Oh Charlie....

Every Monday, on one of the hi-def cable channels there is a marathon of the original “Charlie’s Angels” TV shows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie's_Angels).  The show is mind numbing- much like a shot of novocaine directly to the brain.  But, I like to watch the show because being brain-dead every so often is enjoyable- at least to me, and as long as it is figurative. 

“Charlie’s Angels” cycles through the same actors as the bad guys every three or four episodes.  The music is usually some variation of late-1970’s wah-wah guitars with a disco beat.  It would quite a contest to decide who the worst actor of the three women would be, but my vote would be for Cheryl Ladd.  Whenever she tries to play “dumb” she invokes some variation of a southern accent.  Jaclyn Smith, to her credit, seems continually in a daze.  Kate Jackson was supposed to be the smart one and I guess she earns the title by default. 

The series was somewhat controversial in its time.  It was described as “T & A” or “Jiggle” TV.  These three actresses, and the other actresses who cycled through the show, were simply not built to jiggle or to cause one to focus on their collective Ts and As.  It was the late 1970s and the American public had not yet developed its fascination of having everyone grow to the size of an NFL linebacker.  These were petite women who would not have had a muffin top or camel toe because their stretchy clothing was way too tight.  Kate Jackson, in fact, may have had the tiniest waste I have ever seen on an adult woman.  She also had the shiniest hair, but HD shows that she needed to borrow Katy Perry’s Proactiv solution. 

The “Angels” usually never invoked physical violence, and use their savvy to catch the bad guy.  But there was one episode, the title of which escapes me, that maybe should receive special recognition.  The plot was the usual but it required that Kris (Cheryl Ladd) shoot the villain.  She did, as duty called, but she actually had a reaction to it.  She trembled and needed to be comforted by one of the other Angels because “it was her first time.”  This may be one of the few times on TV where someone seemed to feel remorse after shooting someone, even if it was a bad guy.  I liked that, and it was a moment that made sitting through the episode worthwhile. 

So I will, from time to time, shoot up with the mind-deadener that is “Charlie’s Angels.”  They are a beautiful trio caught in bad scripts- but they have nice hair and small waists.