The Reviews Are In!!!

I haven't posted in a while since I've completed my DVD project, but I'm happy to say the project lives on!!
In the past few weeks, I've been inundated with requests from other Charlie's Angels fans for copies of my set -- including people as far away as Italy and the United Kingdom!
I always knew that Charlie's Angels had a loyal fan base, but I figured most fans taped the episodes like I did. Unfortunately, not many TV stations are airing the show today, and when they do, most stations tend to skip over the Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts years. Instead, they show the first season over and over.
I thought I'd share some of the comments from people who have sent me emails about the set. It's a good feeling to know that all the hard work I did has been worthwhile and is being enjoyed by others.

Hi Ron, I received the Charlie's Angels Season 4 dvd's in the mail today. Thank you so much, you have made me a happy person .=)I was also pleased with the good quality of the episodes, they are better than my poor old tapes that I had episodes of Charlie's Angels on.

-- Deborah (Batesburg, SC)

I recieved your package today. And was extremely anxious to watch them, and did. I must say you are a stroke of genius! The pix quality is superb and the sound is great, ecspecially w/ surround sound (which is how I watch them.) very professional quality!!! AAAAA+++++ Thank You So Very Much!!

-- Ken (Miami, FL)

And there it is -- and dang, great quality. (I mean, yeah, the content's off-the-air, but they're in broadcast order and great menus ... you take this SERIOUSLY! ;)

-- A (San Francisco, CA)

You are a master at authoring! I loved your Season 4 of Charlies Angels! my family and kids LOOOVED Season 4 with new faces and they thought the DVDs were real! (laughs) they're that good!

-- Tony (San Diego, CA)

Hi Ron, This is to say that I loved the sets! They're nicely done and the picture & sound quality are very good! I am enjoying the episodes once more with my family. Thank you very much.

-- Sergio (London, England)

New Re-Authored Set

I totally re-authored the set. Each disc now contains 3 episodes. There are 9 discs for season 4 (25 episodes), and 6 discs for season 5 (16 episodes).

Why did I do this? Let me explain:

The first set I did was a 21 disc set. I originally had 2 episodes per disc, but I noticed that there was a lot of extra free disc space leftover. As you may know, each DVD disc holds 2 hours of programing when recorded in the SP (high-quality) mode. Each of my Charlie's Angels episodes are approximately 45 minutes, so 45 mins. x 2 = 1 and 1/2 hours. That means there is 30 minutes of blank disc space left that is being wasted. I found that if I slightly compressed each episode file from 100% to 96%, I could fit 3 episodes on a disc. Since the compression is at a minimum, there is no significant image loss. Now all episodes from both seasons are on 15 discs instead of 21.

There are a total of 41 episodes on 15 discs. Here's the new episode list for the 15 Disc set.

EPISODE LIST

SEASON 4

Disc 1:
Episode 69: "Love Boat Angels" (Part I)
Episode 69: "Love Boat Angels" (Part II)
Episode 70: "Angels Go Truckin’"
Disc 2:
Episode 71: "Avenging Angel"
Episode 72: "Angels at the Altar"
Episode 73: "Fallen Angel"
Disc 3:
Episode 74: "Caged Angel"
Episode 75: "Angels on the Street"
Episode 76: "The Prince and the Angel"
Disc 4:
Episode 77: "Angels on Skates"
Episode 78: "Angels on Campus"
Episode 79: "Angel Hunt"
Disc 5:
Episode 80: "Cruising Angels"
Episode 81: "Of Ghosts and Angels"
Episode 82: "Angel’s Child"
Disc 6:
Episode 83: "One of Our Angels Is Missing"
Episode 84: "Catch A Falling Angel"
Episode 85: "Homes $weet Homes"
Disc 7:
Episode 86: "Dancin’ Angels"
Episode 87: "Harrigan’s Angel"
Episode 88: "An Angel’s Trail"
Disc 8:
Episode 89: "Nips and Tucks"
Episode 90: "Three for the Money"
Episode 91: "Toni’s Boys"
Disc 9:
Episode 92: "One Love…Two Angels" (Part I)
Episode 93: "One Love…Two Angels" (Part II)
Bonus Episode - The Love Boat: "Dumb Luck" (featuring Shelley Hack)

SEASON 5

Disc 1:
Episode 94: "Angel in Hiding" (Part I)
Episode 94: "Angel in Hiding" (Part II)
Episode 95: "To See an Angel Die"
Disc 2:
Episode 96: "Angels of the Deep"
Episode 97: "Island Angels"
Episode 98: "Waikiki Angels"
Disc 3:
Episode 99: "Hula Angels"
Episode 100: "Moonshinin' Angels"
Episode 101: "He Married an Angel"
Disc 4:
Episode 102: "Taxi Angels"
Episode 103: "Angel on the Line"
Episode 104: "Chorus Line Angels"
Disc 5:
Episode 105: "Stuntwomen Angels"
Episode 106: "Attack Angels"
Episode 107: "Angel on a Roll"
Disc 6:
Episode 108: "Mr. Galaxy"
Episode 109: "Let Our Angel Live"
Special Feature Documentary - TV Tales: "Charlie's Angels"

The Final Piece of the Puzzle

I'm happy to report that my search for "Dancin' Angels" is over!!!! Here's some screencaps. This particular episode was taped during the '80s. The runtime for this episode is 48 min 47 seconds, so it appears that very little (if any) was edited out.

Thanks to Todd (a.k.a. CHERISLAND) over at the Sitcoms Online Trading Post message board for providing me with the missing episode.

I now have all season 4 and 5 episodes. That's a total of 41 episodes spread across 21 discs. There are 13 discs for season 4 (25 episodes), and 8 discs for season 5 (16 episodes).



The average episode runs approximately 45 mins and 30 sec, so they are cut like most syndicated series. All commercials have been edited out.
The majority of the episodes were recorded off the TNT network circa 1999. On most episodes, there is a small TNT logo in the bottom right-hand corner. However, it is faint and not that distracting. See the screen caps.

The sound and picture of these episodes is very good considering that the source of these episodes are ten-year-old VHS recordings that were taped in EP mode. When I transferred them to DVD, I made sure to recorded them in SP mode so that each episode would retain its image quality. That is why there are only two episodes on each disc.

If I were to rate these episodes on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to say these episodes rate about a 7-8. In my opinion, a set rated a 10 would be reserved for an official commercial release on par with the first 3 seasons of Charlie’s Angels that Sony already released.
A 9 rating would be a show recorded direct from satellite TV.

The picture and sound is very good. I would not say they are outstanding, but I would have not gone to all this work if the episodes were unwatchable. I have posted screen caps on this blog so people have the opportunity to look at the pictures and judge them for themselves.

In addition, I have added 7 chapter stops where each commercial break would be.

Here are some testimonials from people who have viewed the set:

• Many many thanks for the GREAT and AWESOME Charlie's Angels Season 4! Your work is brilliant and am loving them!

-Tony (San Diego, CA)

• I got the Charlie's Angels Season 4 today. They were great. Really nice set. I like how you did the menus. I have already watched 2 episodes. Sure do bring back the memories.

-Jerry (Brazil, IN)

Finishing Touches

All season 4 discs are done with the exception of Disc #10. However, someone has contacted me regarding the missing episode, so my search may be over (fingers crossed).
In the meantime, I've begun authoring the season 5 discs. I've also add chapter stops at each commercial break. Here's a sneak peek at the menu for Season 5/Disc 7 and some more screencaps.

Another Episode Found!

Thanks to Jerry S. over at the Sitcoms Online Trading Post message board, I can now scratch off another "missing" episode or, in this case, episodes: the 2-parter, "One Love...Two Angels" (episodes #92 and 93).


This particular episode was recorded off TV Land when they aired the show a few years ago.

Out of all the Charlie's Angels episodes, this is the only episode I barely remember watching. I don't think it was syndicated in my "neck of the woods" as much as the others, maybe because it was a 2-parter.

It is a very strange episode to say the least. It doesn't follow the same pattern or formula as the other episodes. It feels more like a TV movie of the week based on a romance novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford or Judith Krantz (Remember Scruples?). Kelly and Kris have a major falling out when they find out they are in love with the same man! It also has a different musical soundtrack that I have not heard in the other episodes.

Now all I need is season 4 episode #86, "Dancing Angels" and my collection will be complete!!!!

Hula Angels Found! New Font!

I haven't posted the past few days because I just returned from Las Vegas--the city that never sleeps! As you may recall, the Angels went to Vegas a couple of times. I seem to recall that there is a scene of them walking in front of Ceaser's Palace (I loved it when they did on location shooting). It was a family reunion of sorts, as my parents also flew in from the Mid West to see me. I had a blast playing the slot machines, but the most important thing was seeing my parents. We also took a tour bus to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It was spectacular! Anyhow, enough about me. I've got some exciting developments to report about my DVD project.

I'm happy to report that my search for episode #99, "Hula Angels" is over. Thanks to my new friend, Warwick from Australia, I now have all season 5 episodes. Warwick sent me the episode and was also nice enough to email me the Charlie's Angels font used on the show. I redid the menus and reinserted the new font. Luckily, I had saved them all in the menu creation program, so it was just a simple click of the button to change the font. I think the font makes the DVD look authentic.

I wasn't sure if I should do the individual episode titles in all CAPS, or upper and lowercase letters. After much debate, I decided to go with all CAPS because that's the way the episode titles are displayed at the beginning of each episode. Let me know what you think.

More Menus

Nothing new to report, so thought I'd post some more menus I created. I'm working on Disc 11 right now. I can't do discs #10 or #13 until I get those missing episodes, so all that's left is Disc #12, which I'll probably finish tomorrow night.

In case you're reading my blog for the first time, I need the following season 4 episodes:

Episode 86: “Dancing Angels”
Episode 92: “One Love…Two Angels” (Part I)
Episode 93: “One Love…Two Angels” (Part II)

If you have the above episodes, please contact me. Thanks!

New Menus!

I'm really excited to announce that I have created new DVD menus for my set! These new menus have two decent size thumbnails so I can insert a nice still image from each episode. It also gives the episode # and title. You can't see it in the caps above, but a green border highlights the episode you select. Really cool!
I also finished 2 more Season 4 discs: Discs 6 and 7. Here's some caps:

Welcome to My World

Another day, another DVD completed. Today, I finished:
Disc 5:
Episode 76: “The Prince and the Angel”
Episode 77: “Angels on Skates”

I was surprised at the lack of fanfare surrounding Farrah Fawcett's special guest star appearance in this episode. It begins with her and Kelly shopping in a boutique -- no special announcement like, "Jill's coming to visit!"


"Angels on Skates" is a personal favorite because it was filmed almost entirely at Venice Beach, and some of the buildings are still there to this day. Whenever I go to Venice Beach to rollerblade or bicycle, I always make it a point go by the building where the Angels first rent their skates. It's still there, although it's a clothing shop now. The interior was most likely filmed in a soundstage, but the exterior actually exists in Venice, as well as the apartment where Rita lived and the parking lot where the angels first parked their car upon arrival. It's a surreal feeling to think I'm walking the same ground as the Angels did. It feels like I've been transported into an episode, and that I'm a part of their world.

Nuns and Hookers

Yesterday, I finished Disc 4 of Season 4. I had forgotten how much campy fun these season 4 episodes are. Most people say the show "jumped the shark" after Kate Jackson left, but these episodes have been a hoot!
In episode 74, Kris goes behind bars. I've always loved women in prison films! Especially, the Australian soap opera, "Prisoner: Cell Block H". I bet Big Aggie (pictured below) could give Bea Smith a run for her money, but the prison guard in this episode is no Vera Bennett.



Kelly and Tiff pose as nuns in this episode, and in the next episode they're hookers! Their price is $1,000 because they work as a team! Kinky, but Georgia likes them because they class up the neighborhood. lol I love the dialog in this episode.



The picture quality in this episode is slightly better than the others because it was one of the few episodes I had videotaped in SP mode.

Also, if you would like to work for Freddy the pimp, you will need to learn a few rules.

Rule 1: Tell Freddy everything: Where you've been, who you've worked for, ever been busted, if you're a user, etc.

Rule 2: Never talk back to Freddy!!!

Breakdown Part 2

I haven't posted a blog in a few days, but the project is still on track. I finished 7 out of the 8 discs for season 5.

I've moved on to season 4. I've got it all planned out. Here's the breakdown:
Disc 1: (completed- see Bikinis and Oprah)
Episode 69: “Love Boat Angels” (Part I)
Episode 69: “Love Boat Angels” (Part II)
Disc 2: (completed)
Episode 70: “Angels Go Truckin’”
Episode 71: “Avenging Angel”
Disc 3:
Episode 72: “Angels at the Alter”
Episode 73: “Fallen Angel”
Disc 4:
Episode 74: “Caged Angel”
Episode 75: “Angels on the Street”
Disc 5:
Episode 76: “The Prince and the Angel”
Episode 77: “Angels on Skates”
Disc 6:
Episode 78: “Angels on Campus”
Episode 79: “Angel Hunt”
Disc 7:
Episode 80: “Cruising Angels”
Episode 81: “Of Ghosts and Angels”
Disc 8:
Episode 82: “Angel’s Child”
Episode 83: “One of Our Angels Is Missing”
Disc 9:
Episode 84: “Catch A Falling Angel”
Episode 85: “Homes, $weet Homes”
Disc 10:
Episode 86: “Dancing Angels” missing
Episode 87: “Harrigan’s Angels”
Disc 11:
Episode 88: “An Angel’s Trail”
Episode 89: “Nips and Tucks”
Disc 12:
Episode 90: “Three for the Money”
Episode 91: “Toni’s Boys”
Disc 13:
Episode 92: “One Love…Two Angels” (Part I) missing
Episode 93: “One Love…Two Angels” (Part II) missing

Here's the caps from disc 2. In episode 70, "Angels Go Truckin, " Kelly goes undercover as a waitress, and Kris and Tiff pose as lady truckers! Fun episode.


Here's a cap of Kelly strung out on drugs in "Avenging Angel":

Childhood Memories

I remember watching the show as a kid. I was ten years old when the series started in 1976. By the end of the fifth season in 1981, I was fifteen. These girls were goddesses for young boys like myself. One of my favorite parts of the show was when they would hire a new angel. I remember all the hype, and how all the movie magazines would publish photos of the new angel even before the new season started! They became instant celebrities! I also liked how they filmed new opening credits and they would recreate the walking scene above with the new lineup.

Here's some caps from Season 5 - Disc 6.

"Angel on the Line" is one of my favorite episodes from the fifth season because it feels like a scary stalker movie. I remember one 1980s movie about this babysitter who kept getting these threatening crank phone calls from some pervert. The police traced the calls and found out that they were coming from someone hiding inside the house using another phone line! Nowadays, everything is cell phones! I laugh to myself sometimes when I see the angels using their big, bulky car phones!


The other episode, "Chorus Line Angels" feels like an old-time movie musical. Jaclyn Smith looks likes she's in heaven with all the musical and dance numbers. She'd be great on "Dancing With the Stars." I also can't get that horrible song out of my head:

"We're gonna be
pals, buddies, and friends,
to the end, to the end, to the end."

Bikinis and Oprah

Last night, I went out of sequence and did Disc 1 of Season 4. This disc contains episode 69, "Love Boat Angels."
It originally aired as a two-hour special, but in syndication, the episode was broken up into two parts. Also, it had a different opening. Instead of the usual, "Once upon a time...", it was an instrumental version of the theme song, and showed shots of the Caribbean and the Pacific Princess Cruise Ship (a.k.a. The Love Boat).
Although this was Shelley Hack's first episode as Tiffany Welles, it was Cheryl Ladd who OWNED this episode! She wore three different bikinis: blue, red, and white! WOWSA!!!
Speaking of Shelley Hack, she was on Oprah! last week for about 5 minutes. The topic was about classic Americana. Oprah wanted to talk to Shelley about her Charlie perfume commercial. They barely mentioned Charlie's Angels. Shelley looks good! Her hairstyle is almost exactly the same as it appears in the cap below, except not as frizzy! Here are some screencaps from Season 4 - Disc 1:



Bikinis, bikinis, bikinis. . .

The Breakdown

Today's title may sound misleading. No, I'm not having a breakdown! For today's blog entry, I thought you would like to see the breakdown for each disc for Season 5, so here it is:

Disc 1: (completed)
Episode 94: "Angel in Hiding" (Part I)
Episode 94: "Angel in Hiding" (Part II)
Disc 2: (completed)
Episode 95: "To See an Angel Die"
Episode 96: "Angels of the Deep"
Disc 3: (completed)
Episode 97: "Island Angels"
Episode 98: "Waikiki Angels"
Disc 4:
Episode 99: "Hula Angels" (missing)
Episode 100: "Moonshinin' Angels"
Disc 5: (completed)
Episode 101: "He Married an Angel"
Episode 102: "Taxi Angels"
Disc 6: (completed)
Episode 103: "Angel on the Line"
Episode 104: "Chorus Line Angels"
Disc 7:
Episode 105: "Stuntwomen Angels"
Episode 106: "Attack Angels"
Disc 8:
Episode 107: "Angel on a Roll"
Episode 108: "Mr. Galaxy"
Episode 109: "Let Our Angel Live"

I used 2 sources for the titles and episode numbers. I referred to the "Charlie's Angels Casebook" by Jack Condon, and the website, charliesangels.com.

While we're on the subject, some of you may be wondering why I started with season 5 and not season 4. Well, that's unpredictable me! I always like to do things backwards I guess.

Since I don't have episode 99, I skipped ahead and did Discs 5 and 6. Here are are some screencaps from Season 5- Disc 5:

The Lovely Carol Lynley

I finished Disc 3 of Season 5, so I'm dedicating today's blog to the lovely Carol Lynley. Carol guest-starred in episode 97, "Island Angels," which is one of the episodes on the disc. It's one of my favorite season 5 episodes because of her. I first fell in love with Carol when I saw an old rerun of her movie on the late show entitled, "The Shuttered Room," and she was stunning! It was a horror film based on a novel by H.P. Lovecraft. In the movie, she inherited a creepy old English mill house that seemed to be inhabited by a monster. I recommend it if you get a chance to see it. Unfortunately, it hasn't been released on DVD. By the time Carol did Charlie's Angels, she was in her early 40s, but she still could qualify to be an Angel in my opinion (check out those gams!). Here are some screen grabs I took from my disc of the lovely Carol Lynley.