Written by Ron Friedman
Produced by Paul Junger Witt
Directed by Harry Falk
Original Air Date: March 12, 1971
Preparing for a Canadian tour, the Family must have their birth certificates
The attic produces certificates for all except Danny -- his is not to be
found. When introduced to the family, booking agent Marty Burnes jokingly
refuses to believe Danny is a Partridge, "not with that hair and those
ears," and Danny is convinced he is an adopted child. Shirley tries hard
to talk him out of his belief, but Reuben and the others, in trying to kid
Danny about his origin, only confirm his opinion he is not a Partridge. At the
hospital where all the others were born Danny finds there is no record of his
birth. Heartbroken, he refuses to believe Shirley's story that he was born
unexpectedly while the family was on a picnic and thus missed the
"regular" hospital.
On a return visit to the hospital, Danny learns the name of the one male child
born there on his birthday -- a son to a Mr. and Mrs. Young. The phone book
provides all the M. Youngs in the city and Danny takes off to find his
parents. There ensues a series of very strange confrontations between Danny
and his "father." One, Mike Young, a construction worker and single,
tells Danny he would have had to be born in Korea. Then Danny meets a priest;
and old man wielding an ear trumpet; a widow who produces a 10-year old M.
Young -- and catches up with another one in the cemetery. Meanwhile, Shirley
and Reuben have contacted the hospital and learned what Danny was doing. They
find him at the last address, which is answered by a handsome, black man!
Later, a happy Danny admits he has made two mistakes; one, thinking he was
adopted and two, not realizing that to be adopted by the Partridge Family
would be the greatest compliment anyone could ever be paid.
Songs:
Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted," music and lyrics by Wes Farrell,
Jim Cretecos and Mike Appel (on Up To Date)
"I Can Feel Your Heartbeat," music and lyrics by Wes Farrell, Jim
Cretecos and Mike Appel (on The Partridge
Family Album)
Guest Cast:
Marty Burnes ------------------------------------------- Bernard Fox
Mike Young -------------------------------------------- Art Metrano
Detective ----------------------------------------------- Ned Glass
Orderly ------------------------------------------------- Jim Connell
Mrs. Reinboldt ----------------------------------------- Renie Riano
M. Young ---------------------------------------------- Sid McCoy
Workman ---------------------------------------------- Jeff Burton
Tube Trivia:
- Bernard Fox is best known for playing Dr. Bombay on
"Bewitched," Malcolm Meriwether on "The Andy Griffith
Show," and Colonel Crittendon on "Hogan's Heroes." He has
appeared in countless motion pictures, including "The Mummy" with
Brendan Fraser and "Titanic" with Leonardo DiCaprio.
- Ned Glass was a regular on "Julia" and "Bridget Loves
Bernie."
- Jim Connell played Gus Gorney in Episode 60.
- While Reuben insists birth certificates are needed for passports, you don't
need a passport to cross the US/Canadian border.
- Although Shirley can't locate Danny's birth certificate, she waved it under
the noses of several army induction officers in Episode #4.
- "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted" was the second single for The
Partridge Family. It was released in January, 1971 and sold a million copies
within a month! It reached #6 in March and spent the next three months on the
charts. Originally, "Warm My Soul" was to be the second single
released, but Wes Farrell opted for this tune instead. David Cassidy has said
this song was like "fingers down a blackboard to me" because he
despised the spoken part in the middle of the song. So strong was his dislike
for the song, he threatened to quit the series over it. The single ultimately
sold over 3 million copies, while "Warm My Soul" remained a lost
song until David Cassidy re-recorded it for his "Rock Me Baby" solo
album. The Partridge Family's version of "Warm My Soul" remained a
lost track until David released his "David Cassidy's Partridge Family
Favorites" CD through QVC in 1998.
