Charlie's Angels

I remember 1976 for many things. It was the year I turned 15. It was the year I had my first kiss. It was the year our country celebrated its bicentennial. It was also the year that America and the world were properly introduced to Farrah Fawcett-Majors. I say properly as she was popular in many hair care commercials and a certain Noxzema commercial. Remember the phrase Let Noxzema cream your face. So the razor won’t? Anyway September 22 1976 the Spelling production of Charlie’s Angels came on the ABC network. In his book, A Prime Time Life, Mr. Spelling tells a story that dealt in part with the beginning of the show. He wanted to do a TV movie with Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. They wanted more money. Instead of money he offered them part of a new TV show. It was one that many thought didn’t have a chance and would be off the air quickly. Of course he didn’t tell them all that. They agreed to do the movie with the show as part of their payment. The TV show was Charlie’s Angels and it has been on the air ever since. The original cast was Farrah, Kate Jackson who was on another Spelling show called The Rookies, Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle and the voice of John Forsythe. Some shows seem to have a revolving door built in for the casting director. This is one of those shows. Farrah was such a huge hit the first year. Every girl in America wore their hair the way she wore hers and she was getting offers left and right that she left in 1977. She still appeared in a few episodes later to fulfill her contract but for all purposes she was gone. She did some bad movies and had a hit poster but that was it. Leave a hit show to do bad movies that flop. Not a good trade. In 1979 Kate Jackson left. Those who filled those two big parts were Cheryl Ladd, Shelly Hack and Tanya Roberts. When Cheryl joined they were still trying to get Farrah to stay. If the episode where Cheryl is introduced seems like her role has little to do then that is the reason. They were hoping they could refilm her scenes with Farrah in case she decided to stay. This show was not great TV it was eye candy. Teenage boys and lets face it some adult men too watched every week to see the pretty ladies. I had a friend at the time who I was watching the opening of the show with one night. He said he wouldn’t mind being trapped in an elevator with any of the Angels. Then they showed the face of David Doyle. He said well maybe not him. It was the first show that made me realize that on TV the bad guys are always bad shots. On one episode one of the girls was standing with her gun drawn. She was wide open except for a thin metal hand rail on the steps where she was standing. The bad guy fired and missed her but hit the rail. She took aim at the villain who was partly covered by a parked car and with one shot hit him. None of her bullets hit the car. The show lasted until August 19, 1981 but that wasn’t the end of Charlie’s Angels. It was made into 2 hit movies later staring Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lu.