50 years ago, on September 22, 1976, Charlie's Angels first hit our screens. Kath Garner explains how they struck a blow for women
‘Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the police academy ...’
So went the opening lines to a revolutionary new TV programme, ‘Charlie’s Angels’, launched 50 years ago, launched on September 22, 1976. The fifth and final series ended on June 24, 1981.
This was our introduction to Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson), Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett) and Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith), three beautiful and impossibly glamorous policewomen.
The opening credits of silhouettes, interspersed with action scenes of the lead actors, were not particularly unusual. Three female leads most certainly were, in an era of 1970s masculinity. Apart from ‘Police Woman’ starring Angie Dickinson (shown two years before), strong female leads were unheard of. During this crucial decade for feminism, a new ideology of gender equality was gaining credence.
Devised by Ivan Gott and Ben Roberts, Charlie’s Angels was described by the ABC network as the worst idea ever heard. Critics described it as having no intelligence or substanc. And yet it went on to become a massive hit!
After graduating from the LA Police Academy, the Angels were initially given dull jobs as a traffic warden, office worker and crossing guard. But then came the opportunity to work for the secretive Charlie at the Townsend Detective Agency – quickly seized by the three women. Here they took on a variety of tasks relayed over speakerphone. Episodes began with a pre-title scene, establishing the crime to be investigated.
Only seen from behind and frequently surrounded by a posse of glamorous women, Charlie remained a mystery to both the Angels and the viewers.
Costing around $600,000 per episode and with a wardrobe budget of $20,000, with around eight costume changes an hour, the show provided pure escapism, with glossy high fashion, fast cars and beautiful locations.
It was originally meant to feature a brunette, blonde and redhead. But Jaclyn Smith, a second brunette, was chosen, due to her on-screen chemistry with Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, who had already been cast.
The original title, ‘Harry’s Angels’, was based on a picture of three angels hanging in Aaron Spelling’s office. It was swiftly changed to ‘Charlie’s Angels’ to avoid confusion with Harry O, another successful show of the time.
Young girls aspired to be one of the angels: witty, intelligent, analytical Sabrina; athletic, fun-loving, glamorous Jill; or resourceful, elegant and sophisticated Kelly. The Farrah flick became an iconic hairstyle of the 70s with many (including me) spending hours tonging their hair in an attempt to emulate the glamour.
John Forsythe took on the role of Charlie as a last-minute favour to Spelling. Called late one night when the original actor turned up intoxicated for his voiceover, Forsythe duly turned up in his pyjamas, recorded his piece and returned home to bed. His character was aided on the programme by the lovable but sometimes inept Bosley (David Doyle), who bridged the gap between the absent Charlie and the Angels.
Astonished by the viewing figures for the pilot episode, ABC repeated it the following week to equal success and quickly commissioned a series. Although it ran for five seasons and 115 episodes, it sadly failed to maintain its early success.
At the end of the first season, Fawcett resigned, triggering a lawsuit as all leads had signed five-year contracts. Farrah resolved the situation by agreeing to make guest appearances in the following two seasons. She was replaced by Cheryl Ladd, introduced as Jill’s younger sister.
Jackson was increasingly dissatisfied with the lightweight scripts. And she became more frustrated when producers refused to reorganise shooting schedules after she was cast as Joanna Kramer in the hit film Kramer vs Kramer, a role that eventually went to Meryl Streep. She was replaced by Shelley Hack, the Charlie perfume girl, and then by model Tanya Roberts.
By the fifth season, changing time slots, cast changes, declining ratings and an actors’ strike, led ABC to cancel the show. Despite its frothy, unrealistic plots, ‘Charlie’s Angels’ had been revolutionary. Three female leads, depicting smart, bold and intelligent women working collaboratively, inspired little girls to aim for bigger and better things.
Looking back now, Charlie’s Angels seems somewhat tame and sometimes derogatory. But it was a turning point, proving that women could be just as brave, clever and independent as men. It was ground-breaking. Its legacy paved the way for the many female-led dramas we enjoy today.
