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The Movie: Still rather underrated after all these years, "The Partridge Family" ran four years (1970-1974) before calling it quits, gathering a cult following that still holds up today, as star Danny Bonaduce is featured in a new reality series ("Breaking Bonaduce") and VH-1 has also put on-air "The New Partridge Family", an update of the series. For those who have never caught an episode, the original "Partridge" chronicled the life and times of a family of musicians who traveled around in their decorated bus. They're managed by Reuben, who, while well-meaning, manages to get the Partridges into a fair share of problems. Despite the show's constantly sunny nature ("Come on, get happy!"), the series still doesn't cross the line into being sappy and sentimental nearly as often as it could have. The performances from the cast are also first-rate, as the actors have excellent chemistry with one another. 26: Dora, Dora, Dora - The Partridges learn that Ruben has booked them to perform with an 18-year-old girl who's beautiful, but can't sing. 27: In 25 Words Or Less - In order to boost publicity, Reuben stages a contest in which the winner will spend a week with the family. However, the winner is a 60-year-old mother. 28: A Man Called Snake - A biker gang member develops a crush on Laurie surprises everyone when she agrees to go out with him. 29: The Undergraduate - When Shirley enrolls in college, one of her male classmates develops a crush on her. 30: Anatomy of a Tonsil - Danny has to have his tonsils out. 31: Whatever Happened to Moby Dick? - Danny wants to add a singing whale to the act in order to cash in on the ecology movement. 32: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Partridge - Keith is determined to be a good influence on his brothers and sisters, but takes things too far. 33: Days of Acne and Roses - The Partridges help a young boy become confident enough to get a date. 34: Tale of Two Hamsters - When the Partridges adopt a pair of hamsters, soon a couple of hamsters start multiplying, and the family is forced to bring them along on tour. 35: The Forty-Year Itch - Shirley's mom and dad are about to split up over his new hip lifestyle, so the family plans to get them back together. 36: I Can Get it for You Retail - In order to buy his mom a mink coat for her birthday, Danny starts selling off Keith's possessions to his brother's fans. 37: Guess Who's Coming to Drive? - The Partridges hire a temporary new driver who turns out to be an ex-con. 38: Don't Bring Your Guns to Town, Santa - When their bus breaks down in a ghost town, it looks like the family will miss Christmas, so a prospector takes it upon himself to entertain the family. 39: Where Do Mermaids Go? - A free-spirited girl leaves the Partridges $1,000,000, and suddenly their lives are turned upside down with their new wealth. 40: Home is Where the Heart Was - After Chris and Tracey are scolded for leaving a mess, they decide to run away to Reuben's apartment. 41: Fellini, Bergman, and Partridge - Keith tries to prove he is a great filmmaker, but not everyone thinks so - until a movie theater agrees to show the film. 42: Waiting for Bolero - In order to be independent, Keith moves into a room in the house next door. 43: I Am Curious Partridge - Keith and Shirley get some bad press when Danny writes a story about them for the local paper. 44: My Heart Belongs to a Two-Car Garage - A Russian handyman who claims to be a world-class artist paints a nude woman on the family's garage, which upsets the neighbors. 45: Hel-l-l-p - When the Partridge women go camping, the Partridge men go after them, just in case they need help. 46: Promise Her Anything, But Give Her a Punch - Danny's in love for the first time, but the girl would rather be with Keith. 47: The Partridge Papers - Danny donates Laurie's diary to the school auction by mistake, and the editor threatens to publish it in the paper. 48: All's War in Love and Fairs - A married couple tries to get the Partridges to perform at a benefit to help Native Americans. 49: Who is Max Ledbetter and Why is He Saying All Those Horrible Things? - A former psychic whose business is in trouble cons Danny and Keith by telling them about bad luck for an upcoming concert. The DVD VIDEO: The Partridges are presented by Sony Pictures Home Video in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. Given the age of the show, the picture quality is surprisigly good. Sharpness and detail remained excellent, as the image was almost consistently bright, crisp and well-defined (small object detail was even quite good throughout much of the presentation), with only a moment or two of softness. Although some minor wear (a speck here, a slight mark there) was present, the picture was free of edge enhancement, pixelation, shimmering or any other issues. Colors remained natural and bright, with no smearing or other concerns. Overall, this was a very nice presentation that should please fans. SOUND: "Partridge Family" is presented in mono. The audio quality is not quite as pleasing as the video quality, but considering the technology of the time, the sound quality is perfectly fine. The songs/dialogue remain crisp and clear (if a little on the thin side) , and no distortion or other issues are found. EXTRAS: The only special features are the ability to jump to musical performances in the episodes and some bonus trailers for other titles from the studio. Final Thoughts: This second season following the Partridge clan offers quite a few highlights and a lot of fun. Despite the fact that the DVD set doesn't offer much in the way of supplements, audio and video quality is better than expected, given the age of the series. Recommended. |