Honey West: The Complete Series (4pc) (Full B&W) | 
 enlarge | Actors: Anne Francis, John Ericson, Bruce The Ocelot
Studio: Vci Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $16.86
You Save: $23.13 (58%)
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Rating:  62 reviews
Sales Rank: 2417
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 4
Running Time: 900
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: UTED8515D
UPC: 089859851520
EAN: 0089859851520
ASIN: B001B0H7DG
Release Date: September 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Product Description
Studio: Video Communications Inc. Release Date: 09/02/2008 Run time: 900 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
"A girl's place is in the home." Someone forgot to tell Honey West (Anne Francis), a "private eye-ful" unlike any character American television had ever seen. Created in the 1950s by Skip and Gloria Fickling for a series of steamy pulp fictions, Honey was introduced on TV in an episode of Burke's Law, in which she matched wits with Gene Barry's playboy chief of homicide (that would have been a nice extra in this set). A woman of exotic charms, Honey was seriously sexy, glamorously outfitted, proficient in karate and judo, and kept a pet ocelot. Who wouldn't want to see her in her own weekly series? Honey ran her late father's Los Angeles detective agency with hot-headed Sam (John Ericson), a former junior partner, who provided her with such Bondian gadgets as tear gas earrings and an radio transmitter disguised as a martini olive. The first episode, "The Swingin' Mrs. Jones" establishes the show's cool vibe and cult appeal. Honey sets herself up at a resort as "blackmail bait." And over the course of the 30 episodes, it only gets hotter, as Honey pursues a gang of thieves that includes a Honey look-alike (and is fronted by Alan Reed, the voice of Fred Flintstone!), solves the mystery of a kidnapped rock and roll musician (Bobby Sherman), protects a woman receiving death threats, and foils an insurance fraud scam (in the award-winning episode, "The Grey Lady," written by future Columbo collaborators William Link and Richard Levinson). Along the way, she inevitably runs afoul of the police ("When your father was head of the agency, I never had any trouble") or enrages Sam with her impulsive actions. The cleverly plotted half hour black-and-white episodes feature witty dialogue, jazzy scores (dig the accordion!), and great action (Honey is a knockout in more ways than one). By 1965, when Honey West premiered, spies and detectives rivaled cowboys in popularity. Honey was the first female detective to front her own series, and certainly the first detective to be spied luxuriating in a bubble bath. Honey West only ran one season. For this, we can reportedly blame the top-rated Gomer Pyle and the arrival on the same network of The Avengers, with Diana Rigg's Emma Peel. But Honey West still delivers retro kicks. As one high society hostess remarks to Honey in one episode, "You're welcome at any party of mine." --Donald Liebenson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 57 more reviews...
Anne Francis is Honey to the DVD World November 20, 2008
Anne Francis will forever be remembered as Honey West. Honey inherited her father's detective agency. With the help of her partner Sam Bolt (John Ericson) they solved 40 cases before ABC cancelled them and sent them to syndication reruns. Also on hand for support is Honey's Aunt Meg (Irene Hervey) and for security Honey had Bruce, her pet ocelot.
This was a bright fast paced show. Due to the 30 min (25 w/o commercials) run time, there was little chance for complex plots, red herrings, etc. Many of the shows were written or directed by future TV greats including Levison and Link who invented many famous detectives including Columbo.
The typical show starts with Honey and Sam on a case. The case takes an unexpected turn. Honey and Sam pretty much solve the case before one last turn. This was a fun show and everyone had their eye candy.
The show also featured many of then futuristic surviellance devices (most will not be perfected for 20 years.) Look for some future stars and some classic stars. And it is a hoot to see LA 45 years ago.
The following is list of the episodes with guest stars:
The Swingin' Mrs. Jones - Honey breaks up a blackmail ring that preys on wealthy women.
The Owl and the Eye - Guests Lloyd Bochner and Herschel Bernardi - After Honey and Sam provide a security analysis for a museum it is robbed.
The Abominable Snowman -
 Nothing beyond Nostalga November 20, 2008
Honey West is a product of its time. During the series initial airing almost 40 years ago, I can easily see how it became a classic cult series. But time has not be nice to the series. The production value definitely shows its age and some episodes are difficult to sit through.
 A Must for Anne Francis Fans November 19, 2008
If you're here reading reviews of "Honey West: The Complete Series," there's a pretty good chance that the reason you're interested in this DVD can be summed up in two words--"Anne Francis." There's also a pretty good chance that you're male, that you were born fairly close to the middle of the last century and that you first encountered the lovely Miss Francis starring as Altaira in the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet."
If you fit this profile, and, as I did, developed a huge pre-pubescent crush on Miss Francis, you're sure to find "Honey West: The Complete Series" a most enjoyable trip back through time. There are other reasons for giving this series a look, of course, such as the clever (for their time) James-Bond-style gadgets, the decent (although not really cerebral) story lines, Honey's 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra and even her perennially irritated pet ocelot Bruce. Or you can look at the series as one of the very few examples--along with Emma Peel in "The Avengers," which began airing on American television at almost the same time in 1965 as "Honey West"--featuring a strong, smart, sexy and capable female lead. Or you can look at it as pure nostalgia, and let it take you back to a far simpler time of clearly defined heroes and villains, and of pure black-and-white moral choices. But let's face it, Anne Francis is the big attraction for us aging baby boomers. In her performances as Honey, she is just as alluring today as she was more than 40 years ago. With her dynamic screen presence, crisp, no-nonsense manner and complete competence, she is a true joy to watch.
I recommend "Honey West: The Complete Series" most highly. Even if you don't fit the profile, you should still consider it. It presents a self-contained slice of television history that laid the foundation for female characters and roles that continue to evolve today. Look at "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," for instance, and you'll see how far things have come from the groundbreaking, genre-bending days of "Honey West."
 Honey West October 31, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I wish I could say some good things about this set but, alas, I'm not able. There's a very good reason why Honey West only had one season in before the cancellation notice arrived: It wasn't a very good show.
Lame...lame... LAME.
Anne Francis should have had MOLE-cular surgery. It's not that she's unattractive, she isn't, but it was so distracting!
Another thing is the show was only thirty minutes long which was a death knell for dramas in 1965. There wasn't time to develop characters beyond a superficial point. Even the handsome John Ericson was given little to do. The series degenerated into slapstick, one-liners & bad puns by the last few episodes. It even went into the depths of Batman (the series) when it came to the staging of fight scenes; I kept waiting for the "bams", "oofs" & "smacks" to pop up on the screen.
Honey & Sam had more gadgets than James Bond. They had microphones in makeup compacts & sunglasses, cameras everywhere including one that operated like a periscope in their Econoline van. Yet they would get conked on the head or befuddled in some way. and, PLEASE, when Honey went into disguise the mole was still there, you'd have to be blind or stupid to miss it. I could go on & on but I won't. And to tail somebody in a sub-compact foreign sports car is just too much.
There are the bonus materials of vintage commercials from that era, which doesn't mean much. The episodes are in great shape without barely a hitch in them.
Unless you're a Honey West fan, & I mean a REAL fan, I can only recommend that you avoid this.
Trip down memory lane October 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I imagine myself, on a break from Calculus homework on - what evening of the week was that? - watching Anne Francis upon the screen . . . Not quite the visual bliss of "Forbidden Planet," but . . .
. . . sorry, folks, it just doesn't work anymore. The awkward fight scenes, Sam's ineffectual rants at Honey's independence, Honey in action while Sam listens in via her wired earrings or (aargh!) those folding glasses . . . well, be honest now. It's forced, isn't it? And TV acting and production standards have changed over the years, thank heavens. Plus, you know exactly what will happen next time, and next time, and . . .
But all that would be fine - we'd just have good, predictable, outdated, 60s-style Anne Francis-sexy fun - except that with commercials, we've got about 23 minutes to set up the crime, create a complication, get Honey knocked down once or twice, have Sam yell at her, and watch them figure it out and catch the crook. It's just not enough time to create a compelling mystery story. All we're left with, really, is Anne and the ocelot, and it's just not enough.
Still, I imagine this show in the mid-60s, the heavy scent of sex hanging in the air as Anne Francis sashays across the screen, the exotic undertone of Bruce - an ocelot named Bruce!? So, even if it no longer works, you gotta cheer for what it tried to be. Hey! At least it wasn't The Brady Bunch! I mean, it **was** Anne Francis, after all!
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