Angels Forever Part 2

Iconic Charlie’s Angels star, Farrah Fawcett

 

Discussing favourite angels on TV show, Charlie’s Angels, MBH (my better half) and I had a ‘snap’ moment when we both chose Farrah Fawcett.   

Although Fawcett will always be remembered for that gorgeous mane, dazzling smile and sexy “burnt orange” swimsuit poster, her tireless work raising awareness about cancer will never be forgotten. “Farrah wanted to share her journey and let others battling cancer know they weren’t alone,” says Mike Pingel, Fawcett’s former personal assistant.  

Mike met Farrah in 2005 during the taping of reality TV show, ‘Chasing Farrah’. She was looking for an assistant and Pingel applied for the job.  However, the interview didn’t go very well. On being asked who his favourite angel was, Mike made a gaffe by answering ‘Cheryl Ladd’. Needless to say, he wasn’t hired. 

Surprisingly, a call came in several months later from the show’s producer-director asking Mike whether Farrah could see his vast collection of Charlie’s Angels memorabilia. “The next thing I knew, she was in my apartment playing with my Charlie’s Angels toys,” he says. Mike and Farrah hit it off immediately and he became her assistant shortly after.  

Recalling his 2-year stint working for Fawcett, Mike says one of the most memorable moments was being at the 2006 Emmy Awards when Farrah, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith reunited for a tribute to producer Aaron Spelling. “It was like walking back in time onto the set of Charlie’s Angels,” he says. “It was priceless!”  

Sadly, Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer shortly after the Emmys and had to begin treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy. “I’ve always believed in fate and that God sends you where you need to go,” says Pingel. “I was able to help Farrah during the most devastating time of her life.” 

To encourage others afflicted with the disease, Fawcett designed a t-shirt and donated part of the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.  “Farrah’s motto was ‘Fight the Fight’,” says Pingel. “We had it printed on the t-shirts along with a picture of Farrah with her dukes up.” A 2-hour documentary chronicling Farrah’s battle with her illness was aired in 2009, shortly before her death. Unlike ‘Chasing Farrah’, ‘Farrah’s Story’ was a hit and was seen by close to 9 million viewers when it premiered.  

Mike says he was blessed to call Fawcett his friend. “Farrah was a strong woman with a huge heart. She touched my life and I will miss her forever.”

Mike currently runs the official websites of Cheryl Ladd, Tanya Roberts and Charlie’s Angels. He has written several books on Charlie’s Angels, The Brady Bunch and Wonder Woman, and recently published ‘Betty White Rules the World – The Ultimate (and Unauthorized) Guide to Television’s Grande Dame‘; all available on Amazon.

For more information about Mike’s books, visit www.mikepingel.com. For Charlie’s Angels news, go to www.charliesangels.com 

 

Farrah’s famous swimsuit poster

Angels Forever Part 1

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Pingel, Angelogist-extraordinaire and author of CharliesAngels.com. Mike has a vast knowledge of 70s television and has written several guides to shows including The Brady Bunch and Wonder Woman. In this 2-part interview, Mike speaks about his favourite show, Charlie’s Angels, the friendship he shares with the heavenly cast and how he beat the odds to become Farrah Fawcett's personal assistant.

Just like Mike, my partner and I were taken by the show when the series first aired in 1976. We were mesmerized by those angels. They had the full package - natural beauty, brains and style - and could fight crime without messing up their flawless hairdos and makeup. A feat in itself! It's easy to see why Charlie's Angels had such a massive following and continues to appeal to a legion of gay fans worldwide...

“Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the police academy…

...um, that's four little girls in this pic!”

 

The 1970s was a decade of change, forever remembered as the era of bell-bottom pants, platform shoes and hippie hairstyles. While disco was gaining momentum, television was undergoing a major shift and turning stereotypes on their heads. At the time, albeit on different continents, MBH (my better half) and I were both glued to Charlie’s Angels, one of the first series to portray heroines as strong, independent women.

“Back then, the stars of Charlie’s Angels and their characters were an inspiration to so many young girls and women,” says Mike Pingel, former personal assistant to the late Farrah Fawcett and author of ‘Channel Surfing: Charlie’s Angels’. 

Action roles were traditionally written for men, so seeing three beautiful private detectives on screen kicking ass was refreshing. “It wasn’t just a jiggle show,” says Fawcett in Pingel’s book. “We were intelligent and a lot of people got that.” Fawcett starred in season 1 of the series that ran from ‘76 to ‘81.

Kate Jackson came up with the idea of Charlie, the mysterious boss that none of the angels ever got to meet. She is also credited with the concept of the desk speakerphone that Charlie (voiced by John Forsythe) famously spoke through. Initially cast as Kelly Garrett, Jackson switched to Sabrina Duncan, a stronger character. The role of Kelly eventually went to Jaclyn Smith whilst Farrah Fawcett played Jill Munroe.

Every week the angels would go undercover to investigate a crime posing as showgirls, prostitutes, belly dancers, preachers or nurses. Many of the episodes involved camp scenes featuring predatory lesbians and swishy queens. It’s easy to see why the series has been so popular with gay audiences over the years.

“There are so many moments that stand out,” says Pingel. “Who could forget the time Kelly got in a cat fight with a drag queen in ‘Angels on the Line’!” Then there’s that iconic scene in ‘Angels in Chains’ when the girls had a run in with a butch female prison guard. Another draw card for gay fans was the number of Hollywood hunks who guest starred, often shirtless, on the show. These include Tom Selleck, Timothy Dalton, Tab Hunter, Dack Rambo, Robert Ulrich and Dirk Benedict.

Mike Pingel would love to get all the angels together for a television reunion to share their favourite memories. One fun anecdote in Pingel’s book involves David Doyle, who played Bosley, mooning the girls when they were having trouble with a scene. An avid collector of Charlie’s Angels memorabilia, Pingel maintains a friendship with all the angels, especially Cheryl Ladd with whom he’s very close.

“These ladies are truly heavenly and have all been super sweet allowing me into their lives,” he says. “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

Angels in Chains

(to be continued)