Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
| Partridge Family 2200 A.D. | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Partridge Family in Outer Space |
| Genre | Science fiction Sitcom |
| Based on | The Partridge Family by Bernard Slade |
| Directed by | Charles A. Nichols |
| Voices of | Joan Gerber Danny Bonaduce Sherry Alberoni Chuck McLendon Suzanne Crough Brian Forster John Stephenson Susan Dey (2 episodes) Frank Welker |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Hanna-Barbera Productions Columbia Pictures Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 7 – December 21, 1974 |
| Related | |
| The Partridge Family The Jetsons Fred Flintstone and Friends | |
Partridge Family 2200 A.D. is an American science fiction Saturday-morning animated series and a spin-off of the 1970–1974 ABC live-action sitcom The Partridge Family produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Columbia Pictures Television and broadcast on CBS from September 7 to December 21, 1974, though, it would air in reruns until March 8, 1975.[1] The band performed one of their pop hits in each episode.[2]
Production
While in pre-production, Hanna-Barbera originally proposed an updated version of The Jetsons, in which Elroy would be a teenager and Judy would have a steady job as an ace reporter. CBS, under the leadership of Fred Silverman, discarded the idea and decided to make an animated version of The Partridge Family instead.[3] The Partridge Family had already been recurring characters on a previous Hanna-Barbera production, Goober and the Ghost Chasers.[4]
In this new iteration of the series, The Partridge Family is—without any explanation—living in a Jetsons-like futuristic environment in 2200 A.D. The family's "galaxy-famous" musical act is notably more successful than in the live-action show, and they appear to manage themselves: the character of Ruben Kincaid is not a regular. Danny has a robotic dog named Orbit, and Keith and Laurie have two good friends that travel with the family (though they are not part of the musical act): Marion, a two-toned green and blue Martian who can fly, and Veenie, a purple-haired Venusian with a distinct buzzing vocal tic.
Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough, and Brian Forster voiced their respective characters from the live action series.[5] Susan Dey provided Laurie's voice for only two episodes before she was replaced by former Mouseketeer Sherry Alberoni, who had voiced Alexandra for Hanna-Barbera's Josie and the Pussycats. Chuck McLenan served as both the speaking and singing voice of Keith Partridge instead of David Cassidy; Joan Gerber voiced Shirley Partridge in place of Shirley Jones, while John Stephenson took over the role of Reuben Kincaid from Dave Madden in the few episodes in which he appears.
Micky Dolenz, a member of a previous made-for-television band The Monkees, had various recurring roles in the series, one of his first voice-over roles.
Sixteen half-hour episodes were produced for Partridge Family 2200 A.D., which lasted half a season on CBS Saturday morning (September 7, 1974 – March 8, 1975). In 1977–78, it was retitled The Partridge Family in Outer Space when episodes were serialized on the syndicated weekday series Fred Flintstone and Friends.[6] Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the series contained a laugh track created by the studio.
Due to its ties to The Partridge Family, Partridge Family 2200 A.D. is one of only two Hanna-Barbera produced series since H-B's 1967 sale to Taft Broadcasting that are owned outright by Sony Pictures Television (whose predecessor, Screen Gems, produced the live-action series); Jeannie (an animated spin-off of I Dream of Jeannie) is the other (the copyrights to both animated series are currently held by CPT Holdings).
Cast
- Sherry Alberoni as Laurie Partridge
- Danny Bonaduce as Danny Partridge
- Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge
- Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge (in 2 episodes)
- Micky Dolenz as Wonderful Wayne, Spotless Sam
- Brian Forster as Chris Partridge
- Joan Gerber as Shirley Partridge, Energetic Emma
- Chuck McLenan as Keith Partridge, Zappy Zak
- Julie McWhirter as Marion Moonglow
- Hal Smith as Texx
- John Stephenson as Reuben Kincaid
- Lennie Weinrib as Jolly Joe
- Frank Welker as Orbit, Veenie
Chuck McLenan also was the singing voice for musical numbers.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Danny, the Invisible Man = Danny buys a space antidote called a Molex that makes him invisible in order to impress a girl and to show off Freddy." | September 7, 1974 | 77-2 |
| 2 | "If This Is Texas — It Must Be Doomsday = The Partidge Family, Veenie, and Marion are invited to Texx’s ranch in Texas. But Texx wants them to stay there. So the gang do all they can to leave the country." | September 14, 1974 | 77-4 |
| 3 | "The Incredible Shrinking Keith = Danny accidentally makes his older brother Keith shrink. So he must try to make Keith back to normal size before a gig." | September 21, 1974 | 77-3 |
| 4 | "Cousin Sunspot = Sunspot visits the Partridge Family, where he is not a good singer. So the family try their best to help him. Later, Sunspot suddenly grows chicken feathers from a machine and flies off." | September 28, 1974 | 77-5 |
| 5 | "The Wax Museum = The Partidge Family visits a wax museum while 2 thieves steal wax dummies, especially the Partridge Family look-alikes, in order to become rich." | October 5, 1974 | 77-7 |
| 6 | "The Dog Catcher = A dognapper tries to kidnap Orbit while the family is at a hotel. So Danny must keep the dog catcher away while doing a gig." | October 12, 1974 | 77-6 |
| 7 | "Cupcake Caper = A precious ring is stolen and is nowhere to be found. However, Shirley believes the ring must been with the cakes. So the gang must find the ring." | October 19, 1974 | 77-11 |
| 8 | "Laurie's Computer Date = Keith, Danny, and Orbit find a perfect match date for Laurie for the Harvest Hop after Khan refuses to go there." | October 26, 1974 | 77-8 |
| 9 | "Movie Madness = The Partridge Family fly to a movie studio where Keith is starred in one of the movies." | November 2, 1974 | 77-9 |
| 10 | "The Pink Letter = After accidentally mailing the pink letter, Danny, Veenie, Orbit, and Keith must retrieve it to Laurie." | November 9, 1974 | 77-10 |
| 11 | "Orbit the Genius = Danny and Orbit attempt to win money in a game show, Meanwhile, a double-headed troublemaker makes a dog who looks like Orbit, so they can get that exact money." | November 16, 1974 | 77-12 |
| 12 | "The Switch = Keith switches bodies with a gorilla named Bongo, causing confusion to everyone. However, the switch gives Danny an idea for a one-time gig." | November 23, 1974 | 77-13 |
| 13 | "My Son, the Spaceball Star = Danny tries to fit in with the spaceball team so that his mom won’t be disappointed." | November 30, 1974 | 77-1 |
| 14 | "Car Trouble = Danny accidentally destroys Keith’s brand new space car. So Laurie and the gang convince Keith to stay at the house while Danny and Orbit take the car to a repair shop." | December 7, 1974 | 77-14 |
| 15 | "The Roobits = Danny receives a mail package of small furry alien called “Roobits”. However, things start to go haywire when the “Roobits” start to multiply and roam the house. So the gang sell the “Roobits” to people who want one." | December 14, 1974 | 77-15 |
| 16 | "Let's All Stick Together = Danny returns a priceless fish antique sculpture broken after he accidentally disposes it. Later, the family find out everything sticks together by a special type of superglue." | December 21, 1974 | 77-16 |
Home media
In October 2005, two restored episodes of Partridge Family 2200 A.D., "My Son, The Spaceball Star" and "Car Trouble", were included as bonuses on The Partridge Family: The Complete First Season DVD set.
See also
References
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 444–445. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 211–212. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (August 12, 2018). "TV Legends: The Bizarre Origin Behind Partridge Family 2200 A.D." Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Tramel, Jimmie (April 23, 2019). "Scooby-Doo is 50 and this is why your puppy love springs eternal". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "'Partridge Family' star Suzanne Crough dead at 52". WINA. April 29, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 603–604. ISBN 978-1476665993.