Susan Dey in The Gift of Life

In 1982, Susan Dey starred in a television movie for CBS about a surrogate mother entitled The Gift of Life. The previous year, she had done a co-starring turn in the feature film Looker, but she would not do another big screen movie until 1986. The Gift of Life was the first Susan Dey TV project during that five years.

The Gift of Life was produced and directed by Jerry London, who had directed several episodes of The Partridge Family. The movie also featured performances from Paul Le Mat, Cassie Yates, Caroline McWilliams and Priscilla Pointer. The title song for the film was written and performed by singer-songwriter Lane Brody.

I haven't seen it and I don't know if its even out there on the collector's circuit. However, here are two newspaper clippings about The Gift of Life:

Susan Dey newspaper articles (1984)

Here some press pieces from early 1984 about Susan Dey and her part on the television series Emerald Point N.A.S. Yes, these three articles all feature exactly the same content. However, each one has a different title and photo and I didn't seem the harm in putting up all three. Click on the second two to see them full size.

Ocala Star-Banner (January 25, 1984)

Middleboro Daily News (February 4, 1984)

The Rock Hill Herald (February 11, 1984)

Susan Dey newspaper clippings (1970-72)

Here are some newspaper clippings concerning Susan Dey's first three years on television. Due the success and popularity of The Partridge Family, Susan Dey received her fair share of press. Initially, articles about her focused on the fact that she had no acting experience, yet was pulled out of nowhere to star in a big TV show. As time went on, articles about Susan Dey generally regarded her as a star with a long career ahead of her.

1970:

Oxnard Press-Courier

August 27, 1970

1971:

Montreal Gazette (February 13, 1971)

The Deseret News (September 22, 1971)

Beaver County Times (October 19, 1971)

1972:

The Bryan Times (February 23, 1972)

Pittsburgh Press (March 5, 1972)

Susan Dey in Little Women

In 1978, Susan Dey played Josephine 'Jo' March in yet another retelling of Luisa May Alcott's oft-filmed classic Little Women. This version of Little Women was supposed to serve as the pilot for a projected television series. The series never came, so we are left with a nearly 200 minute TV movie (which could be considered a miniseries since it plays in two sections).

This production of Little Women featured an all-star TV cast. The March sisters were portrayed by Meredith Baxter (who has appeared memorably in an episode of The Partridge Family titled "Where Do Mermaids Go?," in one of her first onscreen roles), Eve Plumb (from Partridge rivals The Brady Bunch) and Ann Dusenberry (who later appeared in an episode of Emerald Point N.A.S.). A nice selection of 1940s era cinema stars are also featured in the form of Dorthy McGuire, Greer Garson and Robert Young. On top of all this is the addition of the one-and-only William Shatner as Susan Dey's love interest (!), sporting a German accent!

Susan Dey was the focal point of Little Women, despite the cast that Meredith Baxter got first billing. It was a somewhat odd casting decision, however. Susan Dey, who had worked so hard to distance herself from her safe Laurie Partridge image, had during the previous year portrayed an abusive mother (in Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night) and appeared nude for the first time onscreen (in First Love). But apparently she fought for the role and won it.

Milwaukee Journal (October 1, 1978)

Little Women was the end of an era for Susan Dey, as it would mark the last time that she played a "young" character. In her next project (The Comeback Kid) she portrayed an adult, and would do so from then on.

Fortunately, the 1978 version of Little Women has been preserved and is available on dvd for all to enjoy!

Susan Dey on Matt Helm

After The Partridge Family ended in 1974, Susan Dey began doing numerous television guest appearances on various hour-long dramatic programs. In 1975 she did episodes of The Rookies, S.W.A.T, and Hawaii Five-O. 1976 was kicked off by a guest spot on Matt Helm.

In the episode titled "Die Once, Die Twice," Susan Dey portrays Ellen Tanner, a young woman who is estranged from her parents and married to the unsavory Griff Tanner. Ellen Tanner decides to leave her husband one morning, she is surprised to find him coming home at the exact time she is walking out. When Griff pulls a knife on her and tells her that she can't leave him, Ellen runs to the bedroom to get a gun in order to defend herself. When she attempts to shoot her husband in self-defense, he knocks the gun to the ground. When the gun hits the floor, it accidentally fires and the bullet hits him. Ellen then runs off.

Matt Helm's lady friend is the lawyer who Ellen's family contacts. A private investigator (played by Howard Duff) is brought in after it is revealed that Griff was shot a second time after Ellen claims she left the scene. Ellen Tanner must eventually testify in court in an attempt to clear her name after being charged with first degree murder.

This was the final episode of Matt Helm that ever aired. It was an ABC show, just like The Partridge Family. This particular Matt Helm episode featured producer Mel Swope, who had previously produced 73 Partridge Family episodes. A couple months later in 1976, Susan Dey appeared on Good Heavens, another Mel Swope produced show.


Here are some images from the episode (click for full size):

Susan Dey on Circle of Fear

What was Susan Dey's first television appearance outside of The Partridge Family? It was featured role on the supernatural anthology series Circle of Fear, a series formerly known as Ghost Story. In the episode, titled "Doorway to Death," Susan Dey portrays Peggy, the older sister of two younger siblings (played by Leif Garrett and Dawn Lyn, real life siblings who appeared in several other features together).

The story begins when the kids and their father, played veteran film and TV actor Barry Nelson, move into a cheaper-than-it-should-be apartment after their mother dies. The little kids meet a man who lives upstairs, but no one else can confirm that the man exists. Eventually, the younger siblings decide to 'give' their older sister Peggy to the man, since the mysterious man's wife is dead. Negative consequences follow this dubious decision.

Circle of Fear was co-produced by Screen Gems, the company behind The Partridge Family. The episode was great exposure for Susan Dey, showing her in a different context on television for the first time. She already had experience acting alongside small children, as demonstrated on The Partridge Family, which made her perfect for the role. However, here she was able to deal with more adult subjects (such as murder and death). And while Circle of Fear is relatively mild, it was certainly a step away from the innocence of The Partridge Family.

Susan Dey handles her duties here well and even does some of the ubiquitous horror maneuvers (such as screaming in terror). After viewing the episode I was left wondering: why didn't Susan Dey do a real horror movie?

The Milwaukee Sentinel (June 1, 1973)

Here are some images of Susan Dey on Circle of Fear (click on the pictures for full size):