Filming at Marineworld


Tempting Reuben in the Christmas episode


"Home is Where The Heart Was"
(Chris & Tracy run away)


Mulligan's Stew


The animated Tracy in "Goober"


The animated Tracy in "2200AD"


Scenes from Teenage Father





Taylor Hackford accepting his Academy Award


An
Interview
with 

Continued...


GH: Do you have a favorite episode? 

SC: Let me see. The fun ones were the ones we did in Marineworld, King's Island, and the cruise. My favorite episode is the Christmas show. 

GH: That seems to be the cast favorite. 

SC: I know it is Shirley's. I'm not aware about anyone else. 

GH: Do any stick out in your mind as a least favorite? 

SC: My least favorites are parts of the pilot and the one where we ran across a park in chicken suits. 

GH: In agreement with Shirley again! 

SC: Wow, I fit right in there. Interesting. 

GH: It is interesting that you didn’t mention the episode when Chris & Tracy run away, given you had more screen time than usual. 

SC: It was nice having more lines. 

GH: Were you upset that you weren’t used more in the episodes? 

SC: No, I wasn't upset. There was a half-hour and too many stars. 

GH: What did you think when Ricky was brought onto the show? 

SC: We all knew the show was soon to end. I guess I have a different slant on things. 

GH: A different slant in what way? 

SC: I think there was more awareness on the show than might be told today. We were all in the loop, to a certain degree. There wasn't a plan to keep us in the dark, so to speak. Who knows what "they" were thinking? There was money being made hand over fist. And there were steps taken. 

GH: Steps to see if the show could make it without David, perhaps? 

SC: I'm not sure, but it was time to end. They put us up against "All in the Family" on a different day and slot. We knew we were over before that. 

GH: Were people angry that David quit? After all, it cost a lot of people their jobs. 

SC: I don't recall anything. But I'm sure there was something. I don't think I would hear the gossip going on or the angry people. 

GH: The story that the cast showed up for work one day and learned the show was cancelled: Truth or Fiction? 

SC: Yes, we showed up and found out we were cancelled. But, like I said, we knew. It just wasn't official until then. It was no great surprise. 

GH: Tell us about life after "The Partridge Family". Did you go on a lot of auditions? 

SC: I took a year off, then I began auditioning. 

GH: Your next regular series was "Mulligan's Stew". Did getting cast in that happen right away for you once you started auditioning again? 

SC: No, I did numerous commercials and small parts for friends, then "Mulligan's Stew".

GH: Small parts for friends? 

SC: Herb Wallerstein asked me to do a small part in the movie "Dawn, Portrait of a Teenage Runaway". He thought it was funny - Eve [Plumb, Jan on "The Brady Bunch"] a prostitute and Suzanne smoking pot and panhandling. He was a great guy. 

GH: Guess it was a way to get a Partridge and a Brady on screen together somehow! 

SC: I guess so! 

GH: Was there any kind of Partridge-Brady rivalry? 

SC: No. We were on the same network and were always at the same functions, i.e., the Hollywood Lane Parade. If there was anything, it was all in fun. We would say they were always copying us. King's Island, music, we go on a cruise they go to Hawaii, etc. 

GH: You also lent your voice to both the "Goober and the Ghost Chasers" and "The Partridge Family, 2200 A.D." cartoons. What kind of experience was that? 

SC: Yes, I became animated. It was great. A new way to act. And there were very nice and talented people involved. 

GH: Did you find it easy to adapt, acting-wise? 

SC: Yes. I also found out that I did have some talent that I could work on, with lessons. 

GH: What do you remember about being a Mulligan? How different was it from being a Partridge? 

SC: I remember everything. Off the set, on the set, incredible experiences. It was completely different. There was acting to do. From emotions to being a witch. It was great being nasty. 

GH: How old were you at this point? 

SC: I think I was around 13-14. Yeah, 7th and 8th grade. The stories I could tell you about making that show. I can talk for hours about working next to the "Fonz", meeting John Wayne, the list goes on and on. 

GH: Looks like we'll have to schedule a Part 2 interview! What did you do after "Mulligan’s Stew" professionally? 

SC: I did a docu-drama that won an Academy Award, then I did a pilot called "When the Whistle Blows", and guest spots on shows and movies of the week, like "Children of Divorce". 

GH: What was the docu-drama that won the Oscar? 

SC: It was called "Teenage Father". And yes, I was the teenage mother. 

GH: It sounds like  being Tracy Partridge did not typecast you in any way. 

SC: Yes, it did! They sprayed my hair brown so I was not recognized. But Taylor Hackford said, "Thank you to Suzanne Crough for the wonderful acting." That was worth the dye and paint. Taylor went on to produce "An Officer and A Gentleman", "White Knights", and "Against All Odds". "Teenage Father" made him famous. 

GH: And he thanked you in his Oscar acceptance speech? 

SC: When "Teenage Father" won, Taylor, as the producer, accepted the award. He then said thank you to me during the Oscars. It was cool! That is something very few actors can say! 

GH: Who played the teenage father? 

SC: The actor was an unknown named Tim Wead. A great guy. Actually, Chris Knight [Peter on "The Brady Bunch"] was up for the part. That would have been too much! 

GH: So then it was difficult to get roles in general after "The Partridge Family"? 

SC: Yes, it made it harder. Either I looked like Tracy, or because I wasn't in the show that much, it meant I couldn't act. Well, you know, it is hard to change someone's mind without meeting them. Sometimes they wouldn't let me read for the part. 

GH: Have you completely retired from show business? 

SC: Good question. I came to the age, at 20, that is hard to transfer to an adult. I had a good list of credits, but it's just hard. So I went out for parts when there were some, and I traveled a little, had some fun, and then met my husband. I signed the contract to be in the "new" Partridge Family, but I was 6 months pregnant with my oldest daughter and moving out of L.A. The series fell through. I lived 1-1/2 hours outside of L.A. and played mom for about 3 years. I met with my agent and publicist, got pictures and then found out I was pregnant again. So I got a real job. I still say I would love to go back to acting, but after my kids are older. You can't just drop everything and go out on a call and keep a stable life. 
 
 

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