Certainly not the standard Charlie's Angels fare. The Townsend agency is hired by a 1930's bootlegger who's just been released from prison, to look into the unsolved 1935 murder of his wife (to whom Kris bears an uncanny resemblance). As the investigation progresses, events of the present begin to mirror those of the past, leaving Kris in an increasingly dangerous position...
This is a slower-paced episode than usual. There's no running around, and hardly any gun-play. It's all about the characters, and the legacy of tragic events long past. It evokes a fantastic sense of 30s nostalgia (that's on top of the 70s nostalgia experienced when watching the show now), and has a real bitter-sweet feeling throughout. There's a wonderful performance from Ramon Bieri as Jake the bootlegger, whilst Cheryl Ladd gets to show some real acting chops as Rosemary, Jake's dead wife. With beautiful direction by Ronald Austin (one of four episodes he directed overall) and writing by Lee Sheldon, this may just be the best of the whole run. 8.5/10
4 Reviews
Atypical, non-formulaic episode - a must for Cheryl Ladd fans
gridoon202421 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Cheryl Ladd continues to rise to the most challenging acting assignments of this series: this time, she becomes the first Angel to go beyond a mere "undercover" identity and play (in flashbacks) a second, completely different character: Rosemary, a bootlegger's wife, who was mysteriously murdered in 1935. Her husband, who has just been released from prison, has become the target of an unknown killer, so his nephew asks Kris, who is the spitting image of the late Rosemary, to come to the family mansion and find out what's going on. But Rosemary's husband seems to still be stuck in the 1930s, and separating the past from the present is becoming increasingly hard for him. Cheryl Ladd has rarely, if ever, looked more classily beautiful than she does here, and she has a WONDERFUL little moment where she spontaneously starts dancing, all by herself, to a record of jazz music (before being rudely interrupted by a gunshot in another room). Eerie, atypical (the other Angels and Bosley are only peripherally involved), and at times even artistic, this is one of the finest episodes of the whole series, and an absolute must-see for all Cheryl Ladd fans. *** out of 4.
Requiem for a Gangster
adamcshelby31 August 2021
This was an interesting episode and a nice showcase for Cheryl Ladd. The Angels are hired to find out who murdered a gangster's wife 40 years prior. The gangster, Jake Garfield, is well played by Ramon Bieri, who's making his second CA appearance, having played Yanos Barzak in Season 2 episode Circus of Terror.
Garfield's nephew, Tim Stone (played by Michael Shannon, no, not THAT Michael Shannon), recognizes that Kris has an uncanny resemblance to Garfield's long dead wife Rosemary, and when Kris starts living in Garfield's California mansion, the old gangster seems to lose his grip on reality, regressing back to the 1930's. He even insists Kris wear his long dead wife's dresses.
They recreate a party from decades earlier in order to try and dislodge long lost clues from Garfield's brain. Ramon Bieri uses aging makeup to play the same character 40 years apart. Ladd plays Rosemary, the long dead wife in flashbacks, employing a New York accent.
When she first arrives at the mansion, Kris has an unintentionally funny scene after hearing some swing music, she suddenly starts dancing a jig by herself in a big empty ballroom. I chuckled at how dorky it was. The other Angels and Bosley are more in the background in this one, though they are the ones investigating the past, interviewing still surviving witnesses, trying to uncover what happened.
Making his second CA appearance, Gilbert Green plays Lawrence Renaldi, a fellow 30's gangster to Garfield. He played Tony Phelan in season 3's Mother Goose is Running for Her LIfe.
This episode reveals more than any other why Kate Jackson might have left the show, as Cheryl Ladd was getting all the juicy parts. The show has a melancholy feel and it's a strong dramatic showing from Cheryl Ladd. Well worth it.
Garfield's nephew, Tim Stone (played by Michael Shannon, no, not THAT Michael Shannon), recognizes that Kris has an uncanny resemblance to Garfield's long dead wife Rosemary, and when Kris starts living in Garfield's California mansion, the old gangster seems to lose his grip on reality, regressing back to the 1930's. He even insists Kris wear his long dead wife's dresses.
They recreate a party from decades earlier in order to try and dislodge long lost clues from Garfield's brain. Ramon Bieri uses aging makeup to play the same character 40 years apart. Ladd plays Rosemary, the long dead wife in flashbacks, employing a New York accent.
When she first arrives at the mansion, Kris has an unintentionally funny scene after hearing some swing music, she suddenly starts dancing a jig by herself in a big empty ballroom. I chuckled at how dorky it was. The other Angels and Bosley are more in the background in this one, though they are the ones investigating the past, interviewing still surviving witnesses, trying to uncover what happened.
Making his second CA appearance, Gilbert Green plays Lawrence Renaldi, a fellow 30's gangster to Garfield. He played Tony Phelan in season 3's Mother Goose is Running for Her LIfe.
This episode reveals more than any other why Kate Jackson might have left the show, as Cheryl Ladd was getting all the juicy parts. The show has a melancholy feel and it's a strong dramatic showing from Cheryl Ladd. Well worth it.
Cheryl Shines In More Dramatic Role
NoraHowe7 January 2022
No spoilers here as other reviewers summed this up very well. This certainly did not follow a formula seen in any other episodes I've seen so far.
You get to view the range of Cheryl Ladd as an actor. More than than extremely pretty face.
This would definitely rank in the top 3 episodes I've seen in the first three seasons. It will be interesting to see season 4 without Sabrina.
Very highly recommended!
You get to view the range of Cheryl Ladd as an actor. More than than extremely pretty face.
This would definitely rank in the top 3 episodes I've seen in the first three seasons. It will be interesting to see season 4 without Sabrina.
Very highly recommended!
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