An Interview with

Continued...

GH: What did your close friends think about you being on TV? 

SC: They thought it was cool. They wanted to go with me to the set. They couldn't understand why I wasn't in love with David. 

GH: What did you tell them? Why weren't you in love with David? 

SC: I guess he was more like a brother than anything else. 

GH: Were you allowed to bring friends to the set from time to time? Did any of them ever get used as extras? 

SC: Yes, I took friends a couple of times, but they weren't used in the show. 

GH: There is an ongoing debate among fans as to which Chris they preferred. You worked with both actors the most. In general, did you prefer one over the other, both to work with and personally? 

SC: Well, Jeremy was never a friend. Brian was. However, to answer the question, I would say Brian was Chris Partridge. Jeremy wasn't part of the show in the same way. 

GH: How did you find out that Jeremy was leaving and Brian was arriving? 

SC: We all knew it would be Danny or Jeremy to leave the show, and we knew Danny wasn't going anywhere. So, I showed up for work and I was told " Suzanne, this is Brian. He is playing Chris." 

GH: What exactly do you mean by "it would be Danny or Jeremy"? 

SC: There were problems with everyone and Jeremy. However, Danny would look for any excuse to, let's say, throw him into a wall. Danny was very strong and would pick him up and toss him. I [don't] mean it literally that Danny would have lost his job, but you can see how one of them would be leaving. You can't have things like that going on. 

GH: Did being on "The Partridge Family" awaken any musical ambition in you? 

SC: I actually played the organ/keyboards. I started while on the show and we often gave them tapes of my progress. 

GH: Tell us about filming the musical numbers. How long did it take? What day were they filmed? 

SC: They took a full Friday. That was music day. 

GH: Were they easier than a normal shoot, or more grueling? 

SC: It was a little more work. There was a lot involved with the music day. More rehearsals, extras, guests, etc. 

GH: Was there someone off camera keeping the beat with you? 

SC: No, not really. Sometimes on the close ups, but not normally. 

GH: How did you learn the music? Were you given records to take home? 

SC: Yes, we first would get [the records] and then we would go through the music with someone during the week and on music day again. Honestly, there wasn't a lot of time given to us for the music part of it. 

GH: Strange, considering it was a major element of the show! 

SC: I think they figured David was the music. 

GH: Were you a fan of the music? Do you have the albums, and do you have a favorite one, or favorite song? 

SC: People have given me some of the albums, so I do have some of them. I'll Meet You Halfway was a good song. 

GH: You hadn't saved any from back then? 

SC: I threw everything out. If only I knew that 30 years later... well, you know... I do have both tambourines! 

GH: The one with the multicolor skin? 

SC: Well, the multicolored [tambourine] later became sprayed gold with things on it, and the other is the all wood, hollowed. That is Tracy-specific! 

GH: How aware were you of the impact the show was having, with young people especially, across the country and around the world? 

SC: I was aware, but to what extent 30 years later? That is something that cannot be understood or predicted. 

GH: At the time, though, with the hysteria over David, etc, did you ever think to yourself, "wow, this show is getting big and I'm in it"? 

SC: I don't think it was a specific thought. Yes, I knew it was big. And I was aware I was part of it. But, when you're in the middle of it I think it is overwhelming to be clear about anything related to the show. 

GH: Do you have siblings? 

SC: I'm the youngest of eight. 

GH: Were any siblings in the business, too? 

SC: My brothers were in show business for a time. 

GH: Were they cool with having a sister who was a Partridge? 

SC: I think it was good and bad. [They could] use the fact I was Tracy to [their] benefit but [it could] also [lead to] jealousy. It had to be tough for my brothers at times. My sisters were all much older. 

GH: So your brothers weren't exactly enjoying the same success you were? 

SC: My oldest brother was in "The Andy Griffith Show" as one of Opie's friends. That is kind of what pushed my mother into letting my try acting, too. The producer would lock me in the jail cell to take a nap. He told my mother to get me in acting. He thought I was funny. And I was not shy. 

GH: Did you want to be pushed? 

SC: I wanted to try it. She thought I was too young. My brothers were eight years older than I was. She finally gave in to the pressure from me, my agent etc. 

GH: So you were discovered in Barney Fife's cell! That beats Lana Turner at Schwabs! 

SC: Yeah, it does. 

GH: During the "DANNY!" talk show, you showed a photo of yourself, Danny, & Michael Jackson on the backlot. What was going on that day? 

SC: Michael was just visiting. It is priceless to me. We look so deep in conversation. 

GH: Was he visiting "The Partridge Family" set specifically, or there for another reason? 

SC: I think probably working on something and visiting. It was not uncommon to have VIP visitors. For instance, we were given Schwinn bikes and met the [Schwinn] family. 

GH: Did you receive any monetary compensation for your likeness being used on the record albums? 

SC: No. 
 
 

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