Honey West

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Honey West is a fictional character created by Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in numerous mystery novels by the duo.

The character is notable as being one of the first female private detectives in popular fiction. She first appeared in the 1957 book This Girl for Hire and would appear in 10 novels before being retired in 1971. The character was also the basis for the short-lived TV series Honey West in the 1960s.

[edit] Television adaptations

Actress Anne Francis portrayed Honey West on television. The character made her first television appearance in an episode of the series Burke's Law (1965). The character was popular enough that the ABC network spun her off into the series Honey West (1965–1966), produced by Aaron Spelling.

Honey West, a slinky, glamorous female private eye, was something new to television. In an era when actresses were confined to sedate housewife and girlfriend roles, this series marked a unique and original departure. This was the first dramatic TV series in the U.S. with a female star in an action-adventure role traditionally played by a male actor. In addition to being television's first modern, independent, self-sufficient woman, Honey frequently engaged in energetic fight scenes and shootouts. As The Avengers had not yet aired in America, it was unprecedented to see a beautiful, curvacious woman in a catsuit beating up male attackers with a high-kick, judo-flip, or well-placed karate chop. She is also the first character, male or female, on U.S. television to use martial arts as self-defense.

Her untamed feline qualites were reflected by her leopard spot and animal-print wardrobe and decor. She also kept an exotic pet ocelot and raced around in a convertible sportscar. The risque aspect of the novels was toned down for television, although sultry Anne Francis nevertheless exuded a considerable sex appeal. And she frequently went on undercover missions requiring some revealing outfit or bikini, etc.

In keeping with the secret agent trend of the '60s, Honey was outfitted with a number of James Bond-type gimmicks: an exploding compact, a garter-belt gas mask, and tear-gas earrings. Her partner and man-Friday "Sam" (John Ericson) usually stayed in the background or sat in their high-tech surveillance van talking to Honey via a radio hidden in her lipstick case. Their relationship was kept platonic, and Honey usually had to rescue him instead of the other way around.

Despite healthy viewer ratings, ABC canceled the show after only one season. The network had just acquired the American rights to The Avengers and rationalized that audiences would not accept more than one series featuring a sexy, karate-kicking female. Although short-lived, this series broke the mold and paved the way for future female action heroines such as Stefanie Powers in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Bionic Woman, and Alias.

When Burke's Law was revived in 1994, Francis appeared in one episode as a character named "Honey Best", a character which was Honey West in all but name. (The Internet Movie Database listing for the episode, however, identifies the character as Honey West.) Both series were produced by Four Star Television.

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