Shelley appeared on many issues of what was known as the Seven Sisters group of magazines (Woman's Day, Redbook, McCall's, Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens) which all catered to married women with children rather than single working women. In the January 1975 issue of McCall's magazine, she appeared in a fashion spread called "Keeping Posted on Fashion" which featured fashions taken from mail-order catalogues. Deemed well-styled, up-to-the-minute and wearable, the outfits ranged from high-fashion casuals to contemporary classics - all at very affordable prices of course. Shelley modeled a soft, feminine dress with a bow at the neck in peach, available Sears. A matching narrow gold belt and a pair of heeled sandals finished her look. And Shelley looked, oh, so mid-1970s chic.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Keeping Posted in Fashion '75 A
Premiere Party 1986
In 1986, Shelley was spotted at the premiere party of The Temptation music video "A Fine Mess." A Fine Mess was a 1986 movie that starred Ted Danson and Howie Mandel. The comedy was directed by Blake Edwards and had Richard Mulligan, Paul Sorvino and Maria Conchita Alonzo among the supporting cast. The title song "A Fine Mess" was performed by The Temptations. The music video was premiered at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood and had in attendance the director and stars of the movie as well as Shelley, Ed Bagley, Jr., Cloris Leachman, Stephen Bishop and Rebecca Holden.
Beauty is in the Bag
Shelley was THE quintessential Charlie Girl and appeared in many, many ads for the brand. In 1979, she appeared in a newspaper ad for Charlie with the tagline "Beauty is in the Bag with Charlie's New Bonus." It offered "The Charlie Tote" as a dividend for any purchase of $5.00 or more from Revlon's Charlie collection. The handy tote contained either the Superior Cleansing Bar soap, the Skin Balancing Tonic and the More Moisture Moisturizer or the Tingling Skin Conditioning Tonic, the Superior Cleaning Lotion and the More Moisture Moisturizer. Revlon Charlie was one of the most popular brands in the 1970s and Shelley was their brand ambassador.
To Be Or Not To Be 2
Shelley appeared in the pilot episode of the Steven Spielberg produced TV series SeaQuest DSV in 1993. In the episode "To Be or Not to Be", she played Captain Marilyn Stark - the original and trigger-happy captain of SeaQuest Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) who was relieved of duty for disobeying orders. Nathan Bridger (played by Roy Scheider), the designer of SeaQuest, was recruited to replace Stark; but during his first voyage aboard the vessel, Stark embarked on a revenge mission to destroy vessel.
Fluidity Plus...
Shelley appeared on many ads throughout her modeling career. One of them was for Gimbels East, the first department store on Manhattan's Upper East Side. With the tagline "Fluidity Plus...", she modeled a ultra-soft, airy light Qiana dress that had a matching tie-front jacket by Fragments. Fancy jewelry and strappy high-heeled sandals finished her look. And Shelley looked fab and ready to party in her high-en mid-70s fashion look.
Close Ties Play
Shelley was very active in the stage scene back in the early 1980s. It's where she honed her chops as an actress. In 1981, she received glowing reviews for her work in the Jack Heifner play Vanities, surprising critics as well as her detractors. She then ventured further and did Elizabeth Diggs' Close Ties in 1983 and likewise received glowing reviews. Directed by Arwin Brown, it was about the struggles of a New England family coping with the senility of the clan's matriarch. Shelley played Anna, one of the matriarch's daughters, and wowed again critics. Her performance in both plays was proof that, yes, she could act.
More Summer Treats To Sew
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. Aside from the pamphlets, they came out with books, magazines and pattern packages.
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Enchanting
Bride's magazine was and is one of the most widely circulated magazines that catered to brides and all their needs. It contains bridal and bridal-entourage fashion tips (as well as groom and groomsmen), food and nutrition writeups, health and fitness advice, beauty tips, planning and location articles and more. Shelley appeared on the February/March 1967 issue, appearing on the cover as well as on the pages. It was dubbed their "Most Romantic Issue Ever." And Shelley, as the cover states, is most enchanting.
Busy Year
Make It Pretty, Make It Fast F
Shelley appeared on many issues of what was known as the Seven Sisters group pf magazines. The Seven Sisters magazines were Woman's Day, Redbook, McCall's, Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens. They all catered to married women with children rather than single working women. The magazines featured homemaking and crafts, food and nutrition, health and fitness, beauty and fashion advice and articles. Shelley appeared on the May 1978 issue of Family Circle magazine in a fashion spread entitled "Make It Pretty, Make It Fast." By then, she was already famous as Revlon's Charlie girl and her first movie (where she's the leading lady) was about to come out. Five pics of Shelley were used for the 6-page spread where she wears brightly printed pretty summer dresses anyone could stitch up in no time. Shelley was gorgeous as always.
To Be Or Not To Be 1
Shelley appeared in the pilot episode of the Steven Spielberg produced TV series SeaQuest DSV in 1993. In the episode "To Be or Not to Be", she played Captain Marilyn Stark - the original and trigger-happy captain of SeaQuest Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) who was relieved of duty for disobeying orders. Nathan Bridger (played by Roy Scheider), the designer of SeaQuest, was recruited to replace Stark; but during his first voyage aboard the vessel, Stark embarked on a revenge mission to destroy vessel.
Take It Personally...
Shelley appeared on many ads throughout her modeling career. One of them was for Gimbels East, the first department store on Manhattan's Upper East Side. With the tagline "Take It Personally...", she modeled a cotton knit T-shirt and a canvass carryall that could be monogrammed for a summer boost that year. Matching flared white slacks and a casual fisherman hat finished her look. And Shelley made the monogrammed casual look so glamorous.
A Very Good Piece of Fluff
Shelley joined the cast of Charlie's Angels during its fourth season from 1979 to 1980. And although she was aware of the show's immense popularity, she was also aware of the kind of show it was. "Of course it's fluff," she admitted, "but high-grade fluff. You don't compare Agatha Christie to Tolstoy." In March 1980, she told TV Guide Canada, "The show may be fluff, but it's a very good piece of fluff." She knew Charlie's Angels was the best there was in its category. She knew the women who were cast as leads in the show lived in a fishbowl. She knew she had to ready herself for the kind of lifestyle change joining the show would bring. But she wasn't aware of how much change that would be. "I was totally unprepared for the press "bonanza" that followed," she said in 2000. As THE Charlie Girl, she told one reporter in 1979, "I had done a lot of press before. There was so much to do then, so you just deal with it." But the Supermodel wasn't aware that she was entering a totally different space, the rock star space. "I was surprised by the amount of attention," she said. "I had press people crawling in my windows," she told E! in 2002.
Summer Treats in Jiffy Patterns
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. Aside from the pamphlets, they came out with books, magazines and pattern packages.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Fringed Jacket
Shelley appeared on many magazines throughout her modeling career. In 1971, she appeared on the cover and pages of Woman's Day 101 Sweaters You Can Knit & Crochet. It was Woman's Day Super Special Issue No. 4 and it featured not just patterns but tips for fitting and finishing your creations, directions on how to knit and crochet, instructions on how to line knits and crochets as well as giving helpful terms used in the industry. On one spread, Shelley wore a fringed "buckskin" knitted jacket with collar and fringes on the chest, the arms and hem. She wore it over a turtleneck pullover top with matching trousers. A thick leather bucked belt finished her look. And Shelley looked smashing.
A Surgeon in '83
Shelley was cast as Dr. Beth Gilbert in the 1983 medical drama Cutter to Houston. She played a surgeon who was relegated to a small community hospital in the fictitious Texas town of Cutter that had a computer hookup to a big city hospital in Houston for cases the facility couldn't handle. By then, former Supermodel Shelley had starred in Charlie's Angels and had honed her acting skills on stage via Jack Heifner's Vanities, Elizabeth Diggs Close Ties and Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday as well as on the big screen via Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy.
Make It Pretty, Make It Fast E
Shelley appeared on many issues of what was known as the Seven Sisters group pf magazines. The Seven Sisters magazines were Woman's Day, Redbook, McCall's, Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens. They all catered to married women with children rather than single working women. The magazines featured homemaking and crafts, food and nutrition, health and fitness, beauty and fashion advice and articles. Shelley appeared on the May 1978 issue of Family Circle magazine in a fashion spread entitled "Make It Pretty, Make It Fast." By then, she was already famous as Revlon's Charlie girl and her first movie (where she's the leading lady) was about to come out. Five pics of Shelley were used for the 6-page spread where she wears brightly printed pretty summer dresses anyone could stitch up in no time. Shelley was gorgeous as always.
The Assassin F
Shelley starred in an episode of Tales from the Crypt in 1994. The series was based on the horror comic anthology series of the same name which was published in the 1950s. The crypt keeper introduced and ended every episode during is entire run. In December 7, 1994, Shelley appeared in the season 6 episode called "The Assassin." She played Janet McKay, the wife of a suspected government assassin gone AWOL, who was finally tracked down and was going to be eliminated. Shelley gave a fine performance in this must-see episode - as well as Corey Feldman, Jonathan Banks, Chelsea Field and Marshall R. Teague who all appeared in the episode as well. It is currently available on DVD.
The episode has since been considered one of the best episodes of the series because of its witty script and its unexpected ending. In 2019, the blog Genre Snaps gave the episode praise for its storyline, its ultimate twist ending as well as its perfect casting. Of the performers, the blog said, "Of course, Shelley Hack was great. I never understood why she wasn't a bigger star." In June 28 this year, the site Bloody Disgusting listed it as one of its 5 Tales of Queer Terror from TV Anthologies. It listed it down as one of the past horror anthologies that "are transparent with their representation and help articulate the characters’ frightening life experiences." As it turns out, Shelley's Janet McKay is a character ahead of her time.
Supermodel Spread '78
Shelley was discovered by publisher and heir to the A&P supermarket fortune Huntington Hartford at a debutante ball in the 1960s. With the help of her mother, a former Conover model herself, she met Eileen Ford and became part of her bevy of in-demand models, initially part-time and later full-time after graduating from college. She quickly rose to one of America's top models and in the mid-70s catapulted to Supermodel when she signed an exclusive contract with Revlon as their signature Charlie Girl. By 1978, she retired from modeling to pursue an acting career - but retained her contract with Revlon, which she kept until 1982.
The Frenzy
Shelley was already a Supermodel by 1979 and was known around the world as THE Charlie Girl from those Revlon Charlie commercials and print ads; and she was recognized wherever she went. Going shopping, according to Shelley, "was a disaster." In 1978, Shelley said, "The Charlie image is interesting because people recognize me and some actually chase me down the street." But when she become a Charlie's Angel that year, things were suddenly different. Shelley found herself in unfamiliar territory - rock star territory. After being cast as the gorgeous Angel Tiffany Welles in 1979 she said, "The thing is I haven't even done anything yet. I've been recognized before and I've signed autographs before but I get a part and suddenly find myself in the fishbowl." She wasn't ready for the frenzy that came with the part. In March of 1980, she told TV Guide Canada, "It's still very hard for me to realize that anybody but my mother and a few of my friends sees the show---that millions of people are watching me." And she was aghast that people were trying to climb her walls and enter her house.
Pants to Sew Right Now
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. Aside from the pamphlets, they came out with books, magazines and pattern packages.
Monday, October 4, 2021
Yoked Pullon Sweater
A Kid At Christmastime
Shelley was cast as Charlie's newest Angel in 1979. She was already THE iconic Charlie Girl at the time and the headline "Charlie Girl Becomes Charlie's Newest Angel" brought in much needed publicity to the TV series. It dropped out of TV's top ten shows the season before (to no. 12) and although it wasn't a reason to push the panic button yet, the publicity generated by her casting could pull the series back into the top ten. Everyone was excited to see the Supermodel fighting crime for the Townsend Agency, including Shelley herself. "I never expected to be part of it!" she said, delighted about her newfound opportunity. "You can't imagine how thrilling all of this is," she exclaimed, " I feel like a kid at Christmastime."