Interview with Sam Hyman

Play it again, Sam
Sam Hyman puts his brain on rewind, looking
back at his 50-year friendship with David Cassidy
By Mark Wyckoff
were a-changinʼ, and these
with fans and noshing on
There was a time a decade
two middle-class lads were
chicken satay and Alaskan
ago when David Cassidy
part of it all.
salmon.
would hot-wire Bob Segerʼs
As the flower power of the
In 1962, when Cassidy and
“Hollywood Nights” and take
ʼ60s wilted away with the dawn
Hyman first met, a celebration
the rollicking song out for a
of the murkier 1970s, these
like this was the furthest thing
spin in concert. Cassidy used
two friends would team up to
from their minds. Back then,
the tune to traverse
they had other
the twisting, turning
things to attend to.
roads of his life,
There was a
letting the lyrics
friendship to forge,
hurtle him back to
waves to surf and,
the ʼ60s, back when
in Hymanʼs case, a
he was a teenager
gym to visit.
growing up in what
he called the
Wednesdayʼs
“wicked, wicked
children
city” of Los Angeles.
The future friends
At the Greek
were born on
Theatre in
opposite coasts, 42
Hollywood,
days apart, in
California, on July
1950. Cassidy
21, 2001, he
came into the
steered the song in
world on April 12 in
Courtesy of David Casidy
an even more
New York City; his
‘HE’S STILL LIKE MY BROTHER’: David Cassidy (left) and Sam
personal direction.
Irish roots ran
Hyman at the ’70s Retro Ball in Las Vegas, June 2000.
On that night, under
deep. Hyman was
the stars, amid the
born May 24 in Los
give the world one last gasp of
high-rolling hills of his youth,
Angeles; he is of Eastern
innocence. As the star of
this ex-New York boy used the
European Jewish descent.
televisionʼs “The Partridge
song to pay tribute to one of
Coincidentally, both were born
Family,” and as a top-selling
his most enduring friendships.
on a Wednesday — and both
singer and concert performer,
“He headed west ʼcause he
of their fathers were named
Cassidy became the face and
felt that a change would do
Jack. Cassidyʼs parents were
voice of a generation. Hyman,
him good,” Cassidy sang. “See
Broadway actors Jack Cassidy
his right hand man and trusted
some old friends, good for the
and Evelyn Ward. Hymanʼs
confidant, handled Cassidyʼs
soul.”
dad was a businessman who
tour merchandising and, more
As he finished that last line,
worked in real estate and
importantly, helped keep the
about the soul-nurturing power
investments; his mom, Regina,
overwhelmed superstar sane.
of friendship, he paused for a
was a longtime executive
In a wide-ranging interview,
millisecond and then said,
secretary for the American
Hyman looked back at his life
“Right, Sam?”
Technion Society.
and his 50-year friendship with
The mid-song shout-out was
Cassidyʼs parents divorced
Cassidy — a friendship that
directed at Sam Hyman, who
when
he was young and he
will be celebrated Sunday,
was in the audience that night.
spent his first 11 years in West
Aug. 26, with a pair of sold-out
He and Cassidy had lived the
Orange, New Jersey. In 1961,
lunch and dinner events at Rim
lyrics of Segerʼs song and then
four years after his dad moved
Talay, the Thai restaurant
some. Pals since seventh
to Southern California with his
Hyman and his wife, Ponie,
grade, they came of age in
new wife, Shirley Jones,
own and operate in
mid-1960s Hollywood and
Cassidy followed with his
Oceanside, California. Hyman
were swept up together in the
mom. They moved into a small
and Cassidy will be at both
social tsunami triggered by
house on Crestview Court in
seatings, catching each other
The Beatles in 1964. Times
West Los Angeles and Cassidy
up on their busy lives, mingling
SCHOOL DAYS: From Emerson Junior High School’s 1965 Reflections yearbook comes these ninth grade photos of
Cassidy (top row, third from right) and Hyman (bottom row, first on left). Classmates voted Cassidy most “youthful.”
began fifth grade at Fairburn
Elementary.
Hyman crossed paths with
Cassidy a year later during their
first year of junior high school.
Hyman was enrolled at El
Rodeo School and Cassidy was
going to nearby Emerson Junior
High. A boy named George, who
Hyman knew from grammar
school and Cassidy knew at
Emerson, introduced them at a
West Los Angeles gym where
was Hyman was working out.
By no means was Hyman a
gym rat; unlike Cassidy, who
played Little League and was a
huge Yankees fan, Hyman didnʼt
care much for sports. He made
weekly trips to Bruce Connerʼs
Physical Services for one
specific purpose: To strengthen
his back muscles, which had
been weakened by a mild case
of scoliosis.
Their initial meeting was
quick and low-key. “George just
popped by the gym and said,
ʻMeet my friend, David,ʼ ”
Hyman said.
Did they click right away and
become instant best friends?
“No,” Hyman said. “Becoming
best friends takes time. As time
progressed, our friendship with
George drifted away and we
became closer. I guess it was
similar likes. When youʼre that
age, you congregate in groups
of ʻlike.ʼ ”
As they hung out more and
more, those likes drew them
closer.
“We listened to the same
music,” Hyman said. “Music was
a big part of it. Surfing. The
embrace of the social revolution
that was starting to happen with
the introduction of The Beatles
and the counterculture that was
emerging. Obviously there were
people that embraced it and
people that didnʼt. You had the
people that were really studious.
You had the other people who
were jocks. And you had the
people who were more creative,
who were embracing the
changes going on at the time.
We definitely fell into the latter
group.”
In the fall of 1964, as they
were entering ninth grade,
Hyman joined Cassidy at
Emerson. By this time, following
his momʼs marriage to director
Elliott Silverstein, Cassidy was
living in a house on Glenbarr in
Cheviot Hills. Hyman lived about
a mile and a half away on
Mississippi Avenue in West Los
Angeles.
“It was a bicycle ride, not a
walk,” Hyman said. “And there
was a huge hill between us.”
The pals began high school
together in the fall of 1965 at
University High. While Hyman
would graduate from there,
Cassidyʼs scholastic career in
the 10th, 11th and 12th grades
was bumpier. When he bombed
out of Uni, he went to Hamilton.
When he couldnʼt cut it at
Hamilton, he was sent to
continuation school. He finally
graduated from Rexford, a
private school.
“David went to quite a few
high schools — and not
because he was recruited,”
Hyman said, laughing. “He
wouldnʼt wake up in time to
make it to class and theyʼd kick
him out.”
Surfʼs up
From 1964 to the summer of
ʼ68, Hyman and Cassidy basked
in the free-spirited glow of
Southern California. They hit the
waves, got their first cars,
steamed up the drive-in with
their girlfriends and rocked out
to the sounds of The Beatles,
Buffalo Springfield and John
Mayall.
The bustling Westwood
laughing. “At the time I probably
said, ʻLemme see your ID,ʼ Iʼd
Village shopping district,
thought I was better and he
say, ʻOh, my wallet is out in the
jammed with shops, movie
probably thought he was better.
car. Lemme go get it.ʼ I'd go
theaters and restaurants, was a
Looking back, I think we both
outside and tell David, ʻLetʼs get
favorite after-school (and
werenʼt very good.”
out of here.ʼ ”
sometimes during-school)
One problem: The boards
And then there was music.
hangout. Theyʼd wander around,
were big, probably 25 to 30
Cassidy became a die-hard
sip a frothy drink from Orange
pounds, and they were small.
Beatles fan the moment they
Julius, and check out
exploded on the
the fairer sex. If one of
American scene via
them managed to
“The Ed Sullivan
charm a girl, the
Show” on Feb. 9,
Mathias Botanical
1964. Hyman, though,
Garden at nearby
wasnʼt an immediate
UCLA was the perfect
convert. When a local
spot for a secluded
radio ran a popularity
make-out session.
contest pitting The
Surfing was a
Beatles against
mutual passion and
Southern Californiaʼs
they couldnʼt wait
Beach Boys, Hyman
every month for the
sided with Brian
new issue of Surfer
Wilsonʼs band. He
Magazine to hit the
even rallied his
stands. Theyʼd catch
friends to cast votes
surf movies together
for the “Surfinʼ USA”
at the Santa Monica
superstars.
SURFER’S
RULE:
Hyman
and
Cassidy
shared
a
passion
for
Civic and on
“I remember how
weekends they would surfing. Who was better at Santa Monica Pier? “Guess that
excited I was that The
would depend on who you talked to,” Hyman says.
take the bus down to
Beach Boys beat The
the Santa Monica
Beatles,” he said.
“I remember at 13 years old I
Pier. They owned boards and,
Soon, though, as The Beatles
was 4-feet-11 and I was
for $5 a month, stored them in a
rolled out more hits like “A Hard
probably taller than David,”
locker at Maxʼs Surfboards.
Day's Night,” “Canʼt Buy Me
Hyman said. ““We were so
Plastered on the walls of the
Love” and “I Feel Fine,” he was
small, it took two of us to carry
shop were photos of “Classy”
won over by the Fab Four, too.
our boards. The boards were
Freddie Blassie, a professional
As the years ticked by, their
much heavier then. You couldnʼt
wrestler who coined the term
musical tastes deepened. They
just pick it up and carry it under
“pencil-necked geek.” Max
started listening to Eric Clapton,
your arm like the kids do today.”
claimed to be Blassieʼs
Stevie Winwood and Jeff Beck.
On land, there were other
manager.
In 1968, Cassidy turned Hyman
adventures to be had —
Skill-wise, Cassidy and
on to “Child Is the Father of the
especially as they got older.
Hyman were more gremmies
Man,” the debut album by the Al
Hyman started shaving when he
than hard-core surfer dudes. On
Kooper-led Blood Sweat and
was 15, so it was up to him to
a good day, maybe, they could
Tears.
procure alcohol.
hang five. But any trickier
“I was so blown away by the
“David had that baby face
moves were out. Cassidy, at
horn section and the production
and I didnʼt,” Hyman said.
least, sort of looked the part,
of it that I remember driving
“There was a liquor store on the
with straight hair that “bleached
from his house in Cheviot Hills
corner of Santa Monica
out in the sun,” Hyman said.
directly to the record store and
Boulevard and Westwood that
Who was better in the water?
buying the album,” Hyman said.
would sell me beer occasionally.
“Guess that would depend on
Their musical hero was Jimi
I didnʼt always succeed. If they
who you talked to,” Hyman said,
Hendrix. They both saw his
show at the
said. “It was like, ʻOh,
Hollywood Bowl on
youʼre 16 and have a
Sept. 14, 1968.
license? Hereʼs a car.
Hyman paid $6 to
Get out of here.' ”
sit back in the
Hyman drove a 1962
upper reaches of
Chevrolet Impala his
the cavernous
dad gave him;
amphitheater with
Cassidyʼs 1959
his girlfriend;
Oldsmobile convertible
Cassidy recalls
came from his mom.
watching the show
“The nice thing about
“from the trees, to
those big cars was that
get the best view.”
they were perfect for
Hendrix kicked off
drive-in movies,”
the show with a
Hyman said. “You had
blistering “Are You
a back seat that was
Experienced?” and
like a living room, so
Hyman was blown
you had room to make
away.
out with your girlfriend.”
“To this day, he
Hyman remembers
is the most
Cassidyʼs next car
charismatic
vividly. It was a ʼ53
performer Iʼve ever
Volkswagen Bug
seen,” he said. “He
Columbia Records painted Army green
was just able to
SOMETHING GOIN’ ON: After Hyman heard Blood Sweat and Tears’ that had eight-inch
draw the crowd
debut album at Cassidy’s house, he rushed out to buy his own copy. turning indicators that
in. ... He had total
flipped out of the sides
control of the
of the front doors. The
werenʼt accomplished enough
audience.”
carʼs small back window was
musicians,” Hyman said. “I think
Hyman and Cassidy
oval.
I knew five chords. I wasnʼt very
attempted to create musical
“David taught me how to
good
because
I
had
a
hard
time
magic of their own around 1965,
drive a stick shift on that car,”
keeping my guitar in tune. It was
but their group, the Pains of
Hyman said. “He took me to a
a
cheapie
guitar.
A
little
electric
Glass, didnʼt stay together long
Ralphʼs grocery store that had a
guitar with a little tiny amp. If
enough to shatter many
two-story parking garage.
somebody
had
anything
of
us
eardrums. “We played one show
Nobody was ever down on the
on video, Iʼm sure weʼd be very
that I can recall, some kind of
bottom level, so thatʼs where we
embarrassed.”
social club event,” Hyman said.
went. It was nighttime, it was lit
“It was pretty terrible. They
up, and he explained it to me:
Drive
my
car
didnʼt boo us out, but I donʼt
ʻYou let the clutch out, give it a
Hyman and Cassidy got their
think anybody thought weʼd be
little gas, blah, blah, blah.ʼ I
driverʼs
licenses
in
1966
and
the next Beatles.”
went around the parking lot a
that gave them incredible
Cassidy played drums and
couple of times and he said,
freedom.
“Gas
was
a
quarter
a
sang, Hyman played rhythm
ʻOK. Go out on the street.ʼ And
gallon,” Hyman said. “Youʼd pay
guitar and a friend of theirs
that was it.”
$2
for
a
tank
of
gas,
go
out
and
played lead guitar. “We called it
Cranking up music in that car
have a ball.”
lead guitar anyway,” Hyman
was a mind-blowing experience.
Their first cars were both
said.
They just about wore out their
hand-me-downs from their
The bandʼs set was all cover
Everly Brothers tape.
parents.
“I
think
our
parents
just
songs.
“He had a four-track, not
wanted us to be independent
“And we didnʼt always play
even an eight-track, tape player
and out of their hair,” Hyman
the whole song because we
in the VW,” Hyman said. “It was
a four-track Muntz
stereo. That had one of
the best sounds of any
car I have ever been in,
almost to this day. I
donʼt know if it was the
steel they made the car
out of or how the
speakers echoed, but
we loved driving around
in that car playing
music.”
Both of their fathers
died young. Hyman was
19 when his dad died of
a heart attack in 1969;
Cassidy was 26 when
his father perished in a
1976 fire.
“There were a lot of
similarities between our
dads in terms of them
not being able to share
their emotions,” Hyman
said. “We shared a lot
Graduation days
of that in common, as
As the ʼ60s raged on,
boys and as young
the Vietnam War was
men. As young men
heating up. More U.S.
youʼre always looking
troops were being sent
for the approval of your
over to fight and the
father. And when you
casualties mounted. By
lose your father at a
the late 1960s, 500
very young age there
American soldiers were
will be unresolved
dying every month.
issues.”
Given those numbers,
Jack Cassidy, Hyman
itʼs no wonder the fear
said, had a “presence
of being drafted was
about him. When he
reaching panic levels
walked into the room,
among male teenagers
you knew he was in
like Hyman and
the room.”
PARANOIA STRIKES DEEP: Hyman and his girlfriend
Cassidy as they
What impressed
took part in this 1967 anti-war march. It made frontapproached age 18.
Hyman most,
page news when things turned violent.
“We were scared,”
however, was how put
Hyman said. “We didnʼt
together the actor
wasnʼt with David at the time,
want to go to Southeast Asia
always was.
I was with my girlfriend. It was
to fight in a war we didnʼt
“Everything was in place,”
a protest against (President)
believe in.”
Hyman said. “Every hair was
Lyndon Johnson. He was at
Teenagers and young
in place. His socks matched
the hotel. And it turned semiadults at the time were
the shirt. Everything he was
violent.”
starting to question authority.
wearing looked like it was
As the war weighed on
Instead of blindly following the
from the same dye lot. There
their minds, so did the fastgovernment, they challenged
was never a wrinkle on him. I
approaching reality of life
it. They started to speak out
would see him come out of his
beyond high school.
and organize anti-war rallies.
shop, after heʼd been in there
Cassidyʼs career course
“I remember there was a
tinkering with something, and
had long been set: He wanted
large war protest in Century
heʼd walk out immaculate. To
to go into show business.
City in 1967,” Hyman said. “In
this day Iʼve never been that
“With parents like he had,
the afternoon there was a big
wrinkle-free — even when I
that was pretty much a given,”
rally at Rancho Park. Iʼm sure
was getting ready to go to
Hyman said.
David was there. I think we all
work and had to wear a suit
Hyman had no concept of
kind of stopped by. And
and tie. How did he do
who Cassidyʼs parents and
Muhammad Ali spoke. Then
that???”
stepmom were at first. “My
there was a march that night
By the time Hyman and
parents knew and they had to
at the Century Plaza Hotel. I
Cassidy graduated from high
fill me in,” Hyman said.
ROTARY CLUB: Cassidy studies a script in the “master bedroom,” as Hyman jokingly calls it, of their less-thanpalatial Laurel Canyon home in 1970. Rent was $315 a month. Cassidy paid $200; Hyman chipped in the rest.
school in the summer of ʼ68,
they had their immediate
futures mapped out. Cassidy
would move to New York and
study acting; Hyman, who had
a more casual interest in
performing, would stay behind
in Los Angeles and enroll in
Los Angeles City College as a
theater arts major.
“When we graduated,”
Hyman said, laughing, “I
remember saying to him
something like, ʻDavid, you
should get an education,
otherwise youʼll never amount
to anything — and I donʼt
want to have to take care of
you when you get old.ʼ ”
In the ensuing months, as
they toiled away on opposite
coasts, they kept in touch by
writing letters. Cassidy
worked in the mailroom of a
textile company, took acting
classes and went on
countless auditions. Hyman
was busy at LACC, taking
classes, acting in a few plays
and helping a professor there
start a cinematography
department at the school.
Near the end of 1968,
Cassidy landed his first
professional job, a small role
in the Allan Sherman musical
“The Fig Leaves Are Falling.”
He quit the mailroom, dove
into rehearsals and, by Jan. 6,
1969, just four days after the
show opened on Broadway,
he was out of a job. The “Fig
Leaves” had fallen — fast.
All was not lost. A talent
scout saw him in the show
and urged him to fly back to
Los Angeles to screen test for
a movie. Cassidy didnʼt get
the part, but he did start
landing guest shots on the top
TV dramas of the day, from
“Marcus Welby M.D.” to “The
F.B.I.”
When he got a little money
in his pocket, he called
Hyman with an idea.
“Letʼs get a place,” Cassidy
said.
Coming to the Canyon
They ended up renting a
small house on Cole Crest
Drive in the hills of Laurel
Canyon, a rustic area that, in
the 1960s, had been a hub for
such musicians as David
Crosby, Joni Mitchell, Graham
Nash and Joni Mitchell.
“We rented a place so we
could party,” Hyman said. “It
was a house up in the hills,
almost on stilts. It was a tree
house almost. Trees were
growing up from the mountain
outside your window. It was
two bedrooms and one-and-ahalf or two baths. We had
mattresses on the floor to
sleep on, orange crates for
our end tables and night
stands and lots of candles.
The place was a mess
because neither of us
knew how to clean — or
wanted to clean. It was the
kind of house where youʼd
do the dishes once the last
dish was dirty.”
Rent was $315 a month.
Cassidy chipped in $200;
Hyman paid the rest. “He
paid more so he took the
bigger bedroom,” Hyman
said.
Keeping them company
were two pets — Cassidyʼs
dog, Sam, and Hymanʼs
pooch, Hashish. Hyman
got his dog at the pound.
“It was the first check I
ever wrote,” he said.
Sam wasnʼt a very wellCORNERED: Cassidy plays with Sheesh (left)
behaved dog, which led to
irritating conversations like and Ricky at the Laurel Canyon house.
this:
connected, like a Dan Quayle
“Sam! Sam! Come here!,”
or a George Bush, or had
Cassidy would yell.
parents in very high places,”
“Yeah, yeah ... whaddya
Hyman said. “But by the time I
want?” Hyman would
was in college, there were
respond.
some openings and they
“No, no — not you. Iʼm
started recruiting me.”
calling the dog,” Cassidy
The timing was fortuitous,
would answer.
too, because by the end of
Exasperated, they changed
1969 a draft lottery system
Samʼs name to Ricky.
had been instituted. A low
While Cassidy continued
number meant youʼd be
landing high-profile guests
drafted first; a high number
spots in 1969, Hyman left
meant you had some
LACC to join the Army
breathing room. Hyman
Reserve. He had applied for
ended up with 31; Cassidy
entry while in high school,
drew 300.
scored No. 2 in a statewide
“Had I not gone into the
aptitude test for recruits, but
reserve I would have been
there were no openings for
drafted,” Hyman said. “Going
him when he graduated. The
into the reserve gave me the
Army Reserve was appealing
opportunity to not go to
to Hyman because its units
Canada and not go to
were rarely sent overseas.
Vietnam.”
“You could not get into the
Hyman trained as a medic
reserve unless you were wellin the National Guard and, for
the next four years, spent
one weekend a month
working at a local naval
hospital. He was called
into active duty just once,
when a 6.6-magnitude
earthquake struck
Californiaʼs San Fernando
Valley near Sylmar on Feb.
9, 1971.
Now that he wasnʼt in
school, Hyman picked up a
job as an apprentice film
editor at Syncrofilm, a Los
Angeles-based company
that did music and sound
effects editing for TV
shows and films.
Hymanʼs favorite client
was Bob Hope. The
legendary comedian
needed his “Vietnam
Christmas Show” specials
completed in such a tight
window of time that
Syncrofilm employees had
to work around the clock
for two to three weeks at a
time. That meant massive
overtime.
As an apprentice, Hyman
was in charge of picking up
film from the airport, taking it
to the lab for processing,
cutting and coding it, and then
handing it off to the
experienced editors who were
putting together various
sequences.
“It was such a crunchtime
that literally as each reel was
done, Iʼd be on my way to the
airport to ship it out to New
York,” Hyman said. “I was
able to take my $80 a week
and get it up to $800 a week.”
As part of the Syncrofilm
team, Hyman also worked on
the film “Five Easy Pieces”
with Jack Nicholson and “The
Last Movie,” director Dennis
Hopperʼs follow-up to “Easy
Rider.”
For Hyman,
Cassidy live!
trying to make
The local disc
sense of “The Last
jockey was trying,
Movie” was nearly
in vain, to plug his
impossible.
station. But the
“Hopper went
deafening screams
down to Peru to
inside Seattle
direct it and he
Center Arena were
would shoot a
overpowering him.
whole roll rather
Mercifully,
than yell ʻcut!,ʼ ”
someone finally
Hyman said. “It
told him, “Youʼd
was unbelievable.
better give up.”
As an apprentice, I
Knowing he was
had to code all this
beat, he cut to the
film, and as youʼre
chase.
LIFE
ON
THE
FRINGE:
When
Cassidy
hit
the
road
for
his
first
coding it youʼre
“You know him as
weekend of concerts in 1971, he pulled in more than $37,000.
breaking it up by
a boy named
scene. And Iʼd be
Keith,” the DJ said.
doing that going, ʻThis is a 10But as the showʼs Sept. 25
“Ladies and gentleman ... the
minute take.ʼ It was kind of
premiere date inched closer,
REAL David Cassidy!!!!!”
bizarre. I guess they were
the intensity ramped up.
When Cassidy bounded on
partying a bit while they were
There were newspaper
stage, white fringe flying, to
working.”
interviews to do, press parties
the pounding beat of “I Can
As Hyman settled in at
to attend, and countless photo
Hear Your Heartbeat,” 5,000
Syncrofilm, Cassidy was
sessions for countless teen
girls shrieked, a blinding sea
ending 1969 on a high note:
magazines.
of flashbulbs popped and two
He had just landed a starring
When the show finally
lives were changed forever.
role in a sitcom — a sitcom
made its Friday night debut on
The date was Friday, March
that would star his step-mom,
ABC and struck ratings gold,
26, 1971.
Shirley Jones.
Cassidy went from zero to
The Seattle show, and
Ready or not, 1970 would
hero almost overnight. His
another sold-out gig in
be the year of “The Partridge
popularity soared to the
Portland, Oregon, the
Family.”
stratosphere a month later
following night, proved
when “I Think I Love You”
Cassidy had enormous
Hello world
topped the Billboard Hot 100
drawing power as a live act.
As far as Cassidy and
for three weeks.
His total haul for those two
Hyman were concerned, the
“The first time we heard ʻI
shows, Variety noted, was
series wasnʼt an immediate
Think I Love Youʼ on the radio,
$37,000. That was big money
game-changer in their lives.
we were driving on Pacific
in those days.
With the sitcomʼs fall premiere
Coast Highway and all of a
Hyman was there that
date a long way off, Cassidy
sudden it came on,” Hyman
weekend, but not just as a
spent his days filming
recounts in Cassidyʼs
friend. He was there in his
episodes of the show and
autobiography, “Could It Be
newly minted capacity as
some of his nights recording
Forever?” “We both kind of
Cassidyʼs merchandise
“Bandala,” “Point Me in the
looked at each other, eyes
manager.
Direction of Albuquerque,” “I
getting real wide and we were
“We had pitched the idea to
Can Feel Your Heartbeat” and
so stoked.”
his manager of me handling
other songs destined for the
Could things get any
the merchandise and traveling
“The Partridge Family Album.”
better? Or any busier? Yes,
with him as his trusted ally,”
His schedule was busy, but
they could.
Hyman said.
not overwhelming.
They could go on tour.
The idea made sense.
Hyman got to realize his
dream of seeing the
chase me down and
world and, in turn,
arrest me.”
Cassidy had a friend
As merchandise
with him on the road
manager, one of
to keep him sane as
Hymanʼs first duties
the hysteria around
was designing a 2him grew more and
foot-by-3-foot poster
more intense.
that could be sold at
Actually, he had two
concerts. It became
friends: Steve Ross,
the biggest seller at
another old pal from
Cassidyʼs shows,
Emerson Junior
outpacing luv
High, was playing
stickers, tour books
lead guitar in
and other items.
Cassidyʼs band.
“We were partners
“I was glad to
with Tiger Beat on
have Sam and Steve
this, to a degree,”
as friends, especially
Hyman said. “They
when I toured,”
gave me access to
Cassidy said in his
thousands of
autobiography. “I
photographs and I
trusted them
looked through them
implicitly. It helped
all until I found one
having them around
with the look and feel
to share experiences
I wanted. I canʼt even
with me.”
remember what the
Cassidyʼs
image was. We sold
workload was
it for $2. Tiger Beat
crushing. He was
paid the printing
simultaneously
costs and the
filming a TV show,
shipping costs and I
cutting both Partridge THE MERCH MASTER: In the early ’70s, Hyman spent
coordinated the rest.”
Monday and Tuesday of every week working the phones
Family albums and
Hyman soon quit his
and hammering out tour merchandise contracts.
solo albums, and
job at Syncrofilm.
doing concerts
Handling the merch
out and enjoy the city a little
around the world. The
was
now
his “full part-time
bit. He couldnʼt.”
experience, Cassidy has said,
job.” Around the same time,
Cassidy filmed the show
was like going through a soulTiger Beat started running a
during the day, recorded at
sapping tunnel.
monthly “Living with David”
night and then, on Friday
“For me, it didnʼt feel like a
column credited to Hyman. “I
nights, he, Hyman and the
tunnel,” Hyman said. “It was
didnʼt actually do the writing,”
rest of the entourage would
almost the opposite. Did I
he said in Cassidyʼs book. “Iʼd
make a mad dash to the
come out differently? Yes,
tell the writer something like,
airport so they could fly off for
because of what I was
ʻOK, this month we did this.ʼ ...
a weekend of concerts.
exposed to ... both positive
After a while it was pretty
“David was notoriously late,
and negative. For him it was a
lame.”
and I was a very fast runner,”
tunnel because he had to stay
As merch manager, it was
Hyman said. “Many times we
focused on one direction,
Hymanʼs
responsibility to
would get to the airport and Iʼd
where for me it was
finalize merchandise contracts
jump out and just take off
omnidirectional. I was soaking
with each venue, then
running down to the gate to
a lot of it in. ... Once he was in
determine how many posters
tell them he was a minute
his hotel room, if he didnʼt feel
and tour books to ship out.
behind me. If I ran through an
like hanging out, I could go
airport like that today theyʼd
“I had a formula
“It was a bachelor
down,” he said. “Iʼd
pad,” Hyman said. “It
go by ticket sales. It
was very seductive.
was 25 to 50
It had beautiful
percent. So if there
views, a swimming
were 10,000 tickets
pool. It was kind of
sold, Iʼd send the
like a dream for a
venue anywhere
couple of young
from 2,500 to 5,000
guys.”
posters. Probably 60
Ricky and Hashish
percent of what we
made the move, too.
sold was posters.
But due to Cassidyʼs
“My life was
fame, and the
beautiful,” Hyman
squeaky-clean
continued. “I worked
image that had been
my tail off on the
cultivated for him,
weekends, did my
another canine
phone negotiations
name change was in
with future venues
order.
on Monday and
“I couldnʼt be writing
Tuesday and then,
for Tiger Beat and
once I was done, I
say, ʻWe took
got in my little yellow
Hashish — no, no I
Volkswagen and
mean the dog
headed up to Big
Hashish,ʼ ” Hyman
Sur to backpack for
said, chuckling. “So I
two days. Then Iʼd
just started calling
come back and be
her Sheesh.”
ready to leave again
Near summerʼs end
on Friday.”
in 1970, when they
THE
WRITE
STUFF?
NOT
QUITE:
Hyman
didn’t
pen
the
Hymanʼs favorite
were still living in
“Living with David” columns that appeared monthly in Tiger
spot in Big Sur was
Laurel Canyon,
Beat. He merely fed ideas to the magazine’s writers.
one he found
Hyman freaked out
completely by
when he saw the two
get
that
balance.
Thatʼs
why
it
accident.
dogs running around the
burned him out.”
“We called it Lucky Left
house “stuck together.” They
Hand Turn City,” Hyman said.
were butt-to-butt and looked
Meanwhile, back
“A friend of mine and I were
for all the world like one of Dr.
at
the
ranch
riding up there, looking for a
Dolittleʼs pushmi-pullyus.
Once the “The Partridge
place to explore, and he said,
“I called the vet, frantic,”
Family”
debuted,
it
didnʼt
take
ʻTurn left here.ʼ We took a little
Hyman said, laughing. “To this
long for fans to discover the
road and drove until we found
day, Iʼll never forget his tone.
Laurel
Canyon
house.
That
a place to park. It was
He said, ʻDo you want them to
meant they had to move.
magical. Itʼs like you were in
breed?ʼ And I said, ʻYes,
Quick.
the Hobbit rain forest or
doctor.ʼ And he goes, ʻWell
For $1,500 a month, they
something. After that, Iʼd go
son, thatʼs what theyʼre doing.ʼ
ended
up
renting
a
fully
there every week. Iʼd find it
You know, here I was, I
furnished home designed by
just by feel. Seventeen miles
thought I was some young,
architect
Robert
Byrd.
It
was
south of Carmel I would look
hot stud bachelor, and I had to
on Haslam Terrace, high up in
at the odometer and I knew Iʼd
be explained the birds and the
the
Hollywood
Hills
above
be getting close to it.
bees by a vet.”
Sunset Boulevard. Ross
“Going there created
Sheesh ended up having
moved
in
with
them,
too.
balance for me. David didnʼt
six puppies, and they were
given away in a contest
overseas trips,
that ran in the
tagged along
December 1970 issue
anyway on the first
of Tiger Beat. The
leg of the trek,
magazine received
which went to New
more than 20,000
Zealand, Australia
entries, Hyman said.
and Japan. The first
Ricky died in 1971
several days were
after he got into a
spent in Auckland,
vicious fight with a
where Hyman had
neighborhood dog.
the time of his life. It
“Ricky had a lot of
was like stepping
terrier in him,” Hyman
back into a simpler
said. “He thought he
era. If he asked
was tough. He was
someone for
always getting into
directions, they
fights. After this one, he
wouldnʼt just help
just couldnʼt fight the
him consult a map,
infection. David wrote
theyʼd drive him to
ʻRickyʼs Tuneʼ not long
wherever he was
after.”
trying to go.
For Cassidyʼs
A stewardess he
birthday in 1972,
had met on the
Hyman went to a
plane ride over took
breeder and got
him sightseeing.
Cassidy another dog,
They ended up
this one a beautiful, red
visiting the Waitomo
and beige English
Caves. Itʼs
setter. He named her
accessible only by
Kula, after the district in
canoe, and visitors
Maui, Hawaii, where he
must stay totally
IF ONLY I COULD HAVE A PUPPY: When Sheesh (standing)
wanted to build a
still and completely
and
Ricky
mated,
Cassidy
and
Hyman
gave
the
puppies
house.
quiet when they
away in a Tiger Beat contest.
“She got distemper
enter, lest they
and died,” Hyman said.
disturb the
a suburb of Los Angeles. It
“That devastated me. I
thousand of glowworms
was a Spanish-style ranch
couldnʼt even be in the room
dotting the caveʼs ceiling.
house, built in 1925; from the
when they put her down. They
“They look like stars,”
street, all you could see was
had to give me a tranquilizer.
Hyman said. “After the canoe
its driveway.
This year, I took my wife to
stops, and the water settles
“We were able to have
Maui for a few days. We drove
out, you have this 360-degree
some peace of mind and
around the island. And when
view of tiny points of light. You
seclusion,” Hyman said.
we drove through Kula, I
feel like youʼre floating in
teared up.”
space. It was this existential
Goodbye blues
After several months on
moment where time stood
The nonstop film-recordHaslam Terrace, the chaos of
still.”
tour grind was burning
Hollywood started to get to
The tourʼs first leg wrapped
Cassidy out and, in 1974, he
them. “We realized we were
in Tokyo on March 28 and
announced he was quitting
more earthy and wanted more
Hyman elected not to head
“The Partridge Family” and
privacy,” Hyman said.
back out with Cassidy when
retiring from the road after a
They ended up moving 30
the jaunt resumed in May with
one final world tour.
minutes away to a house on
concerts in Switzerland,
Hyman, who didnʼt handle
White Oak Avenue in Encino,
Germany, Scotland and
merchandising on Cassidyʼs
THE HARDER THEY FALL: Sick of watching Cassidy spiral out of control, Hyman moved out of the Encino house
in 1976. Cassidy would soon follow.
England. He would miss the
tragedy at White City and
Cassidyʼs poignant final show
in Manchester, which ended
with a haunting version of
Dylanʼs “Itʼs All Over Now,
Baby Blue.”
Short on cash now that
there was no merchandise
empire to oversee, Hyman
took a job waiting tables at
Chuckʼs Steakhouse in
Marina del Rey. After three
years of jet-setting, it was
hard to get used to.
“I remember calling my
mom and telling her about the
job,” Hyman said. “She said, ʻI
donʼt care what you do, just
be the best at what you do —
even if youʼre sweeping
streets. Itʼs more important
that you work and have selfesteem. And the fact that
youʼve traveled around the
world, and eaten in great
restaurants, will probably
make you a very good waiter.
You know what it requires.ʼ
And I was. I was an excellent
waiter.”
The same year Hyman
started doing construction
work for Envirotecture, a
groundbreaking company led
by maverick designer Carey
Smoot. The company
specialized in elliptical domes
and other one-of-a-kind
structures. Smoot didnʼt need
ordinary carpenters; he
needed guys who could
brainstorm, problem solve and
think outside the box. Hyman
fit the bill. Working with Smoot
and the firmʼs other
architectural artisans, Hyman
helped construct everything
from the Krishnamurti
Foundation building in Ojai to
the first elliptical dome in Los
Angeles.
“You werenʼt just building a
building,” Hyman said. “It was
a matter of creating art ... and
trying to be socially
conscientious at the same
time.”
As 1976 dawned, Hyman
was growing increasingly
worried about Cassidy, who
was stuck in an emotional free
fall. Feeling robbed of his own
identity, and haunted by
insecurity, Cassidy was
turning to ever-increasing
amounts of drugs and alcohol
to numb the pain.
“It was the drug use that I
couldnʼt handle,” Hyman said.
“And the type of people that it
attracts. I wasnʼt comfortable
with it. It was too destructive
for me. Not to say that I
wasnʼt destructive myself, but
it was more than my
threshold of
destruction.”
At witʼs end,
Hyman moved out
of the Encino house
and headed for
Colorado. He
needed to clear his
head.
He prayed
Cassidy would do
the same.
mounted a hit British
tour.
Then his record
company went bust,
his marriage went
bust and, by 1986,
he had less than
$1,000 in his bank
account. He ended
up crashing on
Hymanʼs couch,
then spent six
months living in the
guest bedroom of
Go start anew
Hymanʼs sisterʼs
As the 1980s
two-bedroom
dawned, Cassidy
apartment.
had begun the long,
“I told him that as
arduous task of
long as I have a roof
rebuilding his life
over my head, he
and career.
has a place to stay,”
Progress came in
Hyman said. “It was
agonizing fits and
a scary time,
starts over the next
because we were in
decade and a half.
our thirties and
A brief high point
didnʼt know what to
came in 1981 when
do with our lives.
THREE MEALS A DAY, A WHOLE LOT TO SAY: When Cassidy
he landed the title
“Somebody finally
hit
the
road
in
“Little
Johnny
Jones,”
he
took
Hyman
along.
role in the
told me, ʻSam, youʼd
Broadway-bound
better grow up.ʼ And
Hyman
said.
“If
he
was
really
revival of George M. Cohanʼs
I did. I grew up.”
asleep Iʼd have to go into his
1904 musical “Little Johnny
Over the next decade,
room,
grab
his
shoulder
and
Jones.” He didnʼt end up
these two friends, who had
shake. ... If he were a fireman,
going to New York with the
grown up together, now had to
itʼd
take
a
three-alarm
fire
to
show, but he spent six months
grow up all over again.
get him out of bed. Kiss your
on the road, singing classic
Hyman started by getting a
house
goodbye
if
you
were
songs like “Give My Regards
$5-an-hour job at a Sinclairʼs
waiting for him and the truck
to Broadway,” and he brought
paint store in West Los
to
leave
the
station.”
Hyman along for the ride.
Angeles at Pico Boulevard
Sporadic successes
Hyman acted as both
and Prosser Avenue, not far
followed
for
Cassidy:
the
play
wardrobe assistant and
from the record store where
“Tribute” in 1981 in Canada,
personal assistant. The
he bought that first Blood
which
Hyman
saw,
and
a
stint
experience wasnʼt as intense
Sweat and Tears album all
in the musical “Joseph and
as Cassidyʼs rock days, but it
those years before.
the
Amazing
Technicolor
was physically demanding:
“By having a steady
Dreamcoat” in 1983, which
eight shows a week was no
paycheck, I was able to get
Hyman missed. In the fall of
piece of cake.
out of debt, work my way up
ʼ84, Cassidy married for the
Some things, though,
into sales and then into
second
time
and
moved
to
hadnʼt changed a bit: Cassidy,
management. I ended my
England to write and record
ever the night owl, was still
career as vice president of
“Romance.”
“The
Last
Kiss”
nearly impossible to wake up.
sales at Frazee Paint
single went Top 5, the album
“He never liked mornings,
Company.”
went
Top
20
and
Cassidy
not even in high school,”
Cassidy, meanwhile,
Rim Talay, which means
did the musical “Time”
“by the sea” in Thai,
on Londonʼs West End;
opened in March 2010.
reactivated his music
It specializes in
career; went into
authentic Thai dishes
analysis; married
that fuse flavors from
songwriter Sue Shifrin;
every corner of
and then landed the role
Thailand. Located just
of a lifetime: Mickey
two blocks from the
Johnstone in Willy
beach in Oceanside, you
Russellʼs “Blood
can sit on Rim Talayʼs
Brothers.” He was back.
intimate, four-table patio
Big time.
and stare out at the
Hyman caught the
Pacific.
show in 1993 in New
Cassidy hasnʼt visited
York, and was blown
the restaurant yet and
away. He saw it again in
Hyman is excited to
March 1995 when the
show him around. The
tour stopped at the
day, he said, will be a
Wilshire Theatre in
low-key celebration of
Beverly Hills.
their friendship.
Cassidy knew Hyman
“As you go through life
was coming that night.
and get older, you can
Courtesy of Sam Hyman
Instead of driving to the
count
your true friends
GLOBAL IMPACT: Hyman’s wife Ponie grew up in
theater as he normally
Laos, but still knew who David Cassidy was. “Her
on one hand,” Hyman
sister had posters of him up on her wall,” Hyman
did in his white, toursaid. “You realize how
says.
issued Lincoln Town Car,
special it is. David and I
he left that ride at home
are not the kind of
when
Cassidy
was
starring
in
in Sherman Oaks and drove
friends who talk everyday.
“EFX” at the MGM Grand.
his silver Mercedes instead. It
Weʼll get on the phone when
They
married
in
2000.
was obvious he wanted to
we want to share something
Ponie is a native of Laos, a
take Hyman out in style.
good, or something bad — the
communist
country
in
Hyman, though, didnʼt need
trials and tribulations of life.
Southeast Asia. With the help
a flashy night out. He just
We always connect on the
of
a
friend
who
could
swim,
needed Cassidyʼs ear.
important milestones of our
and a bunch of inflated
“That was the night I told
lives. I donʼt care if heʼs rich
balloons,
she
managed
to
him I was divorcing my
and famous. It doesnʼt matter.
traverse the Mekong River
second wife,” Hyman said. “It
If he loses his fame and
and
seek
asylum
in
Thailand,
was just him and myself in his
fortune, weʼre still friends. And
her motherʼs homeland.
dressing room. Nobody else. I
I know he feels the same
Eventually
she
sought
asylum
had a real nice heart-to-heart
about me. To have a
in the United States.
with him. He was being a
friendship so enduring is
In
Encino,
her
husbandʼs
good brother. That night was
remarkable.
old stomping grounds, she
more about me than him. I
“We will remain friends until
helped
start
the
Good
Earth
was not emotionally in great
the end.”
restaurant. After moving to
shape and he was there for
Oceanside with Hyman, she
me.”
***
spent five years as a library
Rim Talay is at 508 Mission Ave.,
assistant. When that job
Oceanside, California. It's open
Beyond the sea
ended,
she
decided
to
get
Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.
Hyman and Cassidy are
to 10 p.m. and Sundays through
back in the kitchen. This time,
each in the midst of their third
Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
though, she wanted to be in
marriages. Hyman met his
For information call 760-435-2007 or
complete control.
wife, Ponie, in the late 1990s,
visit http://rim-talay.com.