WONDERLAND • The Ultimate Wonder Woman Site

In Hollywood, the battle of the Blondes vs. the Brunettes has gone on since before Max Factor could say "peroxide" and RBH has decided to get to the root of the matter for once and for all!

Then Farrah left Charlie's Angels, the successful show seemed the most "heavenly" place to start. As you remember, replacements were sought. Who auditioned? According to Cheryl Ladd: "Every blonde in L.A." But from watching the show and the "Angels" ' wardrobe, one might surmise that Cheryl meant every "well-built" blonde in L.A. It must be disheartening news for the non-blondes in Hollywood who've been studying acting for the past rive years. Because it must be true that talent isn't everything!

Of course, no one is saying that Cheryl isn't talented-just that her hair hasn't stood in her way. As a matter of fact, as soon as she signed to do "Angels," she also got offers from Wella Balsam to do a few conditioner advertisements for their account. She said "yes" for a handsome sum. And that is not what you'd call dumb!

It must be noted, however, that Wella Balsam doesn't seem to be a: concerned about the color of an "Angel" 's hair as, say, the folks who cast a replacement far an actress !n a leading television series. The proof is in the ads. If Cheryl isn't telling you about Wella Balsam, brown-haired "Angel" Kate Jackson might be.

When it comes to her hair, Kate's been quoted as saying: "I never sit in the sun without something around my, head: The sun is the worst thing for your hair.'' Apparently;' while millions of women throughout America are pouring lemon juice on their dark locks before catching-"some rays" with the hope that their hair will lighten to a golden shade, Kate seems perfectly happy to keep hers brown. The Breck people were perfectly ; happy with that shade too, by the way. Before joining Wella Balsam, Kate was their "girl" for years.

Not to be left out, third "Angel" Jaclyn Smith was once a Breck girl,, tool` Then she switched to representing Max Factor in addition to Wella Balsam. There is no question that the brunette tresses atop Jaclyn's head are natural and , earning lots of money. But have those dark "valuable" strands kept,, her away from "dumb" lines? Listen to Charlie's Angels for an hour and decide for yourself ...

Still, at the top of the line playing a role that's` ridiculous to' many; ex-"Angel" Farrah Fawcett. Majors has to take the pole position.

And there's no question that her hair is pure gold. Her acting ability has been' described as "rudimentary." But that was no problem. Her "Angel" 's character hardly called for someone with the talent of a Katharine Hepburn-or the mind of a Madam Curie,' for that matter. Anyone would be totally justified in deciding that Farrah's blondness helped her get the "dumb" role. But they'd' probably be secretly wishing that they could act so "stupid."

But getting back to the show, if you took a "head" count of the active "Angels" you'd discover that the brunettes outnumber the blonde -two to one. This would suggest that at least for "Charlie's" show, you don't have to be blonde to play "dumb."

POW! ZAP! WHAM! It's Wonder, Woman! She's been delighting comic book readers for over forty' years. But it was only a few seasons ago that Lynda Carter brought this one-dimensional character to the small screen. Amazingly enough, Hollywood minds did' not change the looks of the established "Woman" around to "make her more appealing"-as they, so often do. Therefore, brunette hair and all, Lynda Carter was "right" for the part.

Obviously the color of her lengthy strands didn't keep Lynda from playing the role of a ... well, perhaps her husband/manager, Ron Samuels, can sum it up better. He says: "It's ironical that Lynda, with a bordering genius IQ, is playing a character who-who-well, has a limited education." And very few would question Samuels on his opinion of "Woman's" schooling. But maybe the rankings had nothing to do with the color of each star's hair ...

The point is that you don't have to be blonde to successfully play a cartoon character. Ah-but, you might ask, has a yellow skein ever kept a lady from finding gold at the end of a fantasy woman role? The answer is no. Just ask Lindsay Wagner.

It may have cost Universal "millions" to put all the bionic parts together (something that happened to Lindsay thanks to Nature, not money)-but, in the end, they kept the ash blonde hair that came with the star. From the way the ratings read, the Six Million Dollar Man's 'Woman" was built "just right." According to the big composite ranking, taken last December, The Bionic Woman was in 34th place while Wonder Woman only made it o the 53rd spot.

But maybe the rankings had nothing to do with the color of each tar's hair. If they did, the fault could easily be corrected with the tip of a wig. Probably all the blame could be placed on the taste of the fickle" public. And speaking of waste-remember Lynda Carter's husband, Ron Samuels, who acts as her manager? Well, he manages Lindsay, too!

It's probably not difficult to handle both "super" women, as long as they're not on the same show. But what if they were? For Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt, "two may company." Their characters may more down to earth, but not the comparisons. Here's a typical case "smart blonde" versus "intelligent brunette" if ever there was one. Being blonde and pretty, Suzanne has had her problems with "dumb" roles. She says: "Everything 1 was up for was the dumb blonde. I really didn't want to be that." So why did she wind up with that part? Well, Suzanne doesn't think she did. She explains: "Chrissie is not a dumb blonde. I like to think of her as not playing with a full deck, with a few lights out." Now why Suzanne doesn't think that's the definition of a "dumb blonde," nobody knows! Perhaps she feels that way because when talking about the character, she states: "I brought myself into her (Chrissie)."

Like the character she plays, Joyce is serious and intelligent ... she got a scholarship and Master of Fine Arts fellowship.

The "dumb" part may be debatable, but not the "blonde" part. And like another blonde we know-Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Suzanne is cleaning up thanks to her figure and golden locks. You might say she's following in Farrah's footsteps-with Suzanne posters and dolls waiting for buyers.

As far as we know, however, there aren't any posters or dolls waiting in the wings for Three's Company's Joyce DeWitt. Like the character she plays, Joyce is serious and intelligent. She received a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. Then she attended UCLA, in Southern California, where she got a Clifton Webb Scholarship and a Master of Fine Arts fellowship. Her theatrical background is impressive.

Also, like the character she plays on television's hottest new comedy show, Joyce has brunette hair. To many, that seems appropriate-since her "Janet" is smart, straight, and unsexy. Dark-haired women the world over may object to this cliché "type" casting, but nonetheless, that's the way Hollywood played it in this show.

Now at this point, everyone may be asking two very important questions: Why is it always women who are getting called "dumb blondes" and not any men? And does a man have to be blond to be "dumb"? Those who are asking have very valid points. For that reason, this story wouldn't be complete without addressing itself to. that area of "tremendous concern."

In The One And Only, Henry Winkler shows us that men too are victims of "dumb blonde" generalizations.

Jamie Farr of long-time M"A'S'H success has dark hair. But is his character "smart, intelligent, and distinguished"? Does he wear the look of a sophisticated man with glasses? No. The only thing that sets his character apart from a "dumb" blond is the color of his hair. Then again, maybe his character is "smarter" than we think -knowing that he wants "out" of Korea. But there must be better ways than in a dress! On the other hand, chances are good 'that a guy in a plaid skirt isn't going to find himself in the middle of guerilla warfare, you know?

Speaking of "a tough fight" leads us to The One And Only Henry Winkler. In this film, Henry shows us that men, too, are victims of "dumb blonde" generalizations. To be fair, Henry only dons a blond wig, and that's after he discovers a career in the wrestling arena while his character isn't "all together bright" throughout the picture. So maybe as "Andy Schmidt" in The One And Only, Henry provides us with a pictorial answer to the question we posed. Namely, that you don't always have to be blond to play dumb. But it never hurt!