TV Tunes: Made For TV Bands That Rocked Our Televison Sets – Part One: 1951 to 1979 (page 2)

The Bugaloos (The Bugaloos) After Sid and Marty Krofft hit big with H.R. Pufnstuff they returned to the bubblegum pop roots of The Banana Splits for their next Saturday morning show, The Bugaloos. This time the Krofft Brothers unleashed a group of insect inspired British pop stars upon the unsuspecting public who sang and frolicked amongst the trees of Tranquility Forest. There was Harmony the bee on keyboards, Courage the ladybug on drums, I.Q. the grasshopper on guitar and Joy the butterfly (the bands token female) on lead vocals. Each week they battled the goofy antics of Martha Raye who, as Benita Bizarre, lived in a jukebox and tried to squash the Bugaloos by broadcasting vile and obnoxious music (think Nickleback). Yet the bright and sunny pop sounds of the Bugaloos prevailed with the help of Sparky the firefly, who was played by midget actor Billy Barty in a furrie costume. Yeah. I don’t know where the Krofft Brothers came up with this stuff. They claim they didn’t do acid in the 60’s but I seriously don’t believe them. I have a feeling that there was a truck load of acid brought in for developing this series.

Over 5000 young actors and musicians auditioned for the Bugaloos, including future superstar Phil Collins

Anyhow…..the search for the Bugaloos was one of the biggest casting calls for musician/actors in Europe during the 70’s. Bringing their search to England, the Krofft Brothers auditioned over 5000 hopefuls, including Elton John’s long time manager John Reid and future rock legend Phil Collins for the role of I.Q. However, the parts of the Bugaloos eventually went to Caroline Ellis as Joy, John McIndoe as I.Q., John Philpott as Courage and Wayne Laryea as Harmony. Once again, a new song would be featured on the show each week and an LP was released in 1970. However, despite the popularity of the show, The Bugloos would only last seventeen episodes before it met the huge flyswatter which cancelled it due to the fact that more albums and a movie were planned, and the four young musicians who made up the group would never be heard from again. All the Bugaloos returned to England and went their separate ways into their own careers. John “I.Q.” McIndoe stayed in music, forming a band called The Love Affair, and worked as a session musician for a eclectic selection of people including MGM, the Ice Capades, George Harrison and more work with the Krofft Brothers. Caroline “Joy” Ellis continued to act in England, but eventually gave performing up for real estate, which she currently works at in Spain. Wayne “Harmony” Laryea left music behind, but worked as an anchorman for ITV. Finally, John “Courage” Philpott has been working the cabaret circuit with a band called Life and Soul. Anyhow, while the Bugaloos may have had a short life on television, they will continue to buzz around our collective subconscious for eternity.

Decked out in purple velvet and pirate shirts, The Partridge Family would eventually have their look stolen by Prince

The Partridge Family (The Partridge Family) You can call them bubblegum. You can call the schlock. You can laugh at the fact that they weren’t a real band. However, the Partridge Family, headed by front man David Cassidy as loveable son Keith Partridge, and family patriarch Shirley Partridge, played by Academy Award winner Shirley Jones, is easily my all time favorite “made for TV” band. I’m not kidding. I own all their albums, have seen David Cassidy in concert and can sing all the lyrics to every song on their “Up to Date” LP….in order! So whey do I love them so much? Well, simply put, their music is catchy, fun and groovy. The family themselves, rounded out by Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduche), younger siblings Chris and Tracy and manager Reuben Kincaid (played by Laugh In’s Dave Madden) are probably the coolest family ever to appear on a sit-com ever. I mean, pirate shirts, ruffles and purple velvet couldn’t even stop these kids from being cool (or, to put it another way, Prince totally ripped off thier look).

The Partridge Family and their psychadelic bus - easily one of the coolest sit-com families of all time

However, there would never have been a Partridge Family if not for another pop act – the Cowsills. The Cowsills, who were a real group of siblings who sang with their mother and had hits in the late 1960s with “The Rain, the Park and Other Things” and “Hair,” were the original inspiration for The Partridge Family and were approached by television producer Bernard Slade at the beginning of the 1970s to do the series. However when the family found out that their mother Barbara, who was about as charismatic as a bowl of oatmeal, was to be replaced by Shirley Jones, who had already been hired for the role, they turned down the project. So now it was up to Slade to develop a new show. The Cowsill story was rewritten into a story about a widowed bank teller who’s five kids form a rock band and, once she records a song with them, finds musical success as they travel from gig to gig in a psychedelic school bus. Without the Cowsills on board Slade had the task of hiring some new kids to portray Shirley Jones’ musical offsprings.

The Partridge Family's heartthrob and lead singer David Cassidy was the ingrediant that made the show, and the Partridge sound, a success

Ironically, in the role of lead singer Keith he cast David Cassidy, who was the son of Shirley Jones’ real life husband Jack Cassidy from a previous marriage. According to both Jones and Cassidy, Cassidy did not realize that Jones was cast for the series when he auditioned as, despite what promotional material tried to portray, the pair were not close at that time. But casting David Cassidy in the role was the best move the producers could have done. With his shag haircut, “fuck me” eyes and potential bad boy attitude David Cassidy become one of the greatest teen idols in the history of pop culture. His likeness alone made the Partridge Family a sure fire marketing success. However what would they be like in the studio? Well, unlike the Monkees, there wasn’t going to be any secrets that The Partridge Family didn’t play their own songs. The band was obviously lip syncing and not playing their own instruments on TV. Danny even strummed the bass guitar and Tracy barely hit that tambourine. Instead producer Wes Farrell brought in the Ron Hicklin Singers and The Wrecking Crew to create the Partridge Family sound. Although the Ron Kicklin Singers are not a household name, there is not a household who hadn’t heard them. They performed vocals for such music mainstays as Nelson Riddle, Percy Faith, Charles Fox, Ray Coniff, Hugo Monternegro, Henry Mancini and Burt Bacharach. However, where they are probably most famous is for being the vocal group who perform some of the 1960s and 1970s most famous TV themes, including Happy Days, Batman, Flipper, That Girl and Love American Style. Meanwhile, The Wrecking Crew was a legendary group of LA session musicians who not only made up Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, but were also used heavily on the Beach Boys’ classic Pet Sounds album and worked with everybody from Bing Crosby to The Carpenters. Yeah, the Partridge Family was going to be tight. However, when watching the pilot of the series it is almost jarring to see the voice coming out of David Cassidy’s mouth isn’t his. This didn’t last long though, and within weeks Cassidy had convinced Wes Farrell to let him actually try some singing. Farrell gave him a shot by allowing him to sing a solo on “To Be Lovers.” The result was satisfactory and David Cassidy completed the formula by becoming the real life lead singer.

David Cassidy's first solo album "Cherish" (1972) is one of the most underrated albums of the 70's

The show appeared on television in September 1970 with an LP, The Partridge Family Album appearing in stores just weeks later. By the end of the month the first single, “I Think I Love You,” was at #1 on the Billboard charts. Three more solid Partridge Family albums were released in 1971 with another three top ten hits – “Everybody Wants to Be Wanted,” “I Woke Up in Love This Morning” and “I’ll Meet You Halfway.” David Cassidy quickly began to appear on the covers of 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat and the show was an instant hit. 1972 saw the release of two weaker Partridge Family albums, but also saw the debut of David Cassidy’s first solo project. Still featuring the talents of the Ron Kiklin Singers and The Wrecking Crew, David Cassidy released the LP Cherish which is possibly one of the most underrated albums of the decade. Far more sexually suggestive then The Partridge Family recordings, Cherish featured some of Cassidy’s own material. The album is possibly one of my favorite albums of the decade.

A dissatisfied David Cassidy rebelled by doing a nude photo shoot with Annie Liebowitz for "Rolling Stone Magazine"

Yet by this point David Cassidy was beginning to grow tired of the whole Partridge Family thing. Posing nude for Annie Liebowitz (decades before Miley Cyrus) for a Rolling Stone feature where he shocked his fans by his blunt bad attitude, combined with a stampede at one of his concerts that injured 650 kids and killed one fourteen year old girl were factors in Cassidy wanting to quit The Partridge Family, but before he could the network pulled the plug on the series in 1974. Cassidy’s dissatisfaction, dropping album sales and ratings and the fact that the once precocious Danny Bonaduche, who was the real star of the show, was growing up to be an obnoxious and ugly teenager who annoyed instead of entertained the audience was the final factors in the show’s demise Unfortunately today Partridge Family music is basically a punch line with the only song most people remember being the ultra perky bubblegum hit “I Think I Love You.” However, what music fans are missing is an excellent body of work by David Cassidy and an accomplished group of musicians. While the Partridge Family may not be one of the most syndicated programs of all time, their music is possibly some of the best, but sadly the most underrated and remain to be an ignored body of musical gems.

The Brady Bunch attempt to compete with The Partridge Family. The result was not nearly as good, but it created kitch magic

The Brady Six/The Silver Platters (The Brady Bunch) Despite the fact that The Brady Bunch appeared on television a year before The Partridge Family, Brady Bunch creator and producer Sherwood Schwartz was feeling a sense of competition when the popularity of the Partridge’s began to eclipse that of his prime time family. Thing is, there was a lot to be jealous of. The Partridge Family was just a better show. It had better scripts, better plots, better production values, better ideas and the Partridge kids were 100% cooler then the Brady kids . I mean Greg had a perm for Christ sakes!

"Merry Christmas From the Brady Bunch" (1971)

However, not to be outdone by The Partridge Family, Schwartz sent the Brady Kids into the studio in 1971 (a year after the Partridge’s successful first season). Yet while the majority of The Partridge Family lip synced their music the Brady’s were going to do something different. They were going to actually SING their own songs! All six of them! As a trial for this endeavor the Brady Kids were first sent to record a Christmas album which was released with little fanfare. Yet this must have pleased the producers enough because in January 1971 The Brady Six made their TV debut! When Greg writes an early environmentally friendly tune called “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter,” Peter gets the idea to make a record out of it. However, it costs a hefty $150 to make the recording, and the fee is non refundable. Peter organizes the whole thing, but after paying the fee the worst thing possible happens. During a rehearsal Peter hits puberty! Because of his voice changing Peter’s vocals sounds like a screaming cat. So the problem arises. Do the Brady’s keep Peter or kick Peter out of the band? Thankfully Greg comes up with a brand new song titled “Time to Change,” which is possibly the most memorable pop song ever written about puberty. I mean can you name another one? The Brady Six would change their group’s name to the Silver Platters in their next outing. When Jan miscalculates how much money the kids need to purchase an engraved silver serving platter for their parents anniversary, the kids audition as The Silver Platters to be a part of a local TV show called The Pete Stearne Amature Hour in hopes to win $100 which will give them the rest of the money they need. Their audition number was probably the most recognizable and famous of all the Brady recordings – “Sunshine Day.” However the group win the contest by the ultra groovy number “Keep On.” What this episode introduced us to was the Brady’s interesting chorography supplied by Osmond chorographer Joe Seiter. The Brady’s dance moves were awesome, but in the same way that Ed Wood movies are awesome. Now by all accounts, the Brady Kids actually enjoyed the musical episodes….for the exception of one. Chris “Peter” Knight. Perhaps his bad experience with the voice cracking episode tainted his perception of his vocal abilities.

Unlike The Partridge Family, The Brady kids actually went on tour, performing at state fairs and on American Bandstand

Unfortunately for Peter, his overbearing and pushy stage mom loved it, and soon she began to manage the musical careers of the Brady Kids. More albums were ordered and the Brady’s, decked out in fringe and beaded costumes, soon found themselves on the road appearing at shopping malls, concert halls, state fairs and even making an appearance on American Bandstand. However, the group was primarily unsuccessful. Despite five LP’s and fourteen singles the Brady Kids never had any of their songs reach Billboard’s Top 100 and never had a hit record. But this didn’t stop their enthusiasm, which would have a hand in the eventual demise of the series. At the urging of Chris Knight’s mother, the Brady Kids conspired behind Sherwood Schwartz’s back and made a demand that 50% of the 1975 season’s episodes be music related. With continuing problems with Robert Reed, who was planning on leaving the series as his contract was up, and with the Cousin Oliver experiment leaving a bitter taste in his mouth, the demand came at the wrong time and Schwartz did the unexpected. He pulled the plug on the show. There was no 1975 season of The Brady Bunch. But were the Brady Kids good? Well Barry “Greg” Williams was a great singer. There is no way around that. Williams would continue in musical theatre throughout the rest of his career. Maureen “Marcia” McCormick also had a strong singing voice. Despite his dislike of singing, Chris “Peter” Knight could hold a tune, as could be said for the lispy singing style of Susan “Cindy” Olsen. Mike “Bobby” Lookinland was exceptionally talented, which can be heard in his solo during “Sunshine Day.” Despite his age he’s sings like a white Bobby Hebb and his enthusiasm for the musical performances is apparent. As for Eve “Jan” Plumb? Well she sounded like a dog in heat howling at the moon. Don’t believe me? Just listen to her solo in “Going to Find a Rainbow.” No wonder they replaced her during the Brady Variety Hour two years later with Geri Reischl who was not only much prettier, but was a better singer then all of the Bradys combined. The Brady Bunch Variety Hour was a final showcase for the musical talents of the Bradys where they had the chance to sing many of the disco era’s greatest hits such as “Shake Your Booty,” “Turn the Beat Around” and even “Do the Hustle.” Of course, despite their lack of musical success the Brady Bunch would eclipse The Partridge Family in pop culture history, but thankfully not as a musical group.

Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as songwriters Bobby Conway and Lionel Poindexter in the short lived "Partridge Family" spin off "Getting Together"

Conway and Poindexter (Getting Together) After his success with The Partridge Family, Bernard Slade decided to try again with another musical series. Just as he had done before by using a real life group, the Cowsills, for inspiration, he turned his attention to real life song writers Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as the inspiration for his next show. Boyce and Hart will always be most famous as a hit writing duo who wrote most of The Monkees biggest hits, as well as notable 1960’s hits for Jay and the Americans and Little Anthony and the Imperials, not to mention having their own hit with “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight.” However instead of casting Boyce and Hart, Slade went right to the great bubble gum pop pool of stars and cast teen heart throb Bobby Sherman as Bobby Conway. Having just wrapped up the final season of Here Comes the Brides, Bobby Sherman was already a bonafide hit maker and was also one of the biggest teen idols in America, second only to David Cassidy. To finish off the duo Slade hired unknown actor Wes Stern to play Lionel Poindexter.

Just as The Partridge Family were inspired by the real life Cowsills, Conway and Poindexter were inspired by real life songwiters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart

Now it was only natural the a series about a pair of song writers would be a spin off of The Partridge Family, and on the first season’s finale the team of Conway and Poindexter were introduced to TV audiences. Bobby Conway was a mysterious drifter and musical genius who shows up one night in The Partridge Family’s garage wanting to sell them his music. Unfortunately Conway couldn’t write lyrics. However, it just so happened a week earlier a shoe box full of popsicle wrappers and scrap pieces of paper showed up at the Partridge’s house. While Shirley dismissed it as garbage, Danny took the time to find out that the box actually contained lyrics written by someone named Lionel Poindexter. Lionel lived in a nearby town where the Partridge’s were playing their next gig so they bring Bobby on the road with them and they seek out Lionel who ends up being an eccentric and socially retarded weirdo, not to mention completely tone deaf. At first Bobby is hesitant to team up with Lionel considering that his bizarre behavior was slightly psychotic, but when he finds out that Lionel has been working six jobs in order to provide the orphanage he grew up with new play equipment, Bobby enters a partnership with Lionel and they become the song writing duo of Conway and Poindexter. The ratings on the episode was phenomenal, mainly for the fact that bubble gum nirvana was met when David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman appeared on screen together playing side by side. Thus, the producers got the green light to develop Conway and Poindexter in their own series called Getting Together.

"Getting Together" would quickly be cancelled due to sharing the same time slot as "All in the Family." Later, in his autobiography, Bobby Sherman would admit that even he was turning the channel to watch Archie Bunker instead

In the new series Conway and Poindexter lived in an antique shop. Poindexter ran the shop while Conway worked as a sound engineer by day. At night the duo would work together writing pop music and trying to sell their songs. Added to the cast was Conway’s twelve year old sister Jennifer which he had custody of and was trying to raise by himself. Sherman and Stern were a likeable odd couple, and the show rated rather high with teen audiences. However, the first season of Getting Together aired opposite of the first season of All in the Family, which pretty much guaranteed it to get crushed in the ratings. In his autobiography Bobby Sherman himself wrote “To be honest, I already knew what was going on on my show. I was even watching All in the Family myself.” As a result Getting Together was cancelled after sixteen episodes. However, the series did leave behind a number of odds and ends, including a comic book series by Charlton comics which was titled Bobby Sherman Comics, a pair of paperback novels featuring Poindexter and Conway as characters and a soundtrack album which did feature one minor hit titled “Jennifer.” Poindexter and Conway eventually faded from pop culture memory, but is one of the more interesting music groups in TV history, and can occasionally be seen when their episode of The Partridge Family pops up in reruns.