Kelly Garrett
Encyclopedia
Kelly Garrett is one of six female fictional private detectives in the 1976–1981 television series Charlie's Angels
. She was portrayed by Jaclyn Smith
, who also portrayed the character in the 1977 pilot episode of The San Pedro Beach Bums and reprised the role in a cameo in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
. She is the only Angel who stayed with the Townsend Agency for the show's entire five-season run. Uncommonly beautiful but not uniquely so, Smith's image is provided as evidence of Kelly's doppelgänger
, not once but twice (seasons one and four).
Kelly Garrett is an orphan and the most sensitive of the three Angels. It is no surprise that Kelly spent her personal time helping disadvantaged children. She volunteered at a center for autistic children, and when she found out that a single parent police officer she was working with physically abused his son, she took him to court and convinced him that he needed counseling. However, she is also the street-wise and tough Angel, and miraculously survives countless car chases, kidnappings, chloroform
ings, explosions, hostage situations, murderous post-hypnotic suggestion
, unwitting heroin addiction, and two separate incidents of a gunshot to the head.
Most of the Angels found themselves romantically involved at one time or another with someone they encountered on the job, but Kelly is the only Angel depicted having a serious romance with someone she did not meet while working on a case. In the first season, Kelly considerately, if dishonestly, breaks up with her boyfriend (played by Tom Selleck
), when she fears the hit man making attempts on her life will put him in jeopardy.
While it is Jill who gets tapped to go undercover as a dance instructor in Season One, Kelly's talents in that area flourish in her absence, as she attempts to teach Sabrina how to hula
, performs in an arena ice dancing
spectacular with Kris, belly dance
s in a hookah bar, appears in a dance performance in a Las Vegas casino, and stars in a prospective Broadway-style song-and-dance revue.,
Kelly Garrett is an expert in the martial arts including Karate and Judo.Though she often operates under the guise of dancer or model, Kelly's specialty cover consists of a Southern accent and, sometimes, glasses. Still, she is the only Angel to have passed herself off as a being from another galaxy
. In actuality, her extraterrestrial exploits are limited to jumping a motorcycle from one ramp to another as a carnival
performer, jerry-rigging a sabotaged seatbelt to avoid falling from a biplane
during aerial acrobatics, safely landing a passenger jet, and along with Kris, introduces Tiffany to such California lifestyles as surfing and roller skating. She drives a beige Mustang
(which gets blown up, twice).
Smith returns briefly to the role of Kelly in the spin-off film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
, when current Angel Dylan Sanders
(Drew Barrymore
), contemplating leaving the agency, meets Kelly in a bar. When Dylan reflects that she was a poor Angel due to her criminal past—it was recently revealed that she was in the Witness Protection Program
for testifying against her then-boyfriend—Kelly reminds her that every Angel is unique, and assures her that Charlie selected her to become an Angel for a reason. It is implied that this visit from Kelly may have been spiritual rather than literal; throughout her conversation with Dylan she is illuminated by a soft beam of sunlight, and she vanishes after Dylan turns away for a few moments.
Kelly is a favorite angel to many viewers, showing beauty, grace, and know-how in each episode. In one she successfully delivers a baby, but when later asked how many she had delivered previously, she mentions that she had only saw it on television. This shows she has medical skills as well as the ability to keep calm in an unfamiliar situation, a skill any undercover detective should posess.
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
. She was portrayed by Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
, who also portrayed the character in the 1977 pilot episode of The San Pedro Beach Bums and reprised the role in a cameo in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of $259.2 million.The cast again includes Cameron...
. She is the only Angel who stayed with the Townsend Agency for the show's entire five-season run. Uncommonly beautiful but not uniquely so, Smith's image is provided as evidence of Kelly's doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
, not once but twice (seasons one and four).
Kelly Garrett is an orphan and the most sensitive of the three Angels. It is no surprise that Kelly spent her personal time helping disadvantaged children. She volunteered at a center for autistic children, and when she found out that a single parent police officer she was working with physically abused his son, she took him to court and convinced him that he needed counseling. However, she is also the street-wise and tough Angel, and miraculously survives countless car chases, kidnappings, chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
ings, explosions, hostage situations, murderous post-hypnotic suggestion
Post-hypnotic suggestion
A Post-hypnotic suggestion is a behavior or thinking pattern that presumably will manifest after a subject has come out of the so-called "hypnotic state" .According to a psychologist at the University of New South Wales:...
, unwitting heroin addiction, and two separate incidents of a gunshot to the head.
Most of the Angels found themselves romantically involved at one time or another with someone they encountered on the job, but Kelly is the only Angel depicted having a serious romance with someone she did not meet while working on a case. In the first season, Kelly considerately, if dishonestly, breaks up with her boyfriend (played by Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
), when she fears the hit man making attempts on her life will put him in jeopardy.
While it is Jill who gets tapped to go undercover as a dance instructor in Season One, Kelly's talents in that area flourish in her absence, as she attempts to teach Sabrina how to hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
, performs in an arena ice dancing
Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
spectacular with Kris, belly dance
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
s in a hookah bar, appears in a dance performance in a Las Vegas casino, and stars in a prospective Broadway-style song-and-dance revue.,
Kelly Garrett is an expert in the martial arts including Karate and Judo.Though she often operates under the guise of dancer or model, Kelly's specialty cover consists of a Southern accent and, sometimes, glasses. Still, she is the only Angel to have passed herself off as a being from another galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. In actuality, her extraterrestrial exploits are limited to jumping a motorcycle from one ramp to another as a carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
performer, jerry-rigging a sabotaged seatbelt to avoid falling from a biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
during aerial acrobatics, safely landing a passenger jet, and along with Kris, introduces Tiffany to such California lifestyles as surfing and roller skating. She drives a beige Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
(which gets blown up, twice).
Smith returns briefly to the role of Kelly in the spin-off film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of $259.2 million.The cast again includes Cameron...
, when current Angel Dylan Sanders
Dylan Sanders
Dylan Sanders is a fictional private investigator portrayed by Drew Barrymore in the films Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle...
(Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
), contemplating leaving the agency, meets Kelly in a bar. When Dylan reflects that she was a poor Angel due to her criminal past—it was recently revealed that she was in the Witness Protection Program
United States Federal Witness Protection Program
The United States Federal Witness Protection Program is a witness protection program administered by the United States Department of Justice and operated by the United States Marshals Service that is designed to protect threatened witnesses before, during, and after a trial.A few states, including...
for testifying against her then-boyfriend—Kelly reminds her that every Angel is unique, and assures her that Charlie selected her to become an Angel for a reason. It is implied that this visit from Kelly may have been spiritual rather than literal; throughout her conversation with Dylan she is illuminated by a soft beam of sunlight, and she vanishes after Dylan turns away for a few moments.
Kelly is a favorite angel to many viewers, showing beauty, grace, and know-how in each episode. In one she successfully delivers a baby, but when later asked how many she had delivered previously, she mentions that she had only saw it on television. This shows she has medical skills as well as the ability to keep calm in an unfamiliar situation, a skill any undercover detective should posess.
External links
- Kelly Garrett at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.