This has always bothered me about the Partridge Family - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

IllinoisTVFan · 04-20-2014, 05:40 PM

I don't know why this has always bothered me but the performances often show an audience who likely wouldn't be into them. Their music is bubblegum rock (nothing wrong with that btw)and would appeal more to kids and teens. However, at most of their performances it's mostly older people, and it would appear these audiences for the most part have money. In fact the audiences remind me of my grandparents and I guarantee my grandparents would never go see them in concert.

My other question that has always puzzled me is the show portrays them as being successful and having all these hit songs, yet at home aren't portrayed as that. In fact there have been episodes where members appear to be broke, like Keith getting a job. If he was a big star why would he get a job at a minimum wage place? I get the idea of them living in a middle class area, because even some big stars do. I grew up in an area very much like theirs and we had some pretty successful people on our block, like several doctors and even a politician.

Marvo301 · 04-20-2014, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

I don't know why this has always bothered me but the performances often show an audience who likely wouldn't be into them. Their music is bubblegum rock (nothing wrong with that btw)and would appeal more to kids and teens. However, at most of their performances it's mostly older people, and it would appear these audiences for the most part have money. In fact the audiences remind me of my grandparents and I guarantee my grandparents would never go see them in concert.

My other question that has always puzzled me is the show portrays them as being successful and having all these hit songs, yet at home aren't portrayed as that. In fact there have been episodes where members appear to be broke, like Keith getting a job. If he was a big star why would he get a job at a minimum wage place? I get the idea of them living in a middle class area, because even some big stars do. I grew up in an area very much like theirs and we had some pretty successful people on our block, like several doctors and even a politician.

The reason Keith and the other kids (except Danny!) are always broke is because their share of the money from the music career was put in a trust fund to pay for college.

IllinoisTVFan · 04-20-2014, 08:08 PM

Yeah but you'd think they could have some money, especially Keith who was in college by the end of the series.

cleverfun3000 · 04-20-2014, 09:34 PM

I, too have always been aware that the audiences the family played for on the show appeared to be much older than those that would appreciate or pay to see & hear bubblegum pop. Often the audiences had the appearance of film stock footage: inserted into the filming after the production of the show itself. I remember seeing them play to several audiences that had no one who appeared under 30.

IllinoisTVFan · 04-20-2014, 11:15 PM

Stock footage may explain this. After all if they hired people (even extras)they would have to have paid.

visaman666 · 04-21-2014, 03:45 AM

Remember that they lived in Albuquerque New Mexico, not exactly the hotbed of entertainment. I have never been there, so I can't say how accurate the portrayal of the town was.

They had some success, but they only toured during the Summer, so the kids could go to school, so their income was limited. In the pilot they did open for Johnny Cash in Las Vegas.

IllinoisTVFan · 04-21-2014, 03:02 PM

They lived in San Pueblo California, not New Mexico. I always assumed this was by San Francisco.

PracTz · 04-29-2014, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

My other question that has always puzzled me is the show portrays them as being successful and having all these hit songs, yet at home aren't portrayed as that. In fact there have been episodes where members appear to be broke, like Keith getting a job. If he was a big star why would he get a job at a minimum wage place? I get the idea of them living in a middle class area, because even some big stars do. I grew up in an area very much like theirs and we had some pretty successful people on our block, like several doctors and even a politician.

It never bothered me since it had been spelled out that they'd already had lived in that home prior to the show's start. Presumably, the late Mr. Partridge had been in a prosperous enough position to buy a multi-bedroom house for his large family and ,since I don't recall any episodes when they were worried about the mortgage, it appears he'd paid if off prior to his 'sudden death' six months prior to the show's opening. Yeah, the were often seen struggling to pay day-to-day bills even after they became 'nationally' known but that's not quite the same as not even having a home of one's own.

P.S. Although, now that you bring up the subject of things 'bothersome' re the show, I do think it was a bit much that apart from the single mention of Mr. Partridge having suddenly died six months via Shirley's explanatory opening narrative prior to the show's start, at no time did any of his family ever express how it emotionally impacted them or, in fact, any memory of Mr. Partridge. It seemed as though his death only served as an obstacle thrown in their collective path that they had to find a way to become self-sufficient as a result and that was why they formed the band.

IllinoisTVFan · 04-29-2014, 08:49 PM

That bothered me too, but not talking about a parent's death was common on tv shows then.

LittleRickyII · 05-28-2014, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

They lived in San Pueblo California, not New Mexico. I always assumed this was by San Francisco.

And that's my pet peeve: the name San Pueblo makes no sense. It means Saint Town or Saint People.

IllinoisTVFan · 05-29-2014, 02:15 AM

I hadn't thought of that before but now that you mention it that makes no sense. I suppose they could say it was named after a town were people allegedly saw saints but still bizarre.

visaman666 · 05-29-2014, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

They lived in San Pueblo California, not New Mexico. I always assumed this was by San Francisco.

I stand corrected. Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque was a name of one of their songs. I was only 6 when the show debuted, so I assumed they lived in Albuquerque. It bothered me why Ruben Kinkade would be spinning his wheels in New Mexico!

Bonniegirl · 07-29-2014, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by visaman666

I stand corrected. Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque was a name of one of their songs. I was only 6 when the show debuted, so I assumed they lived in Albuquerque. It bothered me why Ruben Kinkade would be spinning his wheels in New Mexico!

There was an episode they were traveling to Albuquerque . They picked up a teenage girl hitch hiking . She was living with her grandparents in Nebraska (I think it was Nebraska)? And she was running away to be with her father in Albuquerque.

It was a really good episode. Really showing a sign of the times. Early 70's, young girl hitch hiking, so dangerous! Thank God the young people don't do that these days! How cool that she got picked up by the Partridges and got to ride on that really cool bus?

Of course they played that song Point me in the direction of Albuquerque. Good song!

um · 12-13-2015, 12:55 PM

It has to do with focusing on certain adventures or situations that the characters find themselves in more than the details. Yes the Partridges were "famous" and sold records and performed in concerts and yet Keith and Lori were able to go to school and though Keith had a lot of girls after him, it was not actually that extreme. It seemed that other guys who were in the football team and or played sports in school also had girls after them and Keith did not have it that much worse than that.
It seems that in general The Partridges were a small time family band who did not play big arenas but who played small clubs and such.
You are right that "older people" were depicted as their audience much of the time and there was no disruptive screaming or girls running to the stage except maybe in one episode in which the Partridges played to a group of girl scouts and when they finished their song, Keith was expecting the girls to run to him so he readied his pen to sign autographs but the girls all ran to Danny instead.

But again, it was a TV show whos creators did not put too much thought into the fact that the fictitious name of "San Pueblo" would sound strange to Hispanic people and also a popular singing act with a heartthrob like "Keith" would not likely have audiences of people mostly in their 30s and older (and also the audiences would often equally consist of men and women).

But I recall an episode of "Here's Lucy" in which Donny Osmond sang to an audience in a dinner club and there weren't any teen girls in the audience except for Lucy's niece ( played by Eve Plumb). The rest were people who looked as if they were in their 30s.

um · 12-13-2015, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

There was an episode they were traveling to Albuquerque . They picked up a teenage girl hitch hiking . She was living with her grandparents in Nebraska (I think it was Nebraska)? And she was running away to be with her father in Albuquerque.

It was a really good episode. Really showing a sign of the times. Early 70's, young girl hitch hiking, so dangerous! Thank God the young people don't do that these days!...........)

Hitchhiking was considered dangerous back then, and even before.

People do hitchhike today if they need to or if that is their lifestyle.
There are still some people who may be too young to remember the "Hippie generation" but who still try to live like "Hippies" used to.

Of course it will always be dangerous.

04-20-2014, 05:40 PM	#1
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	This has always bothered me about the Partridge Family I don't know why this has always bothered me but the performances often show an audience who likely wouldn't be into them. Their music is bubblegum rock (nothing wrong with that btw)and would appeal more to kids and teens. However, at most of their performances it's mostly older people, and it would appear these audiences for the most part have money. In fact the audiences remind me of my grandparents and I guarantee my grandparents would never go see them in concert. My other question that has always puzzled me is the show portrays them as being successful and having all these hit songs, yet at home aren't portrayed as that. In fact there have been episodes where members appear to be broke, like Keith getting a job. If he was a big star why would he get a job at a minimum wage place? I get the idea of them living in a middle class area, because even some big stars do. I grew up in an area very much like theirs and we had some pretty successful people on our block, like several doctors and even a politician.

04-20-2014, 08:08 PM	#3
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	Yeah but you'd think they could have some money, especially Keith who was in college by the end of the series.

04-20-2014, 09:34 PM	#4
cleverfun3000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 18, 2008 Location: Manhattan Posts: 1,685	I, too have always been aware that the audiences the family played for on the show appeared to be much older than those that would appreciate or pay to see & hear bubblegum pop. Often the audiences had the appearance of film stock footage: inserted into the filming after the production of the show itself. I remember seeing them play to several audiences that had no one who appeared under 30.

04-20-2014, 11:15 PM	#5
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	Stock footage may explain this. After all if they hired people (even extras)they would have to have paid.

04-21-2014, 03:45 AM	#6
visaman666 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 818	Remember that they lived in Albuquerque New Mexico, not exactly the hotbed of entertainment. I have never been there, so I can't say how accurate the portrayal of the town was. They had some success, but they only toured during the Summer, so the kids could go to school, so their income was limited. In the pilot they did open for Johnny Cash in Las Vegas.

04-21-2014, 03:02 PM	#7
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	They lived in San Pueblo California, not New Mexico. I always assumed this was by San Francisco.

04-29-2014, 08:49 PM	#9
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	That bothered me too, but not talking about a parent's death was common on tv shows then.

05-29-2014, 02:15 AM	#11
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	I hadn't thought of that before but now that you mention it that makes no sense. I suppose they could say it was named after a town were people allegedly saw saints but still bizarre.

12-13-2015, 12:55 PM	#14
um Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 26, 2015 Posts: 907	It has to do with focusing on certain adventures or situations that the characters find themselves in more than the details. Yes the Partridges were "famous" and sold records and performed in concerts and yet Keith and Lori were able to go to school and though Keith had a lot of girls after him, it was not actually that extreme. It seemed that other guys who were in the football team and or played sports in school also had girls after them and Keith did not have it that much worse than that. It seems that in general The Partridges were a small time family band who did not play big arenas but who played small clubs and such. You are right that "older people" were depicted as their audience much of the time and there was no disruptive screaming or girls running to the stage except maybe in one episode in which the Partridges played to a group of girl scouts and when they finished their song, Keith was expecting the girls to run to him so he readied his pen to sign autographs but the girls all ran to Danny instead. But again, it was a TV show whos creators did not put too much thought into the fact that the fictitious name of "San Pueblo" would sound strange to Hispanic people and also a popular singing act with a heartthrob like "Keith" would not likely have audiences of people mostly in their 30s and older (and also the audiences would often equally consist of men and women). But I recall an episode of "Here's Lucy" in which Donny Osmond sang to an audience in a dinner club and there weren't any teen girls in the audience except for Lucy's niece ( played by Eve Plumb). The rest were people who looked as if they were in their 30s.