Yesterday’s classic song of the day, “The Rain, the Park and Other Things,” was by the Cowsills, a real live family group comprised of a singing mom and her half-dozen singing children. Today’s classic song of the day, “I Think I Love You,” is by the Partridge Family, a fictional group modeled on the Cowsills with a singing mom and (almost) a half-dozen singing children. This one, released in August of 1970, went all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, selling more than four million copies and ranking as the best-selling single of the entire year.
It’s no secret that the Cowsills were an inspiration for the fictional Partridge Family. The Partridges, perhaps also inspired by the previous success of created-for-TV group the Monkees, were featured on an ABC-TV sitcom-with-music imaginatively titled The Partridge Family. Producers Bernard Slade and Bob Claver briefly considered casting the real Cowsill kids as the young TV Partridges, but the Cowsills lost out because they were both untrained actors and a little too old for the fictional roles.
The fictional Partridge Family consisted of mother Shirley (Shirley Jones), older brother/lead singer/heartthrob Keith (David Cassidy), oldest sister/keyboardist Laurie (Susan Dey), middle brother/bass player/wiseacre Danny (Danny Bonaduce), younger brother/alleged drummer Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks in the first season, Brian Forster in the others), and kid sister/tambourinist Tracy (Suzanne Crough). They were accompanied by their comic relief manager Reuben Kincaid (Dave Madden) and drove around in a multi-colored hippy school bus.
Interestingly, the original (unaired) pilot episode differed significantly from the final series. The mom, Shirley, was named Connie and had a boyfriend played by Shirley Jones’ real-life husband (and David Cassidy’s real-life dad), Jack Cassidy. The pilot also based them in Ohio instead of the series’ locale in California.
The Partridge Family became a star vehicle for David Cassidy, who graced the covers of many a Teen Beat magazine. They employed music by a handful of professional songwriters and utilized the talents of the L.A.-based Wrecking Crew (including ubiquitous drummer Hal Blaine) to create all their backing tracks. Other than Mr. Cassidy, his step-mother and hot older babe Shirley Jones was the only other actor who sang on their records.
As fictional as they were, the Partridge Family had a string of hits while the TV show was on the air, including “Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted” (#6 in 1971), “I’ll Meet You Halfway” (#9 in 1971), “I Woke Up in Love This Morning” (#13 in 1971), and “It’s One of Those Nights (Yes Love)” (#20 in 1972). “I Think I Love You,” written by Tony Romeo, was their first and biggest hit.
The Partridge Family TV show lasted for four seasons, airing its last episode August 24, 1974, and all the Partridge kids grew up eventually. David Cassidy had a bit of a solo musical career and even did some stage musicals; he passed away in 2017 from liver failure, aged 67. Susan Dey had a long and successful acting career, known primarily for her roles in the TV shows L.A. Law, Love & War, and Emerald Point N.A.S.; at age 70, she’s no longer active in the industry. Danny Bonaduce did a little acting but found fame and infamy as a somewhat-gonzo reality TV star and radio DJ; he’s currently 63.
Shirley Jones, a veteran stage and movie actress (Oklahoma!, Carousel, Elmer Gantry, The Music Man, and a lot more) before joining The Partridge Family, continued to act on television and on stage up until a few years ago. She’s still with us at age 89.
