‘The Partridge Family’ Writer Talks David Cassidy, That Western Episode, and Who Poured Milk on Danny Bonaduce(Exclusive)
The 1970s hit TV show The Partridge Family captured lightning in a bottle — so much so that the 96 episodes of the groovy music comedy, which ran from 1970 to 1974, still air on television today, half a century later. The Partridge Family writer and producer William Bickley remembers it all — and he shared with ReMIND some of his memories of working on the show, from David Cassidy‘s on-set behavior to how everyone was in love with Susan Dey.
The Partridge Family episode that never was…
During the last season of The Partridge Family, Bickley was in the middle of transitioning over to his new position as showrunner for a new series called Happy Days, when executive producer Bob Claver insisted he write one more script.
Bickley complied — but not with a traditional Partridge Family script. “There was a play written by one of the guest stars on The Partridge Family, Bruce Kimmel, who was terrific. His characters, I think, were various fruits and vegetables,” he laughs. “So while working 20 hours days on Happy Days, I dashed off, wrote a script even stranger than Bruce’s play and needless to say, it was never shot!”
The Partridges, Western-style?
Season 2’s “Don’t Bring Your Guns to Town, Santa,” warmly referred to as “The Christmas Episode” by fans, is Bickley’s favorite: “David Cassidy always played Keith Partridge as slightly dumb, and when he took on the role of ‘Sheriff Swell’ in that episode, he was constantly ‘not getting it’!” he chuckles. “David was so terrific in it; he took his character a little further and then a little further… He was so good!” The jokes in that episode proved to be a soft spot for Bickley: “’Miss Belle,’ played by Shirley Jones, ran a saloon where the town bell is stolen … Cassidy’s line ‘What’s a bell, Belle Belle?’ just put me on the floor!” he recalls with delight.
Everyone truly was happy on set
Bickley had been serving as associate producer and writer for Room 222 when his good friend/writer Dale McRaven invited him to come work together on The Partridge Family. Bickley remembers, “I loved all the actors [on Room 222] but there was constant fighting; it was a nightmare,” he explains. “So when I got to The Partridge Family, that’s all I knew. I didn’t know a show could be that calm and friendly; The Partridge Family was my first terrific experience, not anachronistic like most TV shows were. Bob Claver snared a bit, but overall everyone was so happy, nice and cooperative. The script readings on Mondays were fun and everyone was so pleasant.”
It really was all about David Cassidy
Everett Collection
“David Cassidy was why that show became so popular, and by the time I arrived, he was already a megastar, a full-on rock star,” Bickley remembers. “On Fridays, we’d finish shooting, a limo would pull up, he would disappear to go off and play stadiums in front of 50,000 people for the entire weekend. Monday mornings, the limo rolled up, David would get out completely exhausted and still be so friendly during the table reading. It was such a dichotomy; he was this enormous rockstar and then the same David we knew would come in and read through the scripts with us. The following Friday, the same would happen all over again. He was worn to a frazzle from performing live shows and filming, but he always showed up prepared.”
“David could have gotten away with a lot because of his stature and his importance to the show, but he never exhibited those self-centered tantrums that were not uncommon with rock stars or TV stars. He never tested those waters; he was a consummate pro,” Bickley says. “During the fourth season we were really trying to save the show, but we all knew without David, there was no show; he simply couldn’t be replaced.” He adds, “I never faulted him for wanting to leave at that point. I knew he was really burned out.”
Those hit songs…
John Melanson /TV Guide/Everett Collection
“It was such a surprise David could actually sing; nobody had planned on that,” Bickley reveals. He attended recording sessions and recalls, “David was phenomenal; he would come in and just bang out cut after cut after cut for the albums. I’ve seen many other recording artists take months to do what David could do in one evening. He seemed like such a seasoned pro; watching him work in the recording studio was amazing!”
Controlling that little redheaded kid, Danny Bonaduce
Everett Collection
According to Bickley, Shirley Jones was incredibly professional and always prepared. “And of course, we were all in love with Susan Dey!” he laughs. “Dave Madden was terrific at comedy and we got along great; he really looked after little Danny Bonaduce, who needed it! Danny was such a gifted comedy actor but he would act out. Once Susan got so frustrated, she poured a pitcher of milk over his head!” He also recollects a tense moment while filming on a cruise ship in Mexico: “The crew told us if we couldn’t control that little redheaded kid, they were gonna throw him in the ocean!”
Cassidy would have turned 75 this year on April 12th
Rick Diamond/Getty Images for IEBA
“David was an extraordinary actor, especially comedy, and an excellent singer; both at such a high level. I think in the end, it was too much for him to be such a huge rock star and such a good actor. I always felt it had been a curse for him, being so popular with his music; I thought it hurt his chances having a better acting career. But being enormously popular on TV can also be a curse. That level of popularity can sometimes destroy your future career, and he went through some hard times. I think David was extremely underrated.” He adds, “I really liked that guy.”
Remind 
1972
January 2022
1972 was a year packed with everything from “American Pie” to Ziggy Stardust What’s not to love?
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