My First Crush





Let’s go back to the halcyon years of 1970-1974 when television programming reached a peak of excellence never again achieved. Can I tell you what night of the week it was? No, sadly my memory is not that good. But I can clearly see our old family room done all in shades of beige, rust, and tan. My father lies on the couch reading the paper, my mother is in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. I am kneeling within inches of the TV’s screen (which is how I know my mother was not in the room as she wouldn’t have allowed that) and my brothers lounge behind me in chairs.


Slowly the music begins “Hello world, here’s a song that we’re singin’, Come on get happy” and I inch closer to the screen. At this point I may be holding my breath, anything is possible but still I wait. Then it comes…him!!! Oh him, the most gorgeous grooviest coolest guy on the planet….David Cassidy. He may have dialogue but it is drowned out by my screaming. I rush the TV and begin kissing the screen. Yes, kissing the screen. My shrieking continues unabated until my father tiredly speaks from behind his paper.


“Cathy”

No response from me despite needing to inhale to catch my breath.


“CATHY”.


Oops. Now I stop and turn, trying to look appropriately sorrowful and innocent- a combo that many a great actress struggles to pull off. I do not succeed as I am hopping in place like a rabbit on meth- one eye on the TV (commercial break, thank God!) and one on my beleaguered father.


“Yes?”


“We’ve been through this before. Either you stop screaming and move away from the TV or there will be no more Partridge Family. Ever. Ever. Do you understand me?”


Hhhmmm…my options are limited. This is so far before the days of DVR, Tivo, kids getting televisions in their bedrooms, that even as I deliberate my choices (none) the commercials are ending and my god is coming back. Thankfully, it’s just the bratty redhead but I can’t take any chances. I acquiesce.


“OK, Dad, but he’s SSSOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!”


“Uh hunh. Just keep it down.”


The Partridge Family was one of my first real TV viewing pleasures (my mother was pro-public TV and we were only allowed to watch The Electric Company, ZOOM, and Mr. Rogers- explains a lot right?) and as you can see,  I could not handle the delirium of my heartthrob right in front of me IN COLOR. I remember the anticipation before the show came on, the hysteria when it was on, and the 30 minutes of phone time I was allowed with my best friend rehashing every detail of David’s fabulosity. My first real crush. Who I later discovered was not a ‘teen’ at the time but was old enough to drink (gross) and maxed out at about 5’7” (while I had cruised past 5’8” and would finally settle at 5’9”). 

Still, I loved loved him so much then that my kind hearted mother actually took me to see him in concert (SWOON) when I was 11. He was nothing but a tiny white dot jumping around the stage but it was magic. Right up until the moment my mother insisted on stuffing torn Kleenex into my ears to protect my hearing. It later had to be removed by a doctor with pincers as she had wedged it so far into the ear canal she could not retrieve it despite using a vacuum cleaner. What we do for first love.


 


Comments

  1. Oh, I LOVE this post! My sister had a similar crush on David Cassidy.

    Mine was reserved for David Essex and joy of joys, I can now kiss the TV screen as, many years later, hair loss (his, not mine!!) ect have NOT dampened my adour and he is on EastEnders!!! My cup overfloweth!

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  2. Did you see him on this season's Celebrity Apprentice? He's gotten sorta creepy now!

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  3. Ha! David Cassidy was my big teen crush, too. My dad was the one who thought TV would rot our brains so we didn't watch very many popular shows. (No, I'm not still bitter about an important part of childhood being neglected.) I spent a lot of time at my friend Karen's house - her parents let her watch anything AND they let her eat candy.

    I loved David Cassidy, but I don't remember the feelings much except being excited when the show came on. I also thought Donny Osmond was cute. (Am I admitting this in writing?!?!?) Bobby Sherman was one of my singer crushes.

    What a fun post! That's great your mother took you to see David though the aftermath wasn't so pretty. Moms!

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  4. @Sarah Mac- you're so lucky to still have your crush because as noted by Bewildered Bug David Cassidy has gotten kind of creepy. Too much plastic surgery!

    @Tweed Librarian- I never liked the Osmonds too white bread. I was all about the Jackson 5 and yes, Bobby Sherman. Hey, it's no worse than all the young ones who think Justin Bieber is a god- and I think he looks and sounds like a girl!

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  5. "It later had to be removed by a doctor with pincers as she had wedged it so far into the ear canal she could not retrieve it despite using a vacuum cleaner."

    Oh my lord.

    David Cassidy was before my time, but there were a million other equally cringe-worthy TV crushes in my past. This was a very fun take on the prompt and has me thinking of Tony Danza and that one brother from "The Hogan Family." I'm not sure that's a good thing... ;)

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  6. I think I love you but what am I so afraid of...

    I loved the Partridge Family too; but I don't think I had a crush on David Cassidy. (and not on Danny Bonaduce either) My pop idol at the time was Leif Garrett; I had a groovy iron-on t-shirt with his photo.

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  7. David Cassidy in my Google reader... Instant grin. Great post and mom!

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  8. @Abby- good old Mom! Let's not dive too deeply into the logic that says you should protect your kid's hearing at a concert but jamming a vacuum hose against their ear is all right!

    @Kathy- I know, right?! I had to smile when I found that photo of him!

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  9. HA! I love it. What's sad is that when I was reading this I could totally relate to your obsession with David Cassidy because I'm totally and utterly obsessed with Glee. When you described how you got up close to the tv and then squealed, I was reminded so much of myself...except I'm 28 and should probably be a little over the fan girl behavior. But alas...I am who I am.

    Loved this! Great response to the prompt :)

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  10. Brilliant post :) really enjoyed it, brought back so many memories, we must be similar age .

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  11. I love the uninhibited crush! So very cute!

    This line- Oh him, the most gorgeous grooviest coolest guy on the planet- adorable!

    Also? I could so hear your father's voice giving you choices!

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  12. When I was young the older generation had the major say in what we watched on TV (and the Partridge Family was NOT on their preferred list), so I didn't get a chance to watch it much. However, that didn't stop me from going to the store once a week on allowance day and buying a Top 40 single that I could listen to incessantly.

    Thanks to your post, I now have the words to "I Think I Love You" stuck in my head :-)

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  13. I am kneeling within inches of the TV’s screen (which is how I know my mother was not in the room as she wouldn’t have allowed that)...

    Great line. Really. Captured the ways in which we tried to get around rules when they weren't looking.

    I was a little young for David Cassidy, but surely had posters of his little brother, Shaun, up in my room.

    Ah...those innocent days...

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