It takes some believing but on Thursday 22nd
September, it will be 40 years to the day since TV classic Charlie’s Angels first aired on American TV.
The original TV show ran for 5 seasons, producing 110
episodes and making mega-stars of the three angels namely Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett
and Jaclyn Smith.
It detailed the adventures of three beautiful women working
in a private detective agency in Los Angeles, owned by a secretive millionaire
by the name of Charlie.
Despite initially gaining mixed reviews from critics, the
world loved it and the show quickly gained a top 10 rating.
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| Kate Jackson |
Kate Jackson was originally offered the part of Kelly Garrett
on the back of her performance in The Rookies, but the role of Sabrina Duncan appealed to her more and she
successfully requested a change.
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| Farrah Fawcett |
Farrah Fawcett was next to be cast as Jill Monroe and similarly
to Jackson she did not need to audition for the role.
Producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg were so impressed with her performance in the big screen blockbuster Logan’s Run (1976), that they offered her the part on the back of it.
Producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg were so impressed with her performance in the big screen blockbuster Logan’s Run (1976), that they offered her the part on the back of it.
Jaclyn Smith was one of hundreds of actresses who
auditioned for the role of Kelly Garrett and won through mainly due to her
on-screen chemistry with the other two leading ladies.
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| Jaclyn Smith |
Indeed, Spelling and Goldberg originally intended for the
three to be made up from a blonde, a brunette and a redhead, but changed their
minds upon seeing how well Smith blended in with the other two.
Unbelievably the show was originally to be called “The Alley Cats”
with the three lady private eyes living in alleys, wearing whips and chains!
But Jackson, who had
some control over the development of the series, was shocked at the idea and
begged the producers to think again. You do wonder about the longevity of the
series had it ended up going down that route.
Kate Jackson also came up with the idea of calling them "Angels" after seeing a picture of three angels hanging on the wall in Spelling’s
office, and soon enough the name of “Harry’s Angels” came to light.
But with TV
company ABC not wanting any confusion with their other major series at the time Harry O, the Angels very soon became the
property of Charlie.
Over its 5 year run the show had a number of high profile
cast changes with Jaclyn Smith being the only lead actor to remain throughout.
Cheryl
Ladd as Kris Monroe, Shelley Hack as Tiffany Welles and Tanya Roberts as Julie
Rogers all joined the series to mixed success and reviews.
40 years down the line and Kate Jackson is now 67 years
of age and is later remembered for going on to star in TV's Scarecrow and Mrs King in the early 1980’s.
It was in this series,
made by her own production company, where she developed an interest in producing and directing.
After suffering breast cancer in the late 80’s, she has gone on to dedicate
herself to speaking on the subject.
Jaclyn Smith (always my favourite Angel if I’m honest) has
appeared in a number of TV movies and had a recurring role in the TV series The District.
She actually reprised the Kelly Garrett role for a cameo in the first
of the big screen adaptations Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle – the only original
Angel to feature in either version.
Now 70, she also battled breast cancer in 2003 and featured in
a documentary about the illness in 2010.
Sadly Farrah Fawcett is no longer with us, passing away
from cancer in June 2009 at the age of 62.
Diagnosed with anal cancer 3 years previously, she
featured in a 2 hour documentary outlining her battle entitled Farrah’s
Story, filmed by herself and friend Alana Stewart (ex wife of both Rod
Stewart and George Hamilton IV).
She died with long-term partner Ryan O’Neal and Alana Stewart
at her bedside.
Happy birthday Angels – it sure was fun!
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