"Beaming into people's homes at night via the television, the antics of the wholesome, music loving Partridge Family entertained generations of children (and their parents) throughout the '70s. The plot of the hit television show was that the fictional Partridges weren't just a strong family, but a band who frequently toured and hit the road. They were based on a real life family called the Cowsills, who were actually originally slated to play themselves in the show, until it was decided the mother of the family would have to be played by an actress (Shirley Jones). After the family backed out, she would be joined by David Cassidy, who actually had a budding musical career and would become a major teen heart throb, as well as little Danny Bonaduce, who was considered the prankster of the family.David Madden played Reuben Kincaid, the band's manager; Susan Dey played Laurie; Suzanne Crough played Tracy; and Jeremy Gelbwaks played Chris until he was replaced with Brian Foster. As the series continued, its popularity spawned an almost limitless amount of merchandising tie-ins, from games and toys to lunch boxes and even a clothing line. David Cassidy was a major draw for teens, who swooned over his looks and vocal abilities. At the show's peak, he was reportedly receiving tens of thousands of fan letters a week.Eventually, there came the idea of actually having the ""family"" record. Of course, no one but Cassidy had actual musical experience, though Jones did sing background vocals on songs. The first record, The Partridge Family Album, included a number of fun songs, included a number of chart-topping hit singles, including both ""I Think I Love You"" and ""Somebody Wants to Love You.""But the group's success was short-lived. After a number of years, Cassidy grew tired of the wholesome demeanor he had to keep up, and had hopes for a rock 'n' roll lifestyle. He eventually quit, and the show was scrapped with the loss of his star from the roster."