Zwicker Understands 3

closeups of Shelley

from pics used in an ad

for Zwicker Knitting Mills, 1970

Shelley appeared in an ad for Zwicker Knitting Mills in 1970. Zwicker was a knitting mill company (the last one in the US when it closed in 1990) that sold knitted winter wear such as scarves, gloves, hats and the like. Their 1970 ad had the tagline "Grandmother loved you... but Zwicker understands you better." The ad was a promo for the latest variety of knitwear made available by Zwicker for the contemporary young miss... so young ladies could have alternatives to the knitwear their grandmas made for them. Great-looking tam o' shanters, lace crochet hats, cable-stitched berets, and wild-colored London street-boy caps - they were all available. Long, long scarves and wild ponchos were available as well. Because Zwicker understood the needs of the 1970s fashionista. And Shelley was one '70s fashionista indeed. (For more, check out: Zwicker Understands 1 and Zwicker Understands 2)

Shelley in an ad

for Zwicker Knitting Mills, 1970

1986 TV Series

a promo pic of Shelley

for Jack and Mike, 1986

Shelley's third foray into series TV was Jack and Mike in 1986. Executive producer David Gerber believed so much in Shelley that he wanted to give her her own TV series. It was initially called Jackie O'Shea, with Shelley in the title role. Tom Mason (Shelley's co-star in the TV movie Kicks with whom she had good chemistry) was offered the role of Jackie's husband. After talks with Gerber regarding the husband character being more involved in the plots, Mason finally accepted. The series was then retitled Our Kind of Town. When it aired, it was again retitled Jack and Mike... alluding to the names of the two main characters, Jackie Shea and her husband Mike Brennan. The pilot episode was originally aired in September 16, 1986 right after the hit TV series Moonlighting; and debuted to decent ratings. It also received decent reviews, with a few scathing writeups here and there. After a first order of a pilot and 12 episodes, the ABC network (which aired the series) ordered five more episodes; and the series looked like it was in for a long run. Then, it was suddenly canceled to the disappointment of fans. Let's hope the entire series is finally streamed somewhere.

Shelley in a mag clipping

from the Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide,

Feb 1987

Fashionable And Up-To-The-Minute

a closeup of Shelley from an ad

for Rovercoat by Arthur Jay, 1970

Shelley modeled part-time during her schooling in the 1960s and started modeling full-time after graduating. She was a very busy model in the 1970s. She was represented by Ford Models Inc. and was one of the most sought after models in their roster. She appeared on magazine covers, spreads and features, commercials and print ads. In 1970, she appeared in an ad for Rovercoat by Arthur Jay. Rovercoat was a fashion line owned by the Arthur Jay Company. Rovercoat specialized in creating women's outer apparel, namely coats and rainwear. The line included clothing, footwear and headgear for women. In the ad, Shelley wore a checkerboard print above-the-knee coat in a textured fabric. It had a leather-look yoke, a leather-look belt, a Peter pan collar and leather-look buttons. It also had matching leather-look gloves. She wore it over a turtleneck sweater top and pants by Happy Legs. Boots by Latinas finished her look. A smart hat accessorized her look. And Shelley looked fashionable and up-to-the-minute.

Shelley with Colleen Corby, Lucy Angle,

and an unidentified model in an ad

for Rovercoat by Arthur Jay, 1970

Found Money TV Movie 6

Shelley in a screen capture

from the TV movie Found Money, 1983

Shelley appeared alongside comedy legends Dick Van Dyke and Sid Caesar in the 1983 TV movie Found Money. The movie was about computer expert Max Shepherd and security guard Sam Green, two former employees of First National Bank who have been let go with little to no benefits after decades of employment. Max uses his computer skills to create an account in the bank using the money from inactive accounts that are automatically transferred to the state when not claimed after five years. Using the name Seymour Good, head of The Invisible Friend Inc., he transfers the money to accounts of ordinary citizens who bring kindness to the world. After some convincing, Sam joins Max in his quest. As good Samaritans begin receiving the money, the story is picked up by the press and is covered by reporter Leslie Phillips (Shelley Hack) who becomes Max's love interest.

screen captures from the TV movie

Found Money, 1983

Shelley found both Dick Van Dyke and Sid Caesar "very generous to work with" but had to keep up with the their pace. "You had to work so fast, because everything was left loose," she told TV Guide. "I felt like I kind of jumped on a moving train," she added. As for Shelley's performance in Found Money, Television writer Fred Rothenberg said "Miss Hack's acting has improved since she played one of Charlie's Angels." Shelley said of the TV movie, "It's a whole type of distinctly American comedy, the closest to theater on film I'd ever gotten." Prior to Found Money, Shelley had starred in several stage plays in the early 1980s and had received excellent reviews for her performances. She was also cast in the Martin Scorsese film The King of Comedy where she held her own in scenes opposite acting giant Robert De Niro; she got excellent reviews for her performance in the film as well. Shelley had come a very long way indeed.

screen captures from the TV movie

Found Money, 1983

The Stow-It-All Tote

Shelley in promo pics

for Charlie perfume and cosmetics, 1976

Shelley was THE quintessential Charlie Girl and appeared in many, many ads for the brand. She was Revlon Charlie's image model from 1976 to 1982. Charlie was one of the first mega-successful lifestyle brands in the world. The phenomenal success of the brand was due in part to Shelley's unforgettable image. In 1976, an artwork of Shelley appeared in a newspaper ad for Charlie called "The Dividend That Goes Your Way... Charlie's Stow-It-All." It was a promo that offered a $26.00 value dividend from Charlie at only $6.00 for every $5.00 purchase or more from the Charlie collection by Revlon. The dividend included Charlie More Moisture Moisturizer, Charlie Fresh New Makeup, Charlie Fresh Fresh Eyecolor in Silverfrost Plum, and Charlie Concentrated Perfume Spray - all packed into a stylish dark-blue corduroy tote that could be taken anywhere. The ad included a checklist of all the products available from the Charlie collection for customers who wanted their transactions and purchases done via postal mail. And whether in pictures or in artwork, Charlie Girl Shelley was always Charlie-Girl gorgeous.

an artwork of Shelley

in a newspaper ad for Charlie

perfume and cosmetics, 1976

Shelley and John

Shelley with writer/director John Leone

at The Love Boat Honors Helen Hayes

gala event, 1980

In February of 1980, Shelley attended The Love Boat Honors Helen Hayes gala event which was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The special event for the hit TV series The Love Boat also paid tribute to the "First Lady of American Theatre" Helen Hayes. Love Boat executive producer Aaron Spelling was a big admirer of Ms. Hayes and included a special tribute to the two-time Oscar winner (who was also the first woman to win the EGOT - an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award) at the gala event. The acting legend was also an esteemed guest star in the 90-minute 3rd season finale episode of The Love Boat entitled "No Girls for Doc/Marriage of Convenience/The Caller/The Witness" where she played opposite her real-life adopted son, actor James MacArthur, who rose to fame as Danny "Danno" Williams on the TV series Hawaii Five-O. The episode aired in May of that year.

Shelley with writer/director John Leone

at The Love Boat Honors Helen Hayes

gala event, 1980

Recommended Episode Order

Shelley with Jaclyn Smith

and Cheryl Ladd in a promo pic

for Charlie's Angels, 1979

In 1979, Shelley joined the cast of the mega-hit TV series Charlie's Angels for its 4th season. Promo pics, writeups and gossip about Shelley and the new Angel team appeared all around the world; and fans were excited to see Charlie's newest Angel in action. When Shelley's debut episode "Love Boat Angels" aired, it topped the Nielsen ratings; and US Weekly predicted that the series, with Shelley on board, would be a hit. But changes were made during the 4th season. Due to the request of the retained cast members for more time off, solo episodes were produced. These episodes focused on just one Angel, with the other Angels playing support, popping up here and there throughout the entire episode. Each Angel had three of these solo episodes, including guest Angel Farrah Fawcett (half of the 4th season episodes were solo episodes and half were team episodes). After two team episodes ("Love Boat Angels" and "Angels Go Truckin'"), Shelley was suddenly relegated to the background... as two Jaclyn Smith back-to-back solo episodes, a Farrah Fawcett solo episode, a Cheryl Ladd solo episode, a team episode, and then another Farrah Fawcett solo episode were aired. "We want to introduce the new Angel gradually" was the explanation; but the move backfired. Upon so much anticipation after the announcement of Shelley's casting, the extremely disappointed fans didn't get to see enough material on her (during those crucial initial episodes) to embrace her character. It was only by the 10th episode of the season ("Angels in Campus") that Shelley was finally able to star in her own solo episode (and she rose to the occasion). But viewership had already declined by then. Fans were left with the impression that Shelley added nothing to the show... as she was given little to say or do during those crucial initial episodes.

the original episode order

of Charlie's Angels season 4,

1979-1980

So the problem with Charlie's Angels season 4 was really the fact that the introduction and development of Shelley's character Tiffany Welles happened too late in the season... around mid-season. This prevented viewers from getting to know Tiffany. Although Shelley's potential to shine as an Angel could be seen as early as the 2nd episode (in the team episode "Angels Go Truckin'"), the barrage of solo episodes focusing on her co-Angels kept Tiffany in the background for quite a while. So maybe a slight shuffling of episodes could remedy the situation. Watching the episodes in a different order could result in a more developed Tiffany Welles character. Right after "Love Boat Angels," watching Shelley's solo episode "Angels on Campus" will immediately give viewers a taste of who Tiffany is... a smart, stylish collegiate who can get herself out of a jam. Follow this up with the Jaclyn's solo episode "Avenging Angel" and then the highly entertaining team episode "Angel Hunt," and viewers will feel that Tiffany is now part of the group. Then watching Farrah's solo episode "Fallen Angel" (her best guest episode), Cheryl's solo episode "Caged Angel," and then the well-written team episode "Angels Go Truckin'" will keep viewers interested in this new angel team. Continuing with Shelley's solo episode "Of Ghosts and Angels" and then alternating team and solo episodes will keep viewers engaged and interested in the Angel characters and familiarize them with this new Angel team's group dynamic. Also, watching the two-parter team episode "One Love... Two Angels" in the middle of the season, helps develop the Tiffany character even further, as this is the best detective work Tif does in the series. Ending the season with the team episode "Three For The Money" (a solid, well-written, and well-performed episode) will leave viewers with a smile on their faces.

a recommended episode order

of Charlie's Angels season 4,

1979-1980