We think she loves him
(David Cassidy, that is)

By Diane Villano-Prokop
Times Staff Writer

We grew up together, David Cassidy and me. That’s what my favorite crush told me when I got the chance to speak to him by phone last week.
"There’s a line in one of the songs (Echo Valley 2-6809) that starts, ‘We grew up together.’ In many ways, I grew up with you," he said.
I had to glance at the Post-it note I’d stuck to my computer monitor as a reminder.
Breathe.
While he has performed on Broadway, in Las Vegas, and onstage in London with Sir Laurence Olivier, Cassidy will be forever emblazoned on the hearts of the now 40- and 50-something women for his portrayal of teen idol Keith Partridge during the 1970s hit The Partridge Family.
The TV series — which in turn made David Cassidy a teen idol — followed the lives of widow Shirley Partridge (played by Cassidy’s stepmother, actress Shirley Jones) and her five children when they form a band and travel to shows in their psychedelic, multi-color bus.
The program debuted on Sept. 25, 1970 and lasted until March 23, 1974, part of an ABC Friday night lineup that at one point included The Brady Bunch, Room 222 and Here Come the Brides.
If you remember tearing Cassidy’s picture out of Tiger Beat magazine, hanging it above your bed and wishing you could meet him at the Taco Stand after school (even though you may have never seen a taco before, let alone a taco stand in 1970s Northeast Philly), treat yourself and check out his performance at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on June 9. You’ll be glad you did.
I saw him last month at Penn’s Peak, a concert venue in Jim Thorpe, "the Gateway to the Poconos." The C’mon Get Happy high lasted for days.
At 57, David Cassidy still looks great, and his soulful voice is richer than ever. His repertoire included You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away — a song he once sang with Beatle John Lennon at a New Year’s Eve party — Ain’t No Sunshine, and, of course, all the old Partridge Family favorites, I Think I Love You and I’ll Meet You Halfway among them.
When Cassidy sang the latter (my favorite), that entire Partridge Family episode flashed before my eyes — the one where Season Hubley played a princess named Jenny. When she and Keith wanted to go on a date but were feeling a little cramped by her security guards, they ditched the entourage and went off to a drive-in, where they nearly created an international incident.
During his Penn’s Peak show, Cassidy told security to back off when they were shooing away fans who wanted to get close to the stage for a picture or a closer look at the star. They paraded to the stage with old Partridge Family lunchboxes and his 1970s album covers, which he held up for the audience to see, jokingly noting that he didn’t know who the girl was — lampooning the way he wore his long dark hair more than 30 years ago.
Five women in the row behind me wore T-shirts that formed five words as they stood shoulder to shoulder — I Think I Love You — and there was something bonding about all of us there together, remembering how he was and how we were back then, and wondering how time quickly whisked us to that very moment today.
When asked what it’s like to be part of so many people’s history, he delivered a gracious response. "It feels like it felt to you — beyond good," Cassidy said. "It’s like I have a connection to so many people, and they have one with me."
His encore during the show was a performance of Cry — a moving tribute to his late father Jack Cassidy, who used to sing the Johnnie Ray song around the house, Cassidy recalled.
The upcoming House of Blues show will differ from the Penn’s Peak concert, Cassidy explained. He’ll introduce songs from his latest CD, David Cassidy Part II: The Remix, to audiences. The CD, sold exclusively at Target stores, features 21st-century club mixes of old Partridge favorites and Cassidy solo hits. The high-tech update was undertaken by remixer Craig J, who has worked on songs for Madonna, Cher and Kelly Clarkson.
"It’s a very daring show," Cassidy said. "We’re doing all the new arrangements."
Although he did perform some of them at the Mohegon Sun casino in Connecticut earlier this month, and found a nice reception during a spring tour of the United Kingdom, Cassidy’s introduction of the whole CD to a U.S. audience will occur at the House of Blues show.
"This date is an important one for me. The arrangements and tracks are a whole different chemistry," he said.
Cassidy also looks forward to playing at the Atlantic City concert hall for another reason.
"I’m not someone who has really played a House of Blues. A lot of my audience hasn’t been there either," he said. "We’ve taken these songs in a new direction. As a musician and player, hopefully the vibe of that place, if anything, will add to the whole ambiance."
Cassidy knows about the magic that certain venues can hold, having played on stages all over the world.
"It’s very exciting to do it. I love to play and love to perform. It’s one of the great joys in my life," he said.
While the actor/singer/songwriter/producer has had offers to return to Broadway, he said he’d like to originate a role, to find something that was really right. He’ll probably wait, though, until his 17-year-old son Beau graduates from high school.
Cassidy lives in Florida with his wife, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, and their son. "We moved from Los Angeles, to New York, to Connecticut and Las Vegas. He’s been here for four years," Cassidy said of their current home. "I think it might be better to wait. I have to have some balance."
Cassidy also is developing a TV pilot that may or may not go this year, he said. If it comes together, Cassidy, who earned an Emmy nomination in the late ’70s for best dramatic actor for A Chance to Live, one of the highest-rated installments of the TV drama Police Story, will have a built-in fan base.
"It’s one thing having success and having fame, but to be able to do so many different things . . . to have that sense of connection (with the audience), I feel it. It’s so genuine. It’s pretty magical," he said. ••
David Cassidy performs at the House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk in Atlantic City, at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 9. For ticket information, call 609-236-BLUE or visit www.hob.com
Reporter Diane Villano-Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com

Did you know?

• The Partridge Family TV show was inspired by the real-life performing family The Cowsills.
• To date, David Cassidy’s records have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, with 24 gold and platinum recordings.
• Cassidy was 20 when his first record went platinum.
• At one time, the membership of Cassidy’s official fan club exceeded those of Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
• Cassidy was the world’s highest-paid performer when he was just 21.
• The television drama 21 Jump Street, which starred Johnny Depp, was a revamped version of Cassidy’s Police Story spin-off, Man Undercover.
• Cassidy wrote and performed the theme song for The John Laroquette Show (1993-1996), The Skrewy St. Louis Blues.
• He breeds thoroughbreds and hopes to one day have a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
• His daughter, Katie Cassidy, is set to play Lucy Ewing in the film version of the 1980s television hit Dallas. ••