Saturday, April 4, 2026

Catching Up With The Angels

Shelley in a promo pic, 1979

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Charlie's Angels TOS (The Original Series). It took a lot of convincing from executive producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg to get the pilot made and for it to be aired on the ABC network in March 21, 1976. It was such an instant hit that it baffled everyone at the network. When the pilot was re-aired and got the same reception, so it was given the green light to go on as a series - and what a phenomenal series it was. It ran from September 22, 1976 to June 24, 1981 - for five fabulous seasons. Initially, it starred three gorgeous actresses as the Angels... Kate Jackson as the smart no-nonsense Sabrina Duncan, Farrah Fawcett as the sporty California girl Jill Munroe, and Jaclyn Smith as the sultry and mysterious Kelly Garrett. But as the series progressed, three more gorgeous Angels joined the series... Cheryl Ladd as the cute and sexy girl-next-door Kris Munroe, Shelley Hack as the classy intellectual Tiffany Welles, and Tanya Roberts as the street-smart tigress Julie Rogers. All the Angels were  bright, independent, and absolutely beautiful.

the cast of Charlie's Angels
in a spread for the fan mag
TV and Movie Screen All-Star
Color Centerfolds, February 1984

The fans' fascination for Charlie's Angels never seems to end. Even though the TV series went off the air in 1981, fans have still been craving for more Angel info and pics. Countless things have been written about all the Angels during the run of the series and after the series ended. And as the years went by, even more writeups about the goings-on in each of the Angels lives have been written about. (Check out a few examples at: An Angels Catch Up 1, An Angels Catch Up 2, and An Angels Catch Up 3) The latest event that will surely be written about will be the Charlie's Angels 50th Anniversary Celebration at PaleyFest LA 2026 this coming April 6, 2026. Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Cheryl Ladd will be in attendance. Still hoping that Shelley Hack will be there to celebrate with them as well.

an announcement of the April 2026
Charlie's Angels 50th Anniversary Reunion
at PaleyFest LA in Hollywood, Los Angeles

Guide to Wine by Celebrities

an outtake of Shelley's promo pic
used on the VHS and LaserDisc covers
of the Celebrity Guide to Wine, 1990

Shelley was among the celebrities who participated in the hour-long celebrity special released in 1990, Celebrity Guide to Wine. Spago restaurant maƮtre d' Bernard Erpicum hosted the special and many celebrities/stars of the era participated in the educational video. Celebrity Guide to Wine was a fun and practical guide to everything about wine. It answered questions many people had regarding the drinking and serving of wine, as well as debunked some of the myths and the rules on the subject. Aside from Shelley, Dudley Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Herbie Hancock, Kelly Le Brock, Robert Loggia, Steven Seagal, and Peter Weller joined in on the fun as well. Norm Lenzer was the narrator. It was released in both VHS and LaserDisc formats.

the front and back cover
of the Celebrity Guide to Wine
in LaserDisc format, 1990

All-Star Hairstyles A

Shelley sporting the "Short-Hair Look"
for Good Housekeeping,
August 1983

By August 1983, Shelley had become an established Hollywood star. She had received critical praise for her work on stage and had a Martin Scorsese film under her belt (where she worked opposite Robert De Niro). She had also finished a couple of TV movies with respected Hollywood veterans George Segal and Dick Van Dyke. Her latest TV series was to premiere that October. So Shelley would regularly appear on magazines and newspapers at the time. In August 1983, she appeared on the pages of Good Housekeeping magazine, in a spread called "29 All-Star Hairstyles: Modeled by Celebrities and Their Sisters." Shelley appeared with her youngest sister, Babe, in the spread sporting the latest hairstyles. (For more, check out: Shelley and Babe) One hairstyle Shelley sported was the "Short-Hair Look." Short hair for women (ala Sheena Easton, Pat Benatar, and Olivia Newton-John) was the height of chic and was a very popular look during the early 1980s... as were the drop waist, longer skirts, Capri pants and flat/low-heeled footwear (think Rachel Ward's Against All Odds hair and wardrobe).  Shelley, of course, was always at the height of chic herself.

how to achieve Shelley's hairdo,
the "Short-Hair Look",
from Good Housekeeping
August 1983

The Angels and the Racer 2

Shelley Hack, Jaclyn Smith
and Cheryl Ladd in 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.

Charlie's Body Silk

promo pics of Shelley for Charlie
perfume and cosmetics, 1976

Shelley first became famous in the 1970s as THE Charlie Girl. In 1976, she was hand-picked to represent the Revlon Charlie brand, as she was the embodiment the brand's ideal – gorgeous, sexy and young. In 1977, she appeared in a newspaper ad for Charlie called "Charlie Body Language." It was for a promo for Charlie Body Silk, Charlie's body lotion that had that familiar Charlie fragrance as it softened dry skin all over the body. The 8-ounce container came with its own convenient pump and was both handy and ready-to-use. Valued at $8, it was available for just $2.75 for any $5.00 purchase from the Charlie collection. And, of course, Shelley appeared in the ad, Charlie Girl gorgeous as always.

an artwork of Shelley in a newspaper ad
for Charlie Body Silk, 1977

Charlie's Latest Cherub

a promo pic of Shelley used
on the cover of Woman's Day magazine,
November 1979

Shelley became Angel no. 5 in 1979 when she joined the cast of Charlie's Angels. Her character was Tiffany Welles, a classy Boston-bred policewoman who was the daughter of one of Charlie's oldest friends. She was chosen from among a bevy of beautiful actresses which included Priscilla Presley, Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Connie Sellecca and Shari Belafonte. In May of 1979, Bond Girl Barbara Bach was announced as the newest Angel. But it was quickly retracted and, by late-May of that year, Shelley was announced as Charlie's newest Angel. The newest heavenly recruit came with the approval of not just executive producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg but also of incumbent Angels Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd.

Shelley on the cover
of Woman's Day magazine,
November 1979

Camping Trip Tip

a pic of Shelley
from a sidebar ad for Tampax, 1970

Shelley appeared in an ad for Tampax tampons in the early 1970s. The ad showed Shelley in various sporting activities (surfing, camping, horseback riding) and in a very girly activity (putting on makeup). It showed consumers that with Tampax, girls could still lead an active lifestyle. Shelley appeared in sidebar ads for Tampax in 1970 as well. One of them had the tag line "A Tip for the Camping Trip" and featured Shelley putting up a tent, setting up camp and enjoying nature. She was the embodiment of the modern girl - self-confident, a good conversationalist, and she knows what's right for her. And of course, she used Tampax. And Shelley was adorable in the ad.

Shelley in a sidebar ad
for Tampax, 1970