Kris Munroe
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| Kris Munroe | |
|---|---|
 Cheryl Ladd as Kris Munroe |
|
| First appearance | Angels in Paradise - September 14, 1977 |
| Last appearance | Let Our Angel Live - 24 June 1981 |
| Cause/reason | Series Finale |
| Created by | Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts |
| Portrayed by | Cheryl Ladd |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Policewoman, Private Detective |
Kris Munroe is one of six female fictional private detectives in the 1976-1981 television series Charlie's Angels. She was portrayed by Cheryl Ladd. She worked for the Townsend Agency for four seasons of the show's entire five season run, taking the place of her big sister Jill when she left the agency. Although not an original character, Kris gained fame and popularity equal to the other Angels[1], leading her to be included as a major character in the series, when other replacement characters (Tiffany Welles, Julie Rogers) are not. Co-star Jaclyn Smith said, "She had to fill a big pair of shoes, and she did it with confidence".[2]
[edit] Character biography
Kris Munroe is the younger sister of former Townsend Agency detective, Jill Munroe. As revealed in the title sequence, she also studied to be a policewoman and was similarly handed low risk assignments, although in San Francisco, and not Los Angeles. Kris is at most age 24 when she joins the show, as Jill herself was 24 in season one. When Jill left the Agency to become a race car driver, Kris basically shows up for the job. Kris is noticeably less sophisticated than the other Angels, has a stronger accent and seems more gulliable. The first few episodes, she has to prove herself to Sabrina Duncan and Kelly Garrett.[3] As she becomes accepted by her co-workers, Kris becomes more glamorous and loses her "little sis" persona. In fact, she arguably became the most popular Angel and had the most episodes centered on her. Petite and owning lots of "va-voom"[4], her blonde hair and proclivity toward bikinis didn't hurt either . If Sabrina was the "smart" Angel, Kelly the "streetwise" Angel, and Jill the "sporty" Angel, Kris is the "fun" Angel.
[edit] Covers and techniques
As her sister did before her, Kris tended to take the "inside" covers with Kelly while working on the case, while Sabrina took "outside" roles. Some of her covers included beauty pageant contestant, surfer, a nude beach visitor, ice-skating clown, Swedish movie star, trucker, Keystone Cop, assistant/target to a circus knife thrower and cheerleader. She also appears as a singer in a couple of episodes, giving Cheryl Ladd a chance to showcase her singing talent. (Cheryl was an accomplished singer and released two albums in the late 70's and sang the national anthem prior to Super Bowl XIV).
Kris seemed the most likely to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone she encountered on the job. She had a fun, even aggressive attitude toward men. She didn't repress her feelings or attractions. Unfortunately, like the other Angels and even Bosley, they almost always were exposed as felons. Kris is the child of an alcoholic and holds onto sentimental items from her rough childhood. She was also mortified the first time she had to shoot someone, but as her innocence faded (and after being the Angel most likely to be kidnapped), she matured to eventually tell her kidnappers to "Go to Hell!"[5]
Kris inherits her sister's white Mustang Cobra II's with blue stripes, and lives in Jill's white beach house. When on vacation, she is seen wearing shades with a bikini, always going barefoot. She loves hot tubs, swimming, surfing and boywatching.
In the episodes that Farrah Fawcett appeared as Jill Munroe in seasons 3 and 4, little interaction occurred between the characters, stunting the development of the sisters' relationship. In one episode, Kris is kidnapped by a villain who counts on Jill to rescue her. Jill and the other Angels track her down, but their reunion scene is extremely brief.
