The Lost History of the Partridge Family Bus

Recently, while we were playing around with Joost, Telstar Logistics happened upon the 1970 pilot episode of "The Partridge Family."   We were never really fans of the show -- it was too contrived for our tastes, even when we were small. Not surprisingly, however, we've always had a soft spot for the De Stijl school bus that the family drove to get from gig to gig.  The Partridge bus is basically what Ken Kesey's Furthur would have looked like if he'd dropped acid at RISD after watching a few reruns of "The Monkees." But it played a big role on the show. Second only to David Cassidy, the bus is what gave "The Partridge Family" it's visual identity:

So how was the bus introduced to the show? In a satisfying little bit of backstory, the pilot episode includes a scene that shows the family purchasing their bus -- a 1957 Chevrolet -- from a used car dealer:

In reality, apparently, the studio purchased the used bus from the Orange County (Calif.) School District... but never mind. More troubling is the scene that shows the family giving their ride its distinctive  paint job. The design is obviously inspired by Mondrian's Composizione 1921, but we never learn why a middle class family in Southern California was moved to create a rolling homage to Dutch proto-modernism. Must've been something that happened off-camera:

The visual transformation of the bus mirrors the rising stardom of the Partridge clan, and before long the family takes its act all the way to the bright lights of Hollywood — with David Cassidy hanging out the window in a not-OSHA-approved sort of way:

And mom (played by Shirley Jones) behind the wheel:

We all know what happened next, of course: Fame, Fortune, and much Getting Happy. But what became of the bus after the show was cancelled in 1974? This Partridge Family fan website tells the tale:

After exhaustive research with a highly reliable source, we have uncovered the following...the actual bus lived for years behind Lucy's Tacos on Martin Luther King Blvd, right by USC. When Lucy's repaved their parking lot, circa February 1987, the bus was sent off to a junk yard. It was in horrible shape -- windows broken, tires flat, all identifying type (such as the family name on the side and the "Caution Nervous Mother Driving" sign on the back) was painted over in white and the rest of the bus was miserably faded. So, the upshot is that the orginal bus is long gone.

Pity we'll never get to see the bus on display in the Smithsonian, but that also means that we should be way of impostors, such as this replica which was spotted on the side of a road in 2007:

Or this horrible copy, which lacks all the appropriate period details:

Accept no substitutes!

LINKS:

David Cassidy's Official Website (Really. David Cassidy's official website)

PREVIOUSLY:
Touring San Francisco's Double-Decker Bus

Three Reverential Photographs of Buses

The Civilized Way to Go Greyhound

Comments

[Jordan]

I've never seen this brought up before, so I'll post it here. It sees to me as though there may have originally been two Partridge Family buses. In the pilot episode the interior walls of the bus are light blue and beige. The seats are all different colors with stick on decorations attached(I assume the bus didn't come from Orange County this way). In all subsequent episodes the interior of the bus is a salmon and beige and the seats are all upholstered in an orange swirl fabric. Secondly, only in the pilot the rear 4 windows have tie up window shades. In the rest of the episodes all the windows have pull down shades. Also, in some shots of the pilot episode the bumper of the bus has a hitch and some it doesn't. Perhaps the hitch was added later.

[Jordan]

I've never seen this brought up before, so I'll post it here. It sees to me as though there may have originally been two Partridge Family buses. In the pilot episode the interior walls of the bus are light blue and beige. The seats are all different colors with stick on decorations attached(I assume the bus didn't come from Orange County this way). In all subsequent episodes the interior of the bus is a salmon and beige and the seats are all upholstered in an orange swirl fabric. Secondly, only in the pilot the rear 4 windows have tie up window shades. In the rest of the episodes all the windows have pull down shades. Also, in some shots of the pilot episode the bumper of the bus has a hitch and some it doesn't. Perhaps the hitch was added later.

[Michele]

Whaaaa... I was hoping the original bus was still in OK condition. I was ready to put on a puka shell necklace and take out my old Tiger Beat magazines filled with David Cassidy's dimpled smile. But, no...

Enjoyed the post though. Thanks!

[Michele]

Whaaaa... I was hoping the original bus was still in OK condition. I was ready to put on a puka shell necklace and take out my old Tiger Beat magazines filled with David Cassidy's dimpled smile. But, no...

Enjoyed the post though. Thanks!

[Michele]

Whaaaa... I was hoping the original bus was still in OK condition. I was ready to put on a puka shell necklace and take out my old Tiger Beat magazines filled with David Cassidy's dimpled smile. But, no...

Enjoyed the post though. Thanks!

[mark marion]

After 20 years of searching we have finally located the original bus and are planning to fully restore it and hopefully put it in the Henry Ford museum after auctioning off the 35 year reunion bus we bought off ebay 3 years ago. Love the site,great info,have a groovy day!
Mark & Karla

[Kyle]

Now if it's true, THAT would be truly amazing.
I'd be very interested in more information on this incredible tidbit, and possibly assisting with restoration efforts if possible. I'm doing a Herbie the Love Bug currently.
Kyle~

[Ari Ross]

I lived in LA back as a kid in the 80s and recall seeing what I think now was indeed .. THE BUS!!!

I have memory of it being far south in the city and seeing what looked an awful lot like the Partridge Family bus beside a building (off-street). I figured it was an imposter because "How could the ACTUAL bus be down HERE, out side in the elements, away from Hollywood proper, etc, etc."

If only I could have fortold the 10 years later or so desire for "Boomer" retro, etc... and later on...eBay!! Maybe could have bought it for a couple grand and flipped it later for a few grand more!? :-)

[Paul]

There was an episode of "APPLE'S WAY" that had a bus painted all white. I believe this was the Partridge's bus remebering the distictive Chevy grill with it's two molded "bullets" between the headlights. If this was the bus, it did not take long before it was painted white. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY ran from 1970-1974 and APPLE'S WAY from 1974-1975.

[sue]

i just saw the bus on May 3rd in a town near windham, ny. I can send you a picture

[Dean Atkinson]

I believe there were Two Buses. One of the buses came from A San Diego radio station Promotion that went bad. Seems that a 16 year old Girl won the bus from KGB-AM. Her father insisted that the station give her money instead of the bus. It sat in a lot near highway 5 and Balboa until someone from the show aquired it. I was told this story by a instucter in a Broadcast promotions class at City College in 1975-76. She was in Sales/Promotions in the 60s and 70s. I don't think the bus ran well enough to drive much and I think they used it for interior shots. This is what I remember. I am a child of the 60s. this how I remember it.

[Van Sales]

I visited this blog first time and found it very interesting and informative.. Keep up the good work thanks..

[Donna King]

I have come acrossed what looks like the bus in Ashland NY on a mountain road in a driveway

[Donna King]

Ashland is between Windham and Durham NY