The Partridge Family
M is for the Many Things
TV Flash files “M is for the Many Things” as hour 51 of 96 in the TV Flash guide — The Partridge Family (1970–1974) on ABC, season 3, episode 2, aired 1972-09-22, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E02: listed hour 51 of 96 in the The Partridge Family guide, hour 2 of 25 in season 3. It aired 1972-09-22 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “This Male Chauvinist Piggy Went to Market” (S03E01). Next is “Princess and the Partridge” (S03E03).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
The family travels by bus to Sacramento for Shirley to accept a Mother of the Year award. Taking the back road leads them to wrong turns, lost wallet, traffic tickets, and other annoyances.
Viewer FAQ
Where does M is for the Many Things sit in the The Partridge Family guide?
S03E02 is listed hour 51 of 96 — hour 2 of 25 in season 3, season 3 episode 2.
When did The Partridge Family S03E02 air?
M is for the Many Things aired 1972-09-22 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do the songs actually chart?
Yes. Soundtrack singles were real hits, including I Think I Love You. The sitcom sold records, not only lunchboxes.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Shirley Jones drives a Mondrian bus while David Cassidy becomes a teen-idol industry with actual chart hits. A family-band sitcom that sold records, lunchboxes, and a kind of clean California longing. Music-machine grin up front; the fame-spiral gossip Cassidy never fully escaped rides shotgun.
The Mondrian bus arrives before the hit. ABC, 1970–1974: Shirley Jones in the driver's seat of a candy-colored coach, a widowed mom touring as pop with her kids while sitcom plots and chart singles collide. Bernard Slade's The Partridge Family made David Cassidy a teen-idol industrial complex with actual records — including I Think I Love You — and sold lunchboxes like they were look books. Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, and Dave Madden's Reuben Kincaid completed the family-and-manager math. *Primary-color panels,…
Filed against
- Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge
Shirley Jones drove The Partridge Family as Shirley Partridge — Mondrian bus, family-band sitcom, a California grin that sold records and lunchboxes while a teen-idol industry formed in the passenger seats. Clean longing up front. TV…
- David Cassidy as Keith Partridge
David Cassidy’s Keith Partridge turned The Partridge Family into a teen-idol industry with actual chart hits — Shirley Jones driving a Mondrian bus, lunchboxes, clean California longing, a music-machine grin that fame-spiral gossip never…
- Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge
Susan Dey’s Laurie Partridge rode the Mondrian bus while David Cassidy became a teen-idol industry — family-band sitcom, lunchboxes, clean California longing — then argued L.A. Law as glossy Bochco litigation-as-lifestyle. Music-machine…
- Danny Bonaduce as Danny Partridge
Danny Bonaduce’s Danny Partridge rode the Mondrian bus as The Partridge Family’s redheaded mischief — Shirley Jones driving, David Cassidy becoming a teen-idol industry with actual chart hits. Family-band sitcom that sold records and…
- Dave Madden as Reuben Kincaid
Dave Madden’s Reuben Kincaid managed The Partridge Family like a headache in a suit — Shirley Jones driving the Mondrian bus, David Cassidy becoming a teen-idol industry, a family-band sitcom that sold records and lunchboxes. TV Flash…