a closeup of Shelley from a 1978 promo pic
In the spring of 1979, the mega-hit TV series Charlie's Angels was about to end its 3rd season with another Angel leaving the Townsend Agency. The original 1976 Angel lineup was made up of Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett (then Majors) and Jaclyn Smith. Farrah left after the first season to pursue a movie career. She was replaced by Cheryl Ladd in the 2nd season. By the end of the 3rd season, Kate was leaving the series as well. So Charlie needed a new Angel; and the press and the fans were speculating on who the new girl was going to be.
a Spanish-language writeup
about Shelley winning the Angels race
from Gente y la actualidad mag, 1979
Many actresses auditioned to be Charlie's newest Angel - Cristina Ferrare, Deborah Shelton, Dian Parkinson, Catherine Bach and Michelle Pfeiffer were among them. Angels producer Aaron Spelling even included (jokingly) Margaret Trudeau, the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister, to the list. In May of 1979, news came out that Bond Girl Barbara Bach was the new Angel. Articles and pictures of the lovely Miss Bach were immediately splashed all over every newspaper and magazine. Even David Doyle, who played John Bosley in the series, thought she got it and began reading up on his new co-star. But the news turned out to be false. The leading contenders were actually Flying High's Connie Selleca and THE Charlie Girl Shelley Hack.
a closeup of Shelley from a 1978 promo pic
Shelley, of course, became the new Angel. And the news of her casting was announced around the world. It was such a big deal, it was even mentioned in the evening news. "I couldn't believe it. What was I doing in the evening news," Shelley exclaimed at the time. The Spanish-language Argentine magazine Gente y la actualidad (People and news) featured Shelley on their pages and said "Tuvieron que elegir a un nuevo Angel de Charlie. Pensaron en Barbara Bach. Despues, en Margaret Trudeau, pero se quedarn con Shelley Hack. Parece que no eligieron mal." ("They had to choose a new Charlie's Angel. They thought of Barbara Bach. Then Margaret Trudeau, but they'll stick with Shelley Hack. It seems they made a good choice.")
