Why all the hostility towards Susan Dey?

[Brian Damage]

Susan Dey, AKA 'The Partridge Family's' oldest daughter Laurie, isn't on Twitter. So, don't bother trying to figure out why she skipped the Tuesday morning family reunion on the 'Today Show.' Nobody knows. OK, maybe producer beau Bernard Sofronski knows, but he's not on Twitter either. It's time to face facts. Gathering television's most famous families in one room is darn near impossible. Not that onscreen sibling Danny Bonaduce cares...

Yesterday it was 'Eight is Enough's' Adam Rich who skipped the 'Today' reunion. The oft-troubled youngest Bradford wrote in saying he was there "in spirit." Dianne Kay, who played Nancy Bradford on the late '70s hit didn't make it either, though she stopped by via live feed.

Diana Hyland, the original 'Eight is Enough' matriarch, succumbed to cancer just days after the show's first episode aired in 1977. Lani O'Grady, 'Eight is Enough's' eldest Bradford sister, died of a drug overdose in 2001.

There were virtually no unkind words uttered by the gathered Bradford clan. That wasn't the case for the Partridges.

But then again, 'The Partridge Family' hasn't been quite so beset by tragedy. All of the show's central cast members are alive and seemingly well today.

The family's "winsome moppets," Suzanne Crough, Brian Froster, David Cassidy, and Danny Bonaduce showed up to reminisce with Matt Lauer on old times passed.




Mama Shirley's absence was excused. Mrs. Jones is on tour "doing 17 concerts in 17 nights with symphony orchestras," Cassidy explained.

But Dey's absence was spoken of under a shadow of dismay.

"The only way you can reach Susan Dey is, I think, by teleprompter," Bonaduce joked.

"Susan who?" Crough said under her breath.

Cassidy had more sentimental words. "I loved Susan. I haven't seen her in years," he said. "She became a very close friend of mine. I felt like she was a sister... she was two years younger than I. If you're out there and you're watching Susan, we still love you."

"Not me so much," Bonaduce butted in. "I'm being sincere."

[Yong Fang]

It is apparent that Susan Dey did not like the show and chooses not to do things like this with the other cast members. Same with Eve Plumb. Some people do not have an affinity to others they worked with, and often times in real life, who you know and is important to you now wont be in a few years. It's called moving on.

Besides LA Law, what has this woman done in the last 40 years. She probably wants privacy. Maybe she hates one of them (Danny Boneduce especially.) Who wants to be in the same room with that old relic David Cassidy, who does musical reviews to old people and Baptists in Branson, Missouri.

[biffbronson]

Remember though that Eve Plumb did return to her character to do "The Brady Brides;" her situation is a little different from Susan's.

[Dr. Thong]

I don't think Susan Dey has ever spoken out negatively against the show, the fans or her castmates. She just chooses not to live in the past and lives a quiet life away from the spotlight. I respect that. And so should Bonaduce.

But let's face it: Bonaduce is an a**hole. This is a guy, who, when his divorce was being finalized, had a countdown to being single on his radio show and rubbed it in his now ex-wife's face.

I thought that Bonaduce had gotten his act together, but he clearly hasn't and never will.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

Remember though that Eve Plumb did return to her character to do "The Brady Brides;" her situation is a little different from Susan's.

Not to mention A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys.

[Retro4Life]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

It is apparent that Susan Dey did not like the show and chooses not to do things like this with the other cast members. Same with Eve Plumb. Some people do not have an affinity to others they worked with, and often times in real life, who you know and is important to you now wont be in a few years. It's called moving on.

Besides LA Law, what has this woman done in the last 40 years. She probably wants privacy. Maybe she hates one of them (Danny Boneduce especially.) Who wants to be in the same room with that old relic David Cassidy, who does musical reviews to old people and Baptists in Branson, Missouri.

What's with dissing old people? First you criticize Cassidy for being "old" (hard to not get old, unless you die young, you know?) then you take a swipe at "old people" in Missouri. Is there something wrong with performing for old folks? Are you implying that unless you have a million screaming teenagers in your audience you aren't a success? If so, I'd wager very few of us qualify.

And what's wrong with Baptists? Or Missouri?

[caro]

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

What's with dissing old people? First you criticize Cassidy for being "old" (hard to not get old, unless you die young, you know?) then you take a swipe at "old people" in Missouri. Is there something wrong with performing for old folks? Are you implying that unless you have a million screaming teenagers in your audience you aren't a success? If so, I'd wager very few of us qualify.

And what's wrong with Baptists? Or Missouri?

I think Susan is taking the high road.

David did exploit and humiliate her by talking about their one night stand and how he was never attracted to her.

I think she is making a statement by not being seen.

Cassidy had the nerve to ask Susan to reach out to him during the reunion show!

For What!

There is nothing wrong with performing as an older act if you enjoy it.
Cassidy does tend to be abusive toward fans.

Wayne Newton has 50 years in Vegas and Andy Williams still draws people in.

Most of Cassidy's concerts are at these small casinos where high rollers get free comps to see the show.
Its not like they show up to see him.

[Steve Carras]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Susan Dey, AKA 'The Partridge Family's' oldest daughter Laurie, isn't on Twitter. So, don't bother trying to figure out why she skipped the Tuesday morning family reunion on the 'Today Show.' Nobody knows. OK, maybe producer beau Bernard Sofronski knows, but he's not on Twitter either. It's time to face facts. Gathering television's most famous families in one room is darn near impossible. Not that onscreen sibling Danny Bonaduce cares...

Yesterday it was 'Eight is Enough's' Adam Rich who skipped the 'Today' reunion. The oft-troubled youngest Bradford wrote in saying he was there "in spirit." Dianne Kay, who played Nancy Bradford on the late '70s hit didn't make it either, though she stopped by via live feed.

Diana Hyland, the original 'Eight is Enough' matriarch, succumbed to cancer just days after the show's first episode aired in 1977. Lani O'Grady, 'Eight is Enough's' eldest Bradford sister, died of a drug overdose in 2001.

There were virtually no unkind words uttered by the gathered Bradford clan. That wasn't the case for the Partridges.

But then again, 'The Partridge Family' hasn't been quite so beset by tragedy. All of the show's central cast members are alive and seemingly well today.

The family's "winsome moppets," Suzanne Crough, Brian Froster, David Cassidy, and Danny Bonaduce showed up to reminisce with Matt Lauer on old times passed.




Mama Shirley's absence was excused. Mrs. Jones is on tour "doing 17 concerts in 17 nights with symphony orchestras," Cassidy explained.

But Dey's absence was spoken of under a shadow of dismay.

"The only way you can reach Susan Dey is, I think, by teleprompter," Bonaduce joked.

"Susan who?" Crough said under her breath.

Cassidy had more sentimental words. "I loved Susan. I haven't seen her in years," he said. "She became a very close friend of mine. I felt like she was a sister... she was two years younger than I. If you're out there and you're watching Susan, we still love you."

"Not me so much," Bonaduce butted in. "I'm being sincere."

Too bad, i always crushed on her when that was on..

[TMC]

Susan Dey (and maybe this is an unfair observation) kind of strikes me as the Tina Louise of The Partridge Family in that she gives off the impression that the show that made her a household name in the first place is beneath her and is something that she's ashamed and embarrassed of.

I mean, why is it so hard for Susan to discuss what it was like to be on The Partridge Family, unless her time on that show was so traumatic? I think that people were also angry at Susan for not publicly saying anything when her TV siblings Suzanne Crough and David Cassidy passed away. Nor did she publicly say anything when Dave Madden passed away.

I mean, I get that Susan isn't an active actress anymore, but her non-responses still made her look kind of cold, unfeeling, and heartless.

Susan in particular, appears to hold a longtime grudge against David for what he said about her in his book.

In his 1994 memoir, C'Mon Get Happy - Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus, Cassidy wrote that "Susan lacked the slutty aspect of a female that I always found so attractive." He stated that she was "sweetness and innocence, a good girl, and I couldn't think of her as anyone but my sister," In his autobiography, he revealed personal details of his relationship with her, after which Susan cut off contact with him. The last time they appeared in public together was in 1990 at the MTV Video Awards. They presented the Viewers' Choice Award and exchanged some playful banter.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

It is apparent that Susan Dey did not like the show and chooses not to do things like this with the other cast members. Same with Eve Plumb. Some people do not have an affinity to others they worked with, and often times in real life, who you know and is important to you now wont be in a few years. It's called moving on.

Besides LA Law, what has this woman done in the last 40 years. She probably wants privacy. Maybe she hates one of them (Danny Boneduce especially.) Who wants to be in the same room with that old relic David Cassidy, who does musical reviews to old people and Baptists in Branson, Missouri.

I'm speculating, but I wonder if Susan was for the longest time, salty over the way that the tabloids exposed the fact that she was an alcoholic.

Actress Susan Dey, formerly of "L.A. Law" and "Love & War," talks openly about her alcoholism for the first time in the upcoming issue of Parade magazine. "I usually don't talk about it because I feel it's my business and nobody else's," she said. Dey, who got her start in acting playing all-American teen Laurie on "The Partridge Family," said she was angry when the supermarket tabloids made an issue of her problem. "After I had been sober for a year, I was given a cake at a meeting (of Alcoholics Anonymous). The tabloids ran a big story about it. I was furious that they had planted an informant in my AA group."

It wouldn't surprise me if this in particular, caused Susan to become much more closed off, protective, and distrustful of the media. And I'm guessing that when David Cassidy wrote about Susan in his book (basically, David said that Susan wasn't "slutty" enough of a girl for him and he thought of her more like a sister than a potential romantic interest), she took that as the ultimate sign of betrayal and humiliation.

[TMC]

Back in 2004, when the Partridge Family cast sans Susan Dey, appeared together on NBC's Today Show, somebody wrote this about Susan:

Susan Dey always seems to be unhappy. In the rare interviews she gives, she always seems cold and distant. She looks like someone who is constantly battling inner demons. The rumor mill about her is alcoholism. She supposedly stopped drinking years ago. But you never know. Of course, she just may want to distance herself from her Partridge Family days. Eve Plumb (Jan) did. She dislikes being reminded of her Brady Bunch fame.

Maybe Dey had a horrible time on the Partridge Family. Maybe she didn't--and still doesn't--get along with some of the cast. Maybe she just wasn't available for the reunion (yeah, like she's very busy right now!). Who knows?

But I agree, she should have been with the rest of the Partridge cast on The Today Show.

[Dr. Thong]

She has the right to her privacy.

Whether we agree with her or not.

[Charles Knox]

If someone wrote that kind of junk about me in their tell-all book, I probably also decline cast reunions and interviews.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by Charles Knox

If someone wrote that kind of junk about me in their tell-all book, I probably also decline cast reunions and interviews.

Exactly. And I read David's book. He was a little full of himself. And totally in denial about his alcoholism.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

I don't think Susan Dey has ever spoken out negatively against the show, the fans or her castmates. She just chooses not to live in the past and lives a quiet life away from the spotlight. I respect that. And so should Bonaduce.

But let's face it: Bonaduce is an a**hole. This is a guy, who, when his divorce was being finalized, had a countdown to being single on his radio show and rubbed it in his now ex-wife's face.

I thought that Bonaduce had gotten his act together, but he clearly hasn't and never will.

Susan on The Rosie O'Donnell Show back in 1996. This is believed to be the last time that she publicly discussed The Partridge Family.

Speaking of which, here's Shirley Jones on The Rosie O'Donnell Show:


And finally, David Cassidy: