The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – ABC

Theme music: “When We’re Singin” composed by Wes Farrell, Diane Hilderbrand, Danny Janssen, performed by The Partridge Family (aka The Wrecking Crew)

• 001. What? and Get Out of Show Business? – 9/25/1970
  • The Partridge Family drives down Hollywood Boulevard and then are seen being introduced by Johnny Cash (himself) before they perform Together (Havin’ a Ball). Through flashback, we are introduced to the recently widowed Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones), who works as a bank teller in San Pueblo, California, where she is raising her five children Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks), and Tracy (Suzanne Crough). The kids have musical aspirations and practice as a band in their garage. When their new lead singer Gloria Steinman doesn’t show up, they convince their mother to join them and record the song Let the Good Times In. Convinced that the song could make millions, Danny stalks record producer Reuben Kincaid (Dave Madden) at his hotel and the airport until he finally agrees to produce the record. When the song becomes a hit, the kids further convince their mother to join them on the road so that they can go on a music tour in a purchased multicolored bus along with their dog Simone. They head to Las Vegas and perform at Caesar’s Palace. After some initial stage fright they perform both songs for an enthusiastic audience. Back home Chris considers quitting drumming after a girl named Debbie (Debra Pearce) plays her heart out in their living room. Gordon Jump and Ceil Cabot appear as a man and woman on the street. Hal Taggert is the hotel clerk. Felton Perry is the airport clerk. 12/28/14

• 002. The Sound of Money – 10/2/1970
  • While parking their bus, Shirley taps into a car in front of them that belongs to a crotchety man named Willie Larkin (Harry Morgan). When he finds out that the family are famous singers, he decides to sue for a half million dollars, truly wanting to settle with the insurance company for $10,000, claiming to have an injured back. The kids convince their mother to fight him, and Danny and Kincaid try to take pictures of him bending over to retrieve money or help a beautiful woman (Farrah Fawcett) retrieve a box that she drops. The efforts fail, so Shirley suggests that they all move in with Larkin in order to take care of him. Eventually they win him over and he is forced to jump up and catch Tracy when she falls while cleaning.  Larkin eventually drops the suit, although he notes that he could sue them again for a million dollar for the alienation of his fiancee Doris’ (Kelly Britt) affection after she breaks off their engagement. He settles for a ‘million dollar hug’ from Chris and Tracy. SONG: I’ll Leave Myself a Little Time. Ivan Bonar is lawyer Leroy Lowenfeld. 12/28/14
• 003. Whatever Happened to the Old Songs? – 10/9/1970
  • Just before they leave for a tour, the Partridges are visited by Shirley’s parents. Her father Fred Renfrew (Ray Bolger) joins them on his mandolin for a rehearsal of I Love Love, I Love You. They jokingly tell him that he should join their act, and soon he has left his wife Amanda (Rosemary DeCamp) and catches up with their tour bus. The family hopes that Reuben will give Grandpa honest feedback on his performing, but Reuben is all for it, thinking he will be campy comic relief. When Chris tells his grandpa the meaning of “camp,” his feelings are hurt but goes on with the show. When their Grandma catches up with them, she suggests that he sing his old standard Bye Bye Blackbird, which is a crowd-pleaser. However he decides to reconcile with his wife and act a little older, and she agrees to act a little younger. OTHER SONG: Together (Havin’ a Ball). 1/30/15
• 004. See Here, Private Partridge – 10/16/1970
  • As the family is getting ready to record their first album, Danny has some ideas about the album cover that are soundly ignored. Furthermore, despite being 10 years old, he receives a draft notice from the U.S. Army. He begins to question his value when no one likes his suggestions and his mother convinces him that the Army won’t want him. Shirley sends Reuben to try and settle the mistake, but they insist their computer doesn’t lie. Their recording session is interrupted when Shirley visits the Army, and has no luck either. Finally she decides to take him to be inducted. He nearly passes the physical exams by the unobservant inspectors, until it is finally noticed that he is a kid. He is ejected, not for his age, but because he is too short. Danny decides to act his age. When the family’s first record is pressed without liner notes at Reuben’s request, Danny decides to agree with him instead of opposing him as usual…leaving Reuben to question his decision. Jonathan Daly is Officer Moody. Jack Riley is Corporal Wrzesinski. Jared Martin is the recording engineer. Laurence Haddon is Sgt. Sizemore. SONG: On the Road. 1/30/15
• 005. When Mother Gets Married – 10/23/1970
  • While on tour Shirley runs into old boyfriend Larry Metcalf (John McMartin) and two rekindle their romance on a series of dates. Some of the kids are concerned that Metcalf is a gigolo and only interested in the family’s potential to make money. Danny asks Reuben to look into Metcalf and he finds out that he is a millionaire. Shirley tells Danny to butt out, but when Tracy finds out that Metcalf has bought a diamond ring and then Keith and Laurie spot him giving it to a girl named Tina (Jaclyn Smith), they feel they have to tell their mother. Keith confronts Larry rudely, but then they find out that Tina is Larry’s niece and that the ring was a graduation gift. Shirley berates the kids, and then give Mr. Metcalf their approval for him to propose because they do not want to carry the guilt of ruining their chance at a future. He does propose, but Shirley turns him down though because she does not love him, not because of the kids. But it turns out that they faked the conversation so the kids could overhear and not feel guilty. The couple privately confess that they still have romantic feelings, but his business travel prevents them from settling down. Pitt Herbert is the hotel desk clerk.  SONG: I Really Want to Know You. 3/16/15
• 006. Love at First Sight – 10/30/1970
  • Keith is getting tired of being chased by girls who only like him for his fame. Shirley has invited a quiet young fan girl named Cathy (Claire Wilcox) to spend the afternoon with the family and she is fascinated by Keith’s ‘human-ness’. Keith has no interest in Cathy or the five girls chasing him around town, but becomes intrigued with a girl name Janet (Lane Bradbury) whom he chances to meet when he ducks into a ladies’ underwear shop while fleeing the girls. Janet has no interest in people in show business and rebuffs Keith’s pleas to go out with him. Danny even tries to sell Keith to her so that Keith will re-focus on their music. Eventually Keith breaks her down and she accepts a dinner invitation, but when Keith finds out that his mom has invited Cathy to dinner, Keith goes over to tell her no to come. Cathy seems heartbroken, so Keith rethinks his behavior and tells her to come. He also visits Janet and let her off the hook, admitting to himself that he only really liked her because she had no interest in him. Keith later has to flee the boyfriends of the five girls, and still later reports that his fame around town is dwindling… and he’s starting to miss it. SONG: Somebody Wants to Love You. 3/16/15 
• 007. Danny and the Mob – 11/6/1970
  • During the Partridge Family’s stint in Las Vegas, Danny tutors a lady named LaVon LaVerne (Barbara Rhoades) in the stock market. Her boyfriend Harry (Pat Harrington Jr.) is a jealous mobster who doesn’t realize that Danny is only ten years old. He sicks his goons Skee (Richard Bakalyan) and Rocco (Vic Tayback) to threaten Danny, causing him to fear for his life. Eventually Danny runs away, and causes Lavonne to break it off with Harry. He sends Skee and Rocco to retrieve Danny, but Danny thinks they mean him harm and runs away. Eventually the catch him and bring him back home, and Lavonne and Harry get married, with Danny attending the wedding and being forced by Skee and Rocco to kiss the bride. Jack Collins plays an investor. Julio Medina is Chavez. Henry Hunter is the Minister. SONG: That’ll Be the Day. 6/8/15
• 008. But the Memory Lingers On – 11/13/1970
  • While on a break between performances, the Partridges have a picnic, during which a skunk boards their bus and eventually sprays them all. Attempting to get clean, they stop at a motel and while holding cloths in front of their face are mistaken for robbers. They then arrive at their swanky hotel and are forced to get clean before playing an impromptu benefit concert for a children’t hospital. They bathe in tomato juice, but when their dog jumps on them, he spreads the smell back to them. They end up performing Brand New Me in an operating theatre with the kids behind glass cheering them on. Gino Conforti plays a bellboy. Howard Morton is Jerome Donkin. Joseph V. Perry is the Sergeant. William Lucking is Sweeney. OTHER SONG: I Think I Love You. 6/9/15
• 009. Did You Hear the One About Danny Partridge? – 11/20/1970
  • While performing Somebody Wants to Love You onstage, Danny gets tangled up in his bass cable and gets laughs from the audience. He is embarrassed and locks himself in the bathroom, until Reuben tells him a white lie and convinces him that the audience found him hilarious and that they were going to keep his comedy in the act. Danny visits joke writer Ziggy Shnurr (Morey Amsterdam) to buy some old jokes. The next night after performing All of the Things, Danny starts telling jokes and gets a moderate amount of laughs. No one can dissuade Danny from pursing his new gig, so Reuben has him audition for an agent named Max Pepper (Jackie Coogan), who gives him poor feedback. Danny still isn’t convinced, but finally realizes that he doesn’t belong in comedy. He returns his jokes to Ziggy, who suggests that Danny take up ventriloquism. Ceil Cabot is Pepper’s receptionist. 7/29/15
• 010. Go Directly to Jail – 11/27/1970
  • The Partridge Family gets a gig to play in a prison, but the prisoner Hank (Stuart Margolin) who arranged for them to be there has an ulterior motive: to get the band to listen to some songs he wrote. Hank cannot convince Reuben to let them listen to his music, so Hank, as a prison doctor, fakes an epidemic with his friend Monty (Ken Swofford) in order to have them quarantined. While they are spending the night in a cell, Keith plays some of Hank’s music and does in fact offer to record it. Hank comes clean about the epidemic, but before Partridges can leave, they are threatened by another prisoner named Max (Ron Feinberg) not to record the music, since he claims to be its rightful author. Shirley asks that each man go into seclusion for two hours and write a song, and the warden (C. Lindsay Workman) agrees. Max’s song is not as good as the ones that Keith had played, but Hank’s song is discovered to be plagiarized. The Partridges convince Max, who had written the songs for his girlfriend and didn’t want them recorded, to allow them to record the songs using a pen name for the writer. 7/29/15
• 011. This Is My Song – 12/4/1970
  • Reuben is after Keith to come up with a new single but he is suffering a dry spell. However Danny, inspired by Louis Lautrec, takes on the challenge of writing a new tune… but everything he comes up with has been subconsciously plagiarized. Keith finally comes up with a tune, which Danny hears while sleeping. The next morning Danny thinks that he has written a great song, but when Keith hears it, he immediately claims it as his own causing a rift between them. Shirley realizes how the sound travels between their rooms and asks Keith to write the worst song he’s ever written. The next morning, Danny thinks he has written a terrible song… until Keith plays it and shows him how he can hear the songs in his sleep. Danny eventually accepts the fact that he didn’t write the song, but Keith still acknowledges that Danny has actually improved the song and they perform it as To Be Lovers live as their next single. Danny wants to continue their writing partnership, but Keith draws the line when Danny suggests bringing back the Bunny Hop. 10/27/15
• 012. My Son, the Feminist – 12/11/1970
  • School principal George Clauson (Leonard Stone) calls up Shirley to let her know that the POW (Power of Women) liberation group is advertising the Partridge Family on their flyers. At first she and Danny think that it is Laurie who has booked them, but then find out that it is Keith, who has done so on behalf of his girlfriend Tina Newcomb (Jane Actman). The Morality Watchdog parents group (Fran Ryan, Dort Clark, Sari Price) objects so strongly and irrationally that Shirley makes sure that they go through with the performance. However when Tina starts to become narrow-minded and opinionated, Keith threatens to pull the plug. But after a heart-to-heart with his mom, they go out and play I Think I Love You to the adoring crowd. Keith and Tina reconcile, but she does confront him again after Danny books them to play for the Morality Watchdogs. 10/27/15
• 013. Star Quality – 12/18/1970
  • Columnist Sheila Faber (Mitzi Hoag) writes a review of the Partridge Family’s performance at Stage 7 in Hollywood, but particularly calls out Danny as having a special star quality. This leads to Danny dreaming about being interviewed by Dick Clark (himself) about going solo, a sold out solo gig, and buying Chris the Los Angeles Dodgers. When Danny hears that they are struggling with finances, he believes he can create a solo act and help fund his family. He discusses it with Reuben and then begins auditioning his backup band. Although his family is furious, they play it cool and bring in another kid named Norman Farrell (Jean-Michel Michenaud) to replace him. When Danny is booked to perform solo at Stage 7, he begins to regret his decision and merely introduces the rest of his family. They invite him to join them and they play Singing My Song. Sheila returns for the performance and then realizes that it was actually Chris whom she had mistaken for Danny, leading Chris to start with some big ideas of his own. 1/1/16
• 014. The Red Woodloe Story – 1/1/1971
  • The Patridges and Reuben attend a church service where once-famous folk singer Red Woodloe (William Schallert) performs in front of the congregation. They go out to eat with Red after the service and he recalls his days in front of an audience. The family talks him into performing on their bill, but after they sing I Can Feel Your Heartbeat to the crowd, Red sneaks out the back door. He claims that he didn’t perform because he was used to only getting paid if the audience liked him, but the family believes that the large crowds have given him stage fright. He attempts another performance and tries to sneak away, but is stopped by Tracy who gives him the same advice to face his fear as he had given to her about being afraid of the dark. He sings The Wabash Cannonball to great acclaim. Reuben tells him that the club would like to book him for four weeks, but he maintains he is happier living in his small town performing in his church. The next week the Partridge Family sings the song Find Peace in Your Soul for the congregation. 1/1/16
• 015. Mom Drops Out – 1/8/1971
  • Unscrupulous promoter Logan Mays (Gino Conforti) has booked the Partridge Family on a European tour, but doesn’t think that the crowd will accept Shirley due to her age. Shirley voluntarily drops out of the band so that the kids will have the opportunity to go to Europe. The kids try to convince their mother not to leave the band, but she won’t hear of it. They then try to perform the song Baby I Love Love, I Love You poorly at a local gig in front of Mays… but he knows they are faking and threatens them with a breach of contract. The family heads to Paris and perform their first gig without Shirley singing I Can Hear Your Heartbeat, but when the audience starts clamoring and cheering for her, Mays convinces her go on and perform Baby I Love Love, I Love You with them. His ego is further bruised when none of the kids want his autograph as the flock toward the Partridges. Yvonne Wilder is a waitress. Joe Warfield is the M.C. 3/6/15
• 016. Old Scrapmouth – 1/15/1971
  • Laurie is delivered the crushing blow that she has to get braces. Meanwhile a boy from school named Jerry (Mark Hamill) is nervously trying to work up the nerve to ask her to go steady. Reuben has better news: the band is going to get to perform on The Wink Burgess Show, and Burgess (Alan Oppenheimer) is going to visit them at their home to film the show. Laurie can barely talk and is reluctant to let her mouth be seen. When Burgess’s crew tries to film them playing, Laurie’s keyboarding is discordant, and she claims she can hear music in her mouth that is interfering with ability to perform. Her orthodontist Dr. Kessler (William Wintersole) confirms that his is possible so everyone scours the neighborhood to have all radios in the area turned off. Just as everyone leaves, Jerry shows up with his transistor radio – which has been causing the interference. The band performs The Love Song, and then Jerry finally works up the courage to ask out Laurie, braces and all. Then Dr. Kessler tells her that she can wear a night retainer for a longer period of time as a substitute for the braces. Jonathan Daly is director Tommy Phillips. 3/6/16
• 017. Why Did the Music Stop? – 1/22/1971
  • Shirley becomes concerned about the quality of normal life of her children after a backhanded compliment at the grocery store by a former co-worker Mabel (Reva Rose). Her first step is getting the children checkups at the doctor, where she runs into her former obstetrician Dr. Jim Lucas (Richard Mulligan), who offers to call her for a date. Because of an upcoming show, she is forced to miss a date with him, and simultaneously she notes that Laurie also has to miss a date. Shirley finally asks the kids point blank to come forward if they want to get of show business, and so the kids, thinking that it is their mother who wants out, tells her that they want to quit. When Dr. Lucas doesn’t call her, Danny goes looking for him and brings him back to the house. He and Shirley have several dates and it seems as if he will be popping the question. However the question ends up being whether she can use some of the songs he wrote in the family’s act. The kids come clean about not really wanting to leave show business, and they also decide that they can only use the lyrics Lucas wrote. The band performs I’m Here, You’re Here live and Heartbeat in the garage. 6/12/16
• 018. Soul Club – 1/29/1971
  • Reuben and the Partidges wind up at a place called the Firehouse – an actual former firehouse – in Detroit, where their booking agent sent them by mistake. It turns out that the Temptations were supposed to be there and the Partridges were supposed to be in Tucson. The family gets to know the proprietors, brothers A.E. (Richard Pryor) and Sam Simon (Louis Gossett Jr.), who have purchased the location to turn into a low-cost community club where top acts will play at expense. The problem is that their load shark Heavy (Charles Lampkin) is going to take possession of the club if the brothers can’t pay him back. The Partridges offer their services to perform and help raise money, but only one person shows up for their first performance. The Partridges come up with a plan to host a block party as a fund raiser. Danny visits the Afro-American Cultural Society led by a martial art expert (Herbert Jefferson Jr.) to find some an backup orchestra. The Partridges play Bandala with the backup band. The money is raised to pay off the entire debt in full, and when Heavy and his henchmen start to rough them up, the Cultural Society steps in. They also make Danny an honorary member for his service to the community. Morris Buchanan is the baker. Ben Frank is the policeman. 6/12/16
• 019. To Play or Not To Play – 2/5/1971
  • After some bus troubles cause them a delay, the Partridges show up for a gig at the prestigious Village Quarter. The owner of the establishment Mr. Marino (Harvey Lembeck) chastises them for being late and lambastes his employee Marc (Michael Lembeck) for stopping to talk to Laurie, with whom he attended high school. As the Partridges rehearse There’s No Doubt in My Mind, they witness an altercation between Marino and the rest of the staff, who walk out and led by Marc, go on strike and begin picketing the Village Quarter. Laurie decides that she cannot cross the picket line and refuses to play the show that night. The rest of the family stresses the importance of honoring their contract and not disappointing their fans, but she sticks to her guns. Danny goes on a fact-finding mission to hears both sides of the story and the family concludes that both sides have valid points. Danny acts as an arbitrator and locks Marino and Marc in a room until they can negotiate. Most agreements are reached, and the employees return to work. The Partridges dedicate their song Umbrella Man to Marino on the staff’s behalf. 9/2/16
• 020. They Shoot Managers, Don’t They? – 2/12/1971
  • Danny has been trying to set up Reuben with a woman, and although Shirley pretends to scold him, she too invites over a former co-worker named Cathleen Darcy (Nancy Malone) to a picnic with Reuben. They hit it off right away, and soon enough they are engaged. The downside is that Cathleen wants Reuben to help manage her business, so he decides to quit as the Partridges’ manager. Both they and Reuben are visibly heartbroken about this, but plans progress for him to get married to Cathleen in Paris. The Partridges attempt to manage themselves for a gig in Seattle but everything goes wrong and they are forced to all share a cramped hotel room, and put on three performances a day. Danny calls Reuben, which irritates Cathleen, who tell Reuben that he must be glad to not have all of those kids under foot. Soon Reuben shows up to iron out their problems in Seattle, and tells Shirley that he found Cathleen’s fatal flaw: she doesn’t like kids. Once Danny and they kids find out that Reuben actually likes kids, they push him too far trying to get him to play. SONG: She’d Rather Have the Rain. 9/3/16
• 021. A Partridge Up a Pear Tree – 2/19/1971
  • Keith is struggling to keep his old Hudson up and running, as well as making the payments on it. Everyone is getting tired of loaning him money, but Danny agrees to loan him the $25 he needs under the condition that he becomes his business manager and power of attorney. Danny helps him keep him manage his money, but that means that Keith is perpetually broke. Danny can only come up with one dollar for him to spend on his date with his girlfriend Carol (Annette O’Toole), but it is to a kids matinee for a Lash LaRue western. She gets angry that Keith is keeping secrets form her that his music career is dwindling, when the truth is that the band money goes into a college trust fund. Shirley suggests that Keith gets a job, but he ends up a flop at plumbing, selling food processors, and delivering papers, doing more costly damage than he makes. Finally Keith sells his car so that he can pay everyone back and take Carol to the prom. He ends up buying a motorcycle, but asks him mother for a loan for a helmet. Joseph V. Perry is Mr. Jenkins the plumber. Carol Ballantine is the pitchman. SONG: You Are Always on My Mind. 11/23/16
• 022. Road Song – 2/26/1971
  • While touring and having dinner at the dumpy diner Wally’s in New Mexico, the Partridges meet a homeless girl full of tall tales named Maggie Newton (Laurie Prange) who asks for a ride to Albuquerque. After they agree to let her ride on their bus, unbeknownst to them a police officer (Stuart Nisbet) questions the waitress (Yvonne Wilder) about Maggie and says that she’s wanted by the police. When they stop at a motel, Maggie takes off, not long before the police come looking for her. The next day they find that she’s asleep on the bus. The family stops in the town of Kumquist and finds out from the sheriff (Harry Hickox) that she’s a runaway from her grandparents. He gives Shirley permission to act as her guardian until she can get her to Albuquerque where her father lives. Maggie sneaks away from the family so they go in search of her around town, but end up leaving with her and end up coming upon her roadside as they head to Albuquerque. She tries to escape and then steal their bus, but she agrees to go with them to her father (Sandy Kenyon). SONG: Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque. 11/23/16
• 023. Not with My Sister, You Don’t! – 3/5/1971
  • Word gets around San Pueblo High via Keith’s friends Archie (Jeremy Burke) and Bob (Michael Rupert) that a new transfer named Lester Braddock (Michael Ontkean) is a real ladies man, so it doesn’t sit well with Keith when he finds out that Laurie has accepted a date with him. Although Shirley tells Keith to butt out, he offers to accompany Lester and Laurie as a double date, but Lester innocently refuses. At Danny’s urging, he and Keith follow Laurie and Lester on their date, which infuriates Laurie. Finally convinced that Lester’s reputation is all a lie, Keith and Danny apologize, and Keith arranges another date for them at one of their concerts at Redwood Lodge – where the band performs I’ll Meet You Halfway. When Laurie stays out late with Lester, the family gets worried. When she returns home, she reports that Lester was in fact all over her, but didn’t get anywhere… and that she’ll never let Keith set her up again. Cindy Crosby plays Doris. 3/5/17
• 024. A Partridge by Any Other Name – 3/12/1971
  • The Partridges plans a trip for a concert in Canada, and go in search of the kids’ birth certificates. When Danny’s is not located with the other kids, he begins to believe he was actually adopted. The booking agent Mr. Burns (Bernard Fox) mentions that Danny doesn’t look like any of the other kids, causing him to further investigate his past by visiting private detective Harry Klein (Ned Glass), then an orderly (Jim Connel) at the hospital, who can’t find his birth certificate either. The family tries to convince him by showing him pictures and bringing over neighbor Mrs. Reinbolt (Renie Riano), but that still doesn’t do the trick. When Danny finds a birth that took place on his birthday to Mrs. M. Young, he goes looking for his ‘real’ family. He meets a man Mike Young (Art Metrano), a pastor, a cemetery, and an M. Young (Sid McCoy) who is black. Shirley and Reuben track him down and bring him home with the promise that his misplaced birth certificate is being replaced and is on the way. Danny finally realizes he has been acting silly, and acknowledges that even if he were adopted, he should be grateful. Keith and Laurie finally find a photo album filled with photos of a young Danny. The band performs I Can Feel Your Heartbeat at their gig. Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted is performed during Danny’s search montage. 3/5/17
• 025. A Knight in Shining Armor – 3/19/1971
  • An aspiring musician named Bobby Conway (Bobby Sherman) breaks into the Partridge garage to perform for them. They are suitably impressed, but Bobby is unable to write lyrics. Danny suggest a poet named Lionel Poindexter (Wes Stern) from who he had received unsolicited lyrics. The Partridges and Bobby pay Lionel a visit and find him to be kind, eccentric, and tone deaf, also working numerous jobs, but not having any money. Bobby starts to become suspicious of Lionel, but when Lionel loses some lyrics he jotted down, and they visit an orphanage to find them, Bobby finds out that Lionel has been using his money to buy the orphanage playground equipment. Lionel finds the lyrics in the sandbox, Bobby likes and it, and sells the song Stephanie to the Partridges, which they perform. NOTE: This episode was a backdoor pilot for the series Getting Together, which aired for 14 episodes in 1971-72. NOTE: This was the last episode to feature Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris. 8/27/17

SEASON 2

Theme music: “C’mon Get Happy” composed by Wes Farrell, Diane Hilderbrand, Danny Janssen, performed by The Partridge Family (aka The Wrecking Crew). NOTE: This is the same song as the first season’s “When We’re Singing” with new lyrics. 

• 026. Dora, Dora, Dora – 9/17/1971
  • Reuben does a favor for his friend Stillman Kelly (Jack Burns) and agrees to manage Kelly’s daughter Dora (Robyn Millan) to perform at a Point Loomis Air Force benefit, with the Partridges, despite being exhausted from their last tour, providing backup vocals. Everyone can recognize that Dora can’t sing except for Keith, who is smitten by her beauty and hears a lovely voice when she sings. Shirley advises Keith to give her another listen, but is late and misses her next practice. Then Shirley plays Keith a tape of her singing, but tells her that it is from a different girl; this time he recognizes that the signing is terrible. Keith promises to tell her the truth, but winds up asking her to go steady. Shirley pays a visit to Mr. Kelly and tries to convince him that Dora isn’t ready to perform for an audience, but when she hears him sing, she realizes that he was the one who trained her to sing so off key. The Partridge Family sings I Woke Up in Love This Morning at the benefit, and then Reuben tells Shirley to introduce Dora, who comes out looking sexier than ever. The Air Force catcalls cover up her singing of I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Brian Forster takes over the role of Chris. 8/29/17
• 027. In 25 Words or Less – 9/24/1971
  • Reuben arranges a contest with Bopper Beat Magazine for the winner to spend a week with the Partridge Family. The winner turns out to be Gloria Neugast (Kay Medford), a lonely empty-nester who quickly becomes intertwined with the Partridges’ lives. At first they enjoy having her wait on them, but soon she is in everyone’s business, even going to Muldoon Point with Keith to see where he takes his dates, and getting spotted by his girlfriend Doris (Monie Ellis). She also attempts to set Shirley up with Dr. Bernie Applebaum (Gerald Hiken). With the kids reaching their breaking point, Shirley warns them that Gloria needs to feel needed and to just live out her final days with them. Things reach their low during their recording session of the song Echo Valley 2-6809, when she causes them to have to take 73 takes and nearly drives the engineer (Martin Speer) crazy. When the end of the week comes, Mrs. Neugast feigns illness, and Shirley doesn’t have the heart to let her leave. She remains bedridden, until Reuben gets her a job at a child daycare, at which point she makes a miraculous recovery and hits the road. However she still manages to stay in the family’s business via letters. 3/5/18
• 028. A Man Called Snake – 10/1/1971
  • Keith does an interview with Heavy magazine and lets it slip that Laurie has a crush on a boy named Harry Murphy. Even though the information isn’t correct, a gang member named Harry “Snake” Murphy (Rob Reiner) shows up at the house on a dare from his gang friends to meet Laurie. Although he laughs it off, he begins showing up at the school and asking Laurie out. Her family encourages Laurie to talk to him, and she does… and agrees to go out with him to the school dance because he is actually quite nice. The family is worried about her seeing him, but Shirley eventually leaves it up to her judgement. Keith and Danny pay a visit to Snake’s gang The Rogues, and when Snake shows up and saves them from being picked on by Quinton (Michael Gregory) and Geek (Harry Olek), they agree he’s a nice guy too. Snake is like a fish out of water at the school dance, and when Snake tries to dance with her, the other other guys (Mark Malmborg, Bobby Griffin) start picking on Snake, and he ends up dousing them with the bowl of punch. Snake takes her home and ask her out again, but she says they are too different, and they agree to keep in touch. The family performs Listen to the Sound. Bryan O’Byrne is Mr. Koolic. 3/5/18 
• 029. The Undergraduate – 10/8/1971
  • Shirley announces that she is going to be returning to college to take some classes. Upon arrival she is befriended by a student named Paul Bruner (Michael Burns), who develops a quick crush on her. When Paul calls her at home to invite her to attend a lecture with him, her family starts teasing her about having a romance brewing. Paul turns to his older friend Margo (Carol O’Leary) to find out how he might impress Shirley, and after giving him some advice, she explains that he will know he is succeeding if she pretends to run out of gas. Sure enough on their way home, Shirley does in fact run out of gas, prompting not only further teasing, but a visit from Paul’s parents (Norman Fell, Ann Morgan Guilbert)… while Shirley is wearing her ‘hot pants’ that Laurieis trying to convince her to wear for their next gig. Although progressive, they are curious as to her intentions, and when she explains the truth, the say that it will have to be her that gets him to drop his romantic interest. She invites Paul to dinner, thinking he will be turned off when she meets all of her children. The ruse works all too well, when Paul falls for Laurie and asks Shirley’s permission to take her on a date. The family performs the song Brown Eyes. 11/8/18 
• 030. Anatomy of a Tonsil – 10/15/1971
  • Danny has a sore throat and is told by Dr. Milstead (Marshall Thompson) that he needs his tonsils out. He is initially brave but is then told by his friend Punky Lazaar (Gary Dubin) that the operation is very serious. Danny begins to worry when his family are extra nice to him at Shirley’s request, and starts to fear the worst, going so far as to audition kids to replace him in the band in case he doesn’t make it through the surgery. When it is time for the surgery, Danny says his goodbyes to everyone. He comes through successfully but then finds that his singing voice is no longer up to par, and begins moping around the house again. When he refuses to practice, his family bring in Punky in a red-headed wig to take his place, giving Danny just the boost of self-confidence he needs to re-join the band. After the rehearsal, the band performs Love Is All I Ever Needed at a concert. Robert Young appears on TV as Danny watches an episode of Marcus Welby M.D. 11/10/18
• 031. Whatever Happened to Moby Dick? – 10/22/1971
  • Keith and Shirley are awakened in the middle of the night by strange sounds coming from the garage which end up being Danny loudly playing whale songs from the album Songs of the Humpback Whale. He has the idea to capitalize on people’s desire to save the whales by having songs written around the whale singing. Everyone in the family is against the idea, but that doesn’t stop him from taking out an add for a whale. Folks with different animals including a man (George O’Hanlon) with a bear. Shirley is adamant that he not pursue this, but then he gets a call from Dr. Whelander (Bert Convy) from Marineland offering him the services of their whale. The family all have a change of tune when Shirley makes everyone agree to donate the money to help save the whales. Before they can record their song, they are visited by a man named Mr. Flicker (Dub Taylor) who claims ownership of the whale since it was originally found in his marina. He has no case, but Reuben fears he can drag the case out too long and delay the new album. Shirley gets an idea and invites him to the marina for the album’s announcement. She even gets Howard Cosell (himself) to interview them. When Flicker is prodded about profiteering off the whale, he has a change of heart in front of the camera and vows to donate his share as well. The Partridges perform The Whale Song. Martin Speer is the engineer. 8/21/19
• 032. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Partridge – 10/29/1971
  • When Coach Dawson (Laurence Haddon) witnesses Keith and Danny in a friendly exchange of insults, he gives Keith some advice and tells him that as the man of the house, he needs to be an exemplary influence on his siblings. Keith takes this to heart and decides to rise to the occasion and agrees to take the kids to the beach so that Shirley can participate in a photo shoot. He doesn’t stop there, and then takes them to an orchestra concert, and then even gives the third degree to Laurie’s date Freddy (Bruce Kimmel). With Keith getting on their nerves, the kids decide to exhaust Keith in seeking advice. Danny asks him about the birds and the bees, Laurie insinuates that she is going to start dating the football team, and Chris and Tracy tell him that they want to be black. Keith does the best that he can, but then he and Shirley overhear the kids laughing about how they fooled him, hurting his feelings. Shirley berates the kids by telling them that Keith’s efforts were honorable. They all apologize to Keith, and later perform the song Summer Days. Reuben come through with some ballet tickets that he obtained for Keith, but by now, he is ready to take the kids to the circus instead. Shirley and Laurie corner Reuben into taking them instead. 9/2/19
• 033. Days of Acne and Roses – 11/5/1971
  • The nice but awkward grocery delivery boy Wendell (Jay Ripley) has an obvious crush on Laurie, and Danny takes it upon himself to confront Wendell and bring him home. With Keith’s help, they get him to say hello to Laurie, who immediately accepts his invitation for a date on Friday before he even asks. Wendell immediately becomes more confident and even begins to excel at football. When Reuben finds out about the date, he reminds them that the Partridge Family has a date for a concert in Phoenix that Friday night. Laurie has to tell Wendell the bad news, which he doesn’t take well, thinking that she is just making up an excuse, and his clumsiness immediately returns. The Partridges play the concert and perform the song I’m on My Way Back Home. When they return, Wendell keeps avoiding Laurie, and sidesteps every family member who tries to confront him. After Wendell gets his delivery instructions from his boss Mr. Busby (Robert B. Williams), Laurie catches up with him and ask him to take her to the football team’s dance. Wendell agrees and when he gets to the dance, he seems to be on top of the world and full of confidence, despite doing the waltz to the dance music. The next morning Laurie worries that he plans to ask her to go steady. Wendell calls her and ask her to meet him at the taco stand, but she is surprised when he tells her that he doesn’t think they should get too close. She is also surprised to see two girls (Ann Jillian, Sandi Schrader) flirt with him. Wendell also tells her that he’d always want to take out a nice girl and rotten girl, and now that he’s take out a nice one, he’s ready for a rotten one. He leaves and the waitress (Eileen Ramsey) brings her the check. Later Wendell asks Shirley for a date. Mark Malmborg, Scott McCartor, and Bill Ewing are guys at the dance. Sandi Schrader is the short-haired girl at the dance. 3/17/20
• 034. A Tale of Two Hamsters – 11/12/1971
  • Danny has a new money making idea: to breed hamsters. Shirley agrees to let him keep the two he already bought, which he names Dean Martin and Sonia. One night the kids fear that Dean Martin is sick, but it turns out that the hamster is pregnant and delivers six babies. When it’s time that the band visit the recording studio and go on tour, they have no one to watch the hamsters, which now stand at about fifty cages worth. The hamsters interfere with the recording of their song 24 Hours a Day by making sounds running on their wheels. When they arrive at their hotel, the manager (C. Lindsay Workman) won’t let them in. In order to keep the hamsters warm, they spend the night driving around in the heated bus. Danny can’t manage to get rid of the hamsters, so Shirley tries to visit the pet store to sell them back, but the manager Mr. Patterson (Dick Yarmy) won’t even take them for free. Shirley doesn’t have the heart to kill them, so Danny comes up with an idea and visits Hanleys record store and meets with the manager Albertson (Gordon Jump), who agrees to promote handing out one free pet with every Partridge Family album purchased. The family signs records at the store, and when they start to run out of hamsters, Danny suggests that they simply breed more.  Later Reuben brings over the hamster Mr. Kincaid that he didn’t have the heart to get rid of, and it is pregnant as well. Brian Tochi is the boy getting an autograph and hamster from Laurie. Tiger Beat contest winner Karen Lee Bowman appears as Keith’s autograph recipient. OTHER SONG: I Woke Up in Love This Morning. 3/17/20
• 035. The Forty-Year Itch – 11/19/1971
  • Shirley’s father Fred shows up at the house in the middle of the night having left his wife Amanda, mostly because she is too boring and he wants to be more progressive and active. He is followed closely behind Amanda, who also shows up the house to stay because she left home too. Both of them end up staying the night at the house, but soon begin to drive the family crazy as Grandpa joins the kids in dancing with their friends, and driving their go-kart around the neighborhood. Shirley tries to reconcile them and tell them they can work out their problems, but Grandma immediately tells him that he is crazy for wanting to pack up and move to Big Sur. The quickly realize though that he seems to be making every excuse possible to not leave. They try to get him to see that when they all offer up going-away gifts, but he claims he is too involved with listening to a radio show to leave. The next morning he does in fact leave the house and starts walking down the highway hitchhiking. Grandma and the family head out in the band bus to try and find him, and locate him sleeping on the side of the road. They pick him up and then that night they get them both to attend one of their performance in which they sing I’m on My Way Back Home, and Shirley solos on My Best Girl, a touching ballad that gets them out on the dance floor together. Grandpa helps finish the song and then stares longing into Grandma’s eyes. However they acknowledge that they both realized that the song was a sentimental mind trick. In any case, Grandma agrees to try Big Sur with him. The song Together (Havin’ a Ball) accompanies their search for Grandpa. 6/29/20
• 036. I Can Get It for You Retail – 11/26/1971
  • Shirley’s birthday is coming up and Danny has noticed that she has been eyeing a mink coat in the window of a Fur Store. He decides he would like to get it for her, but finds out that it costs $2600. When Keith mentions that girls have been stealing his pencils because he is an music star idol, Danny get an idea. He enlists the help of Chris and they begins stealing items that belonged to Keith like hair combs, toothbrushes, and half-eaten pickles. They are able to sell enough of them to put down a down payment of $19 on the coat. Soon Keith begins to notice that his things are coming up missing, especially when he wakes up one morning with a chunk of hair missing. When he tells his mother what is happening to him, she starts to suspect Danny. They track Danny to where he is auctioning off Keith’s items, and Shirley demands that he put a stop to the sale. When the girls seem disappointed, and one little girl (Donna Lynn) says she traveled in from out of town for the auction, the family decides to give them a free performance atop the school bus of Keith’s latest song Every Little Bit o’ You. Danny and Chris apologizes to Keith and give him back everything they hadn’t sold yet, claiming that there is at least one large item still in the garage… which he finds out is his bed mattress when he sinks to the floor when he tries to sit on it. Danny settles for giving his mother a mink keychain in lieu of the coat. Darcy Klega and Amber Smale are customers of Keith’s items. Sari Price is the saleswoman. 6/29/20
• 037. Guess Who’s Coming to Drive – 12/10/1971
  • Reuben has booked the family for their two-month Summer tour, but Shirley fears that she can’t physically do all of the cross-country driving and also have enough energy to perform. They decide to put an ad out for a driver, but the first applicant Mrs. Weinstock (Naomi Stevens) drives the bus over the curb while driving around the neighborhood. The second applicant Johnny Burnhart (Milt Kamen) shows up and immediately fixes the bus. He is hired and they head out for the tour, but Danny quickly becomes suspicious of him when he sees a man named Ingram (Vic Tayback) handing over a wad of  cash to Johnny. He initially suspects that he is a floating bookie, especially when Johnny keeps making phone calls in every town. While dining at a restaurant, Danny spies him with a man and finds out from the waitress (Yvonne Wilder) that the man he is with is a parole officer. Shirley finally decides to ask him about it, Johnny admits that he is on parole after doing time for armed robbery. Shirley decides to give him a chance anyway, and he clears up that Ingram had been an ex-con friend of his who owed him money and the phone calls he was making was to check in with his parole officer. All seems back on track until Danny finds a newspaper article about a bank robbery in Placerville, Illinois, from where they had just came. Furthermore the photo of the robber’s back strongly resembled Johnny. Danny gets nervous enough to call Reuben and have him come join them. Reuben goes to the local Hilldale police desk sergeant (John Lawrence) to ask whether they caught the robber, but the officer becomes suspcious of Reuben himself and throws him in jail. While the family is performing the song Rainmaker, Tracy tells Shirley that Reuben had called from jail, so they all head down to bail him out. Johnny realizes that the family all suspected him so he decides to leave for home. Shirley convinces him to give the family a second chance. He realizes that the prison system is giving him a second chance so he agrees to stay on. Once back from the tour, Shirley writes him a glowing recommendation, but Johnny asks her to tone it down so the parole officer doesn’t think he forged it. 10/14/20
• 038. Don’t Bring Your Guns to Town, Santa – 12/17/1971
  • The family performs a gig in Las Vegas on Christmas Eve, singing the song Winter Wonderland. They head home but the bus breaks down on the way, and the family gets stranded in a ghost town where they meet an old timer named Charlie (Dean Jagger) and his mule Ella. The kids are worried about missing Christmas, so Charlie tells them a story about when the town was bustling at the holidays, and they would guide Santa to come visit the kids by creating a big shiny bell that would attract him. As he tells them about the town via flashback, Keith portrays the singing Sheriff Swell, Shirley is Miss Belle who ran the lemonade and lollipop-serving saloon, Laurie is the school marm, and Reuben is the villainous stranger Mean Sidney who rides into town on Christmas Eve and pops everyone’s balloons, and then later steals the bell. When the school marm can’t charm him and Belle can’t win him over with milk, they enlist Sheriff Swell to try and get it back. The only guy they can count on is reformed gambler Little the Kid, who is portrayed by Danny. The ladies talk him into playing cards for the bell. So he takes his 43 cents up against Sidney’s $1300, and they have a poker showdown. As Christmas approaches at midnight, Little forces Sidney to put up the bell. Little wins the hand with four aces beating Sid’s full house, but Sid pulls a gun and takes the bell as the clock chimes midnight. Yet when they hear elves singing out in the street, they go outside and find a giant Christmas tree full of gifts. When Sidney admits that he stole the bell because he never gets any gifts, Belle gives him the bell, but with his heart now warmed, he gives it back to the town. The story ends just as Reuben and Keith come in and announce that they’ve repaired the bus. They drive off, leaving Charlie alone, but when the clock strikes midnight, he hears the town bell ringing and goes out to find the family with a tree and gifts, singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Back home the family enjoys a second Christmas celebration, but before they can open the gift, Tracy needs to get kisses from the guys with her mistletoe. The family also wishes the audience a merry Christmas. Britt Leach is Jess. 10/15/20
• 039. Where Do Mermaids Go? – 12/31/1971
  • The Partridge Family perform the song Love Is All That I Ever Needed as part of their three-week tour. They take the back roads home and stop by a river for a picnic, where they spot a hippy girl named Jenny (Meredith Baxter) swimming nude. The family invites her to have lunch with them, and then when a cop (Richard X. Slattery) shows up to arrest her for vagrancy, the family covers for her, and then invites her to spend the night at their house. As they drive there, Jenny and Keith discuss how nice it is to have freedom, and Keith mentions that if he had a million dollars, it would free them from having to work. Jenny leaves early the next morning, and puts Shirley’s bank book under Tracy’s pillow… with a million dollar deposit noted in it. A note tells them that she is a 14 million dollar heiress and she wanted them to feel the freedom that she does, after they became like a family to her. Mr. L.J. Belson (Herbert Rudley) at the bank confirms that the deposit is real. Each family member has different reactions to the money. Shirley is constantly bothered by salesman, including Rufus D. Palmer (Val Bisoglio), who hounds her at the house. Keith is disappointed when he buys all of his friends tacos, and none of them appreciate it in the slightest. Laurie buys a cheap dress and is visited by Sir Guy (Donald Phelps), the dressmaker, and a group of models (Carroll Roebke, Sue Linden) showing her the latest fashions. Danny has a phone man (Mel Gallagher) install a phone and he hires a personal secretary. Tracy brings home a pony. In the end, they all agree that they were happier without the money, as it only feels good when one earns it themselves. They visit the same spot where they first found Jenny, and give her back the money. She agrees to take it, realizing that it doesn’t really bring happiness, since she barely uses it herself. They bring her to a club where they sing It’s Time That I Knew You Better. Mr. Belson calls Shirley to remind her that her mortgage is due. 2/2/21
• 040. Home Is Where the Heart Was – 1/7/1972
  • Shirley punishes Tracy and Chris when they leave a mess in the kitchen, and sends them to bed while the older kids are allowed to stay up and finish a movie. Both kids declare that they will be running away, but when they realize how dark it is, they decide to wait until morning. The next day, they participate in band practice and perform I Would Have Loved You Anyway, then they head out. Shirley is convinced they will be back within the hour, while the other kids are more concerned. As predicted, they stop at Mrs. Monahan’s for brownies, but then they do not come home as expected. Shirley begins to worry, but then Reuben calls and tells her that a taxi brought them to his apartment, and they are playing in the pool with some of the ladies. Reuben tries to talk Chris into seeing that the bachelor life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but it is Reuben who begins to suffer when Chris brings in the neighbor’s dog that Reuben is allergic to, and Tracy fills the bathroom with soap bubbles while taking a bath. He also catches them looking at his Playpen magazines. He convinces Shirley to let them stay the night, as he plans to really make life hard for them the next day. This backfires when he is visited by a beautiful stewardess named Bonnie Kleinschmitt (Elaine Giftos), who leaves him high and dry when the kids get out of bed. He starts playing Blackjack with them, telling them that the loser has to go home… but he can’t seem to win. Shirley then really starts to miss them and heads over to Reuben, telling him and the kids that now she is running away since the older kids can get along without her and she is no longer needed. The kids tell her that they were planning on coming home an hour earlier, but Reuben make them play Blackjack. They return and participate in the next concert, performing Summer Days. 2/2/21
• 041. Fellini, Bergman, and Partridge – 1/14/1972
  • After Keith makes fun of the art films that Reuben and Laurie take them to see, Keith claims he can make a better film on his own. Danny agrees to front the $15 in costs, demanding a share of any profits. They then begin shooting random scenes of the family members as the song Havin’ a Ball plays, and trick Reuben into dressing as a fairy godmother by telling them they are having a costume party. When they finally show it in their living room under the title 16 1/2, the family all laughs and gets a kick out of it. Danny thinks the film might be marketable since they all like it so much, so he arranges a screening in the garage. When no one shows up, he takes it to Muldoon Point, where Keith has taken his date Lynn (Gaye Nelson), and with the assistance of the cab driver’s (Judson Pratt), screens it there… only to have everyone in their cars throw things at the screen. Just when they think they’re all washed up, a theater owner named Sam Gresley (Tony Ballen) offers them $100, thinking that a Partridge Family film might garner some interest. When the family finds out, they are all less than pleased and demand that any parts they deem embarrassing are removed before screening it. When there is virtually nothing left of the film, the family agrees to allow it to be screened as long as it can be screen behind them on the stage while they are playing Hello, Hello live. Keith and Danny take their earning and invest in giant posters of Reuben as the fairy godmother to sell. Richard Stahl is the neighbor Mr. Fenster. Dennis Lee Smith and Rick Metzler are angry drive-in patrons. 5/29/21
• 042. Waiting for Bolero – 1/21/1972
  • Keith decides as a 17-year old that he wants to move into his own place, claiming that he will be better equipped to write music by himself. He rehearses with Laurie how he will ask their mother, but when he finally does, she gives him a blunt no. For the entire week, he keeps pressuring her, and winds up finding a place next door with Mr. Fenster, where he will pay his work by doing Fenster’s gardening. Finally Reuben takes his side and gets Shirley to agree. Things aren’t all Keith bargained for, when he realizes he must do three hours of gardening every day, and then survive on the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Danny brings to him… for a price, at that. On the night he supposed to be writing a song, Shirley takes pity on him and brings him some food, but Keith actually had his date Vicky (Pamela Peters Solow) over, so he has to hide her. Although Shirley actually knows she is there, thanks to an unhidden pom pom and the fact that he is playing Bolero, she doesn’t say anything. Shortly after, five more friends arrive, driving Keith back to his old house to use his room to write the song he promised to deliver. He and Shirley have a discussion about how living alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and she allows him to move back home. Later the band performs his new song Every Song Is You. Danny forces Keith to settle up for all the food he brought him, but Shirley and Laurie in turn tell Danny that he needs to settle up for the extra groceries he used, and the ironing Laurie did for him that he also charged Keith for. Leigh Webb is Archie, and Ric Carrott is Bernie, two of Keith’s friends. 5/29/21
• 043. I Am Curious Partridge – 1/28/1972
  • Danny wants to prove that he can handle publicity for the family, so he gets an interview with Keith published in the San Pueblo Today Magazine. However, it is less of an interview than a bunch of made-up stories about the sexual exploits of Keith, including that he has a red rose tattoo, is turned on by black garter belts, and that he has a crush on his teacher Mrs. Damion (Maxine Stuart), all as ‘reported’ by Danny. Laurie delivers the article to him in bed along with his breakfast, and Keith is furious. It is made even worse once the magazine gets into the hands of his classmates, who make fun of him all day long by throwing garter belts at him. Even Mrs. Damion gets in on the act by reading him romantic poetry in class. Keith is ready to kill Danny by the end of the day, but Shirley maintains he’s already been published. Danny promises that he’ll never do it again, but confesses that there is another article coming, a part two that focusses on Shirley’s previous life… which includes her running an exotic dancing school, and being attracted to men with beards or trench coats. The milkman (Bobby Baum) even wears one when he makes his delivery. And the ladies at the PTA Fashion Show play stripper music while Shirley is showing off her ensemble. Shirley wants to punish Danny all over again, but the other kids remind her that he’s already been punished. Reuben is surprised to hear all of this when he is ambushed by a reporter (Carl Byrd). Shirley wants to cancel the next concert, which is for an all-male convention, but the kids talk her into playing. After they perform If You Ever Go, the men all applause respectfully, but the kids have all donned beards as a final joke. The family then takes revenge on Danny, by getting their own article published about Danny, which reveals that he only plays music to pay for his ballet lessons, and that he is very generous with his money… prompting the Salvation Army to show up at their doorstep. Mitzi Hoag is Mrs. Ferguson, host of the fashion show. 9/23/21
• 044. My Heart Belongs to a Two Car Garage – 2/4/1972
  • Shirley wakes up one morning and finds that Chris and Tracy have invited a Russian man named Nicholas Minsky Pushkin (Arte Johnson) into their kitchen to make the family breakfast. Shirley is initially harsh to him for coming inside, but then realizes he only means well and wanted to show his appreciation for being invited in by the kids. He also starts doing odd jobs around the house, but always seems to break something, so has to return the next day to fix that. When the family has to leave to perform a show over the weekend – where they sing Last Night – they expect him to be gone when they return. However, not only is he still there, but he has painted a giant mural of a nearly-naked woman on their garage. The provokes an angry mob of neighbors led by the crotchety Mr. Phelps (David Ketchum) and Mrs. Monahan (Jeff Donnell) who want it taken down immediately, although one old man (John Qualen) quite enjoys it. Mr. Pushkin leaves immediately during the chaos and retrieves a museum curator named Mr. Hensley (Ivor Barry) who authenticates the work as being a Pushkin, who is a widely acclaimed artist. This makes it more difficult for Shirley to agree to eliminate the painting, which would in fact destroy it. She finally comes up with a solution, and sells the painting, and in fact the entire garage door and front of the garage to the museum. Many come to see the painting, including the old man from the neighborhood. Frank Welker is the reporter Sioux who comes to follow the story. 9/23/21
• 045. He-l-l-l-l-p – 2/11/1972
  • The Partridge Family perform I’m On My Way Back Home, and after returning home, Shirley helps Chris and Tracy pack to spend a week at their grandparents’ place. Laurie suggests that Shirley take an impromptu trip, and Shirley suggests that Laurie come along. They decide to go camping at Pinnico Peak, which is considered to be a heavily wooded and rough area, using only a Girl Ranger Camping Hand Book to guide them. Keith and Danny think it is too dangerous for the ladies and try to talk them out of it. Danny even calls Reuben to see if he can talk Shirley out of it. Even though Shirley tells Reuben to stay out of it, he tells Danny he’ll be there in the morning before they leave. Keith and Danny try to stall the ladies while waiting for Reuben to arrive, but they get wise and sneak off. When Reuben gets there, the three guys all follow them to the campsite in order to keep an eye on them. Whereas the gals are completely prepared with a tent, bedrolls, food, warm clothes, and fire, the guys have none of these things and wind up getting lost and hungry in the woods. They even resort to stealing a can of the gals’ baked beans but have nothing to open it with. Danny tries to keep track of their trail by leaving his clothing on tree branches. They wind up going in a circle, but the girls find the clothes and follow them. When the guys have to finally resort to yelling for help, Shirley and Laurie make themselves known… as do a group of Girl Rangers, who are laughing at the guys for standing in poison oak. Shirley and Laurie tell them that the Girl Ranger lodge is nearby, and that they had breakfast with them. When they all get back home, the guys are all sick from being in the cold and the river, so Shirley and Laurie wait on them until they recover. Unfortunately, the main dish they serve them is baked beans. Cindy Henderson is the girl scout. 3/22/22
• 046. Promise Her Anything, But Give Her a Punch – 2/18/1972
  • Shirley discovers some missing buttons of Danny’s shirt, and he explains that his classmate Gloria Hickey (Patti Cohoon) pulled them off after he threw a handful of mud at the back of her head. Later when Gloria comes to the house selling Girl Scout cookies, Danny buys a dozen boxes of them from her. When his siblings joke with him that he’s in love with her, he adamantly denies it and becomes furious. Shirley tells his siblings not to tease him, and then has a talk with him. Danny admits to her that he gets an uncontrollable urge to punch her in the arm, as well as ask her to the sixth-grade dance, Shirley tells him that he’s a normal boy with a crush. Danny seeks advice on how to ask her out from Laurie, and she coaches him on the correct way to behave. However, when Gloria stops by the house again, Danny runs away too afraid to ask. Gloria then tells Shirley and Laurie that he has a huge crush… on Keith. When Danny finds this out, he becomes furious with Keith, and tries to torture him by pouring cornflakes on him while he sleeps and putting molasses in his comb. Keith tries to make amends, but Danny can’t get passed it and continues to torture Keith and throw darts at his picture in the garage. As Shirley is telling Danny that he should fight for Gloria, she has shown up at the house to ask Gloria to the dance. Danny rushes in and tries to pick a fight with Keith, and when Keith says he couldn’t be interested in an eleven-year-old, Gloria’s feelings are hurt and she runs out. Gloria then returns to see Danny and tells him that he’s not in love with Keith anymore and is impressed that Danny was willing to fight for him. She asks Danny to take her to the dance, and they hit each other in the arm. The Partridge Family performs I Would Have Loved You Anyway at the school. Keith sings directly to Gloria, much to Danny’s irritation. Danny later tells his family about his date, and how it ended with him walking her home and how they punched each other in the arm again. 3/22/22
• 047. The Partridge Papers – 3/3/1972
  • Shortly after she is bestowed with the title Miss Dill Pickle, Laurie is asked to donate a personal belonging to the school’s celebrity charity auction. The boy who comes around to collect it is Marvin (Bruce Kimmel), the editor of the school paper who seems to hate Laurie. She asks Danny to give him the brown box in the closet with her ballet shoes, but he gives her the wrong box… which contains her diary. She is mortified, and sends Keith and Danny to try and get it back, but they fail. Then she tries to go see him herself, and not only fails, but Marvin tells her that he’s going to publish the entire thing in the school newspaper. Laurie then talks Keith and Danny into helping her retrieve it covertly, so they send their mother and Reuben on a wild goose chase at the grocery store to buy them some time to break into the school paper office and swipe the diary. They are nearly busted by a cop (Gordon Jump) on the beat, but talk their way out of it. As Laurie climbs boxes and a fire escape to break in the window, the guys figure out that the front door is unlocked and meet her in the room… only to find the Editor’s door locked. Laurie climbs through the vent in the ceiling, only to re-enter the same room. Meanwhile back at the house, Marvin has stopped by and is lectured by Shirley, who gets him to admit that he really has a crush on Laurie. He admits that when he has the diary in his possession, it ensure that she will notice him. He says he has no intention of printing it, and in fact hasn’t even read it. Danny find the key to the office hanging on the wall, so they enter and begin going through everything. Just then Shirley and Marvin walk in and the kids are caught hiding under the table. Shirley tells them they will be grounded for breaking and entering, and then encourages Marvin to tell Laurie the truth. He confesses his admiration for her and asks her out, but she asks for her diary back first. Later they sing the song It’s One of Those Nights at a club where Marvin is in attendance. Later, Keith threatens to read Laurie’s diary, but she then threatens to read a letter from one of Keith’s girls named Cynthia who starts the letter with “Dear Bootsie…” 7/22/22
• 048. All’s War in Love and Fairs – 3/10/1972
  • The Partridge Family perform Rainmaker in Las Vegas and then get ready to head out on a two-week vacation at a resort in Arizona. Even Reuben’s offer to stay in Las Vegas for a free vacation, while they perform for Mr. Menugi won’t deter them. Unfortunately, their bus breaks down with a broken water hose and they are towed to mechanic Cal (Harry Morgan) and his wife Amanda’s (Josephine Hutchinson) garage. Cal tells them he can’t get a replacement water hose until the next day and invites them to stay at their home. Amanda thinks this might be a great opportunity to have them perform at the Papago Indian Fair as a fund raiser for the local Indian tribe who are trying to build a school for their children. Instead of asking them, Cal tells them that their radiator has sprung a leak and he needs some sealer to repair it, but again, that he won’t be able to get it for a couple days. Cal takes the boys fishing, and while Keith is cleaning his fish in the garage, he finds the radiator solution that they are supposedly waiting for. Cal tells them that he forgot it was there, but that they still can’t leave because the road is washed out. Meanwhile, Reuben receives a call from Mr. Menugi, who has seen the fair flyers, and tells Reuben that they are violating his contract to not perform for anyone else if he can’t perform for them in Las Vegas. Reuben heads to the area to try and find the fairgrounds, but Cal sends him on a wild goose chase where he gets his car stuck in dirt and is taken captive by the local Papago. The Partridges tell Cal and Amanda that they are going to go check out to the roads, so Amanda asks to go with them because she needs to stop by and help the Indians with some things. They introduce the Partridges to a local family, Paul (Ivan Naranjo), Ruth (Sandra Ego), and their son Tommy Winamo (Lee Casey). The kids are enchanted by the local children, and Amanda tells Shirley and Laurie of the tribe’s plight. Shirley thinks somebody should do something, and then volunteers for them to play at their fair to help raise money. She is shocked and amused to see that the flyers have already been printed up. They do a performance of Come on Love, to the delight of the locals. As they gather back at Cal and Amanda’s house, Reuben shows up in Indian gear having been held by the Winamo… which only elicits laughter form the Partridges. Shirley does however say she straightened everything out with Mr. Menugi. 7/22/22  
• 049. Who Is Max Ledbetter, and Why Is He Saying All Those Terrible Things? – 3/17/1972
  • Tracy is having a birthday party, and Ruben brings in a former friend from show business, Maximillian Ledbetter (John Banner), who used to a psychic act and now runs a bakery in his retirement. Right off the bat, he talks about how Tracy skinned her knee at her last party. Then he makes a prediction about Keith being the hero of his next basketball game. Sure enough, when the next game rolls around and his team is behind 87 to 86, a star player named Peterson (Gregor Vigen) twists his ankle, so Keith is finally put into the game by the coach (Joe Di Reda) with nine seconds left. He winds up making a mid-court throw and wins the game for San Pueblo High. Everyone is astonished, mostly because Mr. Ledbetter’s prediction was so accurate. Meanwhile over at Max’s bakery, he is having money problems and his creditor Mr. Thompson (Richard Bull) is threatening to foreclose if he doesn’t pay his account in full. All Max can do is skip paying his other bills and pay off $294 and owe an additional $156. Thompson tells him that the bank will only accept full payment by Friday. Danny calls Ledbetter to ask him about some stock market conditions so that he and Keith can invest the ‘small fortune’ that they’ve amassed. When Ledbetter that they have money to invest, he gets an idea to meet with them. He leads them to believe that there is a ‘black cloud’ hanging over them and that something bad will happens to them if they play their upcoming concert. He says he sees the color green and the numbers one, five, and six. They determine that means $156, and that if he can hold onto that much of their money, he might be able to determine how to stop the misfortune from befalling them. Danny tries to see if he can get the money from his mother, Keith tries to see if Ruben can help them out, and then Danny sets up a kissing booth for Keith, which he refuses to participate in. When that fails, Keith and Danny pretend to be sick so that the Friday concert will have to be canceled. Shirley calls them together to find out what is going on, so they admit the situation. She then brings Mr. Ledbetter over to explain himself, and after initially lying, he admits that he is a fraud, a fake, and almost a reluctant thief, and only did it to save his bakery. Shirley tells him that it is not a good excuse but understands his predicament. She offers to get his act on the bill for their upcoming show at the San Pueblo Auditorium that weekend, to help him get his money. After he has done his act at the show, he introduces the Partridge Family who perform the song You Don’t Have to Tell Me. 11/17/22

SEASON 3

• 050. This Male Chauvinist Piggy Went to Market – 9/15/1972
  • Keith and Laurie come home from school, both having been assigned at school some experimental courses whereby the boys have to take some women’s courses and vice versa. Keith is taking Cooking, Sewing, and Etiquette, while Laurie has to take Self Defense and Auto Shop. Laurie has to change a tire, while Keith has to work on baking a cake. Keith makes some statements indicating he thinks Laurie will have the harder job doing man’s work, leading Laurie to call him out for chauvinism. It turns out Laurie is more adept at adapting than Keith is, and she finishes the tire first. They then challenge either other to an official race while Laurie caps the spark plugs, and Keith makes a spinach souffle. Danny and Reuben act as ‘advisors’ for Keith, while Shirley helps Laurie quickly complete the spark plugs. Keith has to plant the souffle in the back yard. At school the next day, the word gets around how soundly Keith was beaten and soon everyone is teasing him, including a gang of bikers led by Goose Waller (James Carroll Jordan). Keith tells Goose how tired he is of hearing it, and pretty soon Goose is pushing him around and ready to fight. Laurie steps in and utilizes some of her newly learned Judo and flips Goose to the ground. Students really start teasing Keith after this, and Goose is now even more angry and begins calling and leaving notes for Keith with subtle threats. When Shirley finally catches wind of it, she orders Keith not to fight. Keith didn’t have any intention in fighting anyway, so he spends all of his time avoiding Goose. Shirley is worried he will show up at the city’s 113thn Centennial celebration that weekend. They perform the song God Bless You Girl at the show, and when the song is done, Keith runs into Goose and his gang behind the stage. Laurie tries to tell Goose that Keith taught her everything she knows about Judo, but Goose won’t buy it. Then Shirley sees them and wants to yell at Goose, but Keith tells her to back off. He refuses to fight Goose without a something he believes in and insists that Goose’s bruised ego isn’t a good enough reason. When Goose sees that he really won’t fight back, but also won’t run, he backs off and tells Keith that he has guts, and Laurie is alright too. Back at home, Keith wants Laurie to teach him how she did the Judo throw. She eventaully complies, causing Keith’s cake assignment in the oven to pass. Danny insults a song he is writing, so Keith asks Laurie to teach him the move again. He goes after Danny, but Danny has learned the move as well and gives Keith a throw. David Jolliffe is the redheaded biker. Tim Patrick and Cindy Cassell are the pair in school, who make fun of Keith. 11/18/22
• 051. M Is for the Many Things – 9/22/1972
  • The kids are about to gang up on their mother and demands some changes in their rules when Reuben shows up and announces that Shirley has been named Mother of the Year in Women’s Journal magazine. He tells her that they need to fly to Sacramento for the awards ceremony, but she decides that they should drive and spend some quality time together and then meet Reuben there. They run into some trouble along the way when they first encounter a dead end, then when they finally find their way out and go to a diner for lunch, Shirley realizes she left her wallet at home. They manage to scrape together just enough for one burger and one drink. The waitress Sheila (Yvonne Wilder) recognizes Shirley as Mother of the Year and is puzzled by how cheap she appears to be, so she sends her 11-cent tip and some free cookies home with the kids. As they drive on through Crater City, they are pulled over in a speed trap by the goofy Deputy Haynie (Rick Hurst), who admits that everyone who gets a ticket complains about not being able to see the sign. Shirley refuses to sign the ticket, so Haynie takes her and the family to see Judge McElwreath (Edgar Buchanan). He tries to swindle them out of more money as well, but as soon as Keith shows him the Women’s Journal, he decides it would be bad for his political career to charge the Mother of the Year, so he drops the charges. They press on, but soon run out of gas. The first guy (Jack Lukes) who pulls over only wants to have a good time with Shirley… until he sees that she has kids. Hainey and the Judge drive by and ignore them, but they finally get one driver to help them get gas. By the time they leave, they are all filthy, and finally arrive at the hotel in Sacramento in that same condition. Before she can get changes, Shirley is brought on stage to accept her award. She has trouble explaining why she looks so terrible, but Keith steps in and tells the crowd how close their family is and how they love each other through thick and thin pointing out that this particular day had been quite ‘thick’. The emcee Shirley Malfussi (Mitzi Hoag) announces that not only is Shirley the Mother of the Year, but the Partridge Family is the Family of the Year. The group performs the song As Long as There’s You. 4/25/23
• 052. Princess and the Partridge – 9/29/1972
  • Keith is disappointed when his date for the weekend Naomi Ledbetter sprains her knee, but Reuben brings him a better offer: a visiting princess named “Jean-Pierre” Jenny (Season Hubley), who is on an official visit sponsored by the State Department, and fan of Keith’s. He agrees to the date when he sees her picture and they family goes to meet her at the airport. There they meet Cecil Turnbow (Hal Buckley) from the Diplomatic Corp and his counterpart from the princess’s country Frederic La Forge (Laurie Main). They introduce her to Jenny, who arrives on a separate plane, but she is whisked away to address the press before Keith can really meet her. That night they host her for dinner, but they are given a head’s up by Special Agent Valentine (John Bernard) that the house is surrounded by fifteen security guards. Keith is so nervous that he gives everyone in the family topics to talk about at dinner. The dinner is very awkward with everyone watching what they say, so much so that Jennie finally admits to them that she had hoped to have dinner with an easygoing American family, but the dinner feels as stiff as a state dinner. Everyone loosens up a bit, but by the time Keith and Jennie are alone, Valentine tells them that they have to take the Princess back to her hotel. Jennie expresses her desire for Keith to ‘kidnap’ her form her hotel and take her to the movies. He accomplishes this by posing as a bellboy and wheeling her out under a food cart. Once they get to the drive-in, Keith is too nervous to make any moves on her, but she has him imagine that she is Naomi Ledbetter. Eventually he puts his arm around her and they kiss… just in time to be captured on film by a photographer (Sheldon Lee). When their photo is splashed on the front of the newspaper, the princess’s ambassador sees it as an embarrassment and blames the American state department. Turnbow and La Forge get into a shouting match, but Shirley shuts them up and tells them that the incident was just about a boy and girl who wanted to get to know each other. She tells them if they had treated them like people rather than extensions of their countries. Princess Jennie thanks Shirley and tells her that her mother would have said the same thing. Jennie and the ambassadors attend a Partridge Family performance, and they sing Together We’re Better. Later, the family sees Jennie off at the airport as she heads back to her country. 4/26/23
• 053. Each Dawn I Diet – 10/6/1972
  • Danny comes home upset because his friend Gloria Hickey says that his body is getting fat. He decides to go on a diet to lose five pounds, starting with boycotting the spaghetti dinner they are having. Shirley tells him she will help him with a true diet of healthy food and vegetables, but when he has his weigh-in, he finds that he has actually gained weight. His excuse is that he needed boosts of energy which he got through candy. When Reuben remarks that Danny has no willpower like he does, Danny offers him a bet of washing his car versus Reuben cutting their grass if Reuben can give up smoking for as long as Danny gives up junk food. They both suffer through until they can take it no more, and in fact catch each other getting ready to cheat late one night. Shirley decides to move Reuben into Danny’s room so that they can keep an eye on each other. She also makes the family promise to talk them through any lapses they might have, similar to the way it works in Alcoholics Anonymous. It isn’t long before Reuben goes to talk to Keith, while Danny talks to Shirley. When Danny and Reuben continue to bicker, she finally hands Danny candy and Reuben cigarettes and tells them to enjoy. The reverse psychology works, and the guys decide to stick it out. In the end, they both succeed. Danny gets voted as having the ‘best body’ at Gloria’s swimming pool party, and Reuben doesn’t go back to cigarettes. Danny offers to help him, since the loss of cigarettes is causing him to gain some weight though. He also manages to alienate Gloria by talking her out of eating junk food, since she too can stand to lose some weight. The band performs It’s All in Your Mind. 9/7/23
• 054. A Penny for His Thoughts – 10/13/1972
  • The Partridge family friend Snake (now played by Stuart Margolin) comes to see the family late one night after being rejected by his girlfriend Penny Sweetweather (Judie Stein) when he asked her to marry him. Snake says he is there to say goodbye to the family and now plans to kill himself. The family doubts his sincerity in this, but decides they’d better help him anyway. They let Snake stay at the house for the night, and after going grocery shopping in the morning, they return to find that Danny has invited Snake’s gang to the house to cheer him up. Shirley quickly clears them out, and the plans to resume his objective of killing himself. After talking more to Snake about trying to save his relationship with Penny, she finds out that he proposed to her over the telephone. She tells him that he needs to make a grand gesture during his proposal and gives him other advice on how to treat a woman. Snake dresses up in a green suit at Shirley’s suggestion and adorns his bike with a decorative potted palm. However, when he proposes to her in person, she once again slams the door in his face. Instead of committing suicide, Snake agrees to live a life of solitude in an Alaskan igloo. Shirley sets out to find Penny at the store where she works and goes to see her. Penny says she only turned him down because of the rudeness of proposing over the phone, and then thought he was mocking her when he proposed wearing the green suit and tie. Shirley brings Penny back to see him at the house, and this time she accepts his proposal. They hold the wedding at the Partridge house, with Keith singing the Mario Lanza song Because. Snake has all of his friends including his closest friends Gorgo (Henry Olek) and Tinker (James Beach). The parents on the other said of the aisle (Bryan O’Byrne, Helen Kleeb) are disgusted by all of the biker guests. Eventually the minister (Bill Quinn) reads the poetic vows written by Snake and pronounces them man and wife. It is also revealed that Snake’s name is Hayman Timothy Goodroe… and that the parents at the wedding are his. The Partridges sing the song Love Must Be the Answer. After the wedding, Gorgo stops by and tells everyone that he has decided to follow in Snake’s footsteps and get married. He tries to sweep Laurie off her feet and marry her, but Laurie tells him that he’s engaged to a policeman, so he hands her back to Keith.  12/29/23
• 055. You’re Only Young Twice – 10/20/1972
  • Danny’s school counselor Dr. Beecher (Charlotte Rae) sends home a note with Danny that he conveniently doesn’t give his mother, indicating that he is misbehaving in school. She also calls the house and sets up an appointment with Danny. When Shirley mentions that Danny’s behavior at home really hasn’t changed, Dr. Beecher suggests that Shirley let Danny make his own rules and own decisions at home in hopes of getting to the bottom of whatever might be bothering him and driving to such behavior in school. Initially, Shirley has trouble allowing Danny to do what he wants, when he requests to watch TV before he does homework. Keith and Laurie are incredulous, but Shirley explains the thought behind her lack of guidance. Danny then really begins doing whatever he wants in earnest: telling his mother that he wants to join her in watching the late-night talk shows, stealing the attention of Lori’s boyfriend Richard Whipple (Bruce Kimmel) by keeping him talking about sports during his date with Lori, and staying up until the wee hours bothering Keith to play cards with him. The older kids are about to mutiny, so Shirley goes back to see Dr. Beecher. She tells Shirley that they’ve learned a lot from Danny’s behavior, namely that he wants to be an adult and act like the older kids and Shirley. She encourages Shirley to let him do just that, but also make sure he is exposed to what it’s really like to be an adult. Finally, when Danny asks to go on a double date with Keith and his girlfriend Molly (Maggie Wellman), they see their chance to show him. When Keith and Molly start kissing on their picnic, Danny tries to emulate him with Gloria, but Gloria tells him he’d better not dare. Instead, she’d rather run around, swing on the swings, and climb trees. Danny finally realizes that he’s rather do that also, so he decides to stop acting so mature. Later, Danny has made up his mind to stay young, and proves it by going outside to play ball with Gloria. However, when Laurie comes home with new packages after shopping, Gloria would rather go check out her new purchases, and tells Danny that he’s not mature for wanting to play ball. Reuben assures him that no matter his age, he should never try to understand women. The group sings Am I Losing You. 9/7/23
• 056. The Modfather – 10/27/1972
  • The family are getting ready to head to the beach when they get a last-minute call from Shirley’s parents Walter and Amanda Renfrew that they want to come over and talk to everyone. The family assumes they must be fighting, but rather they claim that … The grandparents immediately start implementing their tools for reading the true meaning of everything the kids say and do, including simple things like Keith clearing his throat or Laurie folding her arms. Grandpa also beats up on Tracy’s inflatable clown Charlie whenever he is angry with his wife. The grandparents gather everyone in the living room and tries to coax them into bring up things that make them angry. Once Danny starts the ball rolling, it starts to lead to more arguments among the kids. Soon they are all fighting, and the grandparents are ecstatic that truth is beautiful. While they are working on face-touching exercises, Shirley tells her parents that the family has their own way to relate to each other, and she wants them to stop with the new techniques. The folks tell her that they are heading home anyway to get started on their ‘new’ life. Later that night, Amanda shows up the door after leaving Walter. She says they were too honest with each other and that they’ve admitted to each other that their marriage has lost its zip. Soon, Walter returns to the house, and their fighting and screaming starts anew, and then soon makes the announcement that they are planning to get a divorce and then live together again so they are no longer bound by a contract, but by their own honest feelings. They even are open to dating other people. Keith suggests that they merely pretend that they are divorced to save time and money. Reuben reports to Shirley that Walter has asked him to get him a date, and Shirley encourages him to follow through with it, thinking that this is the perfect way to send Water running back to her mother. Amanda says she too has a date for quiet dinner with a distinguished gentleman. They both wind up on their dates at the same boat house restaurant where the family happens to be performing. Reuben ad Walter wind up double dating with two younger ladies named Candy (Toni Berrell) and Daisy (Ondine Vaughn) who think the men’s stories are quite vintage, while Amanda sits at the next table with her over-talkative date Dwight (Bill Zuckert). After the family performs the romantic song Something New Got Old, Walter and Amanda decide they’d rather not be with their current dates. That night, they go back to Shirley’s house and talk through the night, deciding they still want to be together, but in a different way. Shirey has the idea that they renew their vows, so they hold another wedding in the Partridge house, with the minister (Gordon Jump) announcing them happily wedded once again. As they head out of for their honeymoon, it is Tracy who catches the bouquet. NOTE: Walter’s name was previously Fred. 1/1/24
• 057. A Likely Candidate – 11/3/1972
  • Despite his lack of interest in politics, Keith goes with Laurie to see Richard Lawrence (Bert Convy), an attorney and candidate for the 39th district of Congress. He is running against Bob Antonelli, and he makes a good case for his election, as Keith comes away fully supporting Lawrence. In fact, when Keith offers to pitch in on his campaign, Lawrence stops by the house to ask Shirley if he could hire the band to play at his campaign rally on Friday of that week. With Ruben out of town on vacation, Shirley is reluctant to accept any gigs, and furthermore, she tells Lawrence that she had voted for Antonelli in the last election. He offers to take her out to dinner so that he can tell her his political positions, and she accepts the invitation. Keith starts to become skeptical of his intentions, especially when Shirley seems to be in a great mood the next morning and takes several calls from Mr. Lawrence, whom she starts calling “Richard’ and then “Dick.” She accepts a coffee date with Dick, while Keith is looking forward to meeting his daughter Cathy (Ann Carol Pearson), who is coming into town from the East to help with the campaign. Shirley says she can’t get hold of Reuben, so she agrees that they will play his rally… for free. Richard offers to take out the entire family, but since Laurie is babysitting the kids that night, they agree that only Keith and Cathy will go along as a double date. Danny gets Reuben to come back home by getting word to him that he had broken his leg. He hopes Reuben will back him up that they shouldn’t play for free. Keith sees the chance to try and convince Richard that their family is so big that it will cost him a fortune and they’ll never get any quiet, but both Richard and Cathy like big families. The next day, Keith admits to his mother that he was being very watchful of Richard and wanted to protect her, as he isn’t sure about Richard’s intentions. Shirley reminds him that one of the things he liked about Richard as a candidate was his sincerity. She assures Keith that she will always be there as a mother, but sometimes she still feels lonely as a woman, even with all of the love she gets from five children. They perform the song One Day at a Time at the rally, and then Keith gets Shirley to sing a song that they had only rehearsed thus far, Ain’t Love Easy. Richard winds up losing the election but gives a humble concession speech. He stops by the house while they are watching him on TV, and he admits that part of him is glad that he doesn’t have to move to Washington D.C. 5/6/24
• 058. Swiss Family Partridge – 11/10/1972
  • After finishing their concert up with the song It Means I’m in Love with You, they end their current two-week tour which culminated is someplace cold and snowy. Shirley surprises everyone by telling them that Reuben got them a rustic cabin to spend the weekend before returning home. The kids are less than excited and give Reuben a sarcastic thank you. Reuben then drives them to the cabin, where it immediately starts pouring down rain. He expects Keith to then drive him to Tahoe and return, but Keith refuses to go out in the heavy rain. Four hours later, it is still raining, and the kids are bored and hungry. Shirley sends Keith out to the bus to bring in the two days’ worth of groceries she bought. He gets the groceries and sees that the bus has started to sink into the mud outside the cabin. With no phone and only a wood burning stove to cook on, in which only Laurie has the ability to start a fire, everyone gets really down. They try to play a game called “Finish the Story,” but it ends with a family like them hating their manager who brought them out into the middle of nowhere. They then try to just simply talk about any subject, but when Danny turns the conversation toward ‘free love’, it quickly ends. When it starts to get dark at 7:30pm, they decide to go to bed, with Reuben requesting that he have his own room. However, since there are only two, they split up between the boys and the girls. After quickly getting on each other’s nerves in the boys’ room, Danny pulls out his transistor radio, on which they hear that the storm could last up to four or five days. With only two days’ worth of food, they try to come up with a survival plan and figure out how to ration out the food. During a brief break in the rain, they try to spell out the word HELP outside for the planes to see, but it starts raining again. They then try to hook up their amplifier to the bus and then yell out for help, but Reuben only winds up getting a major shock. Eventually, the park ranger, E.J. Whacker (Charles Shull) happens along and offers his assistance. However, he is now stuck in the mud, so everyone has to help push him out. Eventually, the family gets home, and Reunbe claims he misses the adventure of man vs. nature. They argue about who is more able to survive in the wild, man or woman, with Reuben and Keith maintaining that the men are stronger. Shirley then assigns them to be the ones to unload the bus. 5/6/24
• 059. Ain’t Loveth Grand? – 11/17/1972
  • While playing tennis with her friend Mary Lou Trimper (Ta-Tanisha), Laurie meets a boy named Greg Houser (Anthony Geary), to whom she becomes instantly attracted. It turns out that Laurie and Greg were childhood friends, and, as he points out, they used to take baths together. They agree on going on a date to the movies that evening so that they can catch up, but when Greg arrives, everyone in the house is surprised to find that he is now a minister. On the date, Laurie tries to whitewash any partying she may have done or anything of questionable integrity. She chooses to take him to the movie Billion Dollar Raccoon since it is the only film in town with a ‘G’ rating. Greg thinks Laurie isn’t being herself, and she finally agrees with him. They decide to skip the movie and go parking at Muldoon’s Point. Her family is surprised that this is what they chose to do, but Laurie says that they only talked all evening, and surprisingly, she now thinks she is falling in love with him. Shirley advises Laurie that they’ve only known one another for a day and that she should give it more time before deciding if she loves him. She invites Greg to come do dinner later in the week, and the meal is slightly uncomfortable as Keith has to refrain from off-color jokes, and Danny pretends that they always say Grace before eating. After the dinner, Laurie tells her mother that time is up, meaning that she now knows she is in love with Greg. After the Partridges rehearse the song Love Must Be the Answer in the garage, Laurie rushes off to play tennis with Greg. Reuben can tell that Shirley is worried, and she confesses that Laurie has never acted like this with any other boy. She decides that she will have a talk with Laurie that night, but before she gets a chance, Keith and Danny raise the red flags that they think Laurie and Greg have eloped. The evidence is that Laurie didn’t take her tennis racket, her suitcase is missing, and she left a note that said “Left with Greg. He needs me. Please understand.” Shirley then freaks out and heads straight to the church, where she finds that Greg is officiating a wedding for another couple, and Laurie is acting as the witness. She admits that her note wasn’t as clear as it should have been and tells her mother how much she appreciates how much she cares. She also tells her that she and Greg discussed their relationship and decided to back off for a while as long as Laurie is still in school, and that if they decide to get married at some point in the future, Shirley will be the first to know. Greg attends one of the family concerts where they perform the song Sunshine. Later, Laurie heads out for more tennis with Greg, prompting Chris to ask if their love is different than the love they have for their mother. Reuben tries unsuccessfully to explain the birds and the bees to them, but ultimately Shirley takes Chris and Tracy upstairs to have the talk. 9/23/24
• 060. Whatever Happened to Keith Partridge? – 11/24/1972
  • The Partridge Family performs a concert with the song Am I Losing You. After the show they are visited by a fan named Gus Gorney (Jim Connell), who is also a talent scout for World International Pictures. He says that he has been looking for someone to fill a role in their latest picture, and Keith perfectly fits the bill. He invites him to come to Hollywood the next week for a screen test. Keith nervously accepts the proposition and then waits for Reuben to get a copy of the script. The film is called Hitchhike from Death, and Keith is slated to try out for the meaty roll of Vito Gambini, a young man with a pretty face and an evil heart. Reuben takes over as his acting coach and tries to get him to play every scene with intense emotion. Shirley, however, thinks he should underplay a good portion of it so that his emotional lines come out more intense. After working on the role all week, they all load up into the bus and head to Hollywood. Their neighbor Mrs. Kornegge (Shelley Morrison) wishes Keith luck as they depart. The eventually arrive at World International Pictures and they get past the guard Otis Butrum (Robert B. Williams) and another guard (Pat Patterson) who verifies his screen test. Keith goes through makeup and wardrobe and is put into a wig that makes it appear as if he has short hair. The assistant director (Ray Buktenica) calls him to do his part, and then they head home and wait to find out whether he got the role. Reuben shows up one morning and tells Keith that he got the part. Keith packs and gets ready to head back to Hollywood, while Danny plans a goodbye part for him. Reuben calls Keith and asks him to meet him at the taco stand. Keith runs into his friends Dale (Mark Lambert) and Kitty (Cindy Cassell), who congratulate him on his success. Another girl named Cindy (Claire Wilcox) asks him for his autograph, but says it is for her mother. Reuben then tells him the bad news that he lost the role, as they decided to cast someone with a bigger name recognition. Keith is disappointed but wants to be the one to tell his family. When he gets home, he is getting ready to tell his mother when his family and friends surprise him with a going-away party. Keith then is forced to make the announcement that he didn’t get the role to everyone. Everyone is nice and understanding, and Cindy says that she – or rather her mother – still treasures the autograph. After everyone leaves, his brothers and sisters give him the ‘Oscar’ that he would have one, which is actually in the shape of a partridge. The band performs Looking Through the Eyes of Love. Later, Keith is relieved that everything is getting back to normal, and he was only asked for one autograph. Danny comes up with a money-making scheme that includes a giant standee of Keith with a place to put a fan’s head, who can pay 25 cents to pose for a picture with Keith. 9/23/24

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