Did you know Shirley Jones is David Cassidy’s stepmother? Or that Susan Dey and David Cassidy dated after the show wrapped? She still won’t come to Partridge family reunions because of it. Find out what else you didn’t know:
Two Chris Partridges
In the first season of the show, Chris Partridge was played by Jeremy Gelbwaks. He had to leave the show when his father’s job made their family relocate. He was then replaced by Brian Forster. No one seemed to notice and ABC didn’t receive a single complaint!
Chris Partridge
Susan Dey Had A Big Crush
Susan Dey was only 17 when she was cast as Laurie Partridge. She had a huge crush on her on-screen brother, David Cassidy, but he didn’t feel the same way. He stated in interviews he saw her more as a sister than a love interest. Shirly Jones stated, “Throughout the series, Susan Dey continued to be crazy about David, but he didn’t handle her emotions for him particularly well or sensitively.”
Susan Dey Had A Major Crush On David Cassidy
Partridge Family Success
The Partridge Family was a huge hit! Usually, when a show is that big it is to be celebrated, but it had some negative effects on the cast, most notably Shirley Jones. She blames the show’s popularity for the demise of her marriage. “The stratospheric success of the show took its toll on my marriage to Jack. His overriding sense of inferiority in the face of my success drove him into the arms of other women even more often than before,” she stated in an interview. Jones found Jack with another woman, and the two later divorced.
Demise Of Shirley Jones Marriage
The Partridge Family House
Does this house look familiar? It should! It has been “the house” on several primetime shows that filmed during that period including hits like Bewitched, Dennis the Menace and The Donna Reed Show.
The House
Danny Bonaduce The Troublemaker
Danny Bonaduce played Danny Partridge who was a little more than a handful. He came from an unhappy home and was a bit of a wild child. Shirley Jones wrote in her memoir he started smoking when he was 11. She also said the entire cast treated him like family and that helped with some of his growing pains.
Danny Bonaduce
Shirley Jones Turned Down Brady Bunch Role
Many don’t know this, but Shirley Jones was offered to be Carol Brady on the Brady Bunch. She turned down the role because she didn’t want to “just be a mom.” She preferred to be a working mother on TV and loved the script for the Partridge Family.
Shirley Jones Could Have Been Carol Brady Instead Of Shirley Partridge
Jones Had a Hard Time with her Fame
While Shirley Jones was no stranger to fame by the time she accepted the role of Shirley Partridge, she always had a hard time with fame. She especially struggled after The Partridge Family became incredibly famous. She stated in her memoir, “The public continued to find it hard to separate the Partridge family from the real-life actors playing them, which could sometimes cause serious problems in our lives.”
Shirley Jones Struggled With Fame
The Cast Was Underpaid
Sony definitely took advantage of the cast of The Partridge Family. Most of the cast was underpaid, and due to vague contracts, the company used the faces of the cast for profit without paying royalties. Apparently, David Cassidy was paid $600 a week and Sony had used his name and face for many things he was not paid for. Not cool, Sony!
The Studio Didn’t Share The Wealth
Shirley Jones Didn’t Like All Their Guest Stars
The Partridge Family had a ton of super famous guest stars like Farrah Fawcett, Jodie Foster and Rob Reiner. While this was definitely a plus for the show, Shirley Jones didn’t like all of the famous guest stars. Her least favorite people were Dick Clark and Richard Pryor.
Guest Appearances List Was Packed With Stars
Susan Dey Refuses to Attend Reunions
The Partridge Family ran for four seasons from 1970 to 1974 and many of the cast members went on to have great careers. Dey appeared in several other TV shows including L.A. Despite this, Susan Dey refuses to attend their reunions to this day because of what happened between her and David Cassidy. They dated after the show, and stopped speaking when they broke up.
Susan Dey Refused To Attend Show Reunions
Animated Spin-Off
Of course, there was an animated spinoff of the show! It was called Partridge Family, 2200 A.D. Most of the cast, especially Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, had nothing to do with it. Probably a good decision.
There Was An Animated Spinoff
The Show Was Inspired By A Real Family
The Partridge Family was actually inspired by a real-life musical family, The Cowsills. They were a family singing group from Newport, Rhode Island was formed in 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, Barry and John Cowsill. The band was first signed by MGM Records and became one of the most popular acts in the country in the ’70s!
The Show Was Inspired By A Real Family
Most Of The Cast Couldn’t Play Their Instruments
The cast could definitely act, but most of them were not trained musicians. In fact, out of the entire cast of The Partridge Family, only Shirley Jones and David Cassidy had musical backgrounds. David Cassidy was the only one who could actually play the instrument that was in the show.
Most Of The Cast Couldn’t Play Their Instruments
The Same Studio Created ‘The Monkees’
“The Partridge Family” was so in large the 1970s the same studio decided to then produce “The Monkees.” The production company was called Screen Gems and was behind both shows.
The Same Studio Created ‘The Monkees’
The Show Snuck In Homage To ‘The Wizard of Oz’
If you watched closely, maybe you noticed “The Partridge Family” snuck in an homage to “The Wizard of Oz.” Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton were guest stars on the show. Pretty cool!
The Show Snuck In Homage To ‘The Wizard Of Oz’
An Unaired Pilot Was Also Filmed
There were two different pilots filmed before the show debuted in 1970. The version that didn’t air has a mother named Connie and the family lived in Ohio instead of California.
An Unaired Pilot Was Also Filmed
Shirley Jones Would Have Happily Stayed On The Show
Although fame was hard for Shirley, the cast of “The Partridge Family” was like a real family. In her memoir, Shirley Jones explained that she was incredibly devastated when the show came to an end and would have continued her role for “another 4 years.”
Shirley Jones Would Have Happily Stayed On The Show
Shirley Jones Was David Cassidy’s Real-Life Stepmother
Shirley Jones was David Cassidy’s stepmother IRL. She married Cassidy’s father, Jack, in 1956. David was Jack’s only child from his previous marriage. None of the other cast members were related in any way.
Shirley Jones Was David Cassidy’s Real Life Stepmother
The Partridges Outsold The Beatles
While The Beatles were absolutely huge, so were the Partridges! They broke the Billboard charts with their hit, “I think I love you.” It actually outsold “Let It Be,” by The Beatles. Who would have guessed that?!
The Partridges Outsold The Beatles
Shirley Was The Only Cast Member Originally Slated To Sing
Shirley Jones’ was on Broadway before she joined the cast. She also had many musical roles, including in “Elmer Gantry.” The role earned her an Academy Award in 1960. She was the only cast member expected to sing on the show, but then it was discovered David Cassidy had a great voice too!
Shirley Was The Only Cast Member Originally Slated To Sing
Susan Battled Body Image Issues
Susan Dey was a model before she landed the part of Laurie. Still, she was not used to fame and struggled with being viewed as a teen idol. She had major body image issues and practiced a very restrictive diet. She turned orange at one point from only eating carrots.
Susan Battled Body Image Issues
The Partridge Family Band was Nominated for a Grammy
The Partridge Family’s harmonious sound broke domestic and international records with its sales! The Partridges were actually nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award in 1971. This happened despite the fact that the band was fictional.
The Partridge Family Band Was Nominated For A Grammy
Shirley’s Late On-Screen Husband Was Never Named
The character of Shirley Partridge was a widowed bank teller struggling to raise her five musically talented children. Encouraged by her kids, she joins the band. Her husband was never named once during the entire show.
Shirley’s Late On Screen Husband Was Never Named
David and Susan Dated Once Filming Wrapped
For years and years, Susan Dey had a crush on David Cassidy. While he never reciprocated her feelings during the years of filming, the two did briefly date after the show ended. It didn’t go so well, and the two didn’t speak for years after.
David And Susan Dated Once Filming Wrapped
The Studio Originally Wanted Olivia Newton-John To Play Laurie
The producers’ first choice for the part of Laurie was actually Olivia Newton-John. They changed their mind, and Newton-John went on to play Sandy in the 1978 musical hit “Grease.”
The Studio Originally Wanted Olivia Newton John To Play Laurie
David’s Voice Was Altered During Recordings
Despite the fact that David Cassidy had a great voice, the recording studio made alterations to his pitch. He was recorded a quarter of a tone lower and was played back a quarter of a tone higher. The result made Cassidy’s voice sound slightly higher than it was. Pretty interesting, right?
David’s Voice Was Altered During Recordings
David Cassidy Wanted To Leave The Show
After becoming very famous and establishing himself as a teen idol, David Cassidy wanted to quit the show to pursue a solo singing career. It was only in 1974 that he quit acting to focus on music.
David Cassidy Wanted To Leave The Show
The Show Peaked At No. 16
Despite the show being incredibly famous and a huge cultural phenomenon, it didn’t get the best TV ratings. It was only ranked as number 26 after its first reason. It was during the second season the show’s ratings peaked at #16.
The Show Peaked At No. 16
The Show Won Awards In Syndication
“The Partridge Family” continued to get nominations even after the show had gone to syndication. The show received 7 nominations for TV Land Awards between 2003 and 2007.
Awards In Syndication
The Partridge Family Inspired A Board Game
The Partridge family was so popular its paraphernalia was wide ranged. Everything from lunchboxes, cereal box covers, toys and even a board game was made. The board game was released by Milton Bradley in 1971.
The Partridge Family Inspired A Board Game