Shelley with Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd
on a Charlie's Angels poster
from Kuifje comics/magazine, 1980
Shelley became Charlie's newest Angel in 1979, and she jumped from being Revlon Charlie's Supermodel to becoming TV's latest Superstar Angel, joining incumbent Angels Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd. Cheryl joined the cast of the hit TV series two years earlier, as Farrah Fawcett's fill-in. This time, Shelley was joining the cast as a fill-in for Kate Jackson who left the series early that year. Charlie's Angels was Shelley's very first TV series and her casting made news all over the world. It was a huge deal. "I still have not really recovered from the surprise of landing the part," Shelley said at the time. "It has been quite a whirl," she added. She was instantly propelled to international superstardom; and her face appeared on magazines, tabloids and newspapers all around the world.
Shelley with Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd,
Kate Jackson and David Doyle in a writeup
from Kuifje comics/magazine, 1980
Kuifje (Tintin) was a weekly Belgian comics/magazine that featured not only a page or two of the upcoming Tintin comic ablum, but it also featured other comic character and stories, as well as writeups about popular culture. The November 25, 1980 issue of Kuifje featured Charlie Angels on its pages. It narrated the story of the hit TV series so far - from Angel team #1 in 1976 to Angel team #3 in 1980. Anyway, the writeup translates as follows:
Do you suspect your neighbor of murdering his wife and children? Do you think strange things are happening in some house? Do you want to know if this guy isn't a drug dealer? Then there's a solution: Charlie!
Charlie is a lucky guy! A former cop who's been "converted" into a private investigator. He has a few helpers in whom he has complete confidence. So much so that he gives instructions over the phone. And his helpers—all trained at the police academy—are left to solve the case. And that's the pattern of every episode of the television series "Charlie's Angels," Charlie's angels...
And I forgot to mention that these angels are women, and the three of them are the stars of this American series.
Shelley with Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd
in a promo pic for Charlie's Angels, 1979
and Jill (Farrah Fawcett)
In 1976, ABC began a new series. Initially, it was to be titled "The Alley Cats." It was to follow three female police officers, fresh out of the academy and all eager to put what they'd learned into practice. A few changes were made, and the series was eventually retitled "Charlie's Angels." The joke was that the famous Charlie would remain practically invisible. His assistant, Bosley (David Doyle), acts as a messenger between the "boss" of the agency and the three agents. Three stunning girls were chosen for the trio: a blonde (Farrah Fawcett), a redhead (Kate Jackson), and a brunette (Jaclyn Smith).
In one fell swoop, the enraptured American audience was presented with three young actresses who rose to the highest peaks of fame in no time. Only Kate Jackson had any serious film experience, having appeared in a couple of TV series; Farrah Fawcett, a former beauty queen, had only done commercials; and as for Jaclyn Smith, she had only a few minor roles to her name. It was an immediate success and was exported to Europe. It was already a hit in the Netherlands from the start, and later also aired in Belgium, Germany, and France. In the new series of this serial, only one star remains of the original trio: Kelly (Jaclyn Smith)...
After a year, Farrah Fawcett had become the darling of the American public. Her "toothpaste smile" and silky hair (a creation by maestro Allan Edwards) made her a star more than an actress. Farrah divorced, Farrah went into cosmetics, made films... but meanwhile, things weren't going well. She left the series, and although there's still talk of her returning, for now she's more focused on her own happiness than her career. And she's right.
As a replacement, they chose another blonde, the young Cheryl Ladd, wife of David Ladd, son of the famous Alan Ladd.
The difference was barely noticeable.
Shelley with Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd
in a promo pic for Charlie's Angels, 1979
No sooner had Farrah been replaced that Kate Jackson bolted. She'd been working in television for eight years and felt—rightly so—that she needed to do something different. So, once again, they were looking for a new face, this time without considering her hair color: the redhead was replaced by another blonde, Shelley Hack, a lovely girl who's six feet tall.
But the problems weren't over yet! All these changes have led to a decline in popularity. While Europe is still captivated by the series, Americans are not as satisfied with it. The year 1980 would be decisive.
Much of the filming for the new season will take place in the Hawaiian Islands, and it's quite possible that at the end of that season, the last original "angel," Jaclyn Smith, will also be packing her bags.
The series owes its popularity primarily to its originality. Three women in the lead roles—that had never been seen before. The producers also placed a strong emphasis on what was considered "feminine": charm, poise, and cunning, rather than the violence of many "men's shows." And perhaps that's precisely the problem. Those overly pretty, overly well-groomed, and over-dressed girls no longer represent the average American. There's more sympathy for a more rebellious type like Jane Fonda, who is equally charming and intelligent, yet more representative of the freedoms of the modern woman. Perhaps a future "women's show" will reveal whether that's indeed the case...
