Hidden secrets of The Partridge Family you never knew

By the way, did you know that Farrah wasn’t the only future Charlie’s Angel to make a guest appearance on Patridge? Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd also graced the show, each in their own separate episodes. Talk about a star-studded lineup before they all became Charlie’s Angels!

A lost family member
Even though The Partridge Family seemed like a perfect, well-crafted show, there were definitely some funny bloopers sneaking in here and there. One of the best ones actually happens in the pilot episode — a little moment that many might not have noticed.

At the end of the pilot, the kids are all frozen in place as the curtain goes up, and they’re supposed to sing in front of an audience.

Their mom, Shirley (played by Shirley Jones), tries to help them relax by asking them to think about when they’re just playing in the garage at home. But instead of saying, “Remember when the six of us were rehearsing in the garage?” Shirley accidentally says, “Just imagine you’re in the back of our garage, all five of us, just having fun.” Oops! Looks like she forgot one family member…

The Skunk wire
Here’s another funny detail from the Skunk episode in Season 1, Episode 8. While the family is having a picnic, a skunk sneaks onto the bus and ends up spraying them.

The episode was inspired by writer Bernard Slade’s own experiences growing up, where he had a family of skunks living under his house. But here’s the fun part that most people probably missed: When the family is leaving the picnic and heading back to the bus, you can actually spot the skunk being “coached” onto the bus using a wire!

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It seems like no one was too keen on training a skunk (or maybe there were no professional skunks available in Hollywood), so the production team decided to attach a wire to the skunk’s neck and basically pull it onto the bus. Not exactly the most humane method, huh?

Revealing mistakes
The inside of the Partridge home was actually shot on a set, not in a real house. But, in episodes where we get a peek through the open front door, you can spot a wall just a few feet beyond it. Here’s the kicker though — when we’re inside the house, there’s no wall in that spot! Magic of TV, right?

And here’s another thing that will make you chuckle: in almost every episode, there are zero monitors, speakers, or amps for their vocals and electric guitars. I mean, how is the band supposed to rock out without the gear? Guess it’s just another Partridge family miracle…

David Cassidy lied about one thing
David Cassidy sadly passed away on November 21, 2017.

The former teenage star had been battling several health issues before he died of liver failure. Like many other former teenage stars, his drinking problem clouded the last years of his life.

In 2008, David went public with his problem and said that he was going to seek help. He managed to convince family and friends that he had stopped drinking – but it was all a lie.

During his last live performance, in February 2017, David forgot the lyrics to songs he had been singing for nearly 50 years. According to reports, the singer also appeared to be drunk and fell off the stage.

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David then announced that he had been diagnosed with dementia and was retiring from all further performing. But the truth was that his drinking caused his declining health.

In the documentary David Cassidy: The Last Session, David could be heard making a shock confession. Just two months prior to his death, the iconic heartthrob of the ’70s had a telephone conversation with an A&E producer that was recorded. Once again he was hospitalized – but this time, he decided to come clean about how he had lied about his drinking.

“I have a liver disease,” Cassidy said to A&E producer Saralena Weinfield.

“There is no sign of me having dementia at this stage of my life. It was completely alcohol poisoning. My life has changed dramatically. The first few days I was unconscious and near death. The last week or so my memory has come back,” David said.

David Cassidy’s final words
David died of liver failure on November 21, 2017, at the age of 67.

Davids’s daughter Katie took to Twitter and shared her father’s last words on the deathbed:

“My father’s last words were “So much wasted time”. This will be a daily reminder for me to share my gratitude with those I love as to never waste another minute….thank you,” she wrote.

Millions mourned the passing of David, including his stepmother Shirley Jones – who fondly recalled working with him on Partridge Family.

“I actually think our true-life relationship, our closeness, helped us in the show,” Jones told the Hollywood Reporter.