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Before starring in the iconic ’70s sitcom The Partridge Family, Shirley Jones was already an accomplished actress, boasting an Academy Award and a rich Broadway background. So, stepping into the role of Shirley Partridge-the musical mom from 1970 to 1974-was just another chapter in her distinguished career.
Jones, now 92, shared the screen with a talented ensemble that included Danny Bonaduce, Susan Dey, Dave Madden, and her real-life stepson, David Cassidy. During a September 2026 appearance on The Scott Baio Podcast, Bonaduce, now 67, reflected on working alongside the seasoned star nearly a decade after she earned her Oscar for Elmer Gantry.
“She was wonderful to work with,” Bonaduce remembered. “She didn’t tolerate much nonsense.
When the kids wasted time, she’d lay down the law-but nothing too harsh.” As a pre-teen on set, Bonaduce sometimes found himself on the receiving end of Jones’s firm but caring discipline.
In a previous interview, Bonaduce recounted moments when Jones would scold him for misbehavior. “I’d be doing something wrong, and she’d say, ‘Danny, you go to your room right now!’
And I’d have to remind her, ‘Shirley, I don’t really have a room here!’” Though she couldn’t literally send him away, Jones found ways to keep the young actor in line.
In a 1991 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Jones described Bonaduce as a “rebellious little kid” who faced challenges at home. “He’d show up late, had a bad mouth, and played practical jokes.
I’d swat him now and then to make him behave. But he listened, and we got along well.
You just had to keep him in line.”
Bonaduce also shared a lighthearted behind-the-scenes story from the show involving cast members Brian Forster and Suzanne Crough, who had only minor roles. The group would joke about how the two kids rarely had lines.
“There was this running gag where Shirley or someone would mention Benny Goodman, and both kids would say ‘Who?’ in unison,” Bonaduce said.
“Then Shirley would quip, ‘I’ve got to start hanging out with an older crowd.’”
Through it all, Shirley Jones’s blend of professionalism, warmth, and humor helped create the memorable family dynamic that made The Partridge Family a beloved classic.