Shelley on the cover
of Channel One magazine, Oct 1984
Shelley starred in the TV movie Single Bars, Single Women in 1984. Inspired by the Dolly Parton hit song of the same title, it explored the new singles scene in the 1980s after the women's lib movement of the 1970s. In the telefilm, Shelley played Frankie, a truck stop waitress looking for love after she catches her partner Gabe (Paul Michael Glaser) cheating on her. When she got the part, Shelley went on to do some research. She put on a black wig to disguise herself, went into a several singles bars and talked to different people. "Oh, there were some guys who would look at you like you were a piece of steak," she said, "but I met lots of people who were lonely and wanted love or just friendships." She also tried her hand at being a real truck stop waitress. "I even researched being a waitress by working in a truck stop in Provo (Utah) where we filmed most of the movie," she admitted. "I learned a great deal in the café too," she added, "I made a lot of money in tips and learned some tricks about turning down customers without hurting their feelings." Shelley turned out a fine performance in the telefilm which, incidentally, was directed by her future husband, Harry Winer.
a closeup of Shelley from a promo pic
for Single Bars, Single Women, 1984
