Saturday, August 2, 2025

The Beatle and THE Charlie Girl

an imagined pic of Shelley with John Lennon
(would be great if a real one would surface)

In the past months, some netizens have been sharing a story about Shelley meeting music legend John Lennon in the late 1970s. The story recounts how the two had met at an art gallery in Manhattan through mutual acquaintances in the art community. The post-Beatles Lennon had become philosophical in his later years and had developed a passionate interest in global issues as well as in the influence of pop culture in generation-shaping. Well-read Charlie Girl Shelley, who has a degree in history, has an interest in variety of intellectual subjects and concepts as well as in various women's issues. The two formed a bond that would result in a genuine and lasting friendship. They exchanged letters; and Lennon even gave Shelley a hand-drawn sketch he called "For the Other Charlie" which Shelley framed and kept in her home. Lennon's passing in 1980 devastated the Charlie Girl turned Angel and she mourned in private. Is the story true? Well, taking into consideration that both are intellectually curious individuals and are both very private, maybe it is. It would be wonderful if there were pics taken of them together. Thank you so much to Vikings Old History, THE REO BROTHERS NATION WORLDWIDE (REOmania), and Grandmas Just Wanna Have Sarcasm at FB as well as boobie1shoe and bud_larosa at IG for sharing the story. Thank you too to my friend Andy for sharing this info.

an AI overview about Shelley and John Lennon's
friendship in the late 1970s

Cutter Doctor

Shelley in a promo pic
for the TV series Cutter to Houston, 1983

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.

Shelley in a promo pic
for the TV series Cutter to Houston, 1983

Summer Ready

a closeup of Shelley
from the package cover
of Simplicity Pattern 9284, 1971

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. In 1971, Shelley appeared on the package cover for Simplicity Pattern 9284. It was a pattern for an easy-to-make, midriff shirt and hip-hugger bell-bottom pants set. The midriff shirt had a front button closing, shirt-type collar and long-set-in sleeves gathered to buttoned cuffs. It had front extensions tied under the bustline to expose a bare midriff (perfect for the summer heat). The hip-hugger bell-bottom pants didn't have a waistband, had a back zipper, and an  optional braid and button trim. It also had an optional purchased belt. Matching footwear finished her look. With her hair in pigtails, Shelley looked ready for those fun summer games and activities.

Shelley on the package cover
of Simplicity Pattern 9284, 1971

Angels, Dinosaurs and Diamonds 2

a closeup of Shelley from a promo pic
for Charlie's Angels, 1979

Look-In magazine was a kiddie/teen UK magazine that featured two-page comic/picture strips of the most popular television shows of the era. Subtitled as "The Junior TV Times," its first issue came out in 1971 and its final issue came out in 1994. Many popular American TV series were featured in the mag including Kung Fu, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, CHiPs, Battlestar Galactica, Mork and Mindy... and, of course Charlie's Angels.

Shelley as Tiffany Welles in Look-In mag's
Charlie's Angels comic/picture strip, 1980

From 1979 to 1980, during the airing of the 4th season of Charlie's Angels, Shelley's Tiffany Welles character was featured in the mag's Charlie's Angels comic/picture strip. Along with her co-Angels Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith) and Kris Munroe (Cheryl Ladd), Tiffany solved cases for Charlie for several issues, two pages a week. Her first case debuted on November of 1979 and her final case ended on October of 1980. The mag also featured occasional writeups about Shelley as well as posters of her and the Angel team of that season.

Shelley Hack with Jaclyn Smith,
David Doyle and Cheryl Ladd
in a promo pic for Charlie's Angels, 1979

Feedbag by Charlie

tuxedoed Shelley in a promo pic
for Charlie perfume and cosmetics, 1977

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 lifestyle brands in the world. The phenomenal success of the brand was due in part to Shelley's unforgettable image. Although there were a slew of other Charlie models before her, it was Shelley's image that 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.

Shelley in a newspaper ad
for Charlie perfume and cosmetics, 1978

In 1978, she appeared in a newspaper ad for Charlie called "The Charlie Feedbag." It was a promo that offered customers a chance to purchase "Charlie's Feedbag" for only $8.00 with any $5.00 or more purchase from the Charlie collection. "The Charlie Feedbag" was a handy, adjustable canvas tote that contained a 4-ounce bottle of Charlie Body Silk head-to-toe moisturizer, which was great for fighting after-summer dryness. And, as always, Shelley was gorgeous in the fabulous ad.

tuxedoed Shelley in promo pics
for Charlie perfume and cosmetics, 1977

Trying To Balance

Shelley with Tom Mason in a promo pic
for their TV series Jack and Mike, 1986

Shelley's third foray into series TV was Jack and Mike in 1986. It was about a married yuppie couple living in Chicago, trying to find time for each other amidst their busy schedules. Shelley played Jackie Shea, a star columnist at The Mirror, a fictional Chicago newspaper. Tom Mason played Jackie's husband Mike Brennan, a successful restaurateur. Regarding her character, Shelley said, "My character is doing what all my friends are doing. They're in the work place and trying to have a relationship." She told ET in 1986, "I saw in the script a modern woman who really loves her job and really loves her husband and is trying to balance the two." The pilot episode was originally aired in September 16, 1986 right after the hit TV series Moonlighting; and debuted to decent ratings. It also received decent reviews, with a few scathing writeups here and there. The series looked like it was in for a long run when it was suddenly canceled to the disappointment of fans. Let's hope the entire series is finally streamed somewhere.

a writeup about Shelley working
on Jack and Mike, 1986

International Superstar

a closeup of Shelley from a promo pic
for Charlie's Angels, 1979

Shelley became Charlie's newest Angel in 1979, and she jumped from being THE Charlie Girl to becoming Charlie's latest Superstar Angel. Shelley's casting made news around 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. "Yesterday, I was a schnook, and today I can't get across the street" is how Shelley described her sudden rise to Hollywood stardom. "It has been quite a whirl," she said. "I was surprised by the amount of attention, but I had done a lot of press before. There was so much to do then, so you just deal with it," she added. Her casting made her an international superstar before she even filmed anything for the hit series.

Shelley with Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd
on the cover of the Greek magazine Puzzle, 1979