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Good Morning, Charlie: A Charlie's Angels Rewatch Podcast
"Good Morning, Charlie: A Charlie's Angels Rewatch Podcast" is a weekly rewatch podcast celebrating the 50th anniversary, glamour, action, and campy brilliance of the original Charlie’s Angels.
Hosts Chris Berryman and Colby Smith revisit every episode from the iconic 1976–1981 series, diving into the fashion, the action, the camp, the cultural impact, and the history-making moments.
Behind-the-scenes scoop. Bloopers. Plot holes. Guest star and location alerts. Deep dives into the people who made it happen.
Together, we will celebrate what still sparkles and lovingly side-eye what plots points didn’t age gracefully.
Welcome to the re-opening of all the Townsend Agency's classified files. This is going to be fabulous.
Good Morning, Charlie: A Charlie's Angels Rewatch Podcast
Season 2, Episodes 9: "Unidentified Flying Angels"
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Murder!
Cults!
UFOs!
And disgraced astronauts!
What more could you possibly want out of a television show?
Colby and Chris break down S2E9: "Unidentified Flying Angels" and, along the Townsend team, get to the bottom of a scam bilking would-be wealthy space travelers and uncover a dead body on the grounds of Celestial Research Foundation's observatory.
Wrap some aluminum foil around your noggin, toss on a caftan, and put on your best Bronx accent for the deep undercover tale of close encounters turned deadly!
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Heads up, angels. While our podcast is suitable for all ages, keep in mind these episodes were produced in a different era and may include scenes of danger, crime, or themes some listeners may find sensitive or outdated. When doing our rewatch, we do our very best to discuss everything with care, context, and compassion, and always with a love for the show and respect for our listeners. Last time on Good Morning Charlie.
SPEAKER_05Well, he's already made a pass at me.
SPEAKER_10Me too.
SPEAKER_04Me three. Well, listen, maybe one of us ought to live real dangerously and get close to him. No, not me.
SPEAKER_11And coming up. Ken, stop trembling. Hold the knife boldly in the screen.
SPEAKER_10And with me, as always, is real-inducing fan favorite, Chris Berryman. Thanks for being with us this week.
SPEAKER_01How are you, Chris?
SPEAKER_10Well, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm just so sleepy.
SPEAKER_14I need some rest.
SPEAKER_07I'm tired.
SPEAKER_10Colby, I have a quick question for you. You've been every place, everywhere, all at once. Have you fully recovered from your cruise and your trip to Alaska and those several mini sicknesses you had at the same time?
SPEAKER_01Well, we'll probably edit out me clearing my throat at the beginning of this episode. I still have like a little bit of chest congestion, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_10Oh, chest congestion from the syphilis.
SPEAKER_01Otherwise, yes, I am back to normal.
SPEAKER_10I'm wondering where my present from Canada or Alaska is.
SPEAKER_01I do have presents for you from Alaska.
SPEAKER_10Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh. Is it a salmon? A salmon. Don't you hate people who say salmon? Everyone who says salmon, stop it. Did you bring me a salmon?
SPEAKER_01I do not recall whether there is a salmon or not.
SPEAKER_10Did you see any salmon?
SPEAKER_01I did, as a matter of fact.
SPEAKER_10Was it on the cruise ship while you were panning for gold in the casino?
SPEAKER_01Correct. Actually, it is on the excursion that I told you was my favorite. We went to this, what kind of looked like a state park. I don't know if it actually was because we didn't we didn't enter into like a park. Um, but we stood on this bridge and we got to watch all of the salmon swimming upstream and jumping out of the water. And do you know what else I saw in this little area where there were salmon?
SPEAKER_10I'm not over the fact you used the word like in a sentence correctly. I'm too stunned like a salmon who is swimming upstream and hit his head on a rock. What did you see?
SPEAKER_01I saw one of your favorite things.
SPEAKER_10Kylie Minogue.
SPEAKER_01Bobtails. Oh my god. They exist in the wilderness of Alaska. It's a cat.
SPEAKER_10It's a cat. There might be bobtails in Alaska. Bobtails are not native to Alaska, so if you saw one, I hope you pointed it out and got it helped.
SPEAKER_12Please stop saying that word.
SPEAKER_10Today's assignment is season two, episode nine, Unidentified Flying Angels. And everyone, get ready to put on your aluminum foil hats, because here comes your case briefing. A well-to-do socialite, wait a minute, I didn't realize this was about me, disappears after joining the Celestial Research Foundation. This is an organization offering insight and trips to outer space for the right price. This scam, or metaphorical shell game, is run by an experienced con man and a disgraced former astronaut, which we all know is the most deadly form of former astronaut. Boz and the team have to go undercover. Sabrina plays a gum-chewing P.I. from New York and also a bank vice president. And there are goons of go-go! Before he can get too excited and talk about Bobtails, let's hop straight into your super secret intel. From behind the scenes, we know the original air date is November 2nd, 1977. 50 minutes in length. It's written by Ronald Austin and James D. Buchanan, directed by Alan Barron, as mentioned last week's calendar and a second only to Dennis Donnelly and directing episodes of Charlie's Angels. Writer Ronald Austin did four episodes of Charlie's Angels. He created the 1974 television show Chopper One and wrote all 13 episodes. That was it. Just lasted one season. But I bring it up because one of the stars of Chopper One was Dirk Benedict as a policeman, who we discussed in season one's The Blue Angels, in which he played a policeman, didn't he, Colby?
SPEAKER_01He did, a very naughty one.
SPEAKER_10With a roommate. And we'll see Dirk again in season two's The Jade Trap. Writer James D. Buchanan, co-writer rather, was never the president, but he was also a writer of all 13 episodes of Chopper 1, and also a writer of four episodes of Charlie's Angels. And he shares a ton of credits with Ronald Austin because they frequently teamed up. Colby.
SPEAKER_01You may remember Dennis Cole from Dancing in the Dark, a lovely season one episode. He was married to Jacqueline Smith, Kelly Garrett, from 1978 to 1981. We, of course, discussed the unfortunate tragic shooting of his son. He and Jaclyn Smith during this episode are dating at this point, and we will see him again in season three. Uh what is the name of that episode?
SPEAKER_10Um It Skiing Angels or Yeah, Mystery of the Skiing Bobtails.
SPEAKER_01Yes, pretty much. He had nine appearances on Fantasy Island, two appearances on Murder She Done Sat Down and She Wrote. One of his episodes on Murder She Wrote is with Linda Hamilton and Brian Cranston. He's been on a Love Boat, Three's Company, many uh TV series loved by this podcast. And there is your surprise guest star alert because Dennis Cole deserves it. Girl that you do. They filmed on location for this episode. The Celestial Research Foundation, or the UFO Gathering Spot, is Castle Ranch or Shays Castle and the Antelope Valley. It is about 60 miles north of LA, built in the 1920s, and is a private residence today. Its resume includes Harry O, Starskin Hutch, Airwolf, and includes Episode 1 of season five Buffy vs. Dracula, the fifth season of Buffy.
SPEAKER_10No, wait. Was this the Burfee episode by any chance with those two stupid what you rattled on about it, those brother goons who reminded you of the other goons and you made a post about it?
SPEAKER_01Gort's brothers are from season three and us Buffy fans know that Dracula does not appear until season five and gets kicked by Buffy.
SPEAKER_10I will defend my question because what is Dracula? A vampire? And these two brothers who rattled on about their vampires, am I correct? So can you see? Can you understand why I asked this question? I can ask you to put all that attitude away.
SPEAKER_01Is also in the 1969 film Blood of Dracula's Castle and 2022's Babylon.
SPEAKER_10Were those two brothers from what you blathered on about, were they in Blood of Dracula's Castle?
SPEAKER_01In 1969, who knows? They could have been. They live forever.
SPEAKER_10I defend my question for that very reason. Please continue.
SPEAKER_01Additional exterior locations. King Gillette Ranch is in Calabasas, which is about an hour west of LA, and very close to a location we mention often, the Paramount Studios Ranch. Its resume includes get ready for this. Another connection. A connection that I'm sure Chris will love, The Brady Bunch. As well as The Rookies Fantasy Island, The Rockford Files. And we see it in Charlie's Angels again in 1979's Teen Angels. Other assorted classified details. This episode hits peak UFO fever in America. Star Wars had fanned that flame in the spring and was still a huge box office draw even when this episode aired. Close Encounters of the Third Kind would come out two weeks after this episode. UFO cult scams were an actual thing and have continued to be. In the early 1970s, these loosely formed groups began to turn into full-committed religious movements. A new wave of sightings across the globe was happening, which made these groups even more popular. There was a standard recurring pattern to these scams. Someone had personal contact with extraterrestrials. They always seem to have superior knowledge. The contactee becomes the powerful exclusive intermediary. There's a blur between religion and science the leaders exploit to appear polished, privileged, and transcendent. Examples from the 70s include Ryalism and Heaven's Gate, which we will discuss more later this episode. That is a lot of background info and trivia. So let's take a breath and a break to refill our wine glasses before Chris moves on to the debrief. We will be right back, angels.
SPEAKER_12Life as an angel is often less than heavenly. Discover why as the new issue of TV Guide focuses on Charlie's angels.
SPEAKER_01We are back, and Chris is going to lead us into the debrief.
SPEAKER_10Thank you, Colby. Now the crinkling you hear is not the typical crinkling you hear from my aging bones and joints.
SPEAKER_13She is old.
SPEAKER_10It's my aluminum foil hat. Colby, do you think you'll crinkle when you get that box put in your back?
SPEAKER_01I'm actually going to ask them a question about whether or not it's going to interfere with a metal detector.
SPEAKER_00Where did you go to school?
SPEAKER_10Yes, it's going to interfere with a metal detector. What's going to be in the metal box?
SPEAKER_01Oh, what's in the box? I don't know if there's anything in it. I think it's just connecting the two vertebros.
SPEAKER_10I hope it's full of surprises. Or ghosts. Guest star Ross Martin as Dr. Franklin Perine ushers a few wealthy and well-dressed folks into what we think it's sort of an observatory room. He pulls open the drapes to reveal a balcony in the evening sky. There they are, he exclaims, as a silver saucer approaches the window, spins, blinks, flies, does the hokey pokey, and goes overhead and then zooms back around. While almost everyone there is enraptured, their mouth hanging open like a codfish. An older lady in the group does not quite believe all she's seen.
SPEAKER_04No, I don't believe it. I don't believe any of this. It's just not possible. No, no, please leave me alone. It's the temperature, don't you see? The temperature on Venus. It's just not possible.
SPEAKER_10Makes it known, makes it known why she's not believing what she's seen, and she is snatched bald headed by two goons and ushered right out of that room. Whoop! Cut to the Townsend Agency establishing shot and scene. We're about to get the scoop. Who's missing? Murdered, or embroiled in this week's mayhem?
SPEAKER_15Who is it?
SPEAKER_10Well, it's a young Joyce Sheridan played by Michelle Nichols. Her aunt is missing. And that's all she knows. Her aunt has a personal assistant at Seth Corday, played by actor Ken Olfson, managing her affairs and her house, but he, the PA, and we don't know why, and we don't know who her aunt is either, won't talk with Joyce. There's only one clue. Joyce received a letter from her aunt, whose name we now know is Charlotte Sheridan, and we're beginning to suspect, wait a minute, could that be the older lady in the opening scene? And Charlotte Sheridan B.T. Dubs is played by Ernestine Barrier. Charlotte Sheridan wrote her niece Joyce quite excited about a lecture she'd attended, at which she met a former astronaut by the name of James Britton, actor Dennis Cole, who'd promised he'd take her on a trip.
SPEAKER_01Guest star alert niece Joyce is actor Michelle Nichols, related to Nelle Nichols, I think that is the case. No, it is not true at all.
SPEAKER_04We are family. And that's what we're gonna stay.
SPEAKER_01She had already appeared in two Aaron Spelling-related productions. The TV movie Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole for ABC in 1972, a guest spot on The Rookies, also in 72. Fun fact, she had a guest gig on the Mary Tyler Moore show, and was in the Lucille Ball-led theatrical release, MAME, in 1974.
SPEAKER_10Which also had Bee Arthur in it, and Bee Arthur was in the original Broadway cast of MAME.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_10With Angela Lansbury, a future star of murder, she done sat down as she wrote.
SPEAKER_00Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_10I know. I'm great at this.
SPEAKER_00You're so brave and so authentic.
SPEAKER_14And immediately we were like, She is so brave and beautiful.
SPEAKER_10The easiest place everyone thinks is all right, fine, fine, fine. Let's go to Charlotte Sheridan's mansion, and we, the Townsend team, will confront her PA, Seth Corday. Since he wouldn't talk to the niece, Sabrina and Boz show up in a strong arm their way, almost literally, into the house, posing as reps for Mrs. Sheridan's bank. Pretending her main account is overdrawn, Seth Corday pronounces that's impossible. He's the one authorized to draw on this account on her behalf. But Mrs. Sheridan has been out of town for over a month, so it must be a bank error. As Sabrina plays tougher and tougher and tougher as to the consequences to Seth for this overdrawn account, Seth, wearing a big gay new age caftan and drinking a big gay martini, has a big gay meltdown. He confesses he doesn't know where she is.
SPEAKER_09I know this sounds simply insane, but well, after all, she is an insane old lady. I know how this will sound. And with me under suspicion. But she said she might go to another planet. On my mother's head, that's the truth. She'd gotten into something called the Celestial Research Foundation. And that's all she talked about. And then one day, she went out and never came back.
SPEAKER_10And he practically bursts into tears. He can hardly stay upright, and it's the 1977 equivalent to shake it.
SPEAKER_09Hagador, I need some peer and tablets quickly. What do you take? Nothing.
SPEAKER_10They leave him there, just frazzled. Frazzled, I say, and see themselves out. In an odd twist, Sabrina just scoops up Mrs. Sheridan's little dog on the way out, saying to Bosley, Hey, hey, hey, let's go, ma'am.
SPEAKER_06Oh, it isn't. We'll give it back to Mrs. Sheridan when we find her listening lighter.
SPEAKER_15I'm just worried about Charlie's rubber.
SPEAKER_06Full responsibility for Charlie's rugs.
SPEAKER_01We have another guest star alert. The nervous and frazzled yet somehow indignant and a bit snobbish personal assistant is played by Ken Olfson. A Disney connection? Yes, there is. A 1977 appearance on The Wonderful World of Disney, but before Charlie's Angels, Olson was a regular on the Nancy Walker show, playing Nancy Walker's secretary, Terry. Why is this noteworthy? The character Terry was gay, and contemporary and later television histories identify him as the first gay male character who was a regular or central character on an American television series. Very cool. As a quick reminder, we know Nancy Walker as Rhoda's mother, Ida Morgenstern, from the Mary Tyler Moore show, and then the spinoff, Rhoda. Nancy Walker later portrayed Rosie, the bounty paper towel lady, you know, the quicker picker-upper. Ken Olfsen was in 1987 Spaceballs, as well as the pilot of Murder, she wrote. Other fun appearances, he is in Three's Company, Madam's Place, Benson, Break Into, Electric Boogaloo, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and tons of Broadway productions because gay.
SPEAKER_10Gay. Thank you for that, Colby.
SPEAKER_01Now where's that dog?
SPEAKER_10You may often hear that Billy Crystal's character, Jody on Soap, was the first series regular who's gay. But it was really this guy in the Nancy Walker show. But it only lasted one season, I believe, so maybe that's why it doesn't get its due. But where is Sabrina and the dog? Well, thank you for asking, Colby. We don't know. But we do know where Bosley is. He's with Chris at the headquarters of the Celestial Research Foundation, which was my first job out of college. It seems to be your typical kind of downtown office front. Boz is no longer a banker. Nay, I say, I say nay. He is now a sugar daddy. And Chris is his new young squeeze who just loves outer space and the future. We are introduced, along with Chris and Boz, to their office space and Dr. Perrine and his hairy hairy astronaut disgraced henchman, James Britton.
SPEAKER_15I'm not used to doing two of these in one day, and I'm still in banking.
SPEAKER_04No, Bosley. You are in the sugar dairy business.
SPEAKER_02Bosley?
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_02How do you do? I'm Dr. Parrine. And uh this charming young lady would be Chris Monroe. Chris. Pleasure always. We're delighted whenever anybody shows any interest in our work.
SPEAKER_15Well, to tell you the truth, it's the young lady's interest. She gets excited about a lot of things.
SPEAKER_06Oh, yes, I'm very interested in space and and the future.
SPEAKER_02Oh, well, in that case, you probably would like to meet uh James Britton, famous astronaut.
SPEAKER_04Oh, I I really would we really would.
SPEAKER_02Fine. He happens to be in my office at the moment. Why don't you come in? Huh?
SPEAKER_04James Britton? You're James Britton.
SPEAKER_02Commander James Britton. Mr. Bosley, how do you do?
SPEAKER_15Well, I'm quite impressed to find a man of your background involved, Commander. I must admit that initially I was slightly skeptical.
SPEAKER_13Well, that's understandable. First time I saw UFO, uh, I could hardly believe it myself.
SPEAKER_04You saw UFO with your own eyes?
SPEAKER_13Sure did. And there's a good chance you will too, uh, if you become a member.
SPEAKER_04Oh, well, we're joining, aren't we, honey?
SPEAKER_15Well, uh, how much is the membership fee?
SPEAKER_02Well, the initiation fee is only $7,500. Of course, if you decide to stay, uh, there'll be some additional charges for the field trips. Well, ours is an elite membership, Mr. Bosley.
SPEAKER_10After a mere forty thousand dollars in application fees, that's forty thousand in today's dollars. Sugar Daddy Boss and official eye candy Chris are now official members.
SPEAKER_11Welcome to the club, Toots.
SPEAKER_10Now we know where Sabrina is. She's in a car. She's in her orange pento with plaid interior.
SPEAKER_06My white slimline telephone with last number redial.
SPEAKER_10She attempts to follow Dr. Perine and ends up way out in the desert, confronted by the doc and some extra goons and their guns. And I was thinking this whole time, Sabrina's really not good at tailing people. What's up with that? Except we learn this is exactly what Sabrina wanted to happen. She wanted them to see her, notice her, and uh quote unquote trap her, because she's posing as a PI from the Bronx, attempting to find a woman last seen at the Celestial Research Foundation.
SPEAKER_02I think you better stop talking, young lady.
SPEAKER_05It's no big deal. I was hired to follow one of your members, a Mrs. Carol Forrester.
SPEAKER_02We don't have any Mrs. Carol Forrester registered at the foundation.
SPEAKER_05Ah, come on, Doctor. Look, I followed her to your office.
SPEAKER_02Followed her, why?
SPEAKER_05Because her husband thinks she's strutting her stuff. I'm sorry. I'm only doing my job here.
SPEAKER_02Miss Duncan, I can assure you that this jealous husband's suspicions are completely groundless. We happen to run a very legitimate scientific foundation.
SPEAKER_06Now look, maybe she's there under like an assume name, you know?
SPEAKER_02Of course that's always possible. I tell you what. We take you back there.
SPEAKER_06Yeah?
SPEAKER_02You find your lady and you go. Okay. And you don't come back.
SPEAKER_10And this is completely fabricated just to get the doctor to allow her to have a looky loo inside the foundation at their next official gathering.
SPEAKER_01One of my favorite Sabrina isms is the gum chewing New Yorker.
SPEAKER_10Alright. Quick review. Missing aunt. Worried niece. Personal assistant. Boz undercover. Yes. Is everyone here? I can't even review. Boz is undercover as a banker, now a sugar daddy, and a brand new member of the foundation. Chris? His eye candy. And also a member of the foundation. Dog? We don't know still. And what is Kelly doing? We're about 20 minutes in, and we don't have any idea other than dating Dennis Cole. We don't know what's up.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think we'll find out after a short break. I can't wait.
SPEAKER_14If elected, I promise immediate action on three issues. Betty's making another speech. That means another spell. But I am ready. Half a bounty? Bounty's the quicker picker of them. Out of the counter. Half machine'll prove it. Betty, if you want my vote, clean up my counter. Pat's getting it all. Fast too. But how much faster is Bounty than other towns? Let's try the race. Bounty against the next best two for my brand. Hey, look how much faster Bounty's getting up the whole spill. This brand just can't observe as faster as much. But even with Bounty's the quicker picker upper. That's amazing. And that same bounty is still plenty strong. Rosie, Bounty's got my vote. Mine too. It's unanimous. Bounty is the quicker picker-upper. Half a sheet'll prove it.
SPEAKER_01We are back, and this seems like a good time to discuss Dr. Franklin Perine, played by Ross Martin. Super famous for his role of Artemis Gordon alongside Robert Conrad's Jim West and 104 episodes of The Wild Wild West in the late 1960s, and later reprised that role in the follow-up 1979 TV movie The Wild Wild West Revisited. And 1980s more Wild Wild West. He was nominated for a 1969 Emmy for his performance. Other fun appearances we always enjoy mentioning: The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Wonderful World of Disney in 1977, Wonder Woman in 1978. Voices and animated hits such as C Lab 2020, The All New Popeye Hour, and Super Friends. Chris, we know what everyone else is up to. Well, aside from the dog and Kelly.
SPEAKER_10We do, and thanks for that lead-in. First, however, it becomes evident the Celestial Foundation has a couple of sites. The downtown office we've seen a bit of, and then this out in the middle of nowhere sight slash house slash castle slash observatory. We mentioned this in some of the details and behind the scenes stuff at the top of the show. The real life castle ranch, the one an hour north of LA. This is their Site House Castle Observatory. Members are gathered, dressed for success. They are dripping in money. But another thing they have in common almost all of them are brand new members. And Sabrina is there undercover as that Bronx P.I. And this scene is really, really great. All she does as she's talking to them at this meeting is point to a random woman who walks in front of her and says, There she is, that's her to Dr. Perrine.
SPEAKER_05There she is. That's Mrs. Forrester.
SPEAKER_02That's Mrs. Forrester. And her husband's jealous? She told me her name was Marjorie Douglas.
SPEAKER_10He commences, Dr. Perrine, to spout off all manner of pseudoscience, just like we talked about is typical of these cults and these groups. The aliens are with us. They could be her right now, right here. And they all communicate with him. Sound familiar? But also sometimes his associate commander Britton. I guess astronauts have ranks. I never really put all of that together. I suppose they do. Captain and Commander Well somebody has to steer the rocket or whatever it's called. I don't know. I'm not a scientist.
SPEAKER_14I'm not a scientist, Father.
SPEAKER_10They're talking about the astronaut Commander Britton, who just now showed up to the big party. Sabrina takes this chance to pick a fight with the doctor and Chris, making fun of the entire thing and making fun of Chris for believing it. Everyone's an idiot.
SPEAKER_04Listen, if you don't believe like the rest of this, then what are you doing here? I mean, nobody's keeping you.
SPEAKER_15That's a very good suggestion, like a scene, dear.
SPEAKER_05You know, you look just like the kind of dumb dits that will believe this baloney. Yeah? Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Hey, hey, hey, you're me down, you big of a bit!
SPEAKER_05Come on, mommy, you're all my gum here. Hey, come on.
SPEAKER_10And as one of the doctor's goons picks her up by the waist, up in the air, to carry her out to the front door. Kate Jackson totally swallows her gum by mistake. And you can see her eyes get big, and she plays it off, no cuts, and these pros just keep going at it and toss her right out the front door.
SPEAKER_01Not only that, but Chris does such a good job. When he says that the aliens might be with us, she's like.
SPEAKER_02Actually, the space people who are with us now come from a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. It's 4.8 light years away from us.
SPEAKER_04Oh, um, pardon me.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_04Did you say that the space people that are with us now?
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm. We're in contact with them. As a matter of fact, some of our space visitors may very well be mingling with us right this moment in this room.
SPEAKER_07Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_10Here's a fun question for you. Why did Sabrina undercover as this gum-chewing PI, why did she throw this fake fit to get thrown out?
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm gonna talk about that later in the episode.
SPEAKER_10Are you now? Yes. Oh my god, I can't wait to not pay attention. Now, the doctor, fearing the impact of Sabrina making fun of the group and their belief system, the doctor tells Britton, hurry, come on, click. We gotta, we gotta, we gotta get over this. It's time for a good show.
SPEAKER_02I've had a whole room full of people in there. I've had to handle this whole thing by myself. There's big money in there. Well, who's the girl? Oh, some private detective sent to look after some old broad. She shot her mouth off pretty good in there. We'd better give him a good show. Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention for a moment, please? I have a very exciting announcement to make. Commander Britton has just made contact with a space vehicle.
SPEAKER_13The contact has definitely been made. Some of the visitors will appear outside in about seven minutes. If you'd like to see them, you can just follow me to the observation room right this way, please.
SPEAKER_10And they all trot off en masse to the observatory, that room we saw at the top of show. So I was right. We were right. It was indeed an observatory. Back in this room, we saw at the very beginning, the scene plays out exactly the same. The curtains part, revealing an outdoor deck, and the dark, dark desert sky. And here comes a silver saucer flying directly overhead.
SPEAKER_01Some related. I might have missed it, and please tell me if I did miss it. But Sabrina being like being invited back to the uh observatory, if you've as you've been calling it, the castle, what was necessary about what she's been doing. So Bosley and Chris are already at the castle. Right. They could have just told Sabrina where this place was. I don't know that anything Sabrina has done so far has um produced a result that would move the case forward. Then with a long sigh.
SPEAKER_10In other words, you don't know why she threw a fit to get thrown out either.
SPEAKER_01I don't either. She's back.
SPEAKER_10Alright. Kelly. Thank you, Jacqueline Smith, for rescuing me from this conversation. And her role in the investigation heads to the airport and runs into shamed besmirched astronaut Britain, played by Dennis Cole, again, her real life boyfriend, who the team already knew offered flying lessons to make extra money. She acts a little lost and confused, and I'm I'm looking around the airport because you can just walk on airports and just yeah, it was the seventies.
SPEAKER_01In the seventies, yes, you can.
SPEAKER_10You could just, did you hear what I just said? Am I the only one listening to me right now? You can just smoke a Siggy. Not buckle your gas station. Mm-hmm. Pump that gas, smoke that Siggy, have your child put it out right in your baby's fontanel. She says, I'm just looking to get flying lessons, and I just happen to stumble in here. And oh my god, you could give me flying lessons? You're a pilot? Great. And some heavy flirting leads to an invitation to leave right this moment in time and go have a drink, and I know that's right. Use free flying lessons if you're let me buy you a drink.
SPEAKER_04Well, how about if I take the drink and we donate the flying lessons to a worthy cause?
SPEAKER_10Yeah. That's how you meet up a smurched astronaut and take a flying lesson. And something I really enjoy here, while obviously on location in an actual airport hangar for tiny planes, Jacqueline Smith, as an actor, remembers to raise her voice because there's typical background noise, airports, planes back and forth, up and down. Well, Dennis Cole just delivers his lines normally. And you would think, since they were busy stooping in real life, Jaclyn would have said to him after the first take, she would have leaned in and she would have gone, Dennis, Dennis, honey, Dennis, honey, you're so you're so pretty, Dennis. But in post, they're gonna edit in lots of airport noises, and so kind of like we're up in the club, I'm gonna need you to raise your voice. But I guess he was just too hairy and pretty for her to do that, and I get it, there was too much at stake. Now, time passes from them heading off to get a drink, and it's necessary to play on this relationship they've developed to press Britain for some more info. If who they now are pretty darn sure is Charlotte Sheridan, if she was dragged from that room, she's dead. Somewhere probably around the desert headquarters of the Foundation.
SPEAKER_01Well, first of all, they do have a little bit more information to confirm that Sheridan is in fact missing because you skipped over maybe the most important scene in the episode. It is Alien Goddess Kelly.
SPEAKER_10To you, I was thinking of our listeners and trying to move this voyage to destruction along.
SPEAKER_01I disagree.
SPEAKER_10I was trying to get it.
SPEAKER_01Witnessing Alien Goddess Kelly is very important.
SPEAKER_10Iceberg. Well, you're calling her a goddess, and then you talk about me using the word observatory. I won't have it.
SPEAKER_01So when she meets Nolan, the the man who has uh inherited his father's uh bicycle emporium.
SPEAKER_10Well, tell everyone who Nolan is. I have not mentioned Nolan.
SPEAKER_01You have not. And unfortunately, this actor's not credited in this episode. I'm very sad about it.
SPEAKER_10He is not. So who Nolan is in the very first episode at Top of Show, there's one foundation member who's just oh torn up because he's so into it. Kind of in his, I'd say, mid-30s, just into it. And at the party we were just talking about, where Sabrina throws a fit and gets thrown out. He's the only former member, well, the only existing member at this party. Everyone else is new. So his name's Nolan, and they find out. Go for it, Colby. See everyone, I was trying to see if you all look like that.
SPEAKER_01Kelly poses as an alien that is attached to this research foundation, and she asks Nolan if he knows anything about this missing Ms. Sheridan. He said that uh she gave a little bit of information about the temperature on Venus, and that due to her knowledge, it would not be possible for the aliens to use Venus as a station before they come to Earth. They didn't want her telling this information to any of the other members, and lo and behold, Miss Sheridan is missing. So we do find that out before some quote-unquote time passes. I can't tell you. Let's get back to Kelly's flying lessons. How about that?
SPEAKER_10Which was all I ever wanted. I don't ask for much. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01I need someone to explain to me where the black light comes from when Kelly shows the symbol of the foundation to Nolan. She's like, hey, turn off the lights. I'm gonna show you the symbol, and then magic black light appears. The triangle.
SPEAKER_04You symbol of perfect shape, perfect form. Each side supports the other like the universal symbiosis of time, matter, and energy.
SPEAKER_01I uh I always knew that they'd be beautiful.
unknownThank you.
SPEAKER_01Please, please, um comment if you know how uh this magic black light got into this room. You may proceed.
SPEAKER_10Do you think maybe that little tidbit could be yet another reason I glossed over this and skipped it entirely? I've never been more miserable, but I'm gonna feel better in a minute. Because Kelly wants to get another flying lesson, but it's not like a jet in angel flight. It's a single engine, one propeller, open cockpit biplane. Visualize what people do wing walking on at air shows. She's gonna try to press this astronaut for more info. There is a blooper noted on many fan sites, and I I think maybe on IMDb. But the plane scenes and that footage used for plane in the air is different than the cockpit close-ups of Kelly and the pilotslash astronaut Britain. And it's consistently a different plane throughout the episode. It has different windscreens. They have a great lesson there, the time of their lives, they laugh and laugh. It results in a lovely establishing shot of a swinging singles apartment complex with some swinging singles music as Kelly and Britton enjoy a steak dinner he's cooked in celebration of their quite successful lesson. He is playing it hard and heavy for her over their candlelight evening. As the mood music swells in the background, he confesses because he really likes her. He was bounced out of the space program. He doesn't say why, but Colby it was terrible. And he started drinking. The mood music swells. His marriage even ended because of it. The mood music swells. He was dead financially and emotionally. Something else I have in common with this episode. And now he's stuck. Stuck where, says Kelly.
SPEAKER_13I work for a. It's called a foundation. It's supposed to be a research center for space vehicles, aliens from outer space. That sort of stuff.
SPEAKER_04You're part of something like that?
SPEAKER_13Well, I'm the front for it. My credentials are what brings the suckers in. Who? Rich people? People who are desperate to believe that kind of junk. To them, it's a kind of a substitute for religion. And they get their money's worth. Now you know.
SPEAKER_04You're right, it's not very pretty. You're a show for a kan gang.
SPEAKER_10Well, Kelly, inside of this Swingin' Singles apartment complex with swinging singles music, says, just stop. Just get out of it. He could get in trouble working in this fraudulent operation with such dangerous people. And she hugs him for comfort because, well, Kelly's between a rock and a hard place. She doesn't know what to do. She hasn't learned to love again since Tom Selleck. And now she's really in a pickle. The next day, Britton rushes into the desert castle slash observatory of the Foundation. The doctor has done some quick research on Kelly and discovered she's a private investigator, and finally, thank you, Cher, finally a consequence of an angel using her real name while undercover.
SPEAKER_08She ripped the phone cord out of the wall and left him there to die. Here's the lesson. Being wronged does not make you incapable of wrongdoing. If your anger ever starts turning into a plan, that's the moment to get help.
SPEAKER_10Okay, I was on a roll. The doctor instructs Britain. You fly Kelly Garrett out over that desert for a lesson, and you flip that plane, and you dump her out. Dump her what? Out. But Britain doesn't want to kill. So sadly, this kind of tells us what Charlotte Sheridan's fate indeed was is. But the fate of the dog? Colby, thank you for asking. Finally, the fate of the dog is revealed. How? Thank you, Colby, again. You're so timely. During one of these aforementioned group sessions classes for a steep sum of money, Chris and Boz are there learning about space from the doctor. And Chris distracts the doctor with a few questions while Boz slithers out of the observatory and gets the dog, I guess, out of the car where the dog's been left in the desert in the hot, hot heat. But again, it was the 70s. Put a dog in a car, smoke a cigarette where you want. He puts the dog on a leash and starts walking around the grounds with the dog. And the poor little angel baby dog leads Boz right to a shallow grave with a high heel popping out of the ground. And there we have it.
SPEAKER_01If that isn't bad enough, Chris is inside a room alone with Dr. Perine, who wants to talk about, of course, interplanetary sex. Uh so because men are creeps, like I don't know why you think this woman who is interested in space is also interested in you. But don't be that guy. The second that she resists him, he is interrupted by his goons, thankfully. But then he tells Chris that she may want to rethink her devotion to the foundation. And then Chris utters the, to me, the most wonderful line in this episode.
SPEAKER_04You know, on Mars are right here, you men are all the same.
SPEAKER_01Just kind of a gross scene that I wish didn't have to happen. It of course makes sense because he's a con man, uh, but it's just so gross.
SPEAKER_10As Boz and the dog are discovering that shallow grave in high heel, Sabrina, well, now we know where she is. She too is outside. Was she has she been there ever since they threw her out? I don't know. But she's combing the ground and she is spotted by people who work at the foundation just as she discovers over sort of like a little rocky desert dune, the fake saucer and all of the controls and toots and whistles and fans and strings and levers used to operate it on during its flights toward the castle headquarters and back around. The goons dash out of the observatory castle and dash across the fields to Sabrina and they uh catch up with her. And I'm gonna tell you what, Kate Jackson does some fantastic I I don't know how many takes they had to do, but Kate Jackson is hustling across this desert. She is hustling up and down, and I'm like, yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, you are a fine actor. The doctor and the goons confront her, they catch up to her in a car, but before any harm can come to her, the day is saved because Boz and Chris roll up with the police. It's implied when Boz found the body, he immediately contacted the police and they came a flying.
SPEAKER_01That is wonderful news, but before we completely wrap this up, we are going to take another quick break.
SPEAKER_11Are we alone? Has there been a government cover-up? To find out, we invite you now to reach the outer limits of your imagination by communicating across the O Stone into the bottomless infinity of states. Perhaps if you hear that you're a doctor, or maybe just an asset. Whichever is the case, to become a believer, just call the number on your screen. And hear some of the most incredible stories imaginable from people who have loved them. But who are frightened to anything until now. Who knows what form they may take when they visit our planet? How well do you know the person sitting next to you at this very moment? Oh, and one more thing. If you've had a close encounter with an extraterrestrial being, call and let us hear your story. If we used it, you could win $500. Now that's a prize that's really out of this world.
SPEAKER_01We are back, angels, and let's see how this week's case concludes.
SPEAKER_10Thank you, Colby. Let's do one more little tea tiny wrap-up before we conclude. Body of Charlotte Sheridan found, complete with high heel in air. What happened to the dog? Well, we know now he's fine. He found the body and the shoe, and I'm sure he is in a loving, caring home. Chris, Sabrina, and Bosley, all safe and sound. The doc and his goons, snatched bald headed and red-handed by the police. But again this episode we ask, what about Kelly? What about Debbie? Reluctant.
SPEAKER_03Husband number two, the senator. He loved his state, he loved his country. What about Debbie? Sorry, Debbie, no Mercedes this year. We have to set an example.
SPEAKER_10Relieved. Malibu Barbie. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03All I ever wanted was a ballerina Barbie and her pretty pink tutu. My birthday. I was ten. And you know what they got me? Malibu Barbie. Malibu Barbie.
SPEAKER_02The nightmare.
SPEAKER_03The nerd.
SPEAKER_10Oh, everyone, you're just gonna have to I need a sip of wine. Oh, that sippy was necessary. What about Kelly? She's at the airfield. Reluctantly, Britton is prepping for Kelly's next lesson. You know, the lesson during which he was instructed to kill her, to just flip her uppity doo-daw, much like Colby on his incline machine. And he does so by cutting through her seatbelt. He doesn't know all this is going on out at their desert headquarters slash observatory. So he's proceeding full tilt boogie. But they aren't in the air very long making small talk and smiling and laughing. By the way, by the way, just because you're in a year's biplane, does that mean you have to wear the little tight leather helmet with straps and goggles like your Snoopy on top of his doghouse shooting at the Red Baron? And much like Snoopy atop his doghouse, Kelly also has a scarf wrapped around her neck flying around. I think if she had indeed fallen out of the plane, she just could have used her scarf.
SPEAKER_01As a parachute?
SPEAKER_10Yes. I think that would have been great. But Kelly notices her seatbelt. Thank goodness Kelly is observant. And Kelly whips off her belt, still will make being cute, being fabulous, and making small talk, whips off her belt and straps herself into the seat safely. After completing a few barrel rolls, Britton doesn't have much time to wonder why come it isn't Kelly has not plummeted to this very earth because she pulls a gun on him and forces a landing, a safe landing. And what does this teach us? This teaches us Kelly Garrett has super awesome luck in airplanes. Now we do conclude the episode at the typical Towns and Agency debrief. We learn from the niece, Joyce. Her aunt's estate has been settled. They've established the relationship. So yes, the missing aunt is Charlotte. Everybody knows it now. The estate has been settled, and she's going to utilize her aunt's money to fund her work within developing nations.
SPEAKER_01I do have one final guest star alert, and the opening scene, The Wealthy Charlotte Sheridan, is played by Ernestine Barrier. While her role here was quite minor, she was 69 years old when this episode was filmed, and she brought with her a rich history on Broadway and Taming of the Shrew, as but one example. 24 years before Unidentified Flying Angels, Ernestine Barrier had already been to space in the 1953 theatrical sci-fi release, Project Moonbase, in which she played the president of the United States. Come on, Ernestine.
SPEAKER_10I see you, Ms. Barrier, Your Honor, Your Excellency, Madam President. God, it can't happen soon enough.
SPEAKER_01I mean. I think Chris does a really spectacular job in this episode. My gripe, as I kind of mentioned earlier with Sabrina, also Kelly's time with Britton, this work that she's doing doesn't lead the case forward. Everyone knew it was a con. We didn't really need Britton to confess that it was a con and that he was attached to it. Like, none of what Kelly and Chris do really lead to solving the case. The only thing we really needed was Bosley finding the body. My other tiny little gripe is we're talking about aliens. Did you need to kill Miss Sheridan because she said the temperature on Venus is 900 degrees? They're an advanced race. You can't science talk your way out of the temperature. You need to kill her. And I don't want to gripe too much about the writing, um, but like maybe take five minutes and write a little bit more into the story. What is your opinion of this episode? Do you like it?
SPEAKER_10I do. Everyone knows I'm superficial and I enjoy that quality and other things around me, such as this episode. I loved Kate Jackson choking on her gum and just rolling with it, just rolling. She'd probably the day before filmed all those outdoor running scenes and was exhausted. And was gonna make that into a one-take if it killed her and everyone around her.
SPEAKER_01I'm very glad that you enjoyed this episode. And now we have a little bit of information about alien cults from the 70s. One is called Ryalism. Ryalism is a UFO-based religious movement founded in the 1970s by French sports journalist Claude Vaurion, who is still living. Their religion is based on Claude's claims that he was visited by an advanced extraterrestrial race of humans called the Elohim. And that means those who came from the sky. Claude went on to write a few books about his encounter with the entity called Yahweh, who said that humans on Earth were the result of advanced humans from space using genetic manipulation. The Elohim told him to spread their message on Earth to prepare humanity for their eventual return, at which time they would create a new society without money, war, or illness. Among the main tenets of Ryalism are a rejection of other religions and the acceptance of open sexuality. I mention this cult because of the freedom of sexuality, and in the episode, the doctor speaks briefly about letting go of inhibitions and interplanetary sex. Probably the most famous is Heaven's Gate. We associate Heaven's Gate with the 1997 mass suicide, but the organization was already attracting enormous attention in the mid-70s when this episode aired. Created in 1974 by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, known to followers as Doe and Ty, the two leaders, Nettles and Applewhite, met in 1972 and went on a journey of spiritual discovery, calling themselves the two witnesses of the Book of Revelation. This Heaven's Gate is also attached to Christianity, attracting a following of several hundred people in the mid-70s. In 1976, Chris, a core group of 50 or so members stopped recruiting and instituted a monastic lifestyle. The later suicide of the members was an effort to shed themselves of their containers, which is what they viewed the human body, and board the spacecraft that they believed was trailing behind Haley's comet, which was at its closest proximity to Earth in 1997.
SPEAKER_10Oh, are you done? I'm sorry. I was busy signing up for Claude's cult once I heard about the open sexuality. We're steering this ship on into dock, or what did you call it? We're porting the ship. All right. Before we go, I have a little surprise for Colby. Colby, the actor playing Charlotte Sheridan, Ernestine Barrier, you told us a little bit about her. She has a Disney connection. I can't wait to tell you about. She played a role in what live-action Disney film would you like to guess? In years to come, I can guarantee a dozen grand. It all comes back to million dollar duck and the no mobile. We appreciate you being here with us this tweak. Be sure to follow us on the cult week. We have formed on Facebook, Instagram, and especially our Patreon. It's free to join, and members at certain levels get certain bonus perks. And while on the topic of Patreon members, a big shout out to brand new cult member, I mean Patreon member, Chuck Henson. Chuck is a dear friend of mine and he himself, what a voice. He is the voice. He has two podcasts of his very own. The Real Happy Ending, which is a mindfulness pod about lifestyle, health, and wellness, along with Joining US, the 50-year-old history of Fans of America. Thank you, Chuck!
SPEAKER_01Yes, thank you, Lead Angel Chuck.
SPEAKER_10Uh next week's episode is what now? Angels on the Air. Colby and I can't wait to be with you next week when we break down this season two episode, Angels on the Air. It's a little bit country, it's a little bit rock and roll, it's a little bit WKRP, but not exact tonight. So until then, bye Angels.
SPEAKER_12Bye, Angels. Bye, Angels.
SPEAKER_01That successfully wraps up another mission. Good morning, Charlie is produced by Prince Berryman and me, Colby Smith.
SPEAKER_03Editing provided by MalaBoo Barbie!
SPEAKER_01Be sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and click subscribe so you never miss a call from Charlie. Up a review while you're there, because we love hearing from our angels in the field. Want more undercover fun? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for extras, and see even more top secret content on our Patreon. A special thank you to Laurel and Kevin, our Charlie's Inner Circle subscribers. Don't hang up that phone, Angels, because we will be back.
SPEAKER_03That's not who I was! I was a ballerina! Great garlic kit! They had to go.