Iowahawk: Hillary’s Hellcats
Another long-lost episode from a TV series that never existed, courtesy of the thoroughly demented Iowahawk: TV Classics: Hillary’s Hellcats.
The action-adventure genre got a sexy shot in the arm in 1983 with the debut of Hillary’s Hellcats, the Friday night NBC series starring Farrah Sansabelt-Haggar as Hillary Dale, leader of an undercover international all-girl danger squad. The series is best remembered as the launching pad for starlet Quiana Morganny, whose bikini-clad portrayal of singing Hellcat Sheryl Ravencroftington led to millions of dorm poster sales, two top-20 singles, and a career as spokeswoman for Eco-Soft toilet tissue. Despite its fast-paced action and feminist empowerment message, the show generated lackluster Nielsens and was canceled after only 12 episodes. Some TV critics of the time blamed the mediocre ratings on Sansabelt-Haggar, who, at 61, was thought to be too seasoned and pudgy for the frequent bikini scenes. The toll of the critical brickbats ended her marriage to country CB music star Rance Haggar (“Breaker 1-9, Hot Stuff”, “Lot Lizard Fever”) who provided the voice of Mister C, the Hellcats’ mysterious boss who was never seen on screen.