Shirley Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shirley Jones
Jones in the 1970s
Born	Shirley Mae Jones (1934-03-31) March 31, 1934 (age 91) Charleroi, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1950–present
Spouse(s)	Jack Cassidy ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1975)​ Marty Ingels ​ ​ (m. 1977; died 2015)​
Children	3, including Shaun and Patrick
Musical career
Genres	Pop traditional pop gospel
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Columbia RCA Victor Bell A&M Diadem Stage Door Encore Music Presents
Associated acts	The Partridge Family Jack Cassidy Pat Boone Gordon MacRae

Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. She has been in show business for over sixty years. Shirley Jones is famous for playing kind characters in many musical films, like Oklahoma! (1955), Carousel (1956), and The Music Man (1962). She also starred as Shirley Partridge, a widowed mother, in the musical TV show The Partridge Family (1970–1974). Her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, was also in the show.

Shirley Jones's Early Life

Shirley Jones was born on March 31, 1934, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Marjorie and Paul Jones. Her father owned the Jones Brewing Company. Shirley was named after the famous child star Shirley Temple.

Many people thought her middle name, Mae, came from the star Mae West. But Shirley was actually named after her aunt. Shirley met Mae West around 1954, which was a fun coincidence!

Her family later moved to Smithton, Pennsylvania. Shirley started singing in her church choir when she was six years old. She also took singing lessons. When she went to South Huntingdon High School, she loved being in school plays. In 1952, Shirley won the Miss Pittsburgh contest.

Shirley Jones's Acting Career

Starting on Stage

Shirley's first audition was for John Fearnley, a casting director for the famous musical creators Rodgers and Hammerstein. Shirley had never heard of them before! Fearnley was so impressed that he called Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. They saw her great talent. Shirley became the only singer to get a special contract with these songwriters.

They first gave her a small part in the musical South Pacific. For her next Broadway show, Me and Juliet, she started as a chorus girl. She later became the understudy for the main role and received great reviews in Chicago.

Becoming a Movie Star

Rodgers and Hammerstein were very impressed with Shirley's singing voice. They cast her as the main female character in the movie Oklahoma! in 1955. More musical films quickly followed, including Carousel (1956), April Love (1957), and The Music Man (1962). In these movies, she often played sweet and kind characters.

She worked with many famous Hollywood stars like Jimmy Stewart, Gene Kelly, Marlon Brando, and Frank Sinatra.

Starring in The Partridge Family

Shirley Jones with the cast of The Partridge Family in 1972

The cast of The Partridge Family, season 1

In 1970, Shirley was offered the lead role of Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family. This was an ABC musical comedy show. It was based loosely on a real-life musical family called The Cowsills. Shirley had turned down the role of Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch before this.

The Partridge Family was about a widowed mother and her five children. They formed a pop-rock band and traveled in a painted bus. Shirley believed that mixing music and comedy would be a big hit. She knew that if the show became popular, she might be known as that character for a long time. She said it was great because it let her stay home and raise her kids.

The show became a huge hit in its first season and was shown in over 70 countries. Shirley and her co-stars quickly became very famous TV stars. Her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, played her oldest son, Keith. David became a huge teen idol.

The show also released many albums and songs by The Partridge Family. Shirley Jones and David Cassidy sang on these. In 1970, their song "I Think I Love You" reached number one on the Billboard music chart. This made Shirley the second person, and first woman, to win an acting Oscar and have a number-one hit song. The Partridge Family won an award for the best-selling song of 1970 for "I Think I Love You." In 1971, they were nominated for a Grammy award for Best New Artist.

Shirley Jones in 1972

The show finished in 1974. Shirley Jones and David Cassidy had a close relationship. David was Shirley's stepson in real life. He said that Shirley was a very warm, kind, and good person. He also said she was a great role model for him on the set. They appeared together on many TV shows over the years. Shirley's three children and stepson David became closer after their father, Jack Cassidy, passed away in 1976.

Other Projects

In 1979, Shirley tried another TV show called Shirley on NBC. This show also featured a widowed mother leading a family. However, it did not get high ratings and was canceled. Shirley also played a girlfriend role on The Drew Carey Show. She even made a quick appearance as Shirley Partridge in an episode of That '70s Show in 2000.

Shirley Jones in 2010

She was in a serious TV movie called There Were Times, Dear. In this movie, she played a wife whose husband had Alzheimer's disease. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her acting in this role.

In February 1986, Shirley Jones received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2004, she returned to Broadway in a new version of 42nd Street. Her son, Patrick Cassidy, also starred in the show. This was the first time a mother and son were known to star together on Broadway.

In 2006, Shirley was nominated for another Emmy Award for her role in the TV movie Hidden Places. She also appeared in the movie Grandma's Boy (2006). In 2007, she sang songs from Oklahoma! at a concert celebrating Oklahoma's 100th birthday.

Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy in 2012

In 2008, Shirley played Colleen Brady on the TV show Days of Our Lives. She also guest-starred on Ruby & The Rockits, playing David and Patrick's mother. In 2008, a music collection called Then & Now was released. It featured 24 songs from Shirley's music career. She also had a repeating role as Burt Chance's mother in the TV comedy Raising Hope.

In 2012, Shirley played Mrs. Paroo in a musical version of The Music Man. Her son Patrick played Harold Hill in the same show. In 2014, Shirley guest-starred on an episode of General Hospital.

Shirley Jones's Personal Life

On August 5, 1956, Shirley Jones married actor and singer Jack Cassidy. They had three sons: Shaun, Patrick, and Ryan. Jack's son from his first marriage, David Cassidy, became Shirley's stepson. Shirley and Jack divorced in 1975.

On November 13, 1977, Shirley married actor and comedian Marty Ingels. Shirley and Marty wrote a book about their relationship called Shirley & Marty: An Unlikely Love Story. They stayed married until Marty passed away on October 21, 2015. Shirley said, "He often drove me crazy, but there's not a day I won't miss him and love him to my core."

Shirley Jones is a supporter of PETA, an organization that helps animals.

Shirley was very sad when Suzanne Crough passed away in 2015. Suzanne played one of her TV daughters on The Partridge Family. Shirley had a very close friendship with Suzanne for many years after the show ended.

David Cassidy passed away on November 21, 2017. Shirley said that David was her stepson in real life before he played her son on The Partridge Family. She said she would always remember their years working and growing together.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Stage Performances

Discography

Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy Albums

• Speaking of Love (1957) (Columbia Records)
• Brigadoon (1957) (Columbia Records)
• With Love from Hollywood (1958) (Columbia Records)
• Marriage Type Love (1959) (RCA Records, unreleased)
• Maggie Flynn (1968) (RCA Records)
• Show Tunes (1995) (Sony Music)
• Essential Masters (2011) (Master Classics Records)
• Marriage Type Love (2014) (Columbia Masterworks)

The Partridge Family Albums

• The Partridge Family Album (1970) (Bell Records)
• Up To Date (1971) (Bell Records)
• Sound Magazine (1971) (Bell Records)
• A Partridge Family Christmas Card (1971) (Bell Records)
• Shopping Bag (1972) (Bell Records)
• At Home With Their Greatest Hits (1972) (Bell Records)
• Notebook (1972) (Bell Records)
• Crossword Puzzle (1973) (Bell Records)
• Bulletin Board (1973) (Bell Records)
• The World of the Partridge Family (1974) (Bell Records)
• Greatest Hits (1989) (Arista Records)
• The Definitive Collection (2001) (Arista Records)
• Come On Get Happy!: The Very Best of The Partridge Family (2005) (Arista Records)

The Partridge Family Songs

• "I Think I Love You" (1970) (Bell Records)
• "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" (1971) (Bell Records)
• "I'll Meet You Halfway" (1971) (Bell Records)
• "I Woke Up In Love This Morning" (1971) (Bell Records)
• "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)" (1972) (Bell Records)
• "Am I Losing You" (1972) (Bell Records)
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1972) (Bell Records)
• "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (1972) (Bell Records)
• "Friend and a Lover" (1973) (Bell Records)
• "Walking in the Rain" (1973) Bell Records
• "Looking For a Good Time" (1973) (Bell Records)

Shirley Jones Albums

• Silent Strength (1989) (Diadem Records)
• Shirley (1992) A & M Records
• Shirley Jones (2000) (Ingels Ent. Records)
• Then & Now (2008) (Stage Door Records)
• A Touch of Christmas (2009) (Encore Music Presents Records)
• A Tribute to Richard Rodgers (2010) (Encore Music Presents Records)

Shirley Jones Songs

• "Clover in the Meadow" b/w "Give me a Gentle Girl" (1957) (Dot Records) from April Love movie soundtrack
• "Pepe" b/w "Lovely Day" (1960) (Colpix Records) from Pepe movie soundtrack (This record hit the top 5 in Spain, 1961, on the Discophon label)
• "I've Still Got My Heart Joe" b/w "Everybody's Reachin' Out for Someone" (1971) (Bell Records 119)
• "Ain't Love Easy" b/w "Roses in the Snow" (1972) (Bell Records 253)
• "Walk in Silence" b/w "The World is a Circle" (1973) (Bell Records 350)

Movie Soundtracks

• Oklahoma! (1955) (Capitol Records) (songs: "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top", "Many a New Day", "People Will Say We're in Love", "Out of My Dreams", "Oklahoma")
• Carousel (1956) (Capitol Records) (songs: "You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan", "If I Loved You", "What's The Use Of Wond'rin", "You'll Never Walk Alone")
• April Love (1957) (Dot Records) (songs: "Give Me A Gentle Girl", "April Love" with Pat Boone, "Do It Yourself" with Pat Boone, "The Bentonville Fair" with Pat Boone, "Finale" with Pat Boone)
• Never Steal Anything Small (1959) (song: "I Haven't Got a Thing to Wear")
• Pepe (1960) Colpix Records (songs: "Pepe", "Lovely Day")
• The Music Man (1962) (Warner Bros. Records) (songs: "Piano Lesson / If You Don't Mind My Saying So", "Goodnight, My Someone", "Being in Love", "Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You", "Till There Was You")
• Endless Night (1972) (song: "Endless Night")
• Manna from Heaven (2002) (song: "Just the Way You Look Tonight")
• Christmas Is Here Again (2007) (songs: "Easy To Dream", "All Because of Me")
• Over the Garden Wall (2014) (song: "One Is a Bird")

Other Album Appearances

• Free to Be... You and Me (1972) (Bell Records) (song: "Girl Land" with Jack Cassidy)
• The Christmas Album.....A Gift of Hope (1991) Children's Hospital Benefit Album (song: "Silver Bells" with Shaun Cassidy)
• An Evening with Rodgers & Hammerstein, The Sullivan Years (1993) TVT Records
• Embraceable You – Broadway In Love (1993) (Sony Music)
• George & Ira Gershwin, A Musical Celebration (1994) (MCA Records) (song: "Someone to watch over Me")
• Lerner, Loewe, Lane & Friends (1998) Varèse Sarabande Records (song: "Before I Gaze at You Again")

Images for kids

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  A program featuring Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy at the White House in 1957

• 

  Shirley Jones (left) with U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan, September 29, 1982

See also

In Spanish: Shirley Jones para niños