Hey, Isn't That...? #4: The Partridge Family

I was watching The Partridge Family with my daughter the other day when I noticed not one, but TWO Charlie's Angels appearing briefly on the show. In one episode Jaclyn Smith plays a girl the Partridge kids mistake for a mistress.  They inform their mother (Shirley Jones) that her man is two-timing her.... only to find out that Jacqueline is the dude's niece.  Sounds like a Three's Company episode!

"The Sound of Money" episode is among my favorites because it tells a touching story of a bitter old bachelor (played by Harry Morgan of Dragnet and M*A*S*H) who learns to love with the help of the charming Partridge kids..... but mostly I like it because of Farrah.

In this scene Danny and Reuben use Farrah Fawcett as a decoy to expose an old man as a fraud. She "accidentally" drops something, and if Harry Morgan picks it up, it'll prove he's not really injured and therefore can't sue The Partridges. At first it seems to work...

Unfortuneately, Danny can't keep his eyes off of Farrah, and doesn't snap a picture of the old man bending over. Instead, he gets a picture of Farrah.  Can't say as I blame him.

This scene is hilarious. Look at Danny Bonaduce - can you tell what's got his attention? I have a feeling this wasn't planned. Young Bonaduce just couldn't controll himself.

Yeah. He's still looking....

Of course, I noticed this tended to happen a lot with the randy Bonaduce.  Here he is in another episode. Once again, can you tell what's got his attention?

This picture is going to be my new wallpaper on my work computer. Bonaduce has never been what you would call discrete or shy, and I don't think these programs were as heavily edited as they are today, so Bonaduce's expressions probably passed under the radar.  In this episode, "Danny and the Mob"(1970), he's getting an eyefull of actress Barbara Rhoades' assets.

Later in that episode, Barbara Rhoades marries a mobster who's played by...... Schneider!!! Yes, that's Pat Harrington, Jr. kissing the lovely bride.  Harrington would, of course, go on to play the annoying handyman on One Day at a Time.

In another episode, the Partridges have their bus break down in the ghetto. Turns out there's a club there that's being muscled out of business. Thank goodness the Partridges are there to solve the problems of the ghetto simply by singing.  I did a double take when I saw Richard Pryor appear onscreen.

And lastly, here's Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill. He plays Laurie's boyfriend. She's afraid her new braces are driving him away (the plot is very Bradyesque).

Other actors I noticed on The Partridge Family were Dr. Bombay from Bewitched, Uncle Fester from The Addam's Family, Vic Taybak from Alice and Ray Bolger, the guy that played the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.  Anyway, I get a lot of enjoyment, God knows why, from spotting actors in unexpected places. It's a sickness.