Star on the Rise

Shelley in a promo pic from 1979

Shelley Hack was a rising star in the late-1970s. She was already a certified Supermodel, recognized as Revlon's fabulous Charlie Girl wherever she went. Her debut into film was a cameo appearance in the 1977 Academy Award winning Woody Allen film Annie Hall. Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who produced the James Bond film series, talked to her about becoming a Bond Girl in 1978. Her first leading lady role came via the 1978 film If Ever I See You Again, where she was handpicked by director/producer/co-star Joseph Brooks. In 1979, she guest starred in the TV series Married: The First Year, played a minor (voice-over) role in the film feature Time After Time, and garnered the lead role in the TV movie Death Car on the Freeway. She was then cast as Kate Jackson's replacement in Charlie's Angels which catapulted her to Hollywood superstardom.

Shelley in a promo pic from 1979

All That Jazz

closeups of Shelley from pics

used in a spread on the Sears 1970

Spring Through Summer catalog

Shelley appeared in many catalogs throughout her modeling career, from the late '60s to the late '70s. Mail-order catalogs were at the height of its popularity at the time. They were big-book size publications that contained a list and pictures of the general merchandise from, usually, a department store that were available for purchase and delivery straight to the homes of their customers. Everything from homeware to toys were featured in these catalogs... as well as garments and the latest fashion pieces. Shelley appeared in spreads throughout the Sears 1970 Spring Through Summer catalog.

Shelley in a spread for the 1970 Sears

Spring Through Summer catalog

Shelley she appeared in a spread called "Pants And All That Jazz" which featured tops and pants for the fashionable young miss. She wore the White-on-White Tunic Top (a pullover-style top with a V-neckline, wide pointed collar, long full sleeves with elasticized wrists and a self-belt) over a pair of Twill-Textured Double-Knit Pants (a pair of flared pants with a contoured waistband, belt loops and fly-front). Matching heeled footwear and a fab necklace finished her look. Shelley also wore the Sheer Shirt in tobacco brown (which had a long pointed collar, button front and cuffs, mock pockets and shirttails) over the Paw-Print Pants (which was trim-fitting, had flared legs and was printed with story-book mushrooms and daffy dots). She topped it off with the Hand-Crocheted Vest (which was made from natural wool and had self-tie front closing tabs). Matching heeled footwear finished her look. She also wore the Far-Out Floral Blouse (which had a cascade of ruffles down the front, ruffled cuffs, back buttons and a square bottom) over the Front-Yoked Pants (which had a double row of bitsy buttons and straight, wide legs). Matching heeled footwear finished her look as well. Shelley looked fabulous in all her jazzy separates.

a closeup of Shelley from pic

used in a spread on the Sears 1970

Spring Through Summer catalog

Smart, Fast-Talking Blonde

paparazzi pics of Shelley from 1983

Shelley's second TV series was Cutter to Houston back in 1983. To promote the show, she made rounds and did interviews where she talked about her latest endeavor. One of the interviews she did was with Leta Powell Drake, a television journalist who interviewed entertainment and sports stars for the television station KOLN/KGIN in Nebraska (she interviewed many stars in the 1980s). Shelley discussed her role in the TV series and how much research she did to prepare for it. She also talked a little about her modeling career and her mother.

screen captures of Shelley being interviewed

by Leta Powell Drake, 1983

What one can notice immediately during the interview is how bright, smart, and articulate Shelley was. She was soft-spoken, personable, and she sure made a lot of sense... and, of course, she was stunning. She was absolutely gorgeous. Watching it, it is no surprise that she was chosen to replace Kate Jackson on Charlie's Angels five years prior. In the interview, she was a stunner and definitely came across as brainy, the perfect fill-in for Kate. Aside from that, one can notice how quickly and how confidently she spoke. She was a smart, fast-talking blonde and was very impressive. It's quite unfortunate that this trait of hers wasn't capitalized on throughout her entire Angels stint. In fact, it seems she was asked to slow down the delivery of her lines during the earlier episodes of her Angels season (just an observation); and it played against her and her character. Add to that, the diminishment of her dialogue/lines (screenwriter/producer Ed Lakso kept changing the script around so much so that Shelley was left with minimal dialogue) and the series ended up with a very underdeveloped character during the earlier episodes of the season... a crucial period because she was being introduced to the fans of the show. But when they finally played up her smart, fast-talking blonde characteristic (by around the 10th episode of the season), it was very effective. Unfortunately though, it was also too late. The initial spike in the ratings of her debut episode ("Love Boat Angels" finished at the no. 1 spot in the Nielsen ratings) didn't continue as the season progressed. Had they introduced her as the smart, fast-talking blonde from the get-go and followed it up with her very own solo episode (due to the request of the cast for more time off, solo episodes, episodes focusing on one Angel, were produced), things would turned out differently. Ahhh, what could have been...

promo pics of Shelley

for Charlie's Angels (1979)

and Cutter to Houston (1983)

Charlie's Looking Great

Shelley in a promo pic

for Charlie perfume and cosmetics, 1981

Shelley was THE Charlie perfume Girl from 1976 to 1982. She was dubbed as THE quintessential Charlie Girl because she was the embodiment of the brand's ideal - gorgeous, sexy, young... as well as independent, confident and loving every minute of it. In 1981, she appeared in an ad dubbed "It's Spring, and Charlie's looking great on you!" It was an ad promoting The Charlie Art Collection, which was available for only $10.00 with any purchase from the Charlie collection. The Charlie Art Collection was a glamorous cosmetic kit containing 12 colors for the eyes, cheeks, lips and nails... plus a bottle of Charlie perfume spray. The kit also contained a LeRoy Neiman Cityscape Artwork (which he named Spring Blooms in Charlie Country), an artwork of Shelley striding her famous Charlie Girl stride. And whether in pictures or in Mr. Neiman's artwork, Charlie Girl Shelley was absolutely Charlie-Girl gorgeous.

an artwork of THE Charlie Girl Shelley

by LeRoy Neiman in a newspaper ad

for Charlie perfume and cosmetics, 1981

New Angel Looks Like A Winner

a closeup of Shelley from a promo pic

for Charlie's Angels, 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 joining

the cast of Charlie's Angels, 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." But writer/producer Ed Lakso was skeptical. "My reaction was - you guys are out of your minds. I told Aaron that I want to go on record saying that this is a big mistake." (For more, check out: Smart, Fast-Talking Blonde)

Shelley in a promo pic

for Charlie's Angels, 1979

The Peasant Look

a closeup of Shelley from a pic

for Simplicity Fashion News,

December 1975

Simplicity Fashion News was a monthly pamphlet Simplicity came out with to showcase their latest patterns. The Simplicity Pattern Company had been manufacturing sewing patterns since 1927 and had allowed fashionistas on a budget and sewing aficionados to create clothes in a reliable manner. In December of 1975, Shelley appeared on the pages of Simplicity Fashion News. She was featured in a spread called "Past, Peasant, Future", which showcased the peasant look popularized by Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s. Shelley wore pattern number 7213, a V-neck dress with peasant shawl as collar. It was more higher-waisted than usual and had a very European-style-printed challis fabric for the shawl collar and cuffs. A matching beret and boots finished her look. And Shelley looked chic and fabulous. (For more, check out: Past, Peasant, Future)

a pic of Shelley

from Simplicity Fashion News,

December 1975

Hollywood Superstardom

Shelley in a 1970s promo pic

Shelley's fame as a Supermodel, as THE Charlie Girl, opened Hollywood doors for her (While she was modeling, she was also studying acting in New York, at the Herbert Berghof Studios under Jack Wolzer.) Her acting debut was as a memorable bit role as a vacuous WASP in the 1977 Academy Award winning Woody Allen film Annie Hall. In 1978, she got her first leading lady role opposite Joe Brooks in the film If Ever I See You Again (which spawned the hit single with the same title - as interpreted by Roberta Flack). She was also under consideration for the role of Holly Goodhead in the James Bond film Moonraker. In 1979, she had a guest role in the TV series, Married: the First Year. In the same year, she declined to be cast as leading lady in the feature film, Time After Time, which was directed by her then boyfriend Nicholas Meyer. She settled for a voice over role in it instead. And then she auditioned for the role of Tiffany Welles in the TV series Charlie's Angels. She got the part and was thrust into international Hollywood superstardom.

Shelley in a 1970s promo pic