No one disputes the fact that Danny Bonaduce was a troublemaker. Not only that, but he often forgot his lines—one time, causing a scene to require 36 takes. Shirley Jones is known to have said, “Danny was a wild child who came from an unhappy home. At eleven, he started smoking.” Growing up in the spotlight only compounds the problems caused by conflicts at home.
Playing Danny Partridge, he would frustrate the cast. Completely vexed, Shirley once ordered him to go upstairs to his room! Never mind that the set did not have an upstairs or that she’s not his real mom.
And Then There Was Ricky
In season four, Ricky showed up. Ratings were in a slump, and adding an adorable little boy seemed as if it would bring just the bounce the show needed. The little guy, an actor named Ricky Segall, was only four years old.
He played neighbor Ricky Stevens, a boy who liked to sing. With zero results, the boy was dismissed mid-season.
Tragedy Strikes at a David Cassidy Concert
At the peak of his success, teen idol David Cassidy’s concerts were selling out to wildly ecstatic crowds. At a 1974 show at London’s White City Stadium, crowds got out of hand, and a youngster was killed. A wave of enthusiasm caused a mob of teens to rush the stage. Thirty people were crushed in the stampede.
One of the victims was concert goer Bernadette Whelan, a 14-year-old. She was rushed to the hospital and treated for her wounds but died four days later of cardiac arrest. When asked about the melee, Cassidy said that the death will always haunt him.
The Partridge Family Home
Shots of the Partridge family’s house from the outside may look familiar. The same house was used in other popular shows of the time like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Dennis the Menace. It was also featured in Pleasantville with Resse Witherspoon.
The pretty yellow and white house was particularly noticeable during shots when the iconic Partridge family tour bus drove by.
Olivia Newton-John as Laurie?
Sure. Why not? The truth is, Olivia Newton-John was the producers’ first choice to play Laurie Partridge.
To further complicate things, Susan Dey, the sweet-faced girl who got the role of Laurie on The Partridge Family, was almost cast as Sandy in the 1978 hit musical “Grease!”