Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
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, 1974 to March 8, 1975.[1] The band performed one of their pop hits in each episode.[2]
| Partridge Family 2200 A.D. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | The Partridge Family in Outer Space |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| 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 (based on characters created by Bernard Slade) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Hanna-Barbera Productions Columbia Pictures Television |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 7, 1974 – March 8, 1975 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Partridge Family Fred Flintstone and Friends |
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. 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).
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Original air date | PC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Danny, the Invisible Man" | September 7, 1974 | 77-2 |
| 2 | "If This Is Texas — It Must Be Doomsday" | September 14, 1974 | 77-4 |
| 3 | "The Incredible Shrinking Keith" | September 21, 1974 | 77-3 |
| 4 | "Cousin Sunspot" | September 28, 1974 | 77-5 |
| 5 | "The Wax Museum" | October 5, 1974 | 77-7 |
| 6 | "The Dog Catcher" | October 12, 1974 | 77-6 |
| 7 | "Cupcake Caper" | October 19, 1974 | 77-11 |
| 8 | "Laurie's Computer Date" | October 26, 1974 | 77-8 |
| 9 | "Movie Madness" | November 2, 1974 | 77-9 |
| 10 | "The Pink Letter" | November 9, 1974 | 77-10 |
| 11 | "Orbit the Genius" | November 16, 1974 | 77-12 |
| 12 | "The Switch" | November 23, 1974 | 77-13 |
| 13 | "My Son, the Spaceball Star" | November 30, 1974 | 77-1 |
| 14 | "Car Trouble" | December 7, 1974 | 77-14 |
| 15 | "The Roobits" | December 14, 1974 | 77-15 |
| 16 | "Let's All Stick Together" | December 21, 1974 | 77-16 |
Voices
- Sherry Alberoni . . . Laurie Partridge
- Danny Bonaduce . . . Danny Partridge
- Suzanne Crough . . . Tracy Partridge
- Susan Dey . . . Laurie Partridge (in 2 episodes)
- Brian Forster . . . Chris Partridge
- Joan Gerber . . . Shirley Partridge, Energetic Emma
- Chuck McLenan . . . Keith Partridge, Zappy Zak
- Micky Dolenz . . . Wonderful Wayne, Spotless Sam
- Julie McWhirter . . . Marion Moonglow
- Hal Smith . . . Texx
- John Stephenson . . . Reuben Kincaid
- Lennie Weinrib . . . Jolly Joe
- Frank Welker . . . Orbit, Veenie
Chuck McLenan also was the singing voice for musical numbers.
Production credits
- Executive Producers: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna
- Directed by Charles A. Nichols
- Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
- Recording Director: Gordon Hunt
- Assistant Director: Maxine Hoppe
- Executive Story Consultant: Myles Wilder
- Story Editor: Sid Morse
- Writers: Barry Blitzer, Larz Bourne, Dick Conway and Buddy Atkinson, Rance Howard and Jim Begg, Jack Mendelsohn, John Fenton Murray, Ray Parker, Bill Raynor
- Storyboard Editors: Lew Marshall, Don Sheppherd, George Singer, Paul Sommer
- Production Design: Bob Singer
- Production Supervision: Victor O. Schipek
- Titles: Iraj Paran
- Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
- Music Supervision: Paul DeKorte
- Character Design: Dick Bickenbach
- Layout: Dale Barnhart, Sukhdev Dail, Phil Mendez, Greg Nocon
- Unit Director: Ray Patterson
- Animation: Ed Barge, O. E. Callahan, Lars Calonius, Rudy Cataldi, Margaret Gruwell, Bill Hutten, Volus Jones, Ed Love, Tony Love, Dan Mills, Don Patterson, John Walker, Gwen Wetzier
- Background Supervision: Fernando Montealegre
- Background: Dennis Durrell, Joe Griffith, Robert Schaefer, Dennis Venizelos
- Technical Supervision: Frank Palker
- Checking and Scene Planning: Evelyn Sherwood
- Ink and Paint Supervision: Billie Kerns
- Xerography: Robert "Tiger" West
- Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
- Supervising Film Editor: Larry Cowan
- Music Editor: Joe Sandusky
- Sound Effects Editor: Joe Reitano
- Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
- Post Production Supervision: Joed Eaton
- Camera: George Epperson, Jerry Smith, Wayne Smith
- Production Manager: Art Scott
- Assistant Production Manager: Jayne Barbera
- A Hanna-Barbera Production
- RCA Sound Recording
- Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. ©MCMLXXIV-MCMLXXVII All Rights Reserved.
- This Picture made under the Jurisdiction of IATSE-IA Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.
- Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.
- Columbia Pictures Television, A division of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
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.
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 14 March 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.