Age 0 - 17












Dave's shoes were born in this Brunswick factory in Muskegon Michigan,










and were soon sleeping through the night at home.










They were very healthy, and developed a good appetite quite quickly.










They were soon taking their first steps,










and it wasn't too long before they were potty trained.


























During the first few years they enjoyed playing with toys,










riding outside,















and playing at the park.










When they were five, it was time for the first day of school,










although Mimi the cat was sad to see them go.









They loved to climb, and it was hard to keep their feet on the ground .










Then came the teenage years, and that momentous occasion occurred when they were finally able to drive.










While in high school, they also showed talent in music.

More to come . . .
After nearly 30 years, Dave and the shoes
were reunited during a trip to Florida.
Dave & The Shoes
Dave & The Shoes
Atlanta
Click on a picture for a larger image.

This wasn't really a vacation, it was actually a business trip. But I did manage to make it downtown to check out the "Home of the Braves", Turner Field.

One of the parking lots for the field is the site of the old Fulton County Stadium, where, on April 8th, 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record by hitting #715. The parking lot has the infield marked out in brick, so you can stand where Hammerin' Hank did on that historic night.
You can also go out to the outfield, and see the location where the home run went over the wall.
Turner Field was originally used for the 1996 Summer Olympics (it was converted to baseball only for the Braves the next season). This is the tower where the Olympic flame burned during those summer games.
Back at the hotel I decided it was time for a little workout, so I headed down to the exercise room.
Camping & Hiking in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
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This was a vacation at the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising, Michigan. The journey started with a hike through the National Forest area, where we passed many waterfalls.

Several miles of the trail was at the edge of Pictured Rocks, overlooking Lake Superior.
There were many magnificent views from atop the cliffs.
Back at the campsite, it was time to sit around the fire and rest the weary feet.
New Orleans
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The first stop on this vacation was Harrah's casino to try our luck at the slots. After some bad luck at Harrah's it was time to head over to the French Quarter, and world Famous Bourbon Street.

We even managed to get some beads from the folks on the balcony. Then it was over to the "Gentleman's" club.
After a long night on Bourbon Street, it was time for a shine from Ernie the shoe shine man.
Later that day we headed out to Oak Alley Plantation, named for the alley of oak trees lining the main walk.
Watching a passing freighter from high atop the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.
Scotland
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Two weeks in Scotland started with some hiking in the Highlands, near Inverie, on the Knoydart Peninsula. Inverie is a small village on Loch Nevis, accessable only by boat, or a 7 mile walk.

We hiked as far as Loch an Dubh-Lochain. Here is the view looking west . . .
. . . and looking east.
After a long day of hiking, we headed to The Old Forge, listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as "The Remotest Pub on Mainland Britain".
We also visited the world famous Loch Ness. Here we're looking for monsters to the north . . .
. . . and to the south.
Fans of "Monty Python & The Holy Grail" will recognize Castle Stalker, known in the movie as "Castle Aaagghhh" . . .
. . . as well as The Cave of Caerbanhor, which is an abandonded copper mine on the south shores of Loch Tay.
Florida

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To escape the cold Michigan winter, a trip was made down to warm, sunny Florida.
We started out with an airboat ride in the Everglades.

The next morning it was breakfast at the IHOP, then a drive down to southernmost spot in the U.S. - Key West.
You could almost see Cuba from atop the Key West lighthouse.
It was then time to go watch the sunset.
It's a long walk (2,377 miles) to Fort Kent, Maine from here, the beginning of U.S. 1 in Key West.
Grand Canyon & Bryce Canyon National Parks
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Having never seen this natural wonder of the world, we decided it was time for a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Out of the approximately 4 million yearly visitors to the canyon, only about 10% visit the north rim.
The highest elevation at the North Rim is Point Imperial at 8,803 feet. The Colorado River is seen from this vantage point.
After 3 days at the Grand Canyon, we drove north into Utah, and Bryce Canyon National Park.
Bryce has absolutely stunning scenery around every corner.
San Antonio
Click on a picture for a larger image.

North and East of downtown San Antonio is "Natural Bridge Caverns", the largest underground caves in Texas

Downtown is famous for it's Riverwalk, with many fine restaurants and shops. You can even take a boat ride along the river.
Just east of the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio is "Mission San Antonio de Valero", commonly called the Alamo, which was founded in 1718.
Among the other missions south of town are "Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion" founded in 1731, and "San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo", founded in 1720.
A little further south and you will find "San Juan Capistrano", founded in 1731, and "San Francisco de los Tejas", founded in 1690.
California
Click on a picture for a larger image.

A quick trip to Sequoia National Park. I stayed in the car while my friend took a picture of the bear.

The first stop was the Sherman Trail, which leads to the largest living tree on earth at 311 feet tall. It's estimated to be 3,200 years old.
Here's another picture of General Sherman from the back, as well as The President's Tree. While not quite as large as the General, it was still quite impressive.
We ended our trip by going back home to Hollywood. As I didn't want to cause a media frenzy, I stayed out of most public places. But I did have time to take a walk up in the hills.

Disc jockey

Zamboni driver

Technical Instructor
Public Service Announcement

Coming soon to a computer near you:

www.mrs.davemaddensbedroomslippers.com

Writer Sandra Madden
Biography

Born in Sarnia Ontario, Canada at a deceptively early age, Dave moved to Terre Haute, Indiana at the age of five in search of excitement. In High School he became interested in the art of Legerdemaine and, although he couldn't spell it (and still can't), he performed it successfully at school functions. One of the few things he did successfully during those years.

His show business career continued during a four year engagement in the U.S. Air Force. During the Korean War, Dave arranged, somewhat cleverly, to be stationed at Wheelus Field in Tripoli Libya, where he worked for Armed Forces Radio. Later, his magic and comedy routines afforded him the opportunity of traveling with the Air Force Tops in Blue Show. In response to many pleas from his commanding officer, Dave did not re-enlist and the engagement was broken.

He spent the next four years at the University of Miami where the G.I. bill - a kind of Armed Forces Alimony - allowed him to attain a B.A. in Communications. The following few years were spent trying to communicate in nightclubs around the country. In 1963, during an engagement at a supper club in Palm Springs, California, Dave attracted the attention of Frank Sinatra . . . Not by yelling "Hey Franks!!" as is rumored, but in the performance of his - by now - magic-less stand-up comedy act. He spent part of the following year appearing as Frank Sinatra's opening act. Sinatra refused to reciprocate!

1965 wa the beginning of a new facet in Dave's career. He became an actor in the TV series Camp Runamuck. With a Neilsen Rating somewhere below "Give Us This Day", his first series ran only one season; however, his second, third and fourth series - Laugh-In, Partridge Family, and Alice were smash hits (that's why he refers to them as "HIS series"). Along with TV guest appearances, Theatre, Movies and Live appearances as a comedian, a folk singer and a magician (not at the same time, of course), he has also done a great deal of work in the On Camera commercial and Voice Over field, and frankly he's bushed!

What's next? Retirement and the ultimate dirt nap!

Resume

Some of Dave's credits include:

TV Series Regular:

Co-Starred in TV Pilots:

Guest Appearances on TV:

Movies:

Theatre:

PLUS: Nightclubs, Concerts, On-Camera And Voice-Over Commercials, Game Shows, Talk Shows and TV Specials
But . . . WHO CARES?

Click on a picture for a larger image.
Click on a picture for a larger image.
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Click on a picture for a larger image.

Thanks to Rodney Travis for the pictures from the March Of Dimes Telethon.

Click on a picture for a larger image.

These 2 photos are from a 1972 comic book from titled "Romantic Story". There are similiar books for the other members of "The Partridge Family".

********************************************************************************

The following was taken from the July 1969 issue of "Photo Screen" magazine.
It was titled "A Day In The Life Of Dave Madden by Dave Madden". The text is what accompanied the pictures in the story.

Click on a picture for a larger image.

There is a common misconception these days that people in show business are . . . well, "different" from everyone else. Not so! Take, for example, the average nightclub-TV performer, on an average day in his average American home, beside the ocean!

For this zany but typical venture Laugh-In comic Dave Madden chose pretty actress Quinn O'Hara to accompany him in his madness. Together, they have attempted to portray to you, the PHOTO SCREEN reader, their ideas of the idyllic Hollywood life!


His day begins early in the morning, as he arrives home from a nightclub where he's been working the late shift. He is met at the door by his mate -- an average American actress. Could you think of any scene more normal, or of one more . . . middle class?


In her Early-American style kitchen, she is busily preparing breakfast for her hard-working, handsome breadwinner. Could a relationship be more wholesome?


Do they have their problems? Well, of course. Typical American problems. Our hard-working performer is a do-it-yourselfer, and it's not easy to keep up with all those odd jobs that keep coming up around the house. Soon he must finish laying the carpet, and the bar needs another coat of varnish. It just proves a man's work is never done!


Having made the final payment on their refrigerator, they happily contemplate the chore of stocking it with the various necessities of everyday survival. Is there anyone among us who cannot remember when this domestic scene might have been them?


And so, our bone-weary performer sits down to his traditional breakfast in his Old-English style dining room. Here is Americana, displayed in it's most recognizable form. Of course, the naturalness, the unpretentious reality of show-business folk is absolutely unbelievable to some skeptical people. And yet, pictures don't lie!


And after their delicious morning repast, our hero enjoys a relaxing cup of coffee, browsing leisurely through the morning paper, while thoughts of bed and undisturbed slumber delight our up-right lad.
And so to bed, but only for our intrepid commuter, for the heroine of our story has much to do around their palace. There are dishes to be scrubbed, flowers to be watered and, in a few hours, she must once again waken the master of their house.
And so, after a night of sweet dreams, we take our last look at our contented couple. As dusk settles into the final moments of daylight, our breadwinner must once again depart the security of his castle and go off to his place of employement. As our heroine reluctantly walks him to the beat-stop they gaze fondly at each other, and their thoughts are of the future. For him: perhaps someday, his own TV show. For her: a movie career and, maybe eventually, finding a nice young man and getting married. Could anything be more natural? Could you imagine knowing two people more typically American?

********************************************************************************

This article and picture are from an unknown magazine from the 60's, sent to me by fellow Dave fan Kimberli in Minnesota.

Click on a picture for a larger image.

The neon signs flashed on and off, on and off. Throbbing pulsebeats exploded in every vein of his body.

Dave Madden walked faster. He wanted to run but he couldn't in that jungle of light. He didn't dare attract any more attention than he already had gotten from the crowds of weekend pleasure seekers.

Finally, he reached a darker street. Even though the dimmer lights created menacing shadows, he felt better. And he began running towards the bus station a few blocks away. He didn't stop running until he was aboard the bus. And he didn't let his emotions relax until he saw the door close. As the bus headed out of town and into the open countryside, Dave closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep. He relived in a nightmare the bad dream he'd just experienced in reality only a few hours before.

"They say you never really forget anything," Dave said to us only a few weeks ago. "Whenever I recall that night, it comes back to me as vividly and in all of its threatening ominousness although the actual situation took place many, many years ago."

Dave has been a featured nightclub entertainer for years. This season he joined the Laugh-In and introduced TV audiences to his confetti-throwing act, a routine he developed during his nightclub experiences. "I got the idea one day," Dave says, "of working up a way that would permit an audience to get inside of my brain, to know what I was thinking. But, actually, it was really a way of letting them know that I knew what they were thinking. Whenever I let confetti dribble over my head to indicate that I was indulging in naughty thoughts, everyone out there responded instantly to the bit. Why? Because the kind of thoughts I admitted to through this visual device were precisely the kind of fancies that were tickling their imagination. In other words I could tell a story that, in and of itself, sounded completely innocent but just could have another interpretation. When I let go with the confetti to indicate that I was thinking about that other twist, the audience would laugh because they would then feel safe.

"It wasn't always fun for me, not when I first started out. In those days I'd work anywhere and everywhere. Just so long as I had the chance to appear in a place for the money and the experience. Well, the worst time of all was when my agent called to tell me that he'd booked me into a club in a small town and that I was to get on a bus and be there for the first show. So, I packed my one suitcase with all of my wordly possessions - my shaving kit, fresh socks and the props I used in my act. When I got to the club, they showed me to the kind of dressing room I'd grown accustomed to during my . . . shall I say . . . professional career - a broom closet with a nail. When I stepped out on the stage, I knew immediately that the people out there weren't exactly impressed by me or my boss' introduction. They were in the club for a good time. They were getting some of it from the booze and the girls they'd brought with them. I was going to supply the rest of it with the jokes that were supposed to make them laugh.

"The first part of the act went pretty well. I didn't exactly bowl them over and send them into fits of hysterical laughter. But, I wasn't bombing either. Then, the moment came for my highlight; the bit I developed several months before and which had been pretty well received during that time. I took out a white sheet in which I'd cut a slit big enought to get it over my head. Immediately, there was a sudden silence in the room. No one was talking. No one was laughing. Even the blonde in the corner stopped giggling and the guy she was with quit trying to make her take still another drink. Everyone was staring at me - not with curiosity and not with admiration. Then, when I began pulling on the pointed hood, the tension in the room thickened until I thought I could actually reach out and touch it. By the time I stood there with my Ku Klux Klan outfit on and began the act where I poke fun at these characters, the mood of hostility that was being directed at me was no longer something I imagined. It was real. Terrifyingly and horribly real. I knew immediately what had happened. These people out there didn't think the Klan was an organization that could stand satirical ridicule. To the, the Klan was sacrosanct and I was desecrating it.

"I looked out through the peepholes in the hood and I saw faces that were frozen in expressions of hate. I saw eyes that bored through me and carried threats I couldn't ignore. I got the message. Anyone who says the show must go on no matter what never stood up before such an audience.
"Somehow, I took that hood off and stepped out of the sheet. And, somehow I finished the act. When I turned to walk off, it was all I could do to resist the tempatation to look back at the audience, to face those eyes that I could feel boring into me. And as soon as I got back to my broom closet, I packed my bag and left."

Dave is silent for a moment as he lets the memory of that night come back. Then, "You know, I've thought about it a lot, about the time I was threatened by the terror of the Klan and I know that I'm a lucky guy. For me, it was an implied threat, never made good. For a lot of people, on the other hand, the nightmare was only too real. Sure, you and I know that the Klan is a ridiculous organization. But wouldn't it be a great day when eveyrone else feel sthe same way, too?

"Wouldn't it be a great day when all of us are free enough to use the only really effective weapon in the arsenal to wipe out all of the threats that haunt us - laughter?"

Dave, it's men like you who bring that day closer.

- by Sandra Gimbel

Some of Dave's favorite sites to visit on the web:

Sandra Madden - Romance Writer, wife of Dave.

C'Mon Get Happy - Excellent Partridge Family site.

International Bowling Museum & Hall Of Fame. - Get Bowled Over

Brunswick - Find Some Relatives

For information on where to buy Dave's memoir's "Reuben On Wry" visit this website:

Reuben On Wry

Here you will find out even more exciting information about Dave, but no pictures of bowling shoes.


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- To Del for the loving care he has given the shoes for the last 25 years.
- To Andy for his help in getting this site started.
- To Ernie the shoe-shine man, who made the trip to New Orleans well worth it.
- To K.C. at Jolly Roger.
- And of course, to Dave himself, without whom none of this would be possible.