Honey West

Honey West

1965 - United States

Described as televisions most beautiful private eye, Honey West was arguably the first female TV PI, who had inherited both the family detective business and partner Sam Bolt (John Ericson) from her late father. On the wave of the James Bond gadgetry fad, Honey came equipped with a fountain pen capable of spraying tear gas, a lipstick radio transmitter, a powder compact that was really a walkie-talkie, and to round off this ensemble of aids, a vicious looking pet ocelot! 

The lead role had gone to attractive New York born model turned actress Anne Francis, who had first appeared before television audiences in 1949 as 'Bonny Maid', for commercials for floor coverings in the series 'Versatile Varieties'. At the age of seven Anne was already a radio star, and later went on to the M.G.M. studio school with the likes of Liz Taylor and Jane Powell. But it wasn't until she played Honey West in an episode of Burke's Law that Anne found true TV fame. 

A full series of Honey West was commissioned by ABC, and even though Anne won the 1965 Golden Globe Award as the most popular television actress, the series never returned for a second run. Anne Francis returned in a variety of TV roles down the years, most notably as Terri Dowling in My Three Sons (1971-72) and as Arliss Cooper in Dallas (1981) and continued acting with TV roles up to 1996. In 1965 she said, "So long as I function, so long as the next day is a mystery, so long as life's up there ahead like an open road with no guideposts, I'll be fine."

Published on December 21st, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Hogan's Heroes

The prisoners at a camp in Germany run rings around their captors

Also released in 1965

Get Smart

Comedy spoof of just about every secret agent movie and TV series.

Also released in 1965

Thirtysomething

1980s US drama about a group of baby boomers in their thirties.

Also tagged Us Drama Series

Branded

An innocent man is branded a coward in this classic US Western series

Also released in 1965

Casablanca TV Series

TV series based on the famous movie.

Also tagged Us Drama Series

Barney is My Darling

A married couple's uneasy attempt to adjust to married life after years apart.

Also released in 1965

Alfred Hitchock Presents tv series

The instantly recognisable, deceptively benign visage of arguably the world's greatest director of cinematic suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, side-stepped deftly to the smaller screen of US television and welcomed viewers to a polished series of stories...

Also tagged Us Drama Series

Highway Patrol

1950s TV police series made on a shoestring budget

Also tagged Tv Cops

Bergerac

Detective/thriller series set on the offshore millionaire's paradise of Jersey in the Channel Islands

Also tagged Tv Cops