When Mother Gets Married
After four weeks on the road, the Partridge family settles into a hotel and Shirley runs into an old friend, Larry Metcalf. She makes a date with him, much to the surprise and dismay of her kids who can't imagine their mother being attractive or attracted to a man. As Shirley and Larry spend more and more time together, the kids begin to get very worried. Laurie waits up for her one night and tries to give her advice. When Shirley shows up with just a minute to spare before a performance, they decided that this is a very serious matter. Danny calls Reuben Kincaid and tells him to come immediately that Shirley has fallen for a gigolo. Reuben checks up on Larry's financial status and learns that he owns an engineering company and is rather wealthy. Shirley discovers what they are up to and gives Danny a lecture. One day Laurie and Keith catch Larry in a jewelry shop giving a beautiful ring to a young girl and embracing her. They decide to tell Shirley the hard facts, but Larry walks in and explains that the young girl is his niece Tina and that the ring was a graduation present. The kids feel terrible and Shirley has a serious talk with them about respecting other people's privacy. Knowing the kids can overhear, Larry pretends to ask Shirley to marry him ...and she says No, she does not love him. This is done to let the kids off the hook. Shirley and Larry say goodbye and the Partridge kids are very happy that their mother didn't get married.
