Most people remember Jan Smithers as the sweet, shy Bailey Quarters on WKRP in Cincinnati. But her road to television began 12 years earlier, when she was a 16-year-old high school student who made one tiny decision...that would change her life forever.
Before viewers saw a badge or heard a suspect speak, four blunt musical notes announced that Dragnet had begun. The sound was severe, instantly recognizable, and perfectly suited to Jack Webb’s vision of police work. From its opening seconds, the series promised something more disciplined than an ordinary cops-and-robbers adventure.
Discover how Police Woman transformed Angie Dickinson into a 1970s television icon, reshaped women’s roles in crime dramas, and concealed the devastating family heartbreak behind her enduring Hollywood glamour and image.
Hollywood had a pretty clear idea of what a male star was supposed to look like—and these guys were not it. Then they became some of the biggest stars of the 60s and 70s anyway.
These women once filled theaters, bedroom walls and teenage daydreams. Today, most Millennial men probably couldn’t name a single one. How many do you remember?
Discover how Bernie Kopell went from TV oddballs and Get Smart’s Siegfried to The Love Boat’s charming Dr. Adam Bricker—and built a career lasting decades.
Discover why Joyce DeWitt became the grounded heart of Three’s Company, then left Hollywood fame behind to pursue theater, personal growth, philanthropy, and a quieter life on her own terms.
Discover how the brilliant cast of 3rd Rock from the Sun, led by John Lithgow, transformed a clever alien sitcom into six seasons of fearless, unpredictable, award-winning television comedy gold.
