1. Cheryl Ladd was the singing voice of Melody.

 

In May 1977, just as Charlie's Angels was concluding its successful first season, the hottest new show on television was dealt a blow. Farrah Fawcett, the blonde bombshell, turned in her resignation. What would Charlie's Angels be without Jill Monroe? Well, Aaron Spelling hardly skipped a step. The producer plugged in an actress to play Jill's sister, Kris Monroe — a relatively unknown star named Cheryl Ladd. Up to that point, television audiences had only seen the 26-year-old in bit roles — on crime shows such The Rookies, Harry O and Police Story, playing not-so-meaty characters like "Girl," "Teenage Girl" and "Buffy." But the South Dakota native did have one significant credit on her resume, one that remains largely overlooked. Seven years before Ladd was the blonde one on Charlie's Angels, she was the singing voice of the blonde one in the original Josie and the Pussycats, Melody. She went by the name Cherie Moor back then. You see her, and read her bio, on the Josie album released by Capitol Records.

Image: The Everett Collection / Warner Bros.

2. A memorable Mayberry citizen was the speaking voice of Melody.

 

You now know the singing voice of Melody, so let's get to the character's speaking voice. Avid fans of The Andy Griffith Show will recognize the face of Jackie Joseph. She played Ramona in "My Fair Ernest T. Bass," the charming woman who dances and flirts with the "tamed" Ernest. Oh, and Jackie Joseph also happened to be the wife of Ken Berry, star of Mayberry R.F.D.!

3. Valerie was the first major black female character on Saturday morning cartoons.

 

Pete Jones, the drummer in the rockin' 1969 cartoon The Hardy Boys, broke the barrier to become one of the first principal recurring Black characters in Saturday morning cartoons. However, he was voiced by Dallas McKennon, Cincinnatus from Daniel Boone and the voice of Archie. Pussycats bassist Valerie Brown became the first major Black female animated character on Saturday mornings. More importantly, she was brought to life by Barbara Pariot and Patrice Holloway, two Black women.

Image: The Everett Collection

4. A former Mouseketeer voiced a main character.

 

The trio of Pussycats were hardly the only characters in the series. With her skunk-striped hair (and matching cat), Alexandra Cabot, sister of band manager Alexander, traveled with the group. Sherry Alberoni voiced the bickering, bitter character. The name will ring a bell with Boomers — Sherry was formerly a Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club in the mid-Fifties. In the second season of that M-I-C-K-E-Y classic, Sherry, at age nine, was the youngest member of the team.

Image: The Everett Collection / Warner Bros.

5. While based on Archie Comics, it was a rival to 'The Archie Show.'

 

The characters of Josie and the Pussycats originated in the pages of Archie Comics. The Josie comic debuted in 1963, and the characters often interacted with the other kids of Riverdale. However, on television, The Archie Show and Josie were direct competition. Filmation had scored a huge hit with the Archies. The competing animation studio Hanna-Barbera wanted an Archies of its own. Hanna-Barbera's first instinct was to create a fictional rock band of its own, the Mysteries Five, which instead evolved into Scooby-Doo. Hanna-Barbera instead snatched up the rights to Josie and the Pussycats. That's why you won't find Veronica or Jughead alongside the Pussycats in the cartoon.

Image: The Everett Collection

6. Patrice Holloway was really the lead singer.

 

Back to Valerie for a moment. We mentioned that Patrica Holloway was one of the talents behind the bassist. Holloway, sister of Motown star Brenda Holloway, actually sang lead on the bulk of the Pussycats tracks — including the iconic theme song. Her prolific career included a solo career of her own (you can see her here on Soul Train), as well as singing in groups like the Four J's. She also can be heard providing backup on Joe Cocker's cover of the Beatles "With a Little Help from My Friends."

Image: Soul Train / Don Cornelius Productions

7. You know the songwriters "Denby Williams" and "Joseph Roland" by much more familiar names.

 

Check out the writing credits on the 45 single for the "Josie" theme. "Denby Williams" and "Joseph Roland" are listed as co-writers on the track. Well, those names are merely aliases for William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, respectively.

Image: Capitol Records / Warner Bros.

8. "Judy Waite" was credited as the voice of Josie instead of Janet Waldo.

 

Hanna-Barbera all star Janet Waldo provided the voice of Josie herself. Waldo was best known as the voice of Judy Jetson. However, some versions of Josie and the Pussycats credited "Judy Waite" in place of Janet Waldo. According to a 2011 episode of Stu's Show, Judy Waite was the original actress hired for the role, who was dismissed before the show hit air. However, some versions of the closing credits were not updated, as seen here.

Image: Warner Bros.