a closeup of Shelley from a promo pic
for Cutter to Houston, 1983
Shelley became a Supermodel/Superstar in the 1970s when she became THE Charlie Girl and later a Charlie's Angel. But after her career-boosting "Charlie" appearances, she was determined to prove that she was more than just a pretty face. "If anything, my modeling career hurt me in terms of getting my acting off the ground," she said. "Charlie's Angels didn't do much for my acting career either," she added. Shelley concluded, "I sat down and decided that I wasn't going to let this business put me in the wrong box anymore. That meant that I had to turn down a lot of stuff and get some theater experience."
a writeup about Shelley, 1983
So she took to the stage and received glowing reviews for her work on Jack Heifner's Vanities, Elizabeth Diggs's Close Ties and Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday. Then on the big screen, she impressed critics for her work on Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy - she held her own in her scenes opposite acting legend Robert De Niro. On TV, she delivered notable performances opposite acting veterans George Segal (Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer), as well as Dick Van Dyke and Sid Caesar (Max and Sam a.k.a. Found Money). By the fall of 1983, she starred in her 2nd TV series Cutter to Houston with Golden Globe Award nominee Jim Metzler and newcomer Alec Baldwin.
Shelley with Alec Baldwin and Jim Metzler
in a promo pic for their 1983
TV series Cutter To Houston