Who Is Max Ledbetter, and Why Is He Saying All Those Terrible Things?

S2 E24: Reuben's surprise birthday present for Tracy is a retired show business psychic named Max Ledbetter. Max's performance is looked upon by most of the family as just another act, but Keith is quite impressed and asks Max for a prediction about his upcoming basketball game. When the prediction comes true, Danny decides to capitalize on Max's "powers" by getting some investment tips. The next day, Danny and Keith visit Max and tell him they want to make an investment. Max, who now owns a bakery which he is about to lose unless he can pay off the bank note, desperately needs an additional $156 to make the bank payment. So he goes into his "trance routine" and tells the boys that a family disaster is impending unless they can have $156 in his hands by that Friday, which happens to be the day of the next Partridge concert. Danny and Keith try everything - including a kissing booth - to raise the money. They even try asking everyone, Reuben included, for a loan without telling them why. When everything fails, they pretend, unsuccessfully, to be sick, hoping to avoid the predicted disaster by not showing up for the concert. Finally, Shirley puts the pieces together and finds out the reason for their strange behavior. When Shirley confronts Max, he shamefully admits that he only wanted to borrow the money to save his bakery. So Shirley and the kids decide to help him out by getting him on the bill with them to play their next concert.