The Partridge Family Cast Finally Speaks Out
The Partridge Family is the all American television show that warmed critics and viewers’ hearts. Portraying the lives of the musical singing family the Partridges, the show follows the crazy adventures of the family in America in the 1970s. What really happened between David Cassidy and Susan Dey? What happened on set behind the scenes?
The Cast Was Underpaid
The producers and creators of the show, Sony, were earning millions of dollars per episode of the popular show, yet the cast was grossly underpaid. David Cassidy was making a mere $600 a week.
There Is More Than One Version of the Pilot
In the original version of the pilot episode, the Partridge’s live in Ohio and not in California and the character of their father, who is deceased, is actually talked about rather than a background figure that isn’t mentioned, and when he was discussed he was discussed as a former alcoholic.
Shirley Jones
Shirley Jones joined the cast of The Partridge Family in 1970 after turning down a role to be the mother in The Brady Bunch. She portrayed the Partridge Family mother for the full run of the series, but found trouble getting work after the show ended. She was also the real life stepmother of David Cassidy of the series. Jones currently does stage performances and is an active PETA member.
Rebelling Against His Squeaky Clean Image
Cassidy did find his own way to rebel against the squeaky-clean image created by the studio. In May of 1972 he gave a provocative interview to Rolling Stone Magazine. The article talked about his drug use as well as his sexual prowess. (Even his brothers talked about how well-endowed he was, giving him the nickname “Donk.”) To prove that he was not the manufactured teen idol being touted by the press, he posed nude on the cover, in a photo by Annie Leibovitz. It’s hard to imagine the impact of David Cassidy’s nude Rolling Stone cover in a post-Miley Cyrus world, but at the time, people thought it would ruin his career. He may have been hoping for that all along.
