Created by Bernard Slade, the series was inspired by and loosely based on The Cowsills, a real singing family in the late sixties. In fact, in its early development the Cowsill children were approached to be featured on the show, though that idea was quickly discarded (The Cowsills rejected the offer when producers wanted to replace their real-life mother Barbara in the cast). The show starred Shirley Jones as mother Shirley Partridge and David Cassidy (Jones' real-life stepson) as her son Keith. The remaining Partridge children were played by Susan Dey as Laurie, Danny Bonaduce as Danny, Jeremy Gelbwaks (replaced after one year by Brian Forster) as Chris, and Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge. Dave Madden played Reuben Kincaid, who was their manager and family friend.
The back of the bus, became an icon for the show, due to its Mondrianesque paint design.
The Partridge Family was produced for ABC by Screen Gems television, which was just finishing its run with The Monkees, another show about a fictional music group. The company promoted the success of the show by releasing a series of albums featuring the music of the family band, though most cast members did not actually play on the recordings. A group of studio singers and musicians, led by producer Wes Farrell actually created the Partridge Family sound. Although he was originally cast with the intent to lip sync, just weeks into production David Cassidy convinced Farrell he could sing, and was allowed to join the studio ensemble as the lead singer. Several songs were made without Cassidy as lead, they were featured in some of the early episodes and on the first album. He and Shirley Jones, who sang background, were the only cast members who were actually featured on the recordings. The whole cast would lip sync to the recordings when they performed on each episode, though it was obvious to most viewers that the actors were lip-synching, The Partridge Family became an instant success, not only as a TV show, but as a band that produced actual hit songs.
The Partridge Family's biggest hit came in 1970 with the song "I Think I Love You," which began climbing the Billboard chart in September and peaked at number one in December of that year. The companion LP, "The Partridge Family Album" reached number four. Other Partridge Family singles including, "I'll Meet You Halfway", "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted", and "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" would also chart high on the Billboard chart. The theme songs "When We're Singing", and its successor "C'Mon, Get Happy" were composed by Danny Janssen and Wes Farrell.
The title card for the pilot episode of The Partridge Family was, "What? and Get Out of Show Business?".
As the show and associated merchandizing took off, David Cassidy became an overnight teen idol. Cassidy launched a solo singing career, touring with his own group of musicians and performing Partridge Family songs as well as hits from his own albums. In the midst of his overwhelming rise to fame, Cassidy soon grew tired of the show. In the summer of 1972 he gave a very candid interview to Rolling Stone magazine in which he attempted to distance himself from the squeaky-clean image of Keith Partridge.
By the fourth season, due to declining ratings and Cassidy's looming departure, a feeble effort was made by the producers to breathe new life into the show. They introduced a precocious 4-year-old neighbor named "Ricky Stevens" played by Ricky Segall to occasionally sing children's songs with the band. To no avail, the ABC network moved the show from its 8:30 Friday night slot to Saturday at 8:00, directly opposite the hit All in the Family, against which they knew it would not survive. The show was cancelled, after 96 episodes and ten Partridge Family albums.
The Partridge Family had a brief resurgence in animated form, which saw the family propelled into the future. The animated Partridge Family first appeared when the kids did a series of guest spots on "Goober and the Ghost Chasers". That idea evolved into a CBS Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera-produced cartoon, "Partridge Family 2200 A.D.". It featured new characters Veenie (Keith's Venusian friend) and Marion (Laurie's Martian friend). Danny had a pet robot dog named Orbit. Shirley Jones and David Cassidy did not voice their animated counterparts, and Susan Dey and Dave Madden had very limited involvement with this series. Sixteen half-hour installments were produced for the animated series, which lasted for half a season on CBS Saturday morning (September 7, 1974 - March 8, 1975); on the syndicated Fred Flintstone and Friends, it was retitled The Partridge Family in Outer Space.
Nickelodeon featured a heavily publicized run of the original series in the early- to mid-90s, along with the Brady Bunch, as part of its Nick-At-Nite line-up. The network used interviews and commercials featuring cast members, and even created a new version of the Mondrian-esque Family bus for promotion.
In 2000 two different made-for-TV movies aired on different networks; Both "Come On Get Happy" and "The David Cassidy Story" attempted to tell the story behind the series. While the movies were criticized as being somewhat inaccurate, they did recreate some of the imagery and music from the original series. "Come On Get Happy" even featured another replication of the bus, which was later auctioned off on eBay.
A modernized version of the bus was created for a new promotion in 2004, when VH1 premiered In Search of The New Partridge Family. This talent competition in the format of American Idol sought a new cast for a contemporary version of the sitcom. The elimination type program aired seven episodes in which a panel of judges selected a new Partridge Family cast from auditioners across the country. The resulting pilot episode of The New Partridge Family aired in January of 2005, but due to low ratings VH1 opted not to produce any more episodes.
The first two seasons of the original series were released as of October 2005 on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Also, at the same time Arista Records released a new music compilation, "Come On Get Happy!: The Very Best of The Partridge Family," which included four previously unreleased tracks.
Despite the prefabricated nature of the "band", the Partridge Family's records were some of the best arranged and produced of their day. Much care was given not only to the overall sound, but even to show that sound would translate to AM radio, then the major outlet for pop music. The writing was equally good, at least on the early albums. However, as ratings and record sales began to drop, so did the quality of the material.
There'll Come A Time
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You might see me after a show
Maybe there'll be no one else around
Just take a good look at me
If you forget just who I might be
Don't be surprised if someone real is found
When I get lonely I cry too
Can't you see I'm not a circus clown
And if you think you like what you see
How 'bout coming along with me
Take a chance on someone who's been down
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Don't let me walk by alone
'Cause I'd have stopped if I had known
You'd care to know who I was inside
You know I got feelings just like you
When I get lonely I cry too
Can't you see I'm not a circus clown
And if you think you like what you see
How 'bout coming along with me
Take a chance on someone who's been down
You know I got feelings just like you
When I get lonely I cry too
Can't you see I'm not a circus clown
The Partridge Family's song "There'll Come A Time" is a plea from the lead singer to be seen as a real person rather than a mere performer or a clown. He envisions meeting someone "after a show" when "Maybe there'll be no one else around" and invites this person to "Just take a good look at me" and not to be surprised if they find "someone real." The singer is not just an entertainer, he points out, but a person with feelings who sometimes feels lonely and cries like everyone else. The refrain repeats this idea, emphasizing that the singer is not a circus clown and urging the listener not to let him walk by alone.
While the song can be interpreted as a personal expression of the lead singer, it also reflects the broader cultural context of celebrity and its dehumanizing effects. The theme of wanting to be seen as a real person rather than a puppet or an object of entertainment is a common one in pop culture, and it becomes more poignant when it comes from someone who has experienced the phenomenon firsthand. By articulating the desire to be recognized for who he is beyond his stage persona, the singer is speaking for many others who face similar challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
There'll come a time, I know
There will come a time when we meet
You might see me after a show
It could happen after one of my performances
Maybe there'll be no one else around
It might be just you and me there
Just take a good look at me
Please really see me for who I am
If you forget just who I might be
In case you can't quite place me
Don't be surprised if someone real is found
I'm not just a character or performer
You know I got feelings just like you
I have emotions just like everyone else
When I get lonely I cry too
I feel sadness and tears come out
Can't you see I'm not a circus clown
I'm more than just an entertainer for laughs
And if you think you like what you see
If you're interested in me
How 'bout coming along with me
Want to spend some time together?
Take a chance on someone who's been down
Give a chance to someone who's had struggles
Don't let me walk by alone
Please don't ignore me as I pass by
'Cause I'd have stopped if I had known
I would have talked to you if I realized
You'd care to know who I was inside
If you were interested in knowing the real me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@judydenver5362
Beloved David, It's your birthday, well, just after past Midnight, til I got here;
Love you bunches of oats;
miss you so terribly;
Cried alot of the day, today; because you were and are, my everything. You made me who I am,
Miss you, so.
Not the same, on this earth, without you.
Someday, I WILL see you again, my Heart.
It doesn't get any easier, but i know that you are happy, young, and so much more alive, right now, than we can ever imagine. Stay happy, my love, for all of us, who adore you, so very, very much.
There is no one like you, and will never be.
We all miss you so very much...
@veronicazrnchik9014
Every time I watch this, I find myself with a big smile on my face. David looks so happy here and sounds amazing---as usual. What a great time it was back then. Wish those times could come back. It was so much better in the world back then too. There will never be anyone like DC.
@pjames8712
This awesome song was written by David Cassidy. He was just so talented in every facet of music. A true musical prodigy. We miss you, David.
@daveyjones8821
To see David perform in the Partridge family and hear his voice absolutely kills me the world lost a great star David Cassidy for ever may his legend live on
@LuvTadnDixie
When David Cassidy died, my feelings of youth crossed over to the other side along with him. I actually cried. Wish you were still here DC. Thank you for being a big part of my childhood and bringing me so much joy with your music.
@maritamarbut8615
Felt the same way. Huge part of my childhood died too.
@bruceislife4603
I cried so bad I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE he's gone
@ROCKY-pu1zt
He has a Great voice, and yes, it was an AMAZING time to be part of it
@Cherish1959
I cried for 2 days he was my childhood hero x
@debrapryor6093
Agreed. It hurt
@mimishella4915
He still makes my heart flutter. And I'm 59. Cutest boy in town.