The Partridge Family Episode #24

Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Today I will be reviewing The Partridge Family Episode #24. I’m sad because there’s only one more episode with my baby, Jeremy Gelbwaks, before he leaves the show. This episode is about Danny thinking he’s adopted. Yet another episode centered around the comedic brilliance of Danny Bonaduce. The episode is called “A Partridge By Any Other Name” and originally aired on March 12, 1971.

The Partridge Family Episode #24 opens with the family and Reuben all gathered in the living room. They’re excitedly talking about their tour to Canada. Shirley sends Keith and Laurie up to the attic to find their birth certificates for passports. During the search, Keith finds an old photo album. There aren’t any photos of Danny. Ruh roh.

While looking through the photo album, Keith and Laurie start joking with Danny about how he’s adopted. Keith: We picked you up later because we needed a bass player. Laurie finds the birth certificates but Danny’s is missing. The jokes continue about Danny being adopted. Ha ha. Not.

The kids come down from the attic to find Mr. Burns from the booking agency talking with Shirley and Reuben. Mr. Burns recognizes Laurie and Keith but thinks Danny is a neighbor. When Shirley tells him that Danny is her son, he says, “You’re putting me on. That’s like a red-headed woodpecker trying to pass as a bald eagle.” I think he called Danny a pecker.

Duh

Shirley had Danny’s birth certificate in Episode #4 when he was drafted. Remember her waving it in front of that dude’s face? She probably pulled the birth certificate out of the attic then and didn’t put it back. They don’t mention this at all in this episode, but I remember.

Danny is now starting to believe he really is adopted. He goes to bed early to pout. Shirley brings him up a tray of food. It’s a meatball sandwich and a huge piece of cake. Danny says he’s not hungry. What?! What does not being hungry have to do with anything! (I love food.)

The Search

Danny goes to a detective to see if he can help find the truth about his origins. The detective tells him to check the hospital records. At the hospital, there’s no record of a Danny Partridge. Oh no!! He finds out from the hospital records that there was only one boy born on his birthday. The boy (who Danny assumes is himself) was born to a Mrs. M. Young.

Shirley tells Danny, “You couldn’t find yourself in the hospital records because you weren’t born there. You were born 40 miles from here in Napa County. You weren’t due for two weeks so we decided to go on a picnic.” Hey! I’m about 40 miles from Napa County! I love how they keep talking about places by me. I grew up near The Partridge Family. I’m special.

The family fails at trying to convince Danny he’s a Partridge. They study a picture with a magnifying glass that they think is Danny. Danny says it looks like a basketball. They bring an old neighbor by who claims she remembers Danny being born but then confuses him with Chris. Poor Danny.

Danny starts his search for M. Young. He first stops at a construction site and hugs the first M. Young he finds and yells “Daddy!” The song Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted plays while they show Danny going to every M. Young in town. He meets many different M. Youngs. At one of the houses he visits he’s greeted by a woman who introduces her son to Danny. (This child appears to be the same age as Danny.) Wouldn’t that be the child who was the only one born on Danny’s birthday? That should have ended his search right there.

Trivia

Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted was the second single for this group. It was released in January 1971 and reached #6 on the charts. David Cassidy almost quit the show because of this song. He hated the spoken part in the middle. Be a team player and suck it up, David. I remember swinging on my grandpa’s swing set in his backyard in Turtle Lake, North Dakota saying those spoken words right along with Keith.

Shirley and Reuben catch up with Danny as he tries his last M. Young. He still doesn’t believe Shirley and wants to find his real parents. He knocks on the door of the last house and a black man answers. Danny assumes that can’t be his dad. There’s laughter. Why? I don’t remember all of my schooling, but I believe Danny could have biologically been this man’s child.

Cut to a sweet talk in Danny’s bedroom with him and Shirley. Danny basically says he’s an idiot. Keith and Laurie run in with a photo album they found that has a bunch of photos of Danny. Some of them are naked. Yeah, baby.

The Partridge Family Episode #24 ends with the band on stage singing I Can Feel Your Heartbeat. I think that’s rare. Usually there’s some cheesy tag in their living room or kitchen. Why does Shirley get to wear her own outfit? She looks beautiful in red. Tracy is playing her tambourine in time and looks good. They show a close up of my Chris and he’s in time. It’s hard to fake play the drums, especially when you’re 10 and not coordinated.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my review. Please come back again.