
The next wave of multi-media pop-group marketing came in 1970 with the creation of The Partridge Family. The fictional singing group from San Pueblo, California was Hollywood’s answer to the real life singing family, The Cowsills. In 1971 View Master introduced a Partridge Family reel set based on an episode called “Partridge Up A Pear Tree”. The 3-D film was shot on the Partridge set towards the end of their first TV season. The positioning of the 3-D photographer reveals some things that couldn’t be seen on the television show. In one frame, the marks for the actor’s positions can be seen on the floor beneath their feet. An eye-catching image on the second reel shows The Partridges on stage in their well-known red velvet outfits performing “You Are Always On My Mind” from their second album. This set proved to be so popular that a second set titled “The Male Chauvinist” based on a third season episode, was produced in 1972. Both sets are very popular items among Partridge family collectors to this day.
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