Star spottin': "CHiPs"

Glory, glory, hallelujah -- this author finally got the chance to watch those "CHiPs" DVDs that her good pal Tracy got her several years ago. They had been squirreled away in my DVD cabinet in the Batcave downstairs for so long, but I kept thinking about 'em ... waiting for that rainy day when I could get 'em out and finally rewatch that beloved series of childhood I actually had not seen since it originally aired in the 1970s. Well, what better time than a pandemic quarantine, when the TV season was cut short for the new shows I currently watch. What a great idea for summertime viewing -- good ole Erik Estrada, such a a huge crush of this former little girl (and whom I met in real life: see it in the May 21 and May 23, 2008 posts), and Larry Wilcox as the duty-bound but fun-loving California Highway Patrol officers.

And I was soooooo looking forward to the star-spottin' aspect of this rewatching. I am only in the second season right now, but I just had to blog about who I've seen so far:

• Jed Allan, who I know as C.C. Capwell on "Santa Barbara," in a younger role (with darker hair) as a dad whose infant child gets lost (misplaced, perhaps) after a mixup.
• A young, thin Edward James Olmos, who I have been loving on the modern "Mayans," and who I honestly didn't recognize and later had one of those "Doh!!!" moments over, since he had looked so heckin' familiar to me.
• And speaking of familiar features that I can't quite place ... Joe Penny! So suave and fresh-faced,  playing a cocky, privileged young guy fresh out of motor school who joins the CHPs. I sat there and looked at him and looked at him, thinking, I know that guy! I really do! But this is the 1970s, and everybody looks so, so young.
• Regis Philbin as a news anchor on a TV broadcast.
• Linda Dano of various soaps, totally unrecognizable to this chick, again. Come to find out, she did the rounds back in the day -- "Charlie's Angels," "Starsky and Hutch" and many others.
• Jenilee Harrison of “Three’s Company” and “Dallas” as an L.A. Rams cheerleader in a brief scene.
• And in a mini-tribute to kid stars, Christopher Knight of "The Brady Bunch" and Danny Bonaduce of "The Partridge Family" as bratty teens who hot-wire cars for joy rides. I just knew that beautiful young blonde riding along was Shell Kepler of "General Hospital," and this time I was right on the money,