Top TV Moments: Lee Meriwether

I saw a post on Facebook recently about Lee Meriwether, who turned 91 a few days ago, and it reminded me of how she always seemed to be on television in the Comfort TV era, either as a series regular, a guest star, or as herself, helping contestants win cash and prizes on different game shows.

Her IMDB page lists more than 125 credits from every conceivable television genre. Casting directors clearly had her near the top of their lists for roles that required both beauty and brains, not just one or the other.

The best part of putting together these Top TV Moments features is spending a couple of evenings enjoying a marathon of one actor’s memorable work, thanks to DVDs and online streaming. What I discovered again in watching these performances is how naturally Meriwether adapted to the aesthetic of each series and role, from the broadest farce to the most sobering drama. What a pleasure it was to be in her virtual company.

Miss America Pageant (1954)
Few television debuts are as grand as that of Lee Ann Meriwether, who progressed from Miss San Francisco to Miss California, and then to Miss America, back when that title still meant something.

The Today Show (1955)
Following her year’s reign as Miss America, Lee joined The Today Show as the first official “Today Girl,” which mostly meant handling the lighter lifestyle features alongside host Dave Garroway. During her stint she was also studying acting and had already made her debut in an installment of The Philco Television Playhouse entitled “Middle of the Night.”

The Time Tunnel (1966)
Meriwether’s first recurring TV role was as “electrobiologist” Dr. Ann MacGregor in this troubled but impressive sci-fi series that, like all the Irwin Allen shows of the 1960s, still has a cult following. Saddled with bickering leads and huge cost overruns The Time Tunnel only lasted 30 episodes, but in that time, it delivered clever stories set in different historic eras, and some of the coolest sets viewers had likely ever seen - the glowing spiral tunnel itself still looks amazing. 

Unfortunately, just as Allen’s Lost in Space was canceled before the Robinsons returned home, The Time Tunnel also disappeared with our two protagonists “lost in the swirling maze of past and future ages.”

Batman (1967)
Yes, she played Catwoman in the (disappointing) movie, but to me she was more memorable as socialite Lisa Carson, who was to be Bruce Wayne’s date before she was kidnapped by King Tut (“King Tut’s Coup/Batman’s Waterloo”). Batman foils Tut’s scheme to make Lisa his queen of the Nile. 

The final scene has Lisa inviting Bruce into her apartment for some milk and cookies. It’s Meriwether at her most bewitching, so much so that even Bruce gives into temptation.

Family Affair (1967)
In “First Love” Meriwether plays Lise Lowell, a geologist working with Bill on a construction project. While Bill tries to mix business with pleasure, Buffy Is dealing with her first crush on an older boy. Since Family Affair often dealt in the harsh realities of life more than other sitcoms of its day, these would-be romances were doomed to fail. Buffy’s crush falls for Cissy instead, and Bill is shut down after learning Lise is already engaged. 

The episode’s final scene is one of those sublime moments that make this show so special. “It kind of hurts inside, doesn’t it?” Buffy asks. “Yeah,” Uncle Bill replies. “But you know, now that we can share the hurt, it doesn’t hurt so much.”

Mission: Impossible (1969)
When Barbara Bain departed this series along with Martin Landau after three seasons, the show opted against bringing in a full-time female replacement on the IMF team. The remaining cast members wanted Lee Meriwether, according to Patrick White’s book The Mission: Impossible Dossier, and she wanted the job as well. “Not getting that role was one of the biggest disappointments of my life,” she said. However, Meriwether did join the team for six episodes in season four, including “The Submarine,” arguably the season’s best outing.

Star Trek (1969)
“That Which Survives” has a reputation as a clunker only slightly above “Spock’s Brain” among Trekkers, but it’s a pleasant enough mystery and the crew does its best to make it work. Meriwether plays Losira, a woman who kills whomever she touches – finally, someone Kirk doesn’t try to bring back to his cabin.

My World and Welcome to It (1970)
With his wife and daughter out of town, John (William Windom) begins fantasizing about his sexy neighbor, Miss Bessinger (Meriwether). And on this series, John’s fantasies always come to life, albeit in unexpected ways. “The Middle Years” is one of the funnier episodes in this sadly short-lived series, and Meriwether seems to be having fun playing in its silly sandbox.

Barnaby Jones (1973)
Meriwether earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Barnaby’s daughter-in-law, Betty Jones. 

When Buddy Ebsen began cutting back on his workload in the show’s latter seasons, Betty and J.R. (Mark Shera) took on bigger roles in his cases, and the audience didn’t seem to find. The Quinn Martin detective shows of the ’70s are certainly prime Comfort TV, and viewers liked this one enough to keep it around for 178 episodes.

The $10,000 Pyramid (1974-1977)
Lee Meriwether was a frequent guest on several game shows, including Password, Match Game and Hollywood Squares. I’ve singled out the $10,000 Pyramid because she was a partner contestants knew would improve their odds in the winner’s circle.

The Munsters Today (1988)
It isn’t remembered much now, but this revival of the classic ‘60s series lasted three years and 73 episodes, so I guess that qualifies as a hit. Meriwether played Lily Munster opposite John Schuck as Herman. A game effort but best to stick with the original.

My 50 Favorite Classic TV Characters: James Garner as Jim Rockford

You may have heard that a reboot of The Rockford Files has been picked up by NBC and will debut in January, with David Boreanaz playing ex-con turned private investigator Jim Rockford. Boreanaz has an impressive TV track record, and as a fan of both Buffy and Angel I think that casting is about the best we could hope for – given the current state of entertainment media we should just be glad it’s not Kevin Hart.

There was probably a time I would have been excited, or at least intrigued, by the prospect of a new take on a classic show. But after the reboots of Magnum and Matlock and Walker I no longer trust today’s crop of writers and producers to deliver a series that would capture even 10% of the appeal of the original.

Could Boreanaz still make it watchable? Perhaps – but it’s hard to imagine he could achieve the same indelible impression as James Garner’s portrayal of Jim Rockford.

One reason it worked so well is that Garner already had experience in the same type of character. In Maverick he played the antithesis of a rough-and-tumble cowboy hero. He tapped into that same persona here: the anti-hero, clever but cynical, smart-tongued and always preferring to talk himself out of a fight than start one. And never averse to bending or breaking a law to suit his purpose.

Once asked if there was anything he wouldn’t do for money, he replied that he wouldn’t kill for it or marry for it. “Other than that, I’m open to about anything.”

Initially he became a detective because he served time for a robbery he didn’t commit and wanted to take on cases that had been closed by the police. But series creators Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins gradually moved away from that premise as it seemed too noble a pursuit for such an ambiguous character. Cannell and Garner both enjoyed exploiting the hard-luck aspects or Rockford, who didn’t always reap the rewards from solving his cases. I doubt any TV detective was stiffed more often by his clients.

The Rockford Files surrounded its star with quality performances and quality touches, starting with the answering machine messages that opened each episode, followed by that funky Mike Post theme. 

There were fights and car chase scenes for those who preferred a traditional private eye series – Jim really knew how to handle that Pontiac Firebird - but there was a welcome component of comedy as well. 

Like Maverick, Rockford was a con man at heart, taking on phony identities to catch opponents off-guard and intimidate or trick them into giving up the information he needed. Those scenes were the highlight of every episode.

Great support was provided by Noah Beery, Jr. as his father, who never gave up hoping Jim would become a truck driver, and Joe Santos as one of the few cops who could stand him. I looked forward to Gretchen Corbett’s appearances as the lawyer always bailing him out of trouble (and jail), but I couldn’t stand Stuart Margolin as Rockford’s skeezy former cellmate Angel. Clearly, I’m in the minority on that one because Margolin won two Emmys for that performance.

The show also had some wonderful guest stars –Lindsay Wagner, Isaac Hayes, Diana Muldaur, and recurring appearances from Tom Selleck as dim but perfect detective Lance White, and Dennis Dugan as Richie Brockelman, whose spinoff series disappeared after five episodes.

But without Garner I doubt anything else would have mattered. Few shows have been so successfully fueled by the charisma of one lead actor. That will be the challenge facing David Boreanaz. 

Rockford wasn’t John Wayne or John Wick – he was the first TV private eye to break his hand when he hit someone. But he still projected a strength and resilience, with a healthy dose of swag, that belied his insistence that he was never a tough guy.

Can today’s television pull that off? I wish them luck, but I don’t think they understand masculinity without the word “toxic” in front of it.

My Journey Through 1970s TV: Saturday Nights, 1977

The Saturday night supremacy of CBS in the seventies has finally ceased (how’s that for alliteration?). This would be the final year for both The Bob Newhart Show and The Carol Burnett Show, classics that once dominated in the ratings but had now dropped out of the top 30. Only one series ranked that high on this night, and it belonged to the network that would reign supreme throughout the second half of the decade. Come aboard – they’re expecting you…

ABC
Fish
Operation Petticoat
Starsky & Hutch
The Love Boat

As I wrote in my book When Television Brought Us Together (revised and expanded edition coming soon!) escapism was always one of The Love Boat’s selling points, even if viewers were escaping something as mundane as winter. From 1977 to 1987, the show embarked on each new season as autumn leaves began to fall and sailed through the months when days were shorter and weather forecasts promised blizzards and cold, bleak temperatures. To someone growing up outside of Chicago, those virtual vacations on Saturday nights were always welcome.

Add in one of the most likable casts of any ‘70s, series, exotic locations, and guest stars from other classic shows and the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it’s not surprising audiences liked The Love Boat enough to make it the #14 show in its first year.

Fish was a Barney Miller spinoff in which Abe Vigoda’s New York detective now went home to five racially mixed foster kids (two of them played by Todd Bridges and Denise Miller). The less said the better. 

Operation Petticoat seemed to have more promise with its mix of familar TV vets (John Astin) and comely newcomers (Jamie Lee Curtis, Melinda Naud), but it proved to be another example of a good film adapted into a watered-down series. It sank in less than two seasons.



CBS
The Bob Newhart Show
We’ve Got Each Other
The Jeffersons
The Tony Randall Show
The Carol Burnett Show

There may have been fewer folks watching The Bob Newhart Show in its final season, but that doesn’t mean the quality of the series dropped as well. Episodes like “Who Was That Masked Man?” and “’Twas the Pie Before Christmas” were as smart and funny as any shows from previous seasons. 

Likewise, the final year of The Carol Burnett Show was blessed by the addition of Dick Van Dyke as a series regular and featured the “Family” skit with Tim Conway’s now legendary elephant story, which has racked up more than 47 million views on YouTube.

We’ve Got Each Other starred Oliver Clark and Beverly Archer as newlyweds, with the twist being he worked at home and she went to work in an office. Adding this one to the ‘missed’ list, but from the few clips available online it looked like a strange show that proved once again why some actors are better suited to character parts than leads.

NBC
The Bionic Woman
NBC Saturday Night Movie

This was the third and final season for The Bionic Woman. It still surprises me that the series didn’t last longer given its popularity at the time. 

Lindsay Wagner would later play Jaime Sommers in three TV movies alongside Lee Majors as Steve Austin, the last in 1994 when the two characters were finally married.


Shows Missed:
The Don Knotts Show (1970)
San Francisco International Airport (1970)
Nancy (1970)
The Headmaster (1970)
The Man and the City (1971)
Search (1972)
Assignment: Vienna (1972)
The Delphi Bureau (1972)
Jigsaw (1972)
The Little People (1972)
The Sixth Sense (1972)
Faraday & Company (1973)
Kodiak (1974)
The New Land (1974)
McCoy (1975)
Joe and Sons (1975)
Beacon Hill (1975)
Mobile One (1975)
Big Eddie (1975)
Executive Suite (1976)
Ball Four (1976)
Young Dan’l Boone (1977)
Rafferty (1977)
Mulligan’s Stew (1977)
Big Hawaii (1977)
We’ve Got Each Other (1977)

The Psychology Behind Classic TV Viewing

I was perusing YouTube recently (a more enjoyable exercise than perusing network television these days), and I came across a video with 1.6 million views called “The Psychology of People Who Rewatch the Same Shows and Movies.” It was posted by “SketchPsyche,” which purports to be a channel that provides “deep dives into the psychology behind everyday behavior.”

“We live in a world obsessed with what’s new,” the video relates. “But some people just ignore it all.” Something in our psyche pushes us to choose the vintage over the contemporary: “They know every line, ever scene, every joke and yet they press play again.”

The video, just under six minutes, offers four descriptions of people who would rather rewatch The Fugitive for the 50th time than check out The Pitt. Can you see Dr. Bob Hartley sharing these insights with his therapy group?

Type One: The Comfort Seeker
We are told that for these people life feels unpredictable because of work problems and relationship issues and a world that’s changing too quickly. They watch old shows because they are predictable – they know the crisis in that episode will be resolved and everything will be okay. The certainty of that serves the emotional safety they seek.

There’s some merit to this, though seeking comfort in the familiar is hardly new or limited to television. I’m semi-retired now, but when I was working full-time, I often took solace in activity that I knew would reduce my stress level. For some that’s listening to Brahms, for others reading the Bible, and for others an evening spent with Lucy or Jeannie or Marshal Matt Dillon.

Type Two: The Cognitive Restorer
People in this category have exceptionally stressful jobs that require a lot of thought and problem solving. As a result, their brains are not up to the challenge of grasping new shows with new characters and stories. Familiar material allows the brain to relax and experience what psychologists call cognitive load reduction.

This is so closely related to the previous category that I’m not sure it needs its own designation. Once again, the objective is to reduce real-world stress through a recreational activity that is guaranteed to not cause anxiety.

Type Three: The Nostalgic Anchor
In this group are people who rewatch shows not as much for the show itself, but for the memories they attach to it. It reminds them of a better time in their life, and friends and family members who may now be gone. They can’t bring those moments back, but they can experience once again the shows that were a part of those moments.

If I had to put myself into one of these four categories, this is the one that is most applicable. I do watch my favorite classics repeatedly because I genuinely enjoy them, but there is also within that experience a subconscious recognition of what my life was like when those shows were new, and how it is much different now. That perception has intensified in recent years from a series of major life changes, but it was there even before those events transpired.

I also think for me it’s not just an association with personal memories and relationships that is fed by classic shows – but also a chance to reconnect through these shows to an America that no longer exists. Not one free from challenges or tragedies, as there has never been such a place. But through all we endured in generations past there remained a bedrock that not only sustained but helped us get through such turbulent times. That bedrock is in jeopardy now from a systematic dismantling of western culture by enemies both foreign and domestic.

Not everyone shares that view, I know, but for those that do, we like our virtual visits to Minneapolis when Ted Baxter was delivering the news on WJM, and prefer them to what’s transpiring there now.

Type Four: The Detail Hunter
These are the people that enjoy uncovering small details and hidden layers that only can be discovered through repeat viewings. “For them,” we’re told, “a show isn’t just a story, it’s a world, and they want to see every corner of it.”

While it’s always fun to notice something in a favorite show that we had not noticed before, this one is not applicable to me. How about you?

There is one other reason I still prefer comfort TV to what’s new. I find these shows and their characters to be inspiring, and helpful in keeping me on the right path in this life. Such lessons originate from my religious faith, but it’s nice to see them validated in a more modern setting than 1st century Judea.

The good news from all this, according to SketchPsyche, is that there is nothing wrong with people who stick with the classics. “They’re not stuck in the past,” the video says. “They’re choosing what their mind needs.” And if classic TV shows really provide emotional security, reduce stress, and convey a reminder of happier times, my only question is “Why isn’t everyone doing this?”

The Twilight Zone, Season Four: 3 Classics and 3 Wasted Trips

It has taken me a while to get back to season reviews of The Twilight Zone, mostly because I was reluctant to start season four knowing that this is when the series switched from 30-minute to 60-minute shows. It is not a coincidence that this is its least heralded season, so even with just 18 episodes I anticipated a difficult slog.

Thankfully, the journey was not as arduous as I expected. Yes, the story padding is sometimes evident, and some of the show’s themes are becoming repetitive (longing for the past, deals with the devil, etc.). But overall, this was a season that, like its predecessors, delivered more good than bad stories, and even some of the lesser entries were redeemed by one or more memorable performances.

Just as a refresher: the reason I’m doing these reviews is that, familiar as I’ve been with The Twilight Zone, I’ve never owned the series or experienced all the episodes in order in their entirety. Since the hour-long shows have been rarely syndicated, all these episodes were new to me.

The Three Best

The Thirty Fathom Grave
This was my clear favorite. A US Navy destroyer in the South Pacific detects the remains of a World War II-era submarine at the bottom of the ocean. Which wouldn’t be all that strange were it not for the sound of hammering against metal coming from within. What could be the cause? And could it be connected to one of the ship’s officers having a sudden nervous breakdown?

“The Thirty Fathom Grave” plays like one of those classic little ‘B’ movies you might stumble across on TCM late at night, that pulls you in to see where it goes.

Valley of the Shadow
The Twilight Zone was of two minds when it came to quiet little towns. In the episodes written by Rod Serling they provide sanctuary from a cruel modern world. Other writers like Charles Beaumont had more in common with David Lynch, viewing these idyllic hamlets as places that may hide the most strange and sinister of secrets.

Peaceful Valley, visited by reporter Philip Redfield (Ed Nelson), belongs to the latter camp. 

Stopping to ask for directions, Philip sees a little girl point a device at his dog, causing the dog to disappear. He’s eventually found again, but Philip’s reporter instinct kicks in. He starts investigating and will soon discover that leaving town is not an option no matter how hard he tries.


Jess-Belle
It was a toss-up for the final ‘Best’ spot between this and the atmospheric “Passage on the Lady Anne.” I’m giving this one the edge because it plays like a tragic tale from American folklore passed down through generations. It even comes with its own song:

Fair was Elly Glover
Dark was Jess-Belle
Both, they loved the same man
And both they loved him well

Two Twilight Zone vets, Anne Francis and James Best, play Jess-Belle and Billy-Ben. She loves him, and he kind of likes her but then falls for the beautiful Elly (Laura Devon). A jealous Jess-Belle asks the local witch to make Billy-Ben love her again, but that spell comes with a shocking side effect.

I was not a fan of writer Earl Hamner Jr.’s previous TZ scripts, making this effort an even more pleasant surprise.

Among the honorable mentions: “Printer’s Devil,” with the always-reliable Burgess Meredith helping an editor save his small-town newspaper at the cost of his soul and “He’s Alive,” with Dennis Hopper giving a chilling performance as a neo-nazi leader getting lessons from Hitler and how to spread hatred. 

World War II-vet Rod Serling was often at his most eloquent when condemning the kind of bigotry he once fought against. His closing narration still packs a punch:

“Where will he go next, this phantom of another time, this resurrected ghost of a previous nightmare? Any place, every place, where there’s hate, where’s there’s prejudice, where there’s bigotry, he’s alive. Remember that when he comes to your town. Remember it when you hear his voice speaking out through others. Remember it when you hear a name called, a minority attacked, any blind, unreasoning assault on a people or any human being. He’s alive because through these things we keep him alive.”

And I can’t omit “Of Late I Think of Cliffordsville,” despite it featuring Albert Salmi, an actor I take an instant dislike to every time I see him. It’s worth watching just for Julie Newmar as the devil tempting him into an unholy bargain. Outside of Catwoman it’s the best performance I’ve ever seen from her.

The Three Worst

The Incredible World of Horace Ford
Here it is – the single most annoying performance in the distinguished history of this iconic series. Pat Hingle plays toy designer Horace Ford, an exasperating man-child who never got over being 12 years old – so that’s still how he acts. Ten minutes in and I wanted to jump through the screen and give him a wedgie. Most shocking is that this awful episode was written by Reginald Rose, who wrote 12 Angry Men and created The Defenders.

I Dream of Genie
Another reminder of how poorly TZ handled comedy. George Hanley (Howard Morris) is granted one wish by a genie and doesn’t know what to do with it.

No Time Like the Past
We’ve seen this story before – man becomes disillusioned with the present day and yearns to escape into the past. “A Stop at Willoughby” set the standard for such storylines, which were also used in “Walking Distance” and others. This time it just doesn’t work. Paul Driscoll (Dana Andrews) is more ambitious than his fellow time-travelers – he first attempts to kill Adolf Hitler and warn the Japanese about an incoming atom bomb. When that fails, he settles for a quiet life in Homeville, Indiana, circa 1881. But once again his hopes for a better life are dashed.

My Journey Through 1970s TV: Friday Nights, 1977

It's hard to believe that, being this far along in our review of the 1970s prime time schedules, we’d still be uncovering new milestones. But Friday in 1977 was the first night in which not a single program from any network ranked among the top 30 shows for the year.

That means they all had to be losers, right? Not quite, as you’ll see from the titles.

CBS
The New Adventures of Wonder Woman
Logan’s Run
Switch

This was the lineup I was watching, though I was disappointed (and still am) with almost every aspect of Wonder Woman outside of Lynda Carter’s comic book-perfect embodiment of Diana.

When the series returned for this season it ditched World War II-era stories for present day, subtracting another element that made it unique. What did we get instead? Episodes like “The Pied Piper” with Martin Mull as a flute-playing rock god. It’s one of the most pungent slices of ‘70s cheese ever unleashed on an unsuspecting public. But I still bought the DVDs and later the blu-rays, always hoping the series would somehow get better and that Carter would get the showcase she deserved.

Logan’s Run was…okay. An okay adaptation of an okay film best remembered for colorful visuals and its now quaint look at how the ‘70s envisioned the future. And, yes, for a certain scene featuring Jenny Agutter.

The 1976 movie was a hit, but the series owed it existence to Star Wars. After that 1977 film blew up at the box office all three networks began searching for sci-fi. Result? Shows like Fantastic Journey, Space Academy, The Man From Atlantis, Quark, and Future Cop. None of them lasted long and neither did Logan’s Run, which was canceled after just 11 episodes. But I liked it and still do. Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies were engaging as Logan and Jessica, and episodes like “The Collectors” were memorable because of guest star Angela Cartwright. Where else could you see two Von Trapp kids still looking for sanctuary?

1977 was also the final year for Switch, a wonderful series that never got the credit it deserved. Thankfully, Robert Wagner would return to TV two years later on Hart to Hart, and Sharon Gless would be back in 1982 on Cagney & Lacey.


NBC
Sanford Arms
Chico and the Man
The Rockford Files
Quincy M.E.

Sanford Arms was the last gasp for Sanford & Son following a successful six-season run. A change in setting from junkyard to rundown boarding house did not spark renewed interest, so the series disappeared after just four episodes, to be replaced by Don Rickles in C.P.O. Sharkey – which didn’t fare much better.

You’d think the suicide of Freddie Prinze would have brought an abrupt end to Chico and the Man, but NBC tried to keep it going by saying Chico went back to Mexico, and pairing Ed (Jack Albertson) with a new Hispanic character played by 12-year-old Gabriel Melgar. It didn’t work.

The Rockford Files is one of those show that, like The Brady Bunch, you’d expect to have been highly rated based on its enduring popularity. Surprising that it wasn’t, but that’s not indicative of its quality.

After appearing alongside Columbo and McCloud as a rotating presentation of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, Quincy was spun off into its own series, with Jack Klugman as a Los Angeles medical examiner. 

Klugman was one of those actors, like Robert Wagner and James Garner, that had a likability factor well-suited for television – certainly one reason why a series with such a grim premise would run for eight seasons.

ABC
Donny & Marie
The ABC Friday Night Movie

Not much to add here. I thought Donny & Marie was more popular than it apparently was based on ratings. In this, the third in its four-season run, the series moved (over network objections) from Los Angeles to the Osmond Studio in Orem, Utah. I’m not sure if that made it tougher to attract guests, but it may be one reason why only 18 episodes were shot.

Shows Missed:
The Don Knotts Show (1970)
San Francisco International Airport (1970)
Nancy (1970)
The Headmaster (1970)
The Man and the City (1971)
Search (1972)
Assignment: Vienna (1972)
The Delphi Bureau (1972)
Jigsaw (1972)
The Little People (1972)
The Sixth Sense (1972)
Faraday & Company (1973)
Kodiak (1974)
The New Land (1974)
McCoy (1975)
Joe and Sons (1975)
Beacon Hill (1975)
Mobile One (1975)
Big Eddie (1975)
Executive Suite (1976)
Ball Four (1976)
Young Dan’l Boone (1977)
Rafferty (1977)
Mulligan’s Stew (1977)
Big Hawaii (1977)

Charlie's Angels at 50

How many television shows are still fondly remembered after 50 years? Quite a few around here, I know – but among the non-tv obsessed? That thins the herd to a much smaller number. But I think Charlie’s Angels belongs in that company – and apparently so do the folks at The Paley Center for Media, who recently hosted a 50th anniversary celebration of this iconic series at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.

I cowrote The Charlie’s Angels Casebook back in 2000 so it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the company of the show’s stars. Was it worth the trip to see Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd together again? I thought so, but after it was over I left the theater with mixed feelings.

Just as an aside – “Hollywood” gets more awful every year. I feel for the tourists, especially those from overseas expecting something glamorous as they stroll the Walk of Fame. And I’d also like a word with whomever scheduled this event on a Monday when Musso & Frank Grill was closed. If the reunion turned sour, at least I’d have had a decent steak to salvage the evening.

There was indeed a chance that things could have gotten tense, as this was likely the first time Kate and Cheryl were in the same room since the series ended. The Casebook detailed their strained relationship, and some of the stories shared were too incendiary to print without risking a lawsuit.

The good news is that it wasn’t acrimonious. But it wasn’t joyful either. The moderator - apparently chosen because he won five Emmys and not because he knew anything about the show - did not do a great job. Some of his questions were silly and merited the polite cold shoulder they received. Any real fan (or anyone who even read the book) could have better focused on where the nostalgic sweet spots were, while avoiding the minefields.

The video clips selected to highlight why the show is worth remembering were poorly chosen. There was no mention of David Doyle, who provided able support throughout the series’ five-season run while Angels kept coming and going.

Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts were included in the film clips (to appreciative audience applause) but were likewise ignored in the discussion.

Perhaps most disappointing was a lack of warmth among the trio of stars. Questions that should have been easy to answer, if their memories were happy and vivid, received almost no response. There wasn’t much laughter over shared recollections, favorite moments or favorite episodes. Only one episode (“Angels in Chains”) was specifically mentioned, and Cheryl Ladd wasn’t even in that one.

As a result, what should have been a celebration came off more like an obligation among three coworkers who once shared the same office. They were happy with the show’s success but not eager to fully embrace it beyond the opportunities it provided later.

Disappointments were mentioned but not deeply explored or felt – Jaclyn missing out on Moonraker, Cheryl on Family and of course Kate with Kramer vs. Kramer. Maybe I was too close to the real stories to appreciate the PG versions that helped preserve the illusion of a happy production.

That said, there were a couple of memorable moments, such as the discussion about how all three Angels received a breast cancer diagnosis – what are the odds? But here they had something more substantive to talk about than an old TV show, and opened up about fear, and faith, and the importance of early detection and exams.

I also enjoyed Kate Jackson relating how, in 2000, she received a check for the use of her likeness on the hundreds of dolls, toys, games, and other licensed merchandising of Charlie’s Angels. The amount – about 80 bucks.

Fifty years is a long time – a point repeatedly expressed from the stage when the guests of honor were unable to recall a favorite scene or a favorite outfit. But the fanfare for this event and the attention it received is a testament to how deeply this show impacted our popular culture and the television landscape. The reunion garnered headlines in all the trades, magazines, entertainment websites, and was even a featured story on ABC World News Tonight.

This was not a series that was respected, including it would seem by those who were in it. But it was, by whatever measuring stick we use to assess such things, a big deal. And a half-century later it proved that again by drawing a packed theater to pay tribute. The fans – some dressed to the nines, others in Charlie’s Angels t-shirts bearing images that had faded from decades of spin cycles, all seem to have left satisfied.

My happiest memory of the evening was when the Angels first took the stage to a long and loud standing ovation, and that alone almost made it worthwhile.

It’s one thing to know a show delivered huge ratings, it’s another to feel the love from a live audience and to know that, however the cast or critics felt, it was a show that meant something to a lot of people. I’m glad its stars got to experience that. I hope they were too.