Shelley began modeling in her teens in 1964. She was discovered by A&P supermarket heir and publisher Huntington Hartford at a debutante ball; and he urged her to try modeling. After consulting with her parents, Shelley decided to give it a go and appeared on the covers and pages many of the top teen magazines of the era. In 1967, she appeared on the pages of the Seventeen Beauty Workshop binder. The mod yellow and pink hardback binder contained tips and tricks for the young women of the time. It contained chapters on Posture, Exercise, Diet, Modeling, Hair Care, Skin Care, Make-up, Grooming, Fashion and Manners. Shelley's pic appeared on the chapter about Modeling. Aside from Shelley, pics of other top teen models of the day appeared on it as well... such as Colleen Corby, Lucy Angle, Regine Jaffery, Terry Reno and Wendy Hill.
Saturday, August 26, 2023
A Matter of Modeling
Doing Something Good
Shelley wanted to make the most of the opportunity she had gained from her year as one of Charlie's Angels. She had become an international Hollywood superstar and "I didn't want to leave Los Angeles without doing something good," she said. So immediately after leaving Charlie's Angels in 1980, Shelley joined the cast of the Jack Heifner play Vanities. The play was a record-breaking hit. It was taped and was aired as part of the HBO series Standing Room Only in 1981. In 1982, she starred in Elizabeth Diggs' play Close Ties. The play ran in 1982 and was aired on cable TV's The Entertainment Channel in March of 1983. Also in 1982, Shelley played Billie Dawn in the Pennsylvania Stage Company's production of Born Yesterday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Shelley received glowing reviews for her performances in all three plays. Shelley said, "Every actor likes to do a variety of things - television, movies, stage. I like the theater because you have the live audience."
'70s Chic C
Shelley appeared in a spread for Woman's Day magazine in May of 1973 called "Yes! The Dress". It featured different dresses to wear from day to evening. One of the dresses Shelley wore was a sleeveless above-the-knee dress that had a plain white knitted top and a printed skirt with a shirred waist. It came with a matching long-sleeved jacket (in the same print as the skirt) with buttoned cuffs and button details. The outfit was by Leslie Fay. A pair of two-toned Oxford-style pumps with medium heels, matching button earrings, a chunky but modern opera-length necklace and a contrasting clutch finished her look. A black wig lent her a cosmopolitan vibe. And Shelley looked every inch like a young mid-1970s sophisticate. For more check out: '70s Chic B and Yes! The Dress! 2
Medical Drama Series
Shelley's second foray into series TV was Cutter to Houston. It was about three young doctors recruited to run a small hospital in the fictional rural town of Cutter, Texas. Shelley played Dr. Beth Gilbert, an ambitious surgeon on temporary assignment in Cutter. Beth aspired to become a heart surgeon in Houston. Jim Metzler played idealistic GP Dr. Andy Fenton, who grew up in Cutter and was glad to be back in the town that financed his medical education. Alec Baldwin played internist/ladies man Dr. Hal Wexler, who was getting through his probation, having been relegated to Cutter for being a little too fast and free with his prescriptions. Other regular cast members included K Callan as Nurse Connie Buford, Susan Styles as Nurse Patty Alvarez and Noble Willingham as Mayor Warren Jarvis.
Swimdress '73
Shelley appeared in many ads and catalogs for JCPenney in the 1970s. In June of 1973, she appeared in a JCPenney ad with the tagline "The Halter. We've Suited It To Everyone Under the Sun" which suited the halter to a bikini, a long shift and a swimdress - outfits that were pefect for those hot summer days and nights. Shelley wore the swimdress made from a printed fabric that was exclusive to JCPenney at the time. And Shelley looked swim-ready, smashing and just sensational.
1986 ABC Party
In 1986, Shelley was spotted at the ABC Television Affiliates Party. Many of Hollywood's leading stars attended the yearly Hollywood event. In June of 1986, it was held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California. Shelley attended the event with her then boyfriend, director Harry Winer. Other star attendees were Buck Rogers in the 25th Century's Gil Gerard and his then wife Hotel's Connie Sellecca, Growing Pains' Alan Thicke, soap stars Steve Bond, Anthony Geary and Tia Carrere (who would later star in the film True Lies).
Chic And Modern 2
Shelley appeared on many Simplicity pattern catalogs, brochures and packaging during the 1960s and 1970s. The Simplicity Pattern Company is the leading manufacturer of sewing patterns and sewing pattern guides which are distributed throughout the world. They have been manufacturing sewing patterns since 1927 and have allowed fashionistas on a budget and sewing aficionados to create clothes in a reliable manner. Shelley appeared in Simplicity Young Ideas Catalog's Spring-Summer 1973 issue.
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Chic Class President
Shelley was discovered by A&P supermarket heir and publisher Huntington Hartford at a debutante ball when she was just 14 years old. "A guy kept bothering me," Shelley said, "He kept coming up to ask, 'Have you ever thought of being a model?'" After careful consideration, and with the help of her mother, a former Conover model, she finally decided it was a better summer job than waitressing. So Shelley and her mom went to went to New York to see Eileen Ford (a friend of her mother's) for representation. On November of 1964, her face appeared simultaneously on the covers of both Seventeen and Glamour magazines. For more, check out: Seventeen Cover and First Cover
Like A Good Novel To Read
Shelley appeared in the TV movie series Frederick Forsyth Presents. It was a set of six telefilms by internationally acclaimed author Frederick Forsyth, all original spy thrillers. The first, aired in December of 1989, was called A Casualty of War. Shelley played Monica Browne, an enigmatic and very wealthy horse breeder who becomes the love interest of retired British secret service agent Tom Rowse (played by David Threlfall) who is recruited to intercept an arms shipment from Libya to the IRA. The telefilm was shot in England, Germany and Yugoslavia.
'70s Chic B
Shelley appeared in a spread for Woman's Day magazine in May of 1973 called "Yes! The Dress". It featured different dresses to wear from day to evening. One of the dresses Shelley modeled was a sleeveless dress with a floor-length pleated skirt. It came with a matching casual baseball jacket, knitted cuffs and all. The top of the dress and the jacket were both made from the same knit lace. Simple earrings, a matching bracelet and heeled open-toed footwear finished her look. With her hair pinned back, Shelley looked 1970s elegant.
Jackie and Mike
Shelley's third foray into series TV was Jack and Mike. It was about a married yuppie couple living in Chicago, trying to find time for each other in their busy schedules. Shelley played Jackie Shea, a star columnist at The Mirror, a widely-circulated Chicago newspaper. Her husband was Mike Brennan (played by Tom Mason), a successful restaurateur. In the pilot episode, Jackie finds herself involved in a rape case where an innocent man is found guilty; she tries to help him prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Mike is busy with matters pertaining to the opening of his newest restaurant; but he soon finds himself entangled in Jackie's investigation. They both stumble onto a corruption scheme that involves high-ranking personalities. The series was one of the most promising shows in the fall-1986 TV lineup and it debuted to decent ratings. It ran for 18 episodes, from September 1986 to March 1987, before it was unfortunately cancelled.
What Have You Done For You Lately?
Shelley was THE quintessential Charlie Girl and appeared in many, many ads for the brand around the world. In 1978, she appeared in an ad that posed the question "What have you done for you lately?" It was an ad promoting Charlie's latest skincare and makeup line - as well as their signature fragrance. It urged customers to pamper themselves and try Charlie's no-nonsense skincare to see and feel the Charlie difference. It also urged customers to try Charlie's patented shampoo formula, as well as Charlie's marvelous makeup colors for the face, lips and eyes. And, of course, it promoted Charlie perfume... as well as Chaz, Charlie's male fragrance counterpart. Also included in the ad was a promo for the Charlie Brush Portfolio - a set of specialty makeup brushes made up of The Blusher Brush, The Lip Brush, The Brow and Lash Brush - makeup tools needed to perfectly apply all those fabulous Charlie colors. It could be purchased for just $6.50 for any $5.00 purchase or more from the Charlie or Chaz Collection. Shelley, of course, appeared in the ad, looking absolutely Charlie gorgeous as always.
Angels Episode
Shelley became Charlie's Angel Tiffany Welles in 1979. After a long search, executive producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg chose Shelley to fill the spot vacated by Kate Jackson in the spring of 1979. Shelley said, "I remember there was a big Angel hunt going on, and they asked me to audition. The hunt seemed to go on for a long time. A lot of my girlfriends went in to be tested, but I wasn't involved until sometime later when my agent called and said, 'It's a terrific show - you really should think about testing.' So, I thought about it again and went in."
Chic And Modern 1
Shelley appeared on many Simplicity pattern catalogs, brochures and packaging during the 1960s and 1970s. The Simplicity Pattern Company is the leading manufacturer of sewing patterns and sewing pattern guides which are distributed throughout the world. They have been manufacturing sewing patterns since 1927 and have allowed fashionistas on a budget and sewing aficionados to create clothes in a reliable manner. Shelley appeared in Simplicity Young Ideas Catalog's Spring-Summer 1973 issue.
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Butterick Winter '77 C
In the 1970s, Shelley appeared on numerous pattern packaging covers for Butterick, as well as issues of the Butterick Home Catalog. The Butterick Company Inc. produces and sells patterns for the home sewing of women's and girls' clothing and publishes catalogs and magazines in which these patterns appear. Shelley appeared on the pages of Butterick Home Catalog's Winter 1977 issue.
Luisa in Tamara
Shelley appeared in the long-running play Tamara from late-1989 to 1990. Tamara is a play by John Krizanc, about the painter Tamara de Lempicka and her historical meeting with Gabriele D'Annunzio at his villa at Gardone Riviera. The play was staged at the Il Vittoriale in Los Angeles. It was unique because it allowed the audience to participate in the play itself. Audience members could follow any cast member as the play was going on. Shelley stepped into the role of Luisa Baccara, a character "who starts out crazy and gets crazier" according to her. "Basically, I get to chew the rug for two hours," she added.
'70s Chic A
Shelley appeared in a spread for Woman's Day magazine in May of 1973 called "Yes! The Dress". It featured different dresses to wear from day to evening. One of the dresses Shelley wore was a sleeveless day dress with a pleated skirt, by Stanley Wylins for Oak Hall. It was perfect for running up steps, two at a time if needed. It came with a matching cardigan for those cold air-conditioned rooms. Black accessories and belt, a black purse and a matching turban finished her look. Matching hose and pumps tied her whole look together. A black wig lent her a cosmopolitan vibe. And Shelley looked every inch like a young mid-1970s sophisticate. For more, check out: Yes! The Dress!
TV Guide Angels
Charlie's Creme De La Creme Holiday
Shelley was THE quintessential Charlie Girl and was Revlon Charlie's image model from 1976 to 1982. Charlie was one of the first mega-successful American lifestyle brands in the world. The phenomenal success of the brand was due in part to Shelley's unforgettable image. Shelley's image catapulted the brand to iconic status. Everybody in the world wanted to be a Charlie Girl because of Shelley. Her portrayal of the confident, fabulous and independent woman (who was unapologetic and happy about that fact) captured the imagination of many worldwide and made Charlie one of the best-selling brands in history.
Chef Shelley
Shelley has been trained, since her days growing up in Connecticut, to prepare dinner for a crowd. She grew up in a big family, and is the eldest among two brothers and three sisters. So dinner parties has never been a problem for her. (Check out: Dinner Party Cooking) But Shelley's true passion is baking. Her recipes have been featured in a few celebrity cookbooks and booklets. She has shared her recipes for Green Apple Pie, Apple Brown Betty and Baked Stuffed Pineapple. (Check out: Celebrity Chefs Booklet) She has also appeared in a few cooking shows like CBN Channel's Celebrity Chefs which was hosted by Robert Morley and featured celebrity guest stars making their favorite meals.