Image: The Everett Collection

Some 1970s television shows had a budget of $20,000 per episode. Charlie's Angels spent $20,000 each week on clothes. No wonder Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith (…and Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts) looked so fabulous onscreen. The actresses oozed glamour behind the scenes, too. With her feathered hair and deep tan, Farrah was the blonde ideal of the era. Jackson and Smith rode their sudden fame into future successes, both on television and in retail. 

No wonder that Charlie's Angels reboots come around about as often as Batman. This trio of badass beauties is part of American culture. Let's travel back and peek behind the scenes of the classic TV show.

Angels in white

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Smith, Fawcett and Jackson joke around.

Blue Screen effects

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Fawcett, Jackson and Smith kick back in sparkling gowns.

Skatin'

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Like Wonder Woman and CHiPs, Charlie's Angels featured all the trends of the day. Skateboarding was just about to explode.

Truckin'

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No trend was bigger at the time than trucking. C.B. radios were all the rage. Ladd poses by a Peterbilt during the filming of "Angels Go Truckin'."

Dino might!

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Jackson, Ladd and Smith chill with Rat Pack legend Dean Martin during their two-part episode set in Vegas.

A Very Brady Angel

AP Photo / George Brich

Fawcett and her then-husband Lee Majors popped in to visit America's favorite family on The Brady Bunch Hour variety show in January 1977.

Farrah Faberge

AP Photo / Ira Schwarz

Fawcett jetted to New York later that year to shoot an ad for Faberge. Here she is in a limo with Richard Barrie, head of Faberge.

Tennis anyone?

AP Photo / Jeff Robbins

Fawcett showed off her court skills in 1977 for the television special Challenge of the Sexes. She thankfully beat the pudding out of Bill Cosby on the court.

An empire begins

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Jaclyn Smith, the only original Angel to stick around for the entire series, used Charlie's Angels as a springboard to fortune. Partnering with retailers like K-Mart, she built a massive homewares empire.

The Jackson 2

AP Photo / Eve Mortenson

Jackson and her husband, Andrew Stevens, turn up for a fundraiser in L.A. in 1979.

Lights! Farrah! …Action!

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Fawcett does some stunt work.

Pretty in pink

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Tanya Roberts, the final Angel to join the series in season five, went on to star in fantasy films like The Beastmaster. She also became a Bond girl in A View to a Kill.

Lei over

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Smith, Ladd and Jackson sport flowers around their neck in Hawaii for the season two premiere.

The new kid on the block

AP Photo / George Brich

Jackson and Smith pose welcome newcomer Ladd to the set.

Hack work

AP Photo / Nick Ut

Shelley Hack meets reporters and photographers as she is announced as Kate Jackson's replacement in May 1979.

Kidding around

AP Photo / Suzanne Vlamis

Roberts helped promote her new show by turning up on Kids Are People Too in August 1980.

Who you gonna call?

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It was easier for Charlie to talk over the speakerphone.

Cheeky

AP Photo

Fawcett goes undercover in the "Feline Club" for the episode "Lady Killer"

A spin-off that never took off

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The episode "Toni's Boys" hoped to introduce a gender-swapped spin-off series, headlined by Barbara Stanwyck. Alas, it was not picked up for a series.

Walk of fame

AP Photo

Aaron Spelling rightfully earned his star on the sidewalk in September 1978. And he had yet to drop Dynasty and Beverly Hills90210!

See Also

Cheryl Ladd recently revealed why she originally said ''no thank you'' to Charlie's Angels