Shelley in a promo pic
for Single Bars, Single Women, 1984
Shelley starred in the 1984 TV movie Single Bars, Single Women which, as one writer put it, was "darn good." The film explored the singles scene for women - post women's liberation. Women had finally come out on their own, so the rules of dating were changing... fast. No longer in need of escorts and chaperones, women could now go bar-hopping alone to meet the men they wanted to meet. Women finally had a voice and a choice. "I like being a single woman in the world today," Shelley said.
a writeup about Shelley starring
in Single Bars, Single Women, 1984
Shelley would always do research for any role she was about to play. And in 1984, when she got the part of truck-stop waitress Frankie in the TV movie Single Bars, Single Women, she went into singles bars disguised in a black wig and heavy makeup. She wanted to see what was going on with the kind of women who went there (because Frankie was a singles bar patron). Shelley said, "It's hard to watch what's going on in a big, crowded bar. But I did see some men and women meet, have a drink, talk for a while and then leave together. But that wasn't too common." Shelley added, "The amount of attention a woman draws depends on her attitude. It depends on how much you put out." She also tried her hand at being a truck-stop waitress like Frankie. "I even researched being a waitress by working in a truck stop in Provo (Utah) where we filmed most of the movie. I learned a great deal in the café, too. I made a lot of money in tips and learned some tricks about turning down customers without hurting their feelings," she said.
Shelley in a promo pic
for Single Bars, Single Women, 1984
