A Halloween Must-See

Shelley with Terry O'Quinn

in a promo pic for The Stepfather, 1987

Halloween is just a few days away and what better way to celebrate the holiday than to snuggle up with someone and watch horror films. In 1987, Shelley starred in the horror classic The Stepfather. It was directed by Joseph Ruben and had Terry O'Quinn in the title role. Terry played Jerry Blake (the stepfather), a man who has a knack for marrying into the "perfect" family and then killing the family off when he realizes that the family isn't "perfect" after all. Shelley played Susan Maine, the woman who marries Jerry and is willing look past the cracks on Jerry's carefully-constructed façade. Jill Schoelen played Stephanie, Susan's daughter by her first marriage. Stephanie doesn't like Jerry, finds him creepy and is determined to find out who he really is. The story was penned by Carolyn Lefcourt, Brian Garfield and Donald E. Westlake, who got screenplay credit. It was loosely based on on the story of John List, the New Jersey man who killed his own family in 1971 and then disappeared.

a writeup about The Stepfather

from 1987

Shelley was cast by the film's director Joseph Ruben who was impressed by her work in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy. "Shelley didn't have to test," said Ruben, "Shelley got it really off King of Comedy, because I thought she was just so believable and natural and easy. She doesn't strain on camera. And I was just knocked out by her in that movie." The film was shot on location in Canada and when it was released, Shelley told Channel Surfing: Charlie's Angels that she sneaked in alone when the film was being shown in theaters and got pretty scared with what she saw. Shelley received glowing reviews for her performance in this cult classic. The film is currently out on DVD and Blu-ray format. It is also available in various streaming platforms. It's great movie to watch for this coming Halloween, a Halloween must-see.

Shelley with Jill Schoelen

in a promo pic for The Stepfather, 1987

Plenty of Pincurls

a glamourous pic of Shelley

from 1986

Shelley experienced a career upswing in 1986. Her third TV series, Jack and Mike, was doing fairly well and getting decent ratings. And after a first order of a pilot and 12 episodes, the ABC network ordered five more episodes in 1987. Naturally, Shelley was featured in many newspapers and magazines (as promo for her new TV series). And since she was one of the more glamorous stars in Hollywood at the time, writeups about her looks, hair, and style would also crop up. In February of 1987, she appeared on the cover of the Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide magazine, as well as on a spread within its pages. Two of Shelley's latest hairstyles were featured on the spread. "A Natural Favorite" was one. "Plenty of Pincurls" was another. These hairstyles were favored by Shelley because they allowed her natural waves to shine. "My favorite way to wear my hair is naturally wavy... the way my hair goes by itself," Shelley confided at the time. She saw her stylist every six weeks to trim her highlighted dark blonde hair, which she conditioned after every shampoo. The mag showed readers how to achieve Shelley's waves and recommended what products to use to achieve her look. And to achieve her cover girl complexion, Shelley's advice was to, "Moisturize! Cleanse! Stay out of the sun!"

Shelley in a mag clipping

from the Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide,

Feb 1987

Super Scenics USA

a closeup of Shelley

from a fashion postcard, 1971

Shelley was a very busy model in the 1970s, appearing on many magazine covers, magazine and catalog spreads as well as standee posters and postcards. In 1971, Shelley appeared on a fashion postcard which was based on a spread that appeared on Seventeen magazine's April 1971 issue. The spread was called "Super Scenics USA: Dig Those Denims in New Mexico" where Shelley wore a denim look perfect for wearing to those archaeological digs in Albuquerque or the railroads at Santa Fe. She wore classic denim overalls by Time and Place zapped with a blossom applique over a T-shirt of rayon and cotton knit. A gaucho hat by Betmar finished her look. The postcard was a cropped version of the spread. And Shelley looked ready to get her hands dirty. (For more, check out Dig Those Denims, Dig Those Denims 2)

Shelley in a fashion postcard, 1971

Found Money TV Movie 8

screen captures 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

Charlie-The-Great Dividend

Charlie Girl Shelley with the Chaz Man

in promo pics for Revlon's Charlie

and Chaz product lines, 1976

Shelley was THE Charlie Girl from 1976 to 1982. "THE" because it was Shelley's image that inspired women to go out, be independent and be happy about it. In fact, it was and still is Shelley's face that is most associated with the brand. In fact, the Charlie brand was so popular that a masculine counterpart was created and was named Chaz. Both Charlie and Chaz were derived from the name of Revlon's founder Charles Revson. In 1977, a newspaper ad promoting both fragrances was released, with the tagline "When Chaz and Charlie get together... you get one big splash of a dividend! 'Charlie-The-Great'". The promo stated that with any purchase of $3.00 or more from the Chaz collection (which included Chaz cologne spray, Chaz cologne, Chaz Aftershave, Chaz Conditioning Soap, Chaz Body Freshening Talc, and The Chaz Set), anyone could purchase Charlie-The-Great, an 8-oz. sized bottle of Charlie cologne, for just $3.00. An artwork of Shelley appeared on the ad, of course, and Shelley looked fab even in artwork.

an artwork of Shelley

in a newspaper ad for Charlie

perfume and cosmetics, 1977

Airport Sighting

a paparazzi pic of Shelley, 1979

Shelley was hounded by the paparazzi in 1979 after it was announced that she was cast in Charlie's Angels. She became the newest Angel in 1979, and she jumped from being THE Charlie Girl to becoming Charlie's latest Superstar cherub. As it was for all the Angels before her, she received a lot of attention from both the media and from fans. Her casting was even mentioned in the evening news - it was a huge deal. "I couldn't believe it. What was I doing in the evening news," she exclaimed at the time. When she arrived in St. Thomas at the Caribbean, where her first Charlie's Angels episode was going to be shot, she was greeted by the paparazzi. "When I got off the plane, there were maybe eight million paparazzi. I looked around for Sophia Loren. It was for me. I couldn't believe it," Shelley said. The same was true when she returned from the Caribbean. The paparazzi was at the Los Angeles International Airport, waiting for her arrival. Shelley was astonished by the amount of attention her Angel casting generated. "I had press people crawling in my windows," she told E! in 2002.

a paparazzi pic of Shelley, 1979

A Challenge For An Actress

Shelley on the cover

of Woman magazine, Nov 1979

Shelley became Charlie's newest Angel in 1979. Kate Jackson left the hit TV series at the end of its 3rd season and producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg needed a replacement for the upcoming season. "I learned you can be hurt twice," Spelling said (most likely referring to Farrah Fawcett and now Kate). "Katie and I were dear, dear friends. Katie wanted to spread her wings. But you cannot allow actors to break contracts - so I had to fire her," he added. After sifting through around 300 applicants, Spelling and Goldberg ran "personality tests" on 20 of them, then screen tests on 12, and Shelley emerged as the winner, as their final choice. "We hired her 40 percent from the screen test and 60 percent from the personality test," Spelling told TV Guide, "We decided she was a nice person with sparkle and intelligence." And Shelley was so excited about her new Angel status, "I feel like Cinderella. My cheeks hurt from smiling too much."

a writeup about Shelley

and co-Angel Kate Jackson

from the weekly magazine Woman,

Nov 1979

According to Spelling, they were looking for someone long and lean like Kate. They were looking for a girl with "the right bubble and intelligence." New Angel Tiffany Welles was written as a Smith College graduate, a girl from the East who was not a voluptuous sexpot. And Shelley fit the bill perfectly... she's a Smith College graduate (with a degree in history), she was born in New York and she grew up in Connecticut, and she had that classic model shape and beauty. And Shelley's casting was announced around the world. Everyone was excited to watch the new Angel team (Shelley, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd) solve mysteries and fight crime in the upcoming season. Shelley, who studied acting in New York, at the Herbert Berghof Studios under Jack Wolzer, was no acting novice as she had been delving into film and TV work since 1977. But after a bit of convincing from her agent, she decided to audition for the part of Tiffany Welles in Charlie's Angels, to leap at the opportunity to explore her range as an actress in the hit TV series. "I think it's a challenge for an actress," she said, "I hope to grow."

a writeup about Shelley

and co-Angel Kate Jackson

from the weekly magazine Woman,

Nov 1979