Dora Kelly is a talentless amateur singer.
Background[]
Dora's father has trained her since early childhood to be a singer, despite her complete lack of interest in or talent for music. Now that she's in her late teens, her father has decided it's time for her to make her debut. Her father gets her a gig singing with the Partridge Family at a benefit for the Point Loomis Air Force Base.
On the series[]
Dora meets the Partridges in their garage and sings "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" off-key while Laurie Partridge plays the piano. Everyone thinks she's a terrible singer except for Keith Partridge, who doesn't notice because he has a crush on her. Later she returns to the garage while Keith is out to record the song. The next day Keith, who has realized that Dora can't sing after listening to the recording, tries to tell her she isn't any good, but can't bring himself to do it and asks her to go steady instead. No one can bring themselves to tell Dora she has no talent, so on the night of the benefit, Reuben Kincaid has her wear short shorts and high heels. The soldiers cheer and whistle so loudly that they completely drown out her singing, sparing her the humiliation. Now that Dora has sung for an audience like her father wanted her to, she feels free to train to be a chiropractor, like she wanted to do in the first place.