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
