The story of the real-life family pop group consisting of six kids and their mother that inspired TV's "Partridge Family".The story of the real-life family pop group consisting of six kids and their mother that inspired TV's "Partridge Family".The story of the real-life family pop group consisting of six kids and their mother that inspired TV's "Partridge Family".
Bill Cowsill
- Self
- (as Billy Cowsill)
'Cousin Brucie' Morrow
- Self
- (as Cousin Brucie)
Jean Russell
- Self
- (as Auntie Jean Russell)
Flo Presley
- Self
- (as Auntie Flo Presley)
- Directors
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Partridge Family was loosely based on the true life story of the Cowsills, who were a family rock group in the late 1960s. The father and manager of the group, Bob Cowsill, forced the young brothers and sisters to let the mother, Barbara, into the group, much to the kids' consternation. It worked as a publicity gimmick but the kids in the group reportedly hated singing hard rock songs like "Hair" with their mom; and hated the goody-two-shoes image the group got as a result of that; since they were trying to earn their cred as a legit acid/ alternative type band along the lines of Rolling Stones, Crosby Stills Nash or The Byrds. This is a far cry from the TV show scenario where the kids drag the mom into the group and she reluctantly agrees. Also; originally in the Partridge Family pilot script the mother's first name was Barbara; like Barbara Cowsill; but Shirley Jones' people demanded that it be changed to Shirley. And ABC's insistence to the Cowsills that Shirley Jones star as their mother is part of why they refused to participate in the TV show; and why the title was changed from "The Cowsills" to "The Partridge Family".
- GoofsNear the end of the music credits at the end of the film, in the credits for the songs "Wawona Evening" and "Wawona Night", the word "written" is misspelled as "wrtitten".
Featured review
A great story that still hasn't been told
I am a fan of the Cowsills' music and am fascinated by their story -- but this disappointing and disjointed documentary is hard to follow and leaves many basic questions unanswered.
The film makes it very difficult to tell the brothers apart, in either the vintage clips and photos or in the later interviews. More biographical information early on (with each kid's birth year, birth order and role in the band) would have been helpful.
The filmmakers don't give us enough material about the band's heyday but instead devote about half the running time -- too much, in my opinion -- to the later lives of the siblings. By the end, the viewer knows a great deal about the personal drama within the family but doesn't have clear answers to these obvious questions:
-Why were mother Barbara and sister Susan added to the band? Was it the dad's idea -- and if so, where did the inspiration come from? Was it the idea of a record company executive? Was it a combination of the two? -Did the boys try to resist? -Did Barbara have any previous experience singing? -What's the real story of the Cowsills and "The Partridge Family"? In the doc, Shirley Jones gives a very simple answer why the Cowsills didn't star in the series. But there's another account: that the producers thought the boys were too old and only wanted Susan. Yet another version has it that ABC was ready to do a sitcom starring the Cowsills but wanted Jones to play Barbara -- and the family said no. -What did the Cowsill kids think of "The Partridge Family" TV show? What did they think of the Partridge Family recording of "I Really Want to Know You" -- the only song recorded by both bands? -Barbara Cowsill died in 1985 at the relatively young age of 56. Had she been ill? Did her death bring the family together? Was there an outpouring from the entertainment community?
I hope someday we'll get a more complete look at this very intriguing music act!
The film makes it very difficult to tell the brothers apart, in either the vintage clips and photos or in the later interviews. More biographical information early on (with each kid's birth year, birth order and role in the band) would have been helpful.
The filmmakers don't give us enough material about the band's heyday but instead devote about half the running time -- too much, in my opinion -- to the later lives of the siblings. By the end, the viewer knows a great deal about the personal drama within the family but doesn't have clear answers to these obvious questions:
-Why were mother Barbara and sister Susan added to the band? Was it the dad's idea -- and if so, where did the inspiration come from? Was it the idea of a record company executive? Was it a combination of the two? -Did the boys try to resist? -Did Barbara have any previous experience singing? -What's the real story of the Cowsills and "The Partridge Family"? In the doc, Shirley Jones gives a very simple answer why the Cowsills didn't star in the series. But there's another account: that the producers thought the boys were too old and only wanted Susan. Yet another version has it that ABC was ready to do a sitcom starring the Cowsills but wanted Jones to play Barbara -- and the family said no. -What did the Cowsill kids think of "The Partridge Family" TV show? What did they think of the Partridge Family recording of "I Really Want to Know You" -- the only song recorded by both bands? -Barbara Cowsill died in 1985 at the relatively young age of 56. Had she been ill? Did her death bring the family together? Was there an outpouring from the entertainment community?
I hope someday we'll get a more complete look at this very intriguing music act!
helpful•72
- joannaconnell
- Mar 10, 2019
- How long is Family Band: The Cowsills Story?Powered by Alexa
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- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
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By what name was Family Band: The Cowsills Story (2011) officially released in Canada in English?
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