About This Quiz
The Partridge Family combined the manufactured music of The Monkees with a traditional family show to become one of the biggest hit shows of the '70s. While heartthrob David Cassidy reached the highest heights of stardom both onscreen and off, the series managed to balance stories about show biz with timeless tales of family drama -- with plenty of groovy tunes thrown in along the way. Take our quiz to see how much you remember about this classic series!Shirley Jones turned down the role of Carol Brady on "The Brady Bunch" to star on "The Partridge Family." She was also the real-life stepmother to oldest partridge David Cassidy, who played Keith.
Dave Madden played manager Reuben Kincaid, who needed a little convincing from Danny Partridge before he agreed to sign the group and manage their career.
There were five children in the family and the group, which consisted of Keith, Laurie, Danny, Chris and Tracy.
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"The Partridge Family" ran for 96 episodes over four seasons from 1970 to 1974.
Family band The Cowsills inspired the show, and the band's members were almost signed to star in the series. It wasn't until Shirley Jones was chosen to play the lead that producers decided to hire actors instead of the Cowsill family.
Jeremy Gelbwaks played young Chris Partridge during Season 1, but quit the show soon after when his family decided to move out of California. Brian Forster took over the role for the remainder of the series.
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They may have been a "faux" band put together for a TV show, but The Partridge Family was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy in 1971. They lost to pop group The Carpenters.
"I Think I Love You" was such a smash hit that the song shot to No. 1 on the singles chart in 1970, and even sold more copies that The Beatles' "Let It Be."
Teen idol David Cassidy earned just $600 per week for his role on the show, while producers got rich plastering his face on all kinds of merchandise. When his agent discovered that he was only 17 when he signed his contract, he was able to negotiate a much sweeter deal. Cassidy went on to earn $8 million between 1970 and 1974.
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Ricky Stevens played Ricky Segall, who was introduced at the start of Season 4 to draw in a younger audience. Viewers didn't bite, and the character was quickly phased out.
A young Jodie Foster played Julie Lawrence, a girl who had a crush on Danny. When her love went unrequited, she punched the middle Partridge in the eye.
Singing legend Johnny Cash made a cameo in the pilot episode to introduce the band when they played their very first gig -- at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The kids were so nervous that they promptly forgot to sing when the music started.
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The family traveled on tour in a custom-painted 1957 Chevy bus. It's colorful block design is known as Mondrian -- after Dutch artist Pieter Mondrian.
Ray Bolger appeared in several episodes as Shirley's father -- who was often at odds with Shirley's mother. Jones later described Bulger as unpleasant and controlling on set.
Pryor played the owner of the Fire House, a Detroit club struggling to keep its doors open. The Partridge Family helped to raise money for the club thanks to a performance of "Bandala," featuring a rag-tag orchestra led by Danny Partridge.
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Bobby Sherman played Bobby Conway, a struggling singer who secretly moves in to the Partridge's garage. The episode served as a pilot for Sherman's show "Getting Together."
Laurie is devastated when she has to get braces in Season 1. Things get even worse when she discovers that her metal mouth picks up random radio stations, which interferes with her ability to perform with the band.
In one memorable episode during Season 3, Shirley pays $29 for a cuckoo clock. She later finds out she was charged $290 instead, and when she tries to fix the mistake, the price balloons to $29,000.
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The show opened with "When We're Singin'" during the first season. Starting in Season 2, the theme song used the same music but featured new words, and a new title -- "C'mon Get Happy."
The Partridge Family released eight full-length albums. All of the albums had paper-related titles, including "Crossword Puzzle," "Up to Date" and "Sound Magazine."
During Season 1, the family dog Simone was often spotted on the show. By Season 2, Simone had disappeared -- much like Tiger on "The Brady Bunch."
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Producers pegged Rick Springfield to take over the role of Keith after Cassidy quit in 1974. Unfortunately, the show was not renewed, so Springfield never got a chance to sing with The Partridge Family.
Reuben set his nephew Alan up for a role as an entertainment manager, but the planned story arc fell flat with fans. Reuben also had a girlfriend named Bonnie who was occasionally mentioned on the series.
Shirley's old friend, Navy Capt. Chuck Corwin, came to town during the final episode of the show. While Shirley insisted that the pair were just friends, her children insisted he was a dastardly ladies man and did their best to drive him away.
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Meredith Baxter played the young traveler Jenny, who wreaked havoc on the Partridges when she casually left them a million dollars after staying at their home. Baxter went on to briefly date David Cassidy.
Before he was Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill played Jerry, Laurie Partridge's neighbor and love interest.
While the series never revealed Mr. Partridge's name or cause of death, an unaired pilot did mention that Shirley's deceased husband was a frequent drinker.
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Susan Dey often opts out of reunions, including a much-lauded get-together on "The Today Show" in 2011. She did take part in a 1977 Thanksgiving reunion that brought together members of "The Partridge Family" and "My Three Sons."
Actress Laurie Prange played runaway Maggie in "Road Song," which featured a performance of the band's classic "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque."
TV producers were willing to animate almost anything in the '70s, and the 1974 "Partridge Family 2200 AD" was no exception. The series lasted only a single season and featured a glimpse into the family if they lived a few hundred years in the future. Both Shirley Jones and David Cassidy avoided the show completely.
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