More than you ever wanted to know about the Partridge Family....
The show was "inspired" by The Cowsills, who had several hits, such as "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things", which went to #2 on the charts:
This hit was followed by "Indian Lake, when went to #10, and ""Hair", which went to #2.
There were seven members of The Cowsills, all family members:
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They didn't have the good looks nor acting experience required by the TV powers, so Oscar-winning actress Shirley Jones and her fictional family, played by Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough, Brian Forster and Jones’ stepson Cassidy. Dave Madden rounded out the group as manager Reuben Kincaid on The Patridge Family TV show.
Their biggest hit, "I Think I Love You," went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1970, outselling The Beatles' "Let It Be":
While the show was a hit and record sales were topping the charts, the cast wasn’t getting any richer. Most egregious was the exploitation of Cassidy, who had become a teen idol and superstar. He was selling out stadiums and getting mobbed by fans everywhere he went. He would come home to find naked women in his house or camping out in his car.
He was only able to change the terms of his contract when his manager realized that he’d been under 18 when he signed.
Dey had a crush on Cassidy the entire time. They played brother and sister, but they were still teenagers. Dey was two years younger than Cassidy, but the two really clicked, and while he was happy with what he thought was a close and innocent friendship, she was pining for him. He'd come back from his tours and concerts and regale her with stories of the girls who followed him around, begging to sleep with him and often succeeding, and she listened as a good friend would, never saying a word about her true feelings. Jones finally took Cassidy aside to tell him he was battering Dey's heart with every word, and he realized he'd been an idiot.
Obligatory pic:
