Honey West An interview With The ’60s Sexiest Private Eye

By Diedre Johnson

Once upon a time there were female private eyes on TV; “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” Emma Peel on “The Avengers,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Get Christy Love.” But before them all there was “Honey West,” sporting de rigueur tights, false eyelashes, a sexy mole above her lip and catching bad guys with never a hair out of place. Honey West was a satiric send-up of the stylish, fantasy-oriented detective shows with a female twist.

Anne Francis, an attractive actress who’d spent most of her time doing film and stage work, portrayed the sexy spy for one memorable season (1965–66) and received a Golden Globe award and Emmy nomination. Today, if you ask her about the show, she’ll be pleased you asked but somewhat surprised that it’s still news. “It was a really cute show,” she recalls. “Honey was kind of a trial balloon. Aaron Spelling didn’t have the kind of clout that he would later have with his other shows. ABC was able to buy ‘The Avengers’ from the BBC for less than it was able to buy ‘Honey West.’ It was a matter of economics,” Francis says, explaining the show’s demise.

However, one of the things she liked the most about doing the show was the assortment of character actors she got to work with each week. Francis remembers that one week William Conrad (“Jake and the Fat Man) directed an episode. “He was great. I often wonder why he hasn’t done more directing.” When the show ended, she had mixed emotions. While on one hand she wanted to go on, she also felt it was keeping her away from her daughter, Jane.

Although she hasn’t done another series, she has guested in many others: “The Fugitive,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Perry Mason,” “The Golden Girls,” and “Charlie’s Angels,” to name just a few. Francis has also been featured in the HBO movie, “Laguna Heat,” and will be appearing in the upcoming theatrical release, Little Vegas. She is also very active in various projects concerning the problem of world hunger.

Now the mother of two grown daughters, there is talk of another series and Francis says she’d love to do one again. But she admits it’s not easy finding the right material. “There’s so much in TV now that is not geared to older people.” At one time there was talk of bringing back “Honey West.” But would she do it? “If the character has grown and she was handling crime in a modern way.” Then she adds, reflectively. “It was a fun show.”

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