User reviews

Amusing to see VH-1 staging a minor-scale "American Idol" to find the "new Partridge Family" (with judges who base their scores on, among other things, physical likeness to the original line-up). It's nice see Shirley Jones and David Cassidy involved (as for Danny Bonaduce, well...he'd appear at the opening of an envelope). But the really funny part is the fact that VH-1 does not air reruns of "The Partridge Family', so how do these young kids auditioning even know who Keith Partridge is (and what he meant to TV viewers and teenyboppers all over the world from 1970-1974). It's bound to flop, as did the remake of "Family Affair", simply because you can't get lightning to strike twice. "The Partridge Family" came along at the right time, when people needed it--needed to BELIEVE IN IT--and record producer Wes Ferrell and the editors at 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat made millions off the show (exploiting David Cassidy's manufactured wholesome image of the boy-singer-next-door). There were better shows of this period (and the laugh-track just screams at the sometimes corny humor), but the show does have great appeal, and the familial relationships have a lived-in feel (when Laurie and Danny kid Keith about his non-existent bald spot, they wink at each other as Keith goes mad with the hairbrush, and mom Shirley watches from the sidelines, no doubt enjoying the prank). They have tried unsuccessfully to reunite this group of actors for specials, and aside from a David-Danny-Shirley reunion on "Arsenio", they've failed. If you can't reunite the originals, why then is VH-1 betting on the success of duplicates? Maybe people need to believe again, or maybe Hollywood has really run dry of ideas.

The snappy script, the excellent premise of a single Mom trying to make a living with a family band and the brilliant casting helped make this sitcom a big winner.

Whoever wrote for Danny Bonaduce, playing the middle Partridge son, must have relished it. Although he was very young, Bonaduce just had the knack of playing the wisecracker. He was like a stand up comedian. I'm not entirely sure whether the lines were too old for him, and whether he truly understood them, however.

Shirley Jones, who made her name playing sweet female leads in musicals, here plays a more down to Earth though still loving mother. It's a role that fits her like a glove. The actor playing Reuben Kincaid, the manager, plays the henpecked male very well, and riffs off both Bonaduce, and David Cassidy.

Cassidy, like Bonaduce, was a natural comedian who also played a bit of the hassled teenager; he had a real vulnerability that came across well.

The Partridge Family was a cute show with wholesome kids and the world's greatest mom figure in Shirley Jones. Back when the Bell Telephone Hour was broadcast from NBC's Brooklyn Studio live, I met Shirley Jones a couple of times, on one occasion she autographed my cast album of Oklahoma. I still have memories about how gracious and nice she was to any and all fans who hung around out there.

It wasn't her kind of music that was featured on this show however. She co-stars as a widowed mother who forms a family rock band with her five kids. The two youngest barely had any dialog and just didn't count. The other three had distinct personalities.

Danny Bonaduce was the middle child and the eternal schemer who caused quite a bit of the mischief involved. Susan Dey was the pretty teenage daughter who went on to have a nice substantial career in adult roles. But the reason people watched the show was for the oldest boy played by Jones's real life stepson, David Cassidy.

During the early Seventies David Cassidy was the bubble gum teenage idol and The Partridge Family became his venue to get his music sold to the public. A whole lot like Ricky Nelson did with Ozzie and Harriet.

Cassidy had the most interesting part, the teenage idol who backstage was quite the goofball. Of course the character had no foundation in reality whatsoever, but I've a sneaking suspicion that the producer's if they had made a real teenage idol, he might very well have come across arrogant. Making him lovably dumb, softened our potential jealousies.

I can't remember the plot of a single show because very quickly the show was more a venue for Cassidy's singing than anything else and after a while it didn't pretend to be anything else. I hope David Cassidy saved his money and can live good now, the life of a teenage idol isn't long.

His singing was pleasant and easy to listen to and the cast had a nice chemistry as well. We've seen worse on television.

I was 5 years old when this show debuted, and can remember the popularity of it unlike any other show to date. The bubble gum cards, the records, teen magazines-everything to do with "The Partridge Family" was a hot commodity! "I Think I Love You" was the first song I ever knew all the lyrics to. This was due to my friends and I piling onto the swingset in my backyard, which included a 4 seater lawn swing which we made fit 8 kids, and sing "I Think I Love You" over and over again while pumping the lawn swing way into the air. Some of my friends would take the end cones off and sing through the top bar to get a reverb effect! Seeing the show in reruns throughout the '70s & '80s, it still had it's charm. It wasn't mean't to be an emmy award winner, but it served it's purpose-to be lighthearted and funny. The music showcased on the show was memorable too. Try watching an episode, and not have their songs replay in your head long after watching it. To me, "The Partridge Family" will always have a special place in my heart because it invokes happy memories from such a great time in my life.

Nowadays a show gets a gimmick and beats it to death. The Partridge Family gimmick was they were a singing family. However, the shows main joke wasn't about the fame but the family antics. The cast had a really goid chemistry and acted like real brothers, sisters and a mother. Dave Madden comic timing was fantastic. His scenes with Danny were comic gold. My only nitpick would be the two youngest kids who were basically background. They were rarely given anything to do.

They were back to back. IIRC, it was Friday Night.

Now when I see them, I am amazed at how trite they were.

But I love hearing the music - many of the cuts are available on YouTube.

I think you can also get full episodes on Hulu.

Danny Bonaduce is now a commentator in the L.A. area and cleaned his act up in his young adulthood.

It is interesting that there is no info about the missing Chris. FWIU, the original Chris' mom was a typical "movie mom" and the producers kicked him out because of her.

Like most guys my age at that time, I had a crush on both Lauri Partridge and Marsha Brady.

The Partridge Family premiered in 1970. Sure, it was sort of corny. But most TV shows back then were. It was a more innocent era then, and so was television. It revolved around the misadventures of a squeaky-clean, middle-class family, who decided to form a band and make records. It was based on the real-life rock-n-roll family, the Cowsills. David Cassidy, who was a teen heart-throb on the show, played the eldest brother, Keith Partridge. Laurie Partridge, played by Susan Dey, was his cover-girl-pretty younger sibling, and tended to annoy Keith on a frequent basis. His other siblings were cute, precocious-types, especially Danny Partridge (who was the 10-year-old financial wizard).

The family was headed by widow, and cool mom, Shirley Partridge (played by David Cassidy's real-life step-mom, Shirley Jones). The cast was rounded-out by their hapless Manager, Reuben Kincaid (played by rubber-faced comic Dave Madden), who always made a perfect comic-foil for Danny. The whole family sang and played instruments. They cut several albums during the course of the series, that spawned some hit singles. Their songs to me, were really quite good, especially if you like soft-rock and love ballads.

I could identify with the Partridge's suburban life-style, having grown-up in a solid middle-American, middle-class suburb myself. Some of the kids on the show were my age, and some were the same ages as my own siblings.

This show came on ABC on Friday night, following another family sitcom with several kids, the Brady Bunch. The Partridge Family even had many episodes that were so similar to some Brady Bunch episodes, they could only be called shameless rip-offs. Still, it was a gentle, family-oriented show, with good music and good acting by the cast. I always looked forward to Friday nights back then, just so I could enjoy the Partridge Family on TV.

This was my favorite show growing up, and I still enjoy it now. It's stood up much better than most shows of that era because it's still funny, and has surprisingly good music. Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Danny Bonaduce, Dave Madden and Susan Dey all contributed to the show's success, and had a good chemistry between them. The interplay especially between Keith, Danny, and Reuben is priceless. I liked the first season best because of the freshness of the concept, and cause I think Jeremy Gelbwaks was the better (and cuter) Chris Partridge. Never seen such enormous blue eyes as Jeremy's! Tracy was definitely stiff in the part and couldn't seem to bang a tambourine in sync with the music, but fortunately her role in the show was minimal. I laughed reading the other poster's comments about Jeremy Gelbwaks leaving, cause I remember those silly rumors myself, such as that he'd died (even at the hands of David Cassidy!). The truth is much more mundane: his dad got a job transfer with his employer from Los Angeles to Virginia right after the end of the first season. Jeremy's alive and well, making a living as a systems programmer in New Orleans (and has been pitching in to clean up that unfortunate city after Hurricane Katrina struck). The latest I've heard on Dave Madden is that he's still around, too. He continued comic work on the nightclub circuit after the Partridge Family was canceled, and was especially in demand for voice-overs in commercials.

I think this TV series (if only 4 years in the running) is quite underrated. This was the show that brought us the pop-culture phenomenon known as David Cassidy. I don't know if there are any accounts anywhere of how many millions of young girls who went to bed either clutching the David Cassidy doll or drifting off with the Sandman beneath their life-sized poster of David Cassidy taped firmly on the ceiling, but there WERE millions.

But more than that, there is something wholesome beneath the surface, which goes unnoticed at first look; something that crept into the fans, whether they noticed, or not. That "something wholesome" is family values. The father is not in the picture, as was the case for many (as today), and "Reuben" assumes the position, sort of, as the manager of their group. But the family holds itself together, regardless.

Somehow, this show rates .4 less than the Brady Bunch! I don't know HOW that happened, but this was a vastly superior show. It's horribly underrated, and deserves better.

It rates a 7.4/10 on the TV Scale from...

the Fiend :.

This 8-disc set contains all 4 seasons (that's 96, half-hour episodes) of the TV Sit/Com "The Partridge Family" that ran from 1970-1974.

Often compared to "The Brady Bunch" - This wholesome, good, clean, family-oriented program starred teen heart-throb, David Cassidy in a pivotal role where he got to showcase his singing talents.

This popular show's premise was a lop-sided mix of suburban life and show-biz where widow, Shirley Partridge and her 5 children traveled around in their brightly painted bus to gigs before live audiences.

As you can easily imagine - In this show the kids all behaved exactly the way you'd expect TV-kids to behave. There were no surprises here, at all, where each episode, like clockwork, finished with its inevitable "Happy Ending". Yes. You could predict this even with your eyes closed.

Obviously I didn't grow up with this show since I was born in 2006, but my parents were fans of it as kids and own the complete series dvd collection. The first time I watched The Partridge Family I was 6, and David Cassidy was my first ever crush. I must have watched every episode at least a thousand times. Rewatching the old episodes always make me nostalgic for a time I didn't live! I stopped watching the Partridge Family when I was about 11 or 12. During quarantine I decided to go back to a lot of the shows I used to enjoy as a kid, the Partridge Family being one of them and I forgot how wonderful it was and the songs are still super catchy! I still love this show even if it was 50 years ago. It was a big part of my childhood. Lots of other kids my age would probably say it's corny or "cringe", but that's the whole point! Childhood shows should be lovable and heartwarming. 10000/10 recommend!

Strip away nostalgia from those who were kids and what's left:

Honestly, the songs would be unknown without a series constantly promoting them. That's something you cannot say about the Monkees or Ricky Nelson. They had talent independent of the shows they were on, and singing careers long past the shows.

Basically it was two teen stars chosen for their looks. David Cassidy and Susan Dey had millions of girls and boys with crushes on them. They could belch into a microphone for three minutes and kids would still buy the records and concert tickets.

Comedy? There is none. Slow, slow meandering scripts that are all over the place. Very few jokes, even judging by the laughtrack telling you where it was supposedly trying to be funny.

Nelson and the Monkees have many fans and are a big part of rock history. This faux group's songs are occasional punchlines on places like Saturday Night Live and that's it.

If you do like the music, download it and avoid this dull show.

ETA: I'm glad of the strong reactions to my review, both the downvotes and the higher than I expected number of up votes. Good to know some others feel the same.

Recently I've had the pleasure of watching re-runs of this quite pleasant television show. While it never dealt in-depth with earth shattering issues, it was well performed, well crafted & had some great songs that showcased the era. Some may find it sappy & over indulgent, but take it for what it was, a light comedy for teenage viewers. Also the show did pick up three 'Golden Globe' nominations, so some in the industry must have been of the same opinion!

In California, recent widow Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones) is struggling to maintain her suburban family life with only her bank job. She has 5 musical kids; Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Tracy, and Chris. They recruit her to join their recording. Her son Danny tracks down music producer Reuben Kincaid. It's the first step on the road to fame even if it's not always fortune. They live their suburban life and travel to gigs on their colorful bus.

Cassidy and Bonaduce are the two breakout performers of the show. Cassidy is eye candy for the girls and Bonaduce has all the sass in the world. The two youngest kids are unnecessary. They really only need one. They even added a desperation neighbor kid in the last season for some reason. Susan Dey would go on to have the best career among them all. She is more stiff than the more outgoing boys. She can be overshadowed at times. It's not until The Partridge Papers when she gets the opportunity to be the lead comedian. She's a fun actress when she's given a chance. One thing I didn't realize is that Shirley Jones is actually David Cassidy's step mom. That's quite a coincidence. This is innocent family fun. The music is surprisingly good for a TV show and they have new songs every episode. This may be a manufactured family but it has a sweet charm to it.

I really fell in love with this show this year! I was born into the era it was made and it is such a perfect glimpse into the world of the early 70s, that I feel it is as if it is bringing me back to my subconscious infant eye where everything was new, and,,,so cool (however tacky upon today's standards). I remember watching this in reruns when my eyes were already in their conscious memory stage. I thought it was kinda cool, I especially liked Bonaduce. However, I did not really pay too much attention to it; I actually connected more with the Brady Bunch reruns. I was recently surfing Youtube and I rediscovered some episodes, and was immediately awestruck. The entire premise was a revolution; a single mom with five kids and the main adult male character is Rueben who is their manager and is more like a comic relief acting as if he is Shirley's brother, and there is no sense of romance between them. I couldn't get enough, so I went ahead and ordered the entire DVD boxset. I have to say that me, being a male, developed a weird crush not on Lori, but on Shirley Jones, well at least her character. She seems like the perfect wife and a perfect and fun mother to one's kids (I am about the age she was back then). Anyways, we can feel the Cassidy-mania and other factors that were so palpable back then (btw: just like Bonaduce, his humor and wit were often spot on). Anyways, amidst the very rare cheesiness in dialogue and even some of their songs (most are actually very pleasant), this is a classic show that I wish lasted much longer. The Bradys do not stand a change to the Partridges in terms of coolness.

Oscar winner Shirley Jones and her actual son, David Cassidy, play mother and son Partridge in this sitcom. Mother Shirley Partridge is a California widow with five children: Keith, Laurie, Danny, Chris and Tracy.There were two actors to play Chris in the series. Danny who was my favorite decides to get his family into the music business. Danny is the most entertaining and knows how to get to Reuben Kincaid (Dave Madden). This sitcom is really family entertainment with guest stars like Ray Bolger, Harry Morgan, Meredith Baxter, Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett, and more. The sitcom was light-hearted and well meaning for its audiences. I remember watching the show on my summer breaks in syndication. I always wanted to be Tracy. I hands crush on Danny though.

I have seen a few episodes of this show, and I must say this is an incredible show. It deals about a Californian suburban family who lived during the early 70s. They became a family who toured around the country in a multicolored bus and sang into everyone's living rooms. Even though this show was on the air 21 years before my time, it still lets generations of kids like myself, see what the madness was all about.

But they were than a band that sang and did songs. They were a family that wasn't preachy like the Bradys, and talked about certain issues that even the Bradys did not talked about. There were life lessons, motherly advice and values inside the family, but were a modern day family that we could relate to. An excellent cast and incredible music. 10/10. -Josephine

This show was a pop culture phenomenon that actually had its moments of creative inspiration. The relationship among the members of the cast, particularly during the first season, was wonderful. The writing always had some good moments and the performances of all the actors were great. Especially Danny Bonaduce as Danny and David Madden as the agent Mr. Kincaid. The show became a pop culture icon because it was new fresh and innovative for the time.

The Partridge Family was, according to legend, supposed to be the story of the Cowsills, an actual family of singers/musicians that became famous for a few hits: "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" and "Indian Lake" being their first Top Ten hits, followed by their cover of the title song from the Tribal Love/Rock Musical "Hair," which reached #2 on the charts.

The problem was that ABC had planned to use the sitcom as a vehicle for Shirley Jones, rather than casting the actual mom from the family. When the kids of the group said no, it was their mom or nothing, the producers went ahead and cast actors to play the parts.

Shirley's actual stepson David Cassidy was cast as the eldest sibling of the family and teen heartthrob Keith Partridge, followed by Susan Dey as Laurie, Danny Bonaduce as middle brother Danny, Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris (replaced by Brian Forster in season 2) and Suzanne Crough as littlest Tracy. Plus, as the family's haggard and harried manager, Dave Madden as Reuben Kincaid.

A deceased parent (standard sitcom trope for this era of television), in this case, Mr. Partridge (which makes it more unusual as there were many more motherless kids on TV at this time), left Shirley Partridge (Oscar Winner, Jones) widowed and with her five way too adorable kids struggling to make ends meet on Mom's bank teller budget. But they formed a musical group in their garage, got their mom to sing along and became national hits, much to the delight of everyone!

Stories tended to follow one of three separate scenarios: the family on their tours to various (and quite honestly, questionable) gigs, often at places like amusement parks, ski lodges, street festivals or other "non- headline" venues; some venture, ploy or plot schemed up by Danny that entangled the rest of the Partridges in some way, designed to make money but typically did not; or an episode with personal issues that one particular sibling was having in their lives.

Luckily none of this was overtly "precious" and the songs the family performed were mostly pretty good for MOR type pop/rock tunes, and several of the songs charted with the big hit "I Think I Love You" reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

And it's the combination of some thoughtful scripts and some decent tunes that made this into the TV classic that it is. Yes, towards the end they brought in Ricky Segall to try to charm their audience back to the program, but even that can be forgiven in the overall scheme of the story of a family act in a psychedelic painted school bus and the misadventures they experienced all along the way.