The Partridge Family – Season 3, Episode 25 (74)

Title: Me And My Shadow

First aired: March 30, 1973

Synopsis:

The Partridges and their manager, Reuben Kincaid, attend a very interesting lecture given by a writer, Michelangelo Rezo. He is an author of a series of very popular books about Winwood Baines, a detective, who is smart like Sherlock Holmes, and like Lt. Columbo doesn’t carry a gun with him because he abhors violence.

After the lecture Laurie asks Rezo for an autograph. The writer knows who they are and introduces his agent, Lazaar Hannibal. Shirley, the kids and Reuben enjoy Rezo's books very much but they don’t believe in the realism of them. Rezo is very sure of himself and makes a $25 000 bet with the Partridges and Reuben. If they hide and he is not able to find the seven of them within 24 hours, he will pay $25,000 to a charity chosen by Shirley and kids.

Next day, they eat breakfast together at the Partridges' house, and Rezo with his agent gives them 2 hours in advance before they start searching for the family. There is also one condition: they can’t tell anyone about the bet.

After a short discussion about where to hide, Laurie has an idea. They should stay in the house, but first they should convince Rezo that they left. The family and Reuben are driving for an hour, but when they return home Rezo is waiting for them. That was easy to guess. Just 24 minutes left to hide. They tried to hide among people in the park, but again Rezo and his agent are there too, and what worse Keith is recognized by girls. Only Shirley’s quick reflexes saved them from being caught.

After several hours they are all very tired and hungry. Tracey and Chris are put to sleep at one of the neighbours, and Shirley, Keith, Laurie, Danny and Reuben try to find another place to hide. It seems Rezo always knows where they are. He follows them also to Muldoon’s Point, the favourite hiding place of young people from San Pueblo. They are very suspicious of how he knows everything. Eventually they discover that Rezo has planted a bug, a listening device, in their car. Shirley, Reuben and the kids return home and pretend to be at a camping site, not in the Partridges' living room. However, Rezo appears at their doorstep, just a few minutes before the fixed time. Because he hasn’t found all of them, Rezo loses the bet.

Only before the charity concert, after receiving his generous cheque, the Partridges learn that Rezo had also found Chris and Tracey, but he has not told anyone about it.
Synopsis written by Weronika Cyrynger

Song:
Storybook Love

Cast:
Shirley Partridge - Shirley Jones
Keith Partridge - David Cassidy
Laurie Partridge - Susan Dey
Danny Partridge - Danny Bonaduce
Chris Partridge - Brian Forster
Tracy Partridge - Suzanne Crough
Reuben Kincaid - Dave Madden

Directed by: Jerry London

Written by: Dale McRaven

Guest Stars: Richard Schaal as Rezo,Martin Speer as Lazaar, Bruce Kimmel as Delbert, Susan Neher as Girl

Screen Shots: