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Reviews
Single Bars, Single Women (1984)
A decent 80's TV movie of the week
As a long time Shelley Hack fan, I finally found this rare film decently priced on ebay & grabbed it up. And while I was not expecting much (not a fan of much of anybody else in the film), this was a decent little film. Shelley was strong and consistent. And she isn't always with other projects. Her effortless class and sophistication does shine through here and there and this is not who the character is. But it is not enough to throw the project off.
Tony Danza and Keith Gordon were cast as brothers. Um...yeah right. Tony does his one note performance as always. Very Brooklyn. Very Italian. Keith was sweet and very endearing. But you will never buy them as siblings. Christine Lahti is OK. A tad bland and doesn't really keep your attention. Mare Winningham was also a little bland. Jean Smart was terribly wasted in a briefer than brief cameo.
The highs and lows of being single, hanging out in bars and trying to connect with someone on more than a intimate level is nicely captured. The injured romance between Shelley's character and Paul Michael Glaser was the most watchable portion of the movie. Though Paul Michael's performance was pretty weak.
While certainly not without it's negative aspects- this was a fine little telefilm from the 80's. Using the actual recording of "Single Bars, Single Women" by Dolly Parton was great.
Charlie's Angels (1976)
Get over yourselves Seasons 1 - 3 fans.
Charlie's Angels has always been and will continue to be my favorite TV show. A show with females in the lead as detectives? Flipping their hair, wearing fabulous clothes and being desired by men every week? I got it. Okay, now let's get down to the nitty gritty. By far and large most mild or avid "Angels" fans will fight tooth and nail defending seasons 1 - 3. These seasons starred Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors ( as she was known then ), Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd. Get over yourselves. These seasons felt so typical to me. Almost cookie cutter. Farrah ( my least favorite Angel ) was bubbly but in an annoying, nails on a chalk board way. Kate was far too masculine-esqe for the show. I am all for not wanting to be a bikini clad bimbo but c'mon. Cheryl Ladd never really gelled until season 4. With Kate out of there she had more of a chance to shine. Jaclyn Smith grew as an actress and was so gracious, lovely, composed, elegant and focused. Season 4 & 5 introduced my favorite Angels. The cultured, intelligent, tough, classy and gorgeous Shelley Hack ( Tiffany Welles ) and the even tougher, sexy, street raised and and flame-haired Tanya Roberts ( Julie Roberts ). These two are always put down, overly criticized or just plain forgotten. Neither were to blame for the downfall of the series. The show by the end of the 3rd season was down to the Top 30 and slipping. This was before Tiff & Julie joined rank. The shotty, poor, cringe enducing scripts and poor management of the show are to blame. Even Jaclyn and Cheryl have gone on record numerous time defending Shelley. As she seems the most beaten up. Some say she took the show to serious. When in reality it was the opposite. She didn't look at the show with such grandiose ideas like everyone else. Personally, I preferred the class and sass of Shelley & Tanya. They beat the stereo-type of the initial Angels. And also with Tanya the producers finally got the brunette, blonde & red-head they had wanted since the conception of the show. I ask you to take an unbiased look back at seasons 4 - 5. There are many wonderful qualities you may have missed.