'The Partridge Family' house looks familiar for a reason His schedule of touring and appearances made it almost impossible for them to be together, however, and she broke his heart when she was cast in a new series, Bridget Loves Bernie and fell in love with her co-star David Birney. She and Cassidy began a brief but intense relationship. That's a lot of star power, but the one who made the biggest impact was future Family Ties mom Meredith Baxter.
Other notables included Michael Ontkean ( Twin Peaks), Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton ( The Wizard of Oz), Louis Gosset, Jr., Mark Hamill (who wouldn't become Luke Skywalker for another few years, but played Laurie's boyfriend), Charlotte Rae ( The Facts of Life), Tony Geary ( General Hospital), Nancy Walker ( Rhoda), and in an in uncredited appearance, Johnny Cash.
The Partridge Family featured quite a few guest stars including up-and-comers who would eventually become stars in their own right.Ī very young, pre- Taxi Driver Jodie Foster turned up as the daughter of one of Shirley's suitors, whose crush on Danny led to her punching him in the eye.įarrah Fawcett had a cameo as a young hottie enlisted to help Danny and Reuben discredit TV vet Harry Morgan, and fellow Charlie's Angels Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd had their moments on the show as well. It didn’t work, and he was soon sent packing. Interestingly, the studio didn't receive even one letter about the switch.Īlso, like the Bradys, a new, much younger cast member was brought in (in a shark-jumping moment for both shows) at the 11th hour to try to raise sagging ratings. He was replaced in the second season by Forster, who played Chris for the rest of the series. While the story told by the studio was that the Gelbwaks family moved away, the truth is that every cast and crew member complained about his behavior. There were two Chris Partridges, as well as some other disappearing cast membersĪt the beginning of the show, Chris Partridge was played by Jeremy Gelbwaks. At 11, Bonaduce also had a hard time remembering his lines, and once had to do 36 takes to get a relatively uncomplicated scene completed. Another time when his castmates thought he was getting too big for his britches, they got Dey to pour milk over his head, which ultimately found its way into an episode (although it was done to Keith instead of Danny). One day an exasperated but maternal Jones forgot herself and ordered him upstairs to his room, despite the fact that the set didn’t actually have an upstairs and she wasn’t really his mom. He was well-liked but notorious for acting up on set. didn’t have to stretch that far to play smart-aleck Danny P.
Instead, she took the role of Shirley Partridge, who quits her job as a bank teller to join her kids’ singing group and guide them through superstardom.īonaduce was a handful on set as well as on-screen
She turned it down, saying she didn’t want to spend all of her scenes in the kitchen making sandwiches.
She was offered the role of Carol Brady on another new series scheduled for that fall called The Brady Bunch. She became a big star, initially known for ingénue roles in musicals, but then showed off her dramatic chops by winning an Oscar for Elmer Gantry.īy 1970, Jones was raising three boys with husband Jack Cassidy and was interested in doing a steady TV series.
Within a year, she was starring in the movie version of Oklahoma!. Her very first audition put her in front of Broadway legends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and was cast in the chorus of South Pacific that same day. To celebrate the 1970s staple, we're offering up some fun facts that may surprise you: Jones could’ve been Carol Brady instead of Shirley Partridge