Shaun Cassidy

I was crushing hard on Leif Garrett when Shaun Cassidy became popular. I remembered his older half-brother David from the early 70’s. (David Cassidy from The Partridge Family.) Shaun seemed to be repeating the same teen idol status as David, but I could never get into him. I always thought he looked too much like a girl, but I guess Leif was also girly. I don’t know. Shaun seemed feminine to me whereas Leif seemed more like a cute boy. Go figure.

Born September 27, 1958 in Los Angeles, Shaun Paul Cassidy first started showing up in my teen mags in the mid 70’s. He was a full blown teen idol by the end of the decade. I remember seeing him in pictures hanging around the set in my Partridge Family magazines. He had long hair like a girl.

Music

Shaun was signed to a recording contract with Warner Brothers when he was still in high school. I think people were aware of what he could become and what they could mold him into just like the Scotti Brothers did with Leif Garrett.

Cassidy released his first album in 1977. It was actually first released in Europe and Australia in 1976. The self-titled debut album did quite well and reached number three on the charts. Two successful singles were released from the album. That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll reached number three while Da Doo Ron Ron went all the way to number one. Shaun Cassidy was a star.

Cassidy’s second album, Born Late, also did well. The sophomore album got to number six on the charts and produced two more hit singles. Do You Believe in Magic reached 31 while Hey Deanie hit number seven. Do You Believe in Magic always makes me laugh. I picture Oz singing it in the choir in the 1999 movie America Pie. Stifler’s reaction is what makes me laugh. Shaun had a few more albums after the first two but his teen idol status was starting to fade.

Acting

Shaun Cassidy has only 12 acting credits on IMDB which surprised me. I thought he had acted a lot more than that but I was a young teenager when the Hardy Boys came out. I guess because of that popularity I just assumed he had acted a bunch. The show only ran for two years but that seemed like a lifetime when you’re a youngster and it’s plastered all over your teen magazine. Speaking of the Hardy Boys…..

There were rumors that Leif Garrett was going to be the second Hardy Boy to Shaun Cassidy. Can you imagine the popularity of that show with the top two teen idols in the country (world?) on the same show? From what I read, they wanted Shaun for the younger boy and if they had cast Leif, it wouldn’t have worked out. (FYI, Parker Stevenson was cast as the older Hardy.)

Shaun Cassidy did continue to act after The Hardy Boys but most of it was on stage. He began his writing career while on the Broadway show Blood Brothers. It was during this time that he wrote his first pilot for TV, American Gothic. Cassidy has 17 credits for producing and 16 credits as a writer.

Family

I think what made me not attracted to Shaun Cassidy was the fact that he looked just like his mom. I couldn’t understand how the young girls could crush on Mrs. Partridge. I swear there are pinups where he looks exactly like her. He is definitely her son. Jack Cassidy is Shaun’s dad. Shaun also has two full brothers, Patrick and Ryan. They both were mild teen idols. I think the level of teen idol status decreased with the age of each son. David, the oldest, was the biggest teen idol. Shaun was the next biggest, then Patrick, and finally Ryan.

Shaun Cassidy’s first marriage to Ann Pennington, which was all over the teen magazines, lasted from December 1, 1979 to July 4, 1993. That’s a long marriage for a young idol in Hollywood. That union produced three children. Shaun had another child with second wife, Susan Diol, though the marriage was somewhat short-lived (less than eight years). He married again in 2004 to Tracey Lynne Turner and they are still together. I know three marriages is a lot (according to Ross on Friends), but I think that’s a decent track record for Hollywood. Shaun has four children with his last wife which makes a total of eight. Hey, Eight is Enough.

Trivia

• His middle name (Paul) come from his grandfather (Shirley’s dad).
• It’s Up To You, which was a song on his second album, was written by Cassidy and Billy Mumy. Mumy portrayed Will Robinson on Lost in Space.
• Shaun went to the same high school as Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Lenny Kravitz, and David Schwimmer. (Speaking of Ross and his three marriages.)
• Shaun signed his first autograph when he was only five years old. Someone wanted an autograph of Shirley Jones’ son. Cute.
• He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1976.
• Was on Broadway in 1993 with his half brother David Cassidy in Blood Brothers.
• In episode #5 of The Partridge Family, the actor playing Shirley’s beau Larry (John McMartin) is actually a good friend of the Cassidy’s. He portrayed David Cassidy’s father on another TV show. He is the godfather to Shaun Cassidy and also played his father on a TV show.

 

I saw Shaun Cassidy on Oprah back in 2010. It was a teen idol special. I wasn’t a fan of Shaun’s when he was popular in the 70’s but he made a very good impression on me when he appeared on that show. He seemed like such a normal and good person. He’s one of few who achieved great teen idol status but still went on to live a healthy and productive life. After 40 years, I have decided that I am a Shaun Cassidy fan after all.

I have TONS of Shaun Cassidy available in my eBay store. Check it out!!