Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Song of the Day: 'Johnny Angel' by Shelley Fabares


Shelley Fabares popped up on a "Newhart" episode we were watching the other night and it got me thinking of all of the people who were once huge stars that the vast majority of people today have never heard of. (See also: Ryan O'Neal, Tab Hunter, Lee Majors, etc.) Starting with her starring role as daughter Mary Stone on the long-running "Donna Reed Show" she then topped the charts with "Johnny Angel" starred in three films with Elvis Presley, made countless sitcom appearances (including two seasons on Garry Marshall's Hawaii-set "Brian Keith Show," née "The Little People") and eventually portrayed Christine Armstrong for nine seasons on the show "Coach," yet I don't think anyone under 50 could pick her out of a lineup. 


P.S. She was splendid as Dick Loudon's former "ember," whose presence sets (lookalike) Joanna on edge, which likely led to the "Coach" role.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ms. Fabares also portrayed Francine Webster on ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Shawn Cullen said...

Well, all fame is fleeting. For what it's worth "Johnny Angel" turns up regularly on Sirius XM's 60s station and on CD compilations (what's a CD?). Amazon Prime has the entire run of "The Donna Reed Show" available. And anyone who gets interested in Elvis will run across his films with Shelley at some point. Her various sitcom appearances are more elusive; she was great as Bonnie Franklin's bitch co-worker on "One Day At A Time"

Shawn Cullen said...

All fame is fleeting. For what it's worth, the entire run of "The Donna Reed Show" is on Amazon Prime (I re-watched the whole thing last year). "Johnny Angel" turns up regularly on Sirius XM's '60s channel, and I see it on CD compilations at Walmart (what's a CD?). Anyone who gets interested in Elvis will see his films with Shelley sooner or later. Her many sitcom appearances are more elusive; I loved her as Bonnie Franklin's bitchy colleague on "One Day At A Time".