The Partridge Family (TV Series) Did You Hear the One About Danny Partridge? (1970) User Reviews

Morey Amsterdam and Jackie Coogan

[kevinolzak · 5/10 · 2 March 2014]

"Did You Hear the One About Danny Partridge?" begins with the group finishing up on stage, Danny accidentally getting tangled up with his microphone cord. The spontaneous laughter from the crowd inspires him to build up the act with his own comedy routine, so he buys a package of jokes from Ziggy Shnurr (Morey Amsterdam), and comes off sounding like a pint sized Henny Youngman. His brothers and sisters are all gung ho for telling Danny to cut out the comedy, but Shirley wants to let him down easy; fortunately, Reuben has a friend (Jackie Coogan) with the experience to put everything across to the aspiring comic. In an inspired bit of casting, THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW's Morey Amsterdam essentially plays himself, 'The Human Joke Machine,' while THE ADDAMS FAMILY's Jackie Coogan would return as Shirley's father in "Maid in San Pueblo." There are two songs featured: "Somebody Wants to Love You" (B-side of "I Think I Love You"), composed by Wes Farrell, Mike Appel, and Jim Cretecos, was previously heard in "Love at First Slight," while the still unreleased "All of the Things," composed by Richard Klein, would reappear with different lyrics in the first season finale, "A Knight in Shining Armor" (retitled "Stephanie," each featuring the same incredible organ solo coupled with piano).