Happy 40th Anniversary, Charlie's Angels!

"Good morning, Charlie!" "Good morning, Angels!" 40 years ago a new television series debuted that starred "three little girls who worked for the Police Academy!"

The three little girls were to become angels -- Charlie's Angels! In the 1976 pilot episode, the Townsend Agency was a much different place. The office was located at 8619 Sunset Blvd in West Kate Jackson, Aarron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. The pilot, and subsequent TV series, was to be the star vehicle for the actress Kate Jackson. Jackson had been on the Spelling/Goldberg hit show "The Rookies."It was Kate Jackson whom had gotten the majority of the fan mail for the series run. "The Rookies" was ending, and so the decision was made to give Kate Jackson her own show. And the series idea? Three female detectives named Alley, Lee and Catherine who fight crime on the streets of Los Angeles while wearing leather. The show was to be called "The Alley Cats!" Kate Jackson's response to the whole idea? "Horrible!"

Jackson DID however like the concept of the three female detectives. And it was Jackson who came up with the concept of the three women working for a boss (named "Harry") that they never saw. Harry would give them instructions over the phone. How did this idea come to Jackson? She simply noticed the speakerphone residing on Spelling's desk! Another idea came from a painting on the wall. The painting was that of three angels. The concept was clear -- ANGELS! Jackson remarked: "We should call them Harry's Angels!" And thus was a series born! Spelling and Goldberg immediately took this new series concept to Fred Silverman. Silverman liked the concept and suggested the writing team of Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts to turn the initial concept into a TV pilot script (Silverman had worked with these two writers before at CBS, where they had created the hit show "Maxim"). Goff and Roberts took the idea and formed the world of Harry's Angels with three angels named - Sabrina "Brie" Duncan, Jill Munroe and Kelly Garrett.The only problem? There was ALREADY a show on the air called "Harry O". It was Kate Jackson who suggested changing the name to Charlie. And, thus was born: "Charlie's Angels!"

After Kate Jackson, the next Angel hired was Farrah Fawcett Majors as Jill Munroe. Majors had, to that point, been best known as the wife of Lee "Six Million Dollar Man" Majors. All of that certainly changed when she became an angel! Majors star status turned into a phenomenon! Majors image was emblazoned onto magazine covers, toys, a famous poster, as well as odder objects such as pillows, rugs and bean bag chairs! Majors would depart from the series a season later in 1977 to pursue film offers. Jaclyn Smith was the third and final Angel cast. She attained the role of Kelly Garrett.

Smith, a Texas southern belle, auditioned for the role. The audition did not go well. Plus the producers were looking for a redhead. This way, they there would be a brunette, blonde and redhead Angels. But, both Spelling and Goldberg really liked Smith and cast her in the series. The trinity was formed ! The cast was rounded out with David Doyle as John Bosley, and David Ogden Stiers as Sam Woodville.

Wait...what!?!?

Yes, Stiers, who would later go on to be Major Charles Emerson Winchester the Third on MASH, was in the pilot episode for Charlie's Angels!When the show went to series, the two characters were merged and Stiers was released. Trivia: Kate Jackson was ORIGINALLY going to play the role of Kelly Garrett, but opted instead to take the Sabrina Duncan role. That is why the Kelly Garrett character is the main focus in the pilot episode.

When Farrah left the series, she was replaced by a young actress named Cheryl Ladd. Ladd would portray Kris Munroe, the Jill character's little sister. Ladd showed up for work that first day wearing a shirt that said: "Farrah Fawcett Minors" to help put herself and the cast at ease. After season three, it was Jackson herself who opted out. After an extensive search, Jackson was replaced by "Charlie' Perfume Girl" Shelly Hack. Hack played "Tiffany Welles." Hack would appear in 26 episodes of the series. It is said that she really did not fit in (I never had a problem with her myself) and viewership fell off by forty percent during her time on the series. Hack was released from her contract in February 1980. Hack was replaced by a young actress named Tanya Roberts. Roberts, the last addition to the cast, portrayed the "Streetwise Angel" Julie Rogers.

The fifth season premiere drew mild ratings. From November of 1980 until June of 1981, the series was broadcast in three different time slots. The ratings further declined, so ABC cancelled the show in the spring of 1981. The pilot aired on March 21, 1976. The series itself ran from September 22nd, 1976 until June 24th, 1981.

The show ran five seasons, and had one hundred and ten episodes and we are still talking about them fondly today after forty years! Job well done, Angels !!