Product Description:
Once upon a time jill sabrina & kelly were police officers whose
skills were being wasted in menial duties. A mysterious millionaire
named charles townsend took them away from all that by opening his
own private investigation agency and hiring those gorgeous ladies as
his operatives. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date:
05/27/2008 Starring: Farrah Fawcett Kate Jackson Run time: 1164
minutes
Amazon.com:
America's guiltiest pleasure of 1976--the inaugural season of
Charlie's Angels--has returned in all its jiggly, jolly glory in
this tidy boxed set. It's hard to describe just how captivated the
nation's media and viewing public were with cheesemeister Aaron
Spelling's ABC-TV hit, but for awhile Charlie's Angels was wildly
popular appointment television at its most self-consciously banal.
The first season's three (and best-remembered) belles--lioness
Farrah Fawcett (then Farrah Fawcett-Majors), pin-up babe Jaclyn
Smith, and Thinking Man's beauty Kate Jackson--were something like
primetime Spice Girls, gracing countless magazine covers and
bestselling posters. The idea (even if a fan of the show didn't
happen to be a straight male) was that one was compelled to choose a
favorite angel as a kind of ink-blot window onto one's subconscious
life.
While the 2000 Angels feature film (starring Cameron Diaz, etc.)
kept faith with the original show's self-mockingly sloppy
storytelling, there's nothing like seeing the old episodes for a
lesson in narrative hubris. Basically, the three leading characters
were bored policewomen wooed away to a private firm owned and
operated by the unseen sybarite, Charlie (voiced--over
speakerphone--by an uncredited John Forsythe). After a long set-up
each week, the girls' investigations typically saw them going
undercover: as fashion models--no great stretch--in "Night of the
Strangler"; nurses in "Terror on Ward One"; roller-derby stars in
"Angels on Wheels"; and vulnerable convicts (of course) in "Angels
In Chains." The exploitation factor is not as bad as it might have
been. The cast was so glamorous, their chemistry so perfect,
Charlie's Angels never became a mere meat market. Despite such nods
to modernity as Fawcett's no-bra look, the episodes were
old-fashioned in their heroine-in-peril appeal, yet there was a
difference: The Angels looked out for themselves and each other.
--Tom Keogh
Charlie's Angel's Season 1 Episode Guide
01 "Pilot Episode: Charlie's Angels" 21 Mar 1976
Charles Townsend's client wants to prove that a missing vineyard owner,
Vince Le Maire, was murdered by his 2nd wife and foreman. The Angels set
up a sophisticated caper in which Kelly Garrett and Sabrina Duncan pose
as the wealthy heiress and Jill Munroe as dowdy secretary.
02 "Hellride" 22 Sep 1976
Sabrina becomes a race car driver while Kelly, Jill and John Bosley
assume unusual disguises to learn why a pretty woman driver lost control
of her car and died in a flaming wreck. They discover a conspiracy that
extends far beyond the track.
03 "The Mexican Connection" 29 Sep 1976
Charlie assigns the girls to find the saboteurs of a charter plane
carrying a cache of heroin. They travel south of the border to Mexico,
their mission known only to the lone-surviving pilot of the ill-fated
flight. Before they can make their false identities credible, the Angels
find themselves caught between two warring heroin dealers.
04 "Night of the Strangler" 13 Oct 1976
Charlie counts on Kelly’s resemblance to a model who was a victim in a
series of rag doll stranglings. The wife of a well-known fashion
designer is the next victim. Narrowing the possibilities, the Angels
date the three most suspected men...knowing one of them is a killer of
great ingenuity and imagination.
05 "Angels in Chains" 20 Oct 1976
The Angels investigate a country prison farm and a nearby small town
sheriff. Sabrina, Kelly, and Jill deliberately get arrested for speeding
and are sentenced by a kangaroo court to unusually long terms at the
nearby prison-farm. Once there, they discover that the authorities are
partners in an extortion-prostitution scheme. Young women without
relatives are arrested and jailed on trumped-up violations. The women
are virtually enslaved until they exchange their bodies for an “early
release.” Kim Basinger guest stars.
06 "Target: Angels" 27 Oct 1976
In separate incidents, an unknown assassin tries to kill the Jill, Kelly
and Sabrina. The pressure intensifies, forcing the girls to take to the
only sure safety they know: the mansion where Charlie lives. Their
anticipation at the prospect of seeing Charlie for the first time dims
when they suddenly realize they have led the killers to their real
target-Charlie! Guest Star: Michael Bell.
07 "The Killing Kind" 3 Nov 1976
Charlie calls on the Angels to solve the murder of the daughter of an
old friend. In their quest to solve the killing, the three (Kelly posing
as a magazine photographer, Jill as a tennis instructor and Sabrina as a
guest) penetrate an exclusive hotel-resort. They soon learn that the
owner, an underworld figure who, after turning state’s evidence and
getting a new identity as part of the government’s “witness relocation”
program, has built a new criminal empire for himself.
08 "To Kill an Angel" 10 Nov 1976
Kelly takes Skip, a disabled little boy, on an outing to an amusement
park. When away for a few moments, two hired killers bump into Skip
after they have just murdered a man. One of the killers drops his gun
near Skip who accidentally shoots Kelly and runs away. Kelly is
hospitalized with a minor head wound and Sabrina and Jill take up the
search for Skip trying to find his whereabouts using clues from his
favorite nursery rhyme. The killers visit Kelly in the hospital and
learn the clues as well, determined to silence Skip before the Angels
can rescue him.
09 "Lady Killer" 24 Nov 1976
Jill becomes a candidate for the centerfold of “Feline Magazine”, hoping
to tempt the hand of the murderer of two previous models. There are many
suspects on the magazine’s staff and the infighting is so intense that
attempts on the lives of undercover employees Kelly and Sabrina further
cloud the investigation, including a water bed wired to electrocute
Sabrina. Sabrina is also tempted by Feline “Kitty” Club owner, a Hugh
Hefner-like publisher!
10 "Bullseye" 1 Dec 1976
A recruit in the Women's Army Corps is shot to death on the firing range
and Charlie’s Angels are assigned to investigate. Bosley works
undercover as a civilian researcher with Sabrina as an Army nurse and
Jill and Kelly as new enlistees. A military physician and a cruel drill
instructor are discovered to be purchasing large quantities of cheap,
inactive drugs and reselling them to the Army at top quality retail
prices. Unfortunately, before the Angels can complete their
investigation, they become the targets of a “search-and-destroy”
mission.
11 "Consenting Adults" 8 Dec 1976
A prostitute supplied by a computer dating service keeps an antique
dealer preoccupied while his store is burglarized of priceless art
objects. One of the stolen items is stuffed with smuggled diamonds
belonging to a ruthless crime syndicate boss. Enraged, the kingpin
kidnaps the antique dealer and the Angels enter the case. Jill
infiltrates the dating service posing as a hooker but finds that the
prostitute has led the crime boss to the diamonds. In a last ditch
effort, the Angels steal the chief’s championship racehorse, and he
agrees to turn over the diamonds in exchange for his horse. In the
exciting climax, Jill must make a getaway on her skateboard.
12 "The Séance" 15 Dec 1976
A rich widower hires the Angels to solve the mystery of the repeated
disappearances of her jewelry. When they learn the lady manages her
affairs through a medium, they track down prime suspect, Madame Dorian.
Kelly assumes the identity of a rich Texas widow, Jill becomes her
friend, and Bosley, their French chauffeur. Unbeknownst to the others,
Madame Dorian’s male assistant hypnotizes Kelly to get financial
information from her. During the trance, she reveals her true identity
as a private investigator. Realizing that the con game has been
uncovered, he programs Kelly to kill Jill to give him time to escape.
13 "Angels on Wheels" 22 Dec 1976
Jill becomes the star of a roller derby team when she goes undercover to
investigate the mysterious death of skating champ Karen Jason, who is
killed after being forced over the guardrail and into the audience
during a rough and tumble race. Charlie’s client believes Karen was
murdered, despite the police report stating that the death was
accidental. In search of clues, Sabrina poses as a state insurance
investigator, Kelly as a pushy writer for a national magazine, and Jill
romances the team owner. Guest star: Dick Sargent
14 "Angel Trap" 5 Jan 1977
Jericho, a paradoxically gentle man who was a World War II French
Underground assassin, is the prime suspect when a former member of his
old liberationist team is killed. From Jericho’s ex-girlfriend, the
Angels learn that he intends to eliminate all of the members of his old
French Underground team. In an attempt to capture Jericho before he can
carry out his plans, Sabrina poses as the girlfriend of Kamden, the next
likely victim, and Jill sets up an “accidental” meeting with Jericho.
Jill soon finds it difficult to keep her mind on the job as she becomes
emotionally involved with the romantic killer. The Angels set up a sting
at the probable time and place of Jericho’s next shot: a lovely city
park. Guest star: Fernando Lamas
15 "The Big Tap-Out" 12 Jan 1977
When notorious gambler-thief Roy David is suspected of burglarizing a
securities company of $40,000, the Angels are called into the case to
convict him of the crime. Sabrina and Bosley dupe the gambler into
betting nearly half of the loot on a losing horse at the racetrack. Jill
then tricks him into losing his remaining money at the gambling tables.
With David penniless and desperate, the Angels make it easy for him to
follow his usual burglary pattern. In front of startled eyes, they stage
a hit-and-run accident in which Jill is apparently killed with detailed
floor plans and safe combinations to the casino in her possession. David
steals the plans and immediately sets up a burglary. When David tries to
make his getaway with the stolen money, Kelly stops his escape in a
final con.
16 "Angels on a String" 19 Jan 1977
An international political leader is abducted and a double substituted
for him at a world conference being held at a resort where the Angels
are vacationing. Having met the leader earlier, Sabrina knows something
is wrong. Soon, the girls discover that the culprits plan to have their
impostor deliver a false, radicalized, seemingly irrational keynote
address. Sabrina, disguised as a hotel waitress, and Jill, a maid, must
rescue the real politico in time for his all-important address.
17 "Dirty Business" 2 Feb 1977
A legitimate business is targeted for arson and the Angels are called in
to investigate. Soon, they discover that the corporation is actually a
front for a pornographic film studio-and that the studio films the
after-hour activities of wealthy people and then blackmails them into
investing. As the scheme becomes apparent, the Angels discover something
worse than simple pornography: The Pornographic film, “Sally in Sin
City”, shows proof of someone being where he shouldn't be. And Jill is
in danger, because the good guys aren't so good after all...
18 "The Vegas Connection" 9 Feb 1977
Cass Harper assures young girls of a lucrative job in a Las Vegas
nightclub chorus line, in exchange for sideline prostitution. Since many
chorus girls end up marrying wealthy gamblers, his con scheme works
extremely well at both ends. When any of his showgirl-prostitutes marry
into wealth, Harper blackmails them with photographs of their past
exploits. That is, until one of his blackmail victims hire the Angels to
put a stop to his setup. Jill and Kelly become aspiring showgirls for
the investigation and Bosley poses as a high-rolling spending looking
for a good time. To complete the ruse, Sabrina arrives in the guise of
an auditor and convinces a powerful casino owner that his employee,
Harper, has been embezzling from the club.
19 "Terror on Ward One" 16 Feb 1977
Jill and Kelly pose as student nurses at the hospital and Sabrina as a
local writer preparing a story on a mysterious attacker in a hospital.
Bosley is admitted as a surgical patient. All clues begin to point to
the chief surgeon cited in the malpractice suit in which a man died, who
displays erratic behavior due to his excessive use of amphetamines. Then
the Angels learn another staffer is the son of the man who died in the
malpractice suit. Meanwhile, Bosley provides the not-so-comic relief
when he is mistaken for another patient and has his healthy appendix
removed against his will.
20 "Dancing in the Dark" 23 Feb 1977
A lonely widow is blackmailed after a short affair with a gigolo she met
at her dance classes. Jill masquerades as a disco-dance instructor,
Sabrina as a rich but socially inept heiress and Kelly as a replacement
photographer, supposedly sent by the blackmailer’s shutterbug. When
Sabrina pretends to succumb to the gigolo’s charms, Kelly photographs
the compromising position and Bosley then shows up as the irate but
blackmailed father. All goes well until the real photographer returns
unexpectedly and exposes them all! Guest star: Dennis Cole
21 "I Will Be Remembered" 9 Mar 1977
Aging actress Gloria Gibson seems to be losing her mind, reliving the
death scenes from her old movies. Kelly gets a job as an extra in Miss
Gibson’s “comeback” film, Sabrina poses as the leading lady’s secretary,
and Jill pretends to be a magazine writer, covering the picture. Several
attempts are made to kill the actress and the girls during the filming.
Finally, the Angels discover that whoever wants Miss Gibson out of the
way is after something in her mansion.
22 "Angels at Sea" 23 Mar 1977
In a series of “accidents” aboard a cruise ship, a young couple is
murdered. The Angels take a trip to Hawaii to investigate for the ship’s
owner, who is on the verge of bankruptcy. The murderer knows their true
identities from the start. Notes promise death; dummies are burned in
effigy. Finally, Bosley and the girls set a trap and they catch the
ship’s show lounge comedian-an impersonator who announces from the brig
that there are three bombs aboard…and each is set to explode within
minutes. Guest star: Frank Gorshin
23 "The Blue Angels" 4 May 1977
When two men are found dead in a massage parlor, the Angels are called
in to investigate the policeman who reported the crime. Sabrina goes
undercover on the vice squad as an assistant to the officer who is
suspected of extorting money from massage parlor owners. Kelly signs up
for the police academy to locate two suspicious recruits and Jill
reopens the massage parlor where the murders took place. The
officer-suspect calls on Jill to extort money. Things seem to be going
smoothly and a payoff/arrest time is set when, unexpectedly, Sabrina’s
ex-husband identifies her during a routine business visit to the guilty
cop’s office.
