Honey was a character ahead of her time in the mid-1960s, an extremely stylish woman who wore Jackie O sunglasses and fashionable clothes. She lived in a cool apartment, drove a sleek sports car, and kept an exotic pet ocelot named Bruce.
Honey was a pioneer: the first woman detective to appear as the main character of an American network TV series.
Based on the 1950s paperbacks, Honey West was a beautiful blonde PI who had a prominent beauty mark next to her lower lip. She inherited her father's
private detective agency after he died.
She wore slinky, revealing outfits and was often compared to "The Avengers" spy Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). Emma wore a leather jumpsuit and drove a Lotus Elan while Honey sported a black fabric body stocking and tooled around in an AC Cobra convertible.
Honey was a black belt in judo and used Bond-type gimmicks such as a garter-belt gas mask and tear-gas earrings. With partner Sam Bolt (John Ericson), she worked out of a specially equipped mobile surveillance van disguised as a TV service vehicle.
ABC wasn't shy about showcasing Honey's sex appeal. The series' promo showed the lovely actress applying perfume as the narrator explained, "Believe it or not, this is a private detective. Don't let her looks fool you. As a detective, Honey aims to please."
No. 19
Classic TV Beauties 1960s Countdown
ANNE FRANCIS as Honey West in "Honey West"
Anne described Honey as a "tongue in cheek James Bond." She told the New York Times, "The character made young women think there was more they could reach for. It encouraged a lot of people."
Unfortunately, "Honey West" survived just one season (1965-66). The program competed against the hugely popular "Gomer Pyle USMC," and ABC decided it would be cheaper to import "The Avengers" than to produce "Honey."
One reviewer wrote of the show, "The concept was good and the character deserves credit for working in a man's world, [but] the series suffered from unimaginative plots and poor production quality.... [the show] was most memorable for the fight scenes in which a man with a blonde wig was quite obviously wheeled in to do the stunts."
Born Ann Marvak in Ossining, NY, Anne worked as a model at age 5 and made her Broadway debut at 11. She became a favorite with sci-fi fans for her role in the 1956 cult classic "Forbidden Planet."
It was almost eerie how Anne landed the role of Honey West.
She was lunching with her agent one day at the famous Hollywood restuarant The Derby when she mentioned that she'd love to star in an action show, "kind of like a female Amos Burke [a private detective]," Anne said in an interview with the blog Temple of Schlock.
"The next day my agent called and said, 'What's this game you and Aaron Spelling are playing on me?'
"I said, 'What are you talking about? I don't even KNOW Aaron Spelling.'
"He said, 'Aaron called and said he had a project he thought would be perfect for you. He said he saw you yesterday at the Derby and his character was like a female Amos Burke.'
"I said, 'Super, wonderful.' Read the script and did it."
During her film career, Anne acted with several big-time movie stars: Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman, James Cagney, Barbra Streisand.
Anne died of complications from pancreatic cancer in 2011 at age 80.
