| Honey West | |
|---|---|
 Honey West complete series DVD cover (UK version) | |
| Genre | Crime drama Action |
| Based on | Honey West by Skip and G.G. Fickling |
| Developed by | Gwen Bagni Paul Dubov |
| Starring | Anne Francis John Ericson |
| Theme music composer | Joseph Mullendore |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 30(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Aaron Spelling |
| Producer | Richard Newton |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | Four Star Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 17, 1965 (1965-09-17) – April 8, 1966 (1966-04-08) |
| Related | |
| Burke's Law | |
Honey West is an Americancrime drama television series that aired onABC from September 17, 1965, to April 8, 1966, as an entry in the1965–1966 television season. Based upon aseries of novels that had launched in 1957, the series starredAnne Francis as femaleprivate detectiveHoney West andJohn Ericson as her partner Sam Bolt. It was one of the first network TV series whose title was the name of a female lead character, another beingHazel in 1961 (the syndicatedAnnie Oakley had a similar distinction in its category a decade earlier).
Thirty half-hour episodes were produced. Historians today sometimes call the show "ground-breaking" due to its portrayal of the female lead.
The Honey West character was created by Gloria and Forrest E. "Skip" Fickling under thepseudonym "G.G. Fickling" in the late 1950s. Skip had been aUnited States Army Air Forcesair gunner during World War II, then enlisted in theU.S. Marine Corps Reserve after the war, when he was called back into active service during theKorean War.[1] The G.G. represented the initials of his wife, Gloria Gautraud, whom he married in 1949, with initials used so the sex of the author would remain vague. Though Gloria said that most of the writing was done by Forrest, Forrest said Gloria's ideas were used to make a plausible female character, with Gloria also providing Honey's dress sense. Forrest told theLos Angeles Times, "I first thought ofMarilyn Monroe, and then I thought of [fictional detective]Mike Hammer and decided to put the two together ... We thought the most used name for someone you really like is Honey. And she lives in the West, so there was her name."[2]
West was one of the first female "private eyes" to appear on television. Francis first played West in the second-season episode ofBurke's Law entitled "Who Killed the Jackpot?", broadcast on April 21, 1965, which led to this series being commissioned as a spin-off. West drove a Jaguar convertible in theBurke's Law episode and was twice referred to as the "private eyeful". She carried a gun and was trained in martial arts. Honey West was intended to be the American equivalent of charactersCathy Gale andEmma Peel in the British seriesThe Avengers.
ProducerAaron Spelling's first choice for the role of Honey wasHonor Blackman, whom he had seen in England playing Cathy Gale onThe Avengers and asPussy Galore inGoldfinger. Blackman turned down the role.[3] Anne Francis' fashions in the Honey role were byNolan Miller,[4] and her action scenes choreographed byGene LeBell.[5] The series was developed for television byGwen Bagni andPaul Dubov, writers of severalBurke's Law episodes.
As in theBurke's Law episode introducing her, West has a partner and man-Friday, Sam Bolt (John Ericson), who communicates with Honey via a radio hidden in her lipstick case. In the television series, she keeps a petocelot named Bruce.
Honey's alluring feline qualities were reflected in heranimal-print wardrobe and apartment decor. For sneaking around at night and engaging in fight scenes, she wore a black fabricbodystocking. West often went on solo undercover missions that required a provocative or revealing outfit.
She used a number ofJames Bond–like gimmicks: a high-tech surveillance van, an exploding compact, a garter-belt gas mask, and tear-gas earrings. West was a black-belt injudo, as was Sam, an ex-Marine.
Some episodes of this series, including the final one, were scripted byRichard Levinson andWilliam Link, who would later be affiliated with such series asColumbo andMurder, She Wrote.[6] Episode 3, "The Abominable Snowman", has a plot wherecocaine is being smuggled inside snow globes, and is one of the earliest references in popular TV culture to cocaine as "snow".
Among those appearing during the series' 30-episode run wereJoe Don Baker,James Best,Lloyd Bochner,Edd Byrnes,Dick Clark,Charlene Holt,Nancy Kovack,Kevin McCarthy,Maureen McCormick,Bert Parks,Michael J. Pollard,Wayne Rogers,Everett Sloane andBobby Sherman.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Swingin' Mrs. Jones" | Paul Wendkos | Gwen Bagni &Paul Dubov | September 17, 1965 (1965-09-17) | 6410 |
Honey sets out to solve a mystery at a resort. | |||||
| 2 | "The Owl and the Eye" | Paul Wendkos | William Bast | September 24, 1965 (1965-09-24) | 6404 |
A jade owl is stolen from a museum. | |||||
| 3 | "The Abominable Snowman" | Paul Wendkos | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | October 1, 1965 (1965-10-01) | 6402 |
When a man is murdered, Honey and Sam discover and expose a cocaine ring. | |||||
| 4 | "A Matter of Wife and Death" | John Florea | Tony Barrett | October 8, 1965 (1965-10-08) | 6420 |
Honey and Sam take action when Maggie's life is threatened....or is it? | |||||
| 5 | "Live a Little... Kill a Little" | Murray Golden | Tony Barrett | October 15, 1965 (1965-10-15) | 6406 |
Karen has been targeted for death. Will Honey and Sam be able to keep her safe? | |||||
| 6 | "Whatever Lola Wants...." | John Peyser | William Bast | October 22, 1965 (1965-10-22) | 6416 |
When Honey agrees to go to Lola's party with Vargas, she discovers Lola is a criminal mastermind. | |||||
| 7 | "The Princess and the Paupers" | Virgil W. Vogel | Leonard Stadd | October 29, 1965 (1965-10-29) | 6422 |
Honey and Sam investigate the kidnapping of a rock group's frontman (Bobby Sherman). | |||||
| 8 | "In the Bag" | Seymour Robbie | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | November 5, 1965 (1965-11-05) | 6408 |
Honey has her hands full with a bratty child and a gang of gem smugglers. | |||||
| 9 | "The Flame and the Pussycat" | James Goldstone | George Clayton Johnson | November 12, 1965 (1965-11-12) | 6428 |
Honey and Sam are on the trail of a mysterious arsonist. | |||||
| 10 | "A Neat Little Package" | Murray Golden | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | November 19, 1965 (1965-11-19) | 6418 |
An amnesiac, a hotel room key, and a huge wad of money are essential clues in a bizarre mystery. | |||||
| 11 | "A Stitch in Crime" | John Peyser | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | November 26, 1965 (1965-11-26) | 6424 |
En route to a fashion show in San Francisco, Honey and Sam are carjacked, and a number of very expensive gowns are stolen along with their van. | |||||
| 12 | "A Million Bucks in Anybody's Language" | John Florea | Tony Barrett | December 3, 1965 (1965-12-03) | 6426 |
When their friend, Charlie is killed by a car bomb, Honey and Sam discover a counterfeiting ring. | |||||
| 13 | "The Gray Lady (Pilot Episode)" | Walter Grauman | Richard Levinson &William Link | December 10, 1965 (1965-12-10) | 5953 |
Honey comes up with a plan to prevent the theft of a valuable diamond. | |||||
| 14 | "Invitation to Limbo" | Tom Gries | Richard Levinson & William Link | December 17, 1965 (1965-12-17) | 6412 |
Local businessmen are being hypnotized into committing inside jobs. | |||||
| 15 | "Rockabye the Hard Way" | Bill Colleran | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | December 24, 1965 (1965-12-24) | 6434 |
Honey and Sam deal with bad guys in Mexico. | |||||
| 16 | "A Nice Little Till to Tap" | Jerry Hopper | Tony Barrett | December 31, 1965 (1965-12-31) | 6432 |
Honey and Sam take on bank robbers. | |||||
| 17 | "How Brillig, O, Beamish Boy" | Ida Lupino | Don Ingalls | January 7, 1966 (1966-01-07) | 6440 |
A criminal gang led by Mr. Brillig is after a package containing a large amount of cash. | |||||
| 18 | "King of the Mountain" | Thomas Carr | Jay Simms | January 14, 1966 (1966-01-14) | 6438 |
A wheelchair-bound paraplegic may be behind the murder of his own nurse. | |||||
| 19 | "It's Earlier Than You Think" | James H. Brown | Marc Brandel | January 21, 1966 (1966-01-21) | 6446 |
A newspaper with a front page story about Lincoln's assassination, a murder victim's cryptic statement, and three men claiming to be the dead man's brother draw Honey into her most baffling case yet. | |||||
| 20 | "The Perfect Un-Crime" | Sidney Miller | Ken Kolb | January 28, 1966 (1966-01-28) | 6442 |
A thief recruits Honey and Sam to put back the money he stole from his own department store. Note: The scene of Honey posing as a mannequin was inspired byThe Twilight Zone episode "The After Hours", which starred Anne Francis. | |||||
| 21 | "Like Visions and Omens and All That Jazz" | John Florea | Tony Barrett | February 4, 1966 (1966-02-04) | 6448 |
A psychic's predictions endanger the life of a young heiress. | |||||
| 22 | "Don't Look Now, But Isn't That Me" | James H. Brown | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | February 11, 1966 (1966-02-11) | 6444 |
A woman disguised as Honey frames her for a series of robberies. Note: Anne Francis plays both Honey West and the impostor, Pandora. | |||||
| 23 | "Come to Me, My Litigation Baby" | Thomas Carr | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | February 18, 1966 (1966-02-18) | 6450 |
A gang of criminals are committing insurance fraud by faking accidents. | |||||
| 24 | "Slay, Gypsy, Slay" | James H. Brown | Tony Barrett | February 25, 1966 (1966-02-25) | 6454 |
When a rich man is kidnapped by a band of gypsies, things are not what they appear to be. | |||||
| 25 | "The Fun-Fun Killer" | Murray Golden | Arthur Weingarten | March 4, 1966 (1966-03-04) | 6458 |
The owner of a toy factory, and a researcher at the factory's testing lab have both been murdered by a life-sized robot. | |||||
| 26 | "Pop Goes the Easel" | James H. Brown | Story by : Gail Allen & Chris Christensen Teleplay by :Lila Garrett &Bernie Kahn | March 11, 1966 (1966-03-11) | 6460 |
Aunt Meg can't understand why thieves stole a can of chicken gumbo that she just bought at the supermarket. | |||||
| 27 | "Little Green Robin Hood" | Sidney Miller | Ken Kolb | March 18, 1966 (1966-03-18) | 6456 |
A man suffers from delusions about being Robin Hood. | |||||
| 28 | "Just the Bear Facts, Ma'am" | James H. Brown | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | March 25, 1966 (1966-03-25) | 6462 |
Honey and Sam look into criminal activity on a movie set where they're working as stunt doubles. | |||||
| 29 | "There's a Long, Long, Fuse A'Burning" | Thomas Carr | Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov | April 1, 1966 (1966-04-01) | 6468 |
An ex-convict realizes criminals are framing him for robberies by setting off explosives. | |||||
| 30 | "An Eerie, Airy, Thing" | James H. Brown | Richard Levinson & William Link | April 8, 1966 (1966-04-08) | 6466 |
George Forbes is discovered on the ledge of a hotel, calling out for his wife, Diana. Trouble is, she's been murdered. | |||||
Honey West was cancelled after just one season. This came down to two factors: competition fromGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and financial considerations. ABC executives reportedly decided it would be cheaper to importThe Avengers and air it in the same time slot rather than produceHoney West at a significantly steeper price.[7] Nonetheless, Francis received nominations for aGolden Globe Award and aBest Actress Emmy for her performance, winning for the former.
The series was rerun in the late 1990s as part ofTV Land's inaugural lineup, and occasionally aired onDecades, nowCatchy Comedy.
In 2006, Delta Home Entertainment released the entire series onRegion 0 DVD in the UK.[8]
VCI Entertainment issued a North AmericanRegion 1 DVD release of the series in September 2008.[9]
Gold Key Comics issued a one-shot comic book adaptation of the television series in 1966, scripted byPaul S. Newman, with artwork byJack Sparling.Overlook Press publishedHoney West - This Girl For Hire, a novel, in 2005. From 2010-2013,Moonstone (comics) produced Honey West comics, a hardcover novel, and a two paperbacks. BearManor Media, in 2011, published a profusely illustrated 228-page tribute to the series, examining it in detail with interviews of the surviving cast members, and listings of websites, addresses, bibliographies, episode synopses, and an appendix.[10]