With the recent release of the third season of "The Partridge Family" on DVD (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), there's no doubt that fans of the hit musical sitcom from the early 1970s have a reason to get happy all over again.

The show, inspired by the musical family The Cowsills, ran from 1970 to 1974 on ABC. One thing it had going for it from the very beginning was actress Shirley Jones, who was cast in the lead role of family matriarch Shirley Partridge.

As the Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for "Elmer Gantry," Jones had starred in such classic movie musicals as "Carousel," "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man," there was no doubt that Jones could act and sing.

"It all seemed to fall into place," Jones told Tim Lammers in a 2001 @ The Movies interview. "The fact that ('The Partridge Family') had music was the cherry on the top of the cake. I knew that it had a really good chance of becoming a hit show because of that."

The funny thing is, not a lot of people had faith in Jones' move from the big screen to television sets -- a move perceived as a career step downward at the time.

"I remember the agents and the powers that be telling me, 'Are you crazy? You want to do a television series? You're a movie actress,'" Jones recalled. "I said, 'Yeah, but I love the script and I want to stay at home. I've been traveling all over the world on movie locations, and I have three small sons.' It was a marvelous opportunity for me to spend time at home and be with my kids."

Another benefit of doing the show was that one of her co-stars, David Cassidy, her stepson with husband Jack Cassidy, was cast as her oldest son, Keith. Susan Dey (Laurie), Danny Bonaduce (Danny), Suzanne Crough (Tracy) and Jeremy Gelbwaks (Chris, 1970 only) and Dave Madden (Reuben Kincaid) rounded out the cast.

Over the years, "The Partridge Family" has not only become famous for its show, but the music. Among the cast's biggest hits are the feel-good anthem "Come On, Get Happy" and up-tempo love song, "I Think I Love You."

A bona fide television icon, Jones lovingly mused in the 2001 interview about the enduring success of the show. She also said her agents and the powers that be were right: but in this case, it wasn't such a bad thing.

"They were right. It did kill my movie career," Jones said, laughing. "People know me more by Mrs. Partridge than anything else, especially the adults of today -- they grew up with the show."

Click in to our slideshow to see what Jones and fellow "Partridge Family" stars are up to now.