill my movie career," Jones said, laughing. "People know me more by Mrs. Partridge than anything else, especially the adults of today -- they grew up with the show."
"The Partridge Family" during Season One of the show (clockwise, from top left): Susan Dey, Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough and Jeremy Gelbwaks.
Come on, you ready to get happy again? The songs "C'mon Get Happy" and "I Think I Love You" were among the hits spawned from the musical sitcom "The Partridge Family", which ran on ABC from 1970-1974. The show starred Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Brian Foster, Suzanne Crough, Jeremy Gelbwaks and Dave Madden. What is everybody up to today?
Shirley Jones (Shirley Partridge - interview), 74, was an established star of movie musicals("The Music Man," "Carousel," "Oklahoma!") and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for "Elmer Gantry" before "The Partridge Family". She most recently appeared on the daytime drama "Days Of Our Lives" and the show "Monarch Cove". In the years since "The Partridge Family" Jones has starred in the series "Shirley" and has appeared in numerous guest roles on such shows as "Disneyland," "Murder, She Wrote," "The Drew Carey Show," "Law And Order:Special Victims Unit" and "Sesame Street".
The real-life stepson of Shirley Jones, David Cassidy (Keith Partridge), 58, has enjoyed duel careers as an actor and musician since "The Partridge Family" came to an end. In addition to appearing at show reunions with Jones and Bonaduce, Cassidy has appeared as a guest actor on several shows, including "Less Than Perfect," "Kim Possible," "Malcolm In The Middle," "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island".
Susan Dey (Laurie Partridge), 55, currently serves as a board member at the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Medical Center. After "The Partridge Family" she appeared in starring roles on such shows as "Emerald Point, N.A.S.," "L.A. Law" and "Love and War". In 2002, she reprised her "L.A. Law" role of D.A. Grace Van Owen for a television movie based on the series, and appeared in two episodes of the television drama "Third Watch" in 2004.
Danny Bonaduce (Danny Partridge), 49, has survived career ups and downs as an actor, as well as a morning radio and television personality. He chronicled struggles with drug addiction and rehab, homelessness and arrests in the 2002 autobiography "Random Acts of Badness." As an actor, he played Mr Partridge in television movie update of "The New Partridge Family" (2005), and most recently, had a recurring role on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and his own VH1 show.
Dave Madden (Reuben Kincaid), 77, declared on the Web site for his 2007 memoir "Reuben on Wry" (ReubenKincaidBook.com), "It's true, I'm not dead." In addition to writing, Madden over the years has continued to act, appearing in a starring role on the sitcom "Alice," and in guest roles on "Happy Days," "Starsky And Hutch," "Barney Miller" and "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch."
Some of "The Partridge Family" cast members have appeared together for public reunions over the years. David Cassidy and Shirley Jones took stage together at the TV Land Awards in 2003.
Danny Bonaduce stands in front of VH1's new version of the show's iconic tour bus created for the reality show "In Search Of The Partridge Family".
The third season of "The Partridge Family" was recently released on DVD. Suzanne Crough (Tracy), 45, left acting in 1980 and in recent years has reportedly owned and operated a book store. Brian Forster, 48, (Chris from 1971-1974) went on to become a race car driver. He most recently starred as Chris Partridge on the show about show business, "Break A Leg," which has developed a following online. Jeremy Gelbwaks (Chris 1970) 47, left the entertainment industry after the first season of "The Partridge Family" and eventually started work in the computer industry in the 1980's.
