{"id":588150,"date":"2026-04-07T14:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T14:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/588150\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T14:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T14:16:08","slug":"charlies-angels-stars-celebrate-50th-anniversary-at-paleyfest-panel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/588150\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Charlie’s Angels’ Stars Celebrate 50th Anniversary at PaleyFest Panel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tCheryl Ladd<\/a> chuckled as she remembered being called a \u201ctroublemaker\u201d by \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d producer Aaron Spelling. Ladd said Spelling liked her being in a bikini on the hit 1970s series \u2014 but she was having to wear one on screen so often \u201cthat it was starting to piss me off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking on stage Monday at the Paley Center\u2019s PaleyFest<\/a> L.A. panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels,\u201d Ladd recounted how she sent the show\u2019s producers a message: \u201cI went out and bought the tiniest little bikini ever seen on television!\u201d Something that wouldn\u2019t pass muster with ABC censors.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe filmed, and Aaron was not happy,\u201d she said. \u201cSo he said to someone, \u2018tell the little troublemaker that she\u2019s never going to do that again!\u2019 And I didn\u2019t, but I did make my point. And after that, I was wearing swimsuits I felt comfortable in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAdded co-star Jaclyn Smith<\/a>: \u201cAnd our ratings went up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLadd, Smith and Kate Jackson<\/a> \u2014 who was instrumental in first getting \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d up and running \u2014 shared stories about the show\u2019s origins, their favorite moments and other memories to a packed PaleyFest crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI knew the show was different, special and unique,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThree women chasing danger instead of being rescued from danger\u2026 our show was the first of its kind. It gave women permission to be independent and break out of the mold and not be defined by men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe panel also turned serious as Ladd revealed publicly for the first time that she had been recovering from breast cancer \u2014 a diagnosis that Jackson and Smith have also faced.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s always a shock, and mine was an aggressive form,\u201d Ladd said of her cancer. \u201cIt\u2019s a humbling experience, and yet I had wonderful doctors and a wonderful husband who helped me fight all through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLadd said she struggled with going bald due to chemotherapy, but as sprouts of hair returned, she rallied. \u201cIt was a long, hard road,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\tSmith said she credited \u201cthe power of girlfriends\u201d and her family for supporting her during her own breast cancer treatment, and passed that message along to Ladd: \u201cWhen Cheryl called me, the first thing I did was send her my wigs. She was so brave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSmith recounted also being at Jackson\u2019s bedside when she underwent treatment for breast cancer.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s really important to understand and embrace not being afraid of getting a mammogram,\u201d Jackson told the audience. \u201cEarly detection is key. Find it early enough and you\u2019ll probably be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAdded Ladd: \u201cIf you find something, don\u2019t ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d panel opened with a highlight reel from \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels,\u201d showcasing clips from episodes like Season 1\u2019s \u201cAngels in Chains\u201d (including the iconic strip search scene); Season 2\u2019s \u201cAngel Flight\u201d (when Kelly lands a jet plane); and Season 3\u2019s \u201cAngel Come Home\u201d (marking the guest return of Farrah Fawcett).<\/p>\n

\n\tJackson then recounted the story of how \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d came to be: She was starring on \u201cThe Rookies,\u201d from Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, and as that show was winding down, Spelling\/Goldberg Prods. had a right of first refusal on Jackson\u2019s next project. Goldberg brought her a project titled \u201cAlley Cats,\u201d about three women who were private investigators but also wore whips and chains.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLen said, \u2018It\u2019s available because all three networks have already passed it over,\u2019\u201d Jackson recalled. \u201cThat sounds like a real winner! He tells me the story of \u2018Alley Cats,\u2019 and I\u2019m thinking that\u2019s the worst idea I ever heard in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSpelling also wasn\u2019t keen on the show, but asked Jackson if she had any ideas \u2014 and that\u2019s when she pitched the concept that would turn into \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels.\u201d An oil painting on angels on Spelling\u2019s wall inspired the show title, and the speaker box on Spelling\u2019s desk morphed into the idea of Charlie\u2019s speaker.<\/p>\n

\n\tJackson was originally planning to play Kelly Garrett, but she eventually swapped roles to play Sabrina Duncan instead. In hiring Smith, at first the producers were looking for a redhead to play Kelly. At the time, Smith was in the show \u201cSwitch\u201d with Robert Wagner, when she auditioned for Spelling.<\/p>\n

\n\tSmith remembered ABC being less than enthused about the prospects for \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d at first. \u201cThey thought it was a fluke, that it didn\u2019t have endurance,\u201d she said. \u201cThey thought these women in men\u2019s roles, it wasn\u2019t going to work. Once we remained in the top 10, they believed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFarah Fawcett (who died in 2009) played Jill Munroe that first season and became a superstar \u2014 but when she left after the first year, that caused a legal fight. Jackson admitted she was disappointed to see Fawcett leave; as did Smith: \u201cI was sad, confused, yeah, and I knew there were a lot of people in her ear,\u201d she said. \u201cBut she\u2019s in our collective memory, she\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong their favorite Fawcett moments, the stars remembered shooting \u201cAngels in Chains,\u201d which was filmed in Taos. Jackson and Smith said Fawcett was displeased with how cold it was at their location, and later found her hiding in the prop master\u2019s closet with a gas stove on, drinking vodka to stay warm. \u201cIt was all so funny,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith Fawcett gone by the following year, Ladd joined the show to replace her as Kris Munroe. \u201cShe stepped right in and didn\u2019t miss a beat,\u201d Jackson said. At first, Ladd wasn\u2019t interested in trying to fill Fawcett\u2019s shoes, and turned down the offer several times. But then Spelling sold Ladd on the idea that she\u2019d be playing the younger sister of Fawcett\u2019s character. \u201cHe said, \u2018if you\u2019re Farrah\u2019s little sister, you\u2019re part of the family,\u2019 and I said, \u2018I\u2019m in!\u2019\u201d Ladd famously wore a \u201c\u201dFarrah Fawcett-Minor\u201d t-shirt on her first day of filming (in reference to Fawcett\u2019s then-last name \u201cFawcett-Majors\u201d) in a bid to win over the crew.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the height of the show\u2019s popularity, \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d also became a marketing bonanza. But Jackson said she has seen virtually no money from that over the last 50 years. \u201cIn 2000, I got a check from Sony for 80something dollars. For merchandising from inception of \u2018Charlie\u2019s Angels\u2019 to present day. Thank you, Sony Pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe stars also recalled the projects that had to pass on because they were committed to \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels.\u201d For Jackson, it meant having to drop out of \u201cKramer vs. Kramer\u201d when production on that film kept shifting, and she had to return to the \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d set. Smith, meanwhile, had the chance to be a \u201cBond girl\u201d in a James Bond movie, but also had a contract that prevented her from doing it.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThings happen for a reason,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong other \u201ccould\u2019ve beens\u201d for the stars, but unrelated to \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels,\u201d Ladd noted she was up for \u201cThe Burning Bed,\u201d a role that coincidentally eventually went to Fawcett. And Smith said she was considered for the film \u201cBeetlejuice,\u201d but \u201cI just didn\u2019t understand it. My husband regrets that! But sometimes you read a script, and it doesn\u2019t always ring true to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for what\u2019s next, Smith plans to release a new memoir in September, \u201cI Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie,\u201d about her time on the show, and also about her family. Ladd is frequently seen in Christmas movies these days (\u201cI got a thing for Jesus, I\u2019m just saying!\u201d she said).<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd then there\u2019s Jackson, who hasn\u2019t done much acting in the last two decades, opting to focus on raising her family. \u201cI was directing, I came home, and my son was very little,\u201d she said. \u201cI realized I couldn\u2019t be a good director and good mom at the same time. So I walked away and became a full-time mom. I\u2019m glad I did it.\u201d But now, the news: \u201cI\u2019m ready to go back!\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\n\tKABC-TV entertainment reporter George\u00a0Pennacchio moderated the conversation, which publicity exec Jay Schwartz helped organize with PaleyFest. Jackson, Smith and Ladd will also be recognized at the Paley Honors Spring Gala in New York on May 14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cheryl Ladd chuckled as she remembered being called a \u201ctroublemaker\u201d by \u201cCharlie\u2019s Angels\u201d producer Aaron Spelling. Ladd said…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[49,48,192503,224331,75,224096,224332,224333],"class_list":{"0":"post-588150","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-charlies-angels","11":"tag-cheryl-ladd","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-jaclyn-smith","14":"tag-kate-jackson","15":"tag-paleyfest"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}