Classic 1970′s Cheesy fun.
Charlie’s Angels aired on ABC from 1976-1981.
While in development, the show was initially titled “The Alley Cats“.
The show was among the first to feature female leads in roles usually portrayed by men. In this case, the ladies were all private detectives.
The show starred:
Kate Jackson – Sabrina Duncan (Seasons 1-3)
Farrah Fawcett-Majors – Jill Munroe (Season 1)
Jacyln Smith – Kelly Garrett (Seasons 1-5)
Cheryl Ladd – Kris Munroe (Seasons 2-5)
Shelly Hack – Tiffany Welles (Season 4)
Tanya Roberts – Julie Rogers (Season 5)
David Doyle – John Bosley (Seasons 1-5)
John Forsythe – Voice of Charlie (Seasons 1-5)
Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett were both hired without auditioning for the show. Jacyln Smith had to beat out hundreds of actresses for her role.
Jacyln Smith and David Doyle were the only actors to appear in every episode of the series.
John Forsythe (“Dynasty”), who provided the voice of Charlie, did voice work in all but one episode.
The show has grown to be synonymous with Farrah Fawcett, though she only appeared in the first season before leaving to pursue a career in films.
The show was a smash in the ratings, finishing #5 for the season in it’s first year on the air.
The show was often ravaged by critics who called it “Jiggle TV” or “T&A TV“, labeling it a show without substance or intelligence, created just to highlight it’s often scantily-clad stars. Now, 35 years later, the show is very tame by modern standards. Sure, it’s all cheesy, goofy, 1970′s fluff that does not actually require you to use your brain to follow the plotlines, but it is classic 1970′s fluff!
And, it is hard to recreate great cheesy entertainment, as evidenced in the fall of 2011 when the highly-anticipated remake of “Charlie’s Angels” lasted all of 4 episodes before being cancelled.
Farrah Fawcett, Jacyln Smith, Kate Jackson, and Cheryl Ladd all went on to have highly-successful careers in Hollywood.
Sadly, Farrah Fawcett passed away from Cancer in 2009 at the age of 62.
David Doyle passed away in 1997 at the age of 67.
John Forsythe passed away in 2010 at the age of 92.
I always thought Kate Jackson was the most attractive of them all.
By: BrainRants on October 29, 2011
at 11:58 am
Brainrants – I’m with ya… I always liked Kate and Jaclyn the best….
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 29, 2011
at 12:02 pm
The wife and I have fun debates over whether Farrah or Kate was the hottest. We tend to ignore the rest……..
By: John Erickson on October 29, 2011
at 12:36 pm
I’m not really familiar with this television show, but if asked to pick the most attractive woman based on the pics above I’d have to say it’s Jacyln Smith. But I’m biased since we have the same hair.
By: H.E. ELLIS on October 29, 2011
at 1:05 pm
H.E. ELLIS – I kinda pictured you looking like Jacyln Smith with 70′s retro hair…..
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 29, 2011
at 2:15 pm
We’re eerily similar, actually. I hope I look as good as she does when I’m her age.
By: H.E. ELLIS on October 29, 2011
at 2:45 pm
H.E. ELLIS – Ilke you, I think she is only 29…..
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 29, 2011
at 4:47 pm
You sir, just made my day.
By: H.E. ELLIS on October 29, 2011
at 5:01 pm