Q. Where's the bus?
A. After exhaustive research with a highly reliable source, we have uncovered the following...the actual bus lived for years behind Lucy's Tacos on Martin Luther King Blvd, right by USC. When Lucy's repaved their parking lot, circa February 1987, the bus was sent off to a junk yard. It was in horrible shape -- windows broken, tires flat, all identifying type (such as the family name on the side and the "Caution Nervous Mother Driving" sign on the back) was painted over in white and the rest of the bus was miserably faded. So, the upshot is that the orginal bus is long gone. Thanks to Lisa for this info!
The Nick-At-Nite recreation, which was sitting in Nick's lot in Orlando as recently as October of 1996. is a 70s squareback bus (the original was a '57 Chevy, rounded bus).
There is also another fake bus in Atlanta at the "Have A Nice Day Cafe", which looks like this:
Also, there is a pretty good replica of the bus sitting on a farm in Waterloo, Iowa (pic taken 12/25/99). The birds replace the PF name and, if you look hard you can see that the top front of it says "Come On Get Happy!" and the license plate is "GTHAPPY". Note the fuzzy dice. Thanks, Beth, for the photo!!
Yet another version of the bus was created for the Fall 1999 TV film, "C'mon Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story", and looks like this:
The paint job is vastly different from the original, but it wasn't seen all that much in the film and it was probably felt a fair facsimile would suffice. In May 2000, the bus was put up for auction by www.bidahollywood.com.
In 2004, another bus was created for the ill-fated VH-1 series "In Search of the Partridge Family/The New Partridge Family". This bus varied from the original color scheme and design somewhat:
In 2005, PF fan LeRoy Jessen wrote to us: "I passed this sight on Route 23 in Ashville, NY, just outside the Catskills. I was wondering if it was the original PF bus, but quickly found out that no longer exists. But it doesn't seem to be like any of the other replicas I saw on your web site. Is this one of the accounted-for replicas or a new one?"
And that's what we know about the various versions of the bus!
Q. Where did that groovy design for the bus come from?
A. The artist Piet Mondrian was known for his geometric designs. The one the bus most resembles is Composizione 1921.
Q. When will "Bulletin Board" be released on CD?
A. The only PF album NOT available on CD is "Bulletin Board", the final LP of
original material. Currently, there are NO plans to release "Bulletin Board."
When information becomes available to the contrary, it will be posted here, in
the NEWS section, or on our message board (registration
required). Please refrain from emailing us privately about this, as the high
volume of inquiries prevents us from answering.
Q. Is there somewhere I can get the entire series on video tape and/or DVD?
A. The entire series? At this time, no. There are four tapes available from Sony/Screen Gems that contain three episodes each. Columbia House Home Video also released a collection of 40 episodes through their "Re-TV Club". You can check out our Episode & Video Guide for more information regarding these releases.
As for DVDs, the first season of the series was released on DVD in May, 2005 and Season 2 was released in November, 2005. See our DVD section for more information.
Q. Ok, so when are seasons 3 & 4 going to be released?
A. Sony does not have Seasons Three or Four on their release schedule at this time. Season One sold very well, but Season Two was a disappointment. The re-mastering has been completed for Season Three, and if their past releases are any indication, Sony will indeed release the final seasons -- eventually. But, we have NO definitive information at this time. Please refrain from emailing us privately about this, as the high volume of inquiries prevents us from answering.
Q: How can I contact Sony and ask about future DVDs?
A: If you wish to contact Sony directly, you may do so by sending an email to:
spn_questions@sonypictures.com.
Q. Where can I get a copy of the two songs from the pilot episode: "Together (Havin' a Ball)" and "Let the Good Times In?"
A. These are two great songs that bring back some fun memories of the first time we saw the Partridges. The two songs have finally been released as part of a compilation CD entitled "Come on Get Happy! The Very Best of the Partridge Family," available on the Arista/Legacy label. Also, the original version of "Let the Good Times In," performed by The Love Generation, is available on the CD "Sunshine Days, Vol. 2: 60's Pop Classics" on the Verese Sarabande label # VSD-5802. It is also available on The Love Generation's recently released "Let the Good Times in: The Very Best of the Love Generation" CD (Revola label).
Q: Where can I get copies of the unreleased songs that
have never been on LP or CD?
A: We're sorry, but this material remains unreleased and therefore unavailable
at this time.
Q. Who are The Love Generation?
A. The Love Generation is the name of a late 1960's pop group. Some of their members, most notably Tom and John Bahler, went on to become the background singers on the Partridge Family albums. Once the Bahlers were brought on to provide the music for the pilot episode, it was easy to adapt some of their existing material to the Partridge sound. Check out our People & Places section for interviews with the studio musicians, as well as more info on the Love Generaton.
Q. What's this I hear about unreleased PF songs?
A. It's true. There are quite a few of them, as a matter of fact. To get the full scoop on the unreleased PF tracks, bop on over to our Album Guide and check out our "Recording Sessions" section.
Q. What's this I hear about an unaired pilot episode of the show?
A. Yes, there is another version of the pilot that is almost exactly the same as the one that eventually aired except there were some scenes and dialogue cut. The differences include:
Q. What happened to Mr. Partridge?
A. According to the pilot episode, Shirley's husband (whose first name has never been revealed) "died suddenly six months previously". His cause of death was also never revealed and he was rarely mentioned again. Creator Bernard Slade talks briefly about Mr. Partridge in our exclusive interview (People & Places).
Q. What was the Partridge Family's address?
A. According to Joey Green's book, "The Partridge Family Album," their address was 698 Sycamore Road, San Pueblo, CA.
Q: Where is "San Pueblo?"
A: San Pueblo, the Partridge Family's hometown, is a fictional town and does not
actually exist. But, it is supposed to be set in sunny Southern California.
Q: Am I seeing things or is that the house from
"Bewitched" as they drive down the street in the opening credits?
A: Yes, that is indeed the home of Samantha and Darrin Stephens from
"Bewitched." The exteriors to these homes and homes from other Screen Gems
TV series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie," "Hazel," and "Dennis the Menace" are
located on a back lot in Burbank, California. For a tour of this back lot, visit
our People & Places section on the website.
Q. What are the lyrics to "When We're Singing", the theme song used in the first season?
A.
Come on now and meet everybody, and hear us singin'
There's nothing better than being together, when we're singin'
Five of us and Mom working all day, we knew we could help her if our music would pay
Danny got Reuben to sell our song, and it really came together when Mom sang along
Come on now and meet everybody, and hear us singing
There's nothing better than being together, when we're singin'
When we're singin', when we're singin'
Q. Ok, then, what are the lyrics to "C'mon Get Happy", the theme song used in seasons 2-4?
A.
Hello, world, here's a song that we're singin', c'mon get happy
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin', we'll make you happy
We had a dream we'd go trav'lin' together
We'd spread a little lovin' then we'd keep movin' on
Somethin' always happens whenever we're together
We get a happy feelin' when we're singin' a song
Trav'lin' along there's a song that we're singin', c'mon get happy
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin', we'll make you happy
We'll make you happy, we'll make you happy
Q. What are the lyrics to...?
A. We have quite a collection of PF song lyrics, as well as their piano/guitar chords right here on the site. Again, bop on over to our Album Guide and check out our "Sing Along with the Partridge Family" section.
Q. Where I can get that groovy Partridge font I see on your web site?
A. Visit our Partridge Downloads page. The font, as well as some other groovy stuff we've been collecting and creating (icons, desktop images, a trivia game, and more!) are available here.
Q. Do you have any pics of: The Bus? David? Susan? Simone? anyone? that you can send me?
A. All pictures that we have are located on the Photo Gallery page.
Q. Wasn't there a "new" Partridge Family?
A. Yes! In 2004, VH-1 produced a reality show called "In Search of the Partridge Family," in which everyday people auditioned to part of a new, updated version of our favorite musical family. The search ran for eight weeks, and viewers were encouraged to vote for the people they wanted to be the new Shirley, Keith, Laurie, and Danny Partridge (the roles of Chris, Tracy, and Reuben were to be cast at a later date). Once the new cast was chosen, a pilot episode of "The New Partridge Family" was aired in January of 2005. It was the only episode filmed, as VH-1 cancelled the series after the pilot aired. A new Partridge song, "Love Can Start a Revolution" made its debut on the show, as did new versions of "Come On Get Happy" and "I Think I Love You". To the best of our knowledge, these songs were never recorded for public purchase. The cast of "The New Partridge Family" is pictured below:
Suzanne Sole (Shirley) ... Leland Grant (Keith) ... Emily Stone (Laurie)
Spencer Tuskowski (Danny)... Anthony Skillman (Chris) ... Hanna Leigh Dworkin
(Tracy)
French Stewart (Reuben) ... The New Partridge Family
Q. Why didn't I see my question here?
A. Because you didn't ask it! What are you waiting for?? Write us, and we'll try to get an answer for you. Thanks for checking in!