Whatever Happened To: The Cast Of "The Partridge Family"

Come On Get Happy and let's take a look back at one of our FAVORITE shows, The Partidge Family.

I woke up in love this morning.  Yes, that is a name of one of the best Partridge Family songs, but it's also what many people thought the day The Partridege Family TV show debuted in 1970.

Oscar-winner Shirley Jones and her stepson, David Cassidy, starred in this comedy about a family that hit the big time in the music business which was loosely based on the experiences of a real-life popular recording family, the Cowsills.

Shirley Partridge was just another widowed suburban mother with a houseful of rambunctious kids, until one day the kids asked her to take part in an impromptu recording session they were holding in the garage. Seems they needed a vocalist.

The song they were recording was “I Think I Love You,” and to everyone's surprise they sold it to a record company, the record became a smash hit, and the Partridges were soon setting off in a wildly painted old school bus to perform around the country. They were authentic members of the rock generation. Stories depicted their exploits on the road, and in their California hometown.

Besides Shirley and 16-year-old Keith (Cassidy), the band included Laurie (15), Danny (10, and the freckle-faced con man of the family), Christopher (7), and Tracy (5). Reuben Kinkaid was their fast-talking, child-hating agent—and perpetual foil for Danny. During the 1973-1974 season a neighbor's son, 4-year-old Ricky, joined the cast, and he sang too. Simone was the family pooch.

The Partridges were heavily promoted in the real-life music business, and they caught on with several hit singles, including “I Think I Love You,” which sold four million copies, as well as albums.

David Cassidy became the hero of the subteen set and had considerable success as a single act. Unlike the Monkees, the Partridges had no artistic pretensions—none of them were professional musicians—and the backgrounds on their records were in fact done by professional studio musicians, with Shirley and David providing the vocals. Their success was as spectacular on the record charts as on TV, but it did not last long in either case. After 96 episodes and eight Partridge Family albums, ABC canceled the show.

An animated Saturday morning sequel, The Partridge Family, 2200 A.D. ran on ABC from September 1974 to September 1975 and a reality show Search For The Partridge Family came and went on VH-1 in 2004.

So what happened to the cast?

Hey Partridge Family, I think I ❤️you.

Thanks for so many great memories. see ya in reruns. XOOX