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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honey West is dazzling; this DVD is a treasure trove for all fans , 30 Sep 2008
This is a spectacular DVD set of 1960s television series Honey West, similar to Rockford Files but with a difference. The show stars Anne Francis as a private investigator who works with a male partner named "Sam" (John Ericson). She runs her late father's Los Angeles detective agency with such gadgets only to be seen in a James Bond movie; tear gas earrings, a radio transmitter disguised as a martini olive or a pendant necklace and many other forms of electronic devices. Honey is not only sexy and glamorous, but also proficient in karate and judo and not afraid to use a firearm to defend her-self. The first episode, "The Swingin' Mrs. Jones" establishes the show's cool vibe and cult appeal in which she goes undercover as a society matron to quash a blackmail ring that preys upon wealthy women. In the episode, "Whatever Lola Wants...." Honey is hired to escort a man to a charity ball; unaware that he is a murderer. She gets caught in a scam involving the horse racing. Ultimately with the help of her partner she manages to catch the bad guys. In the episode, "The Princess and the Paupers" Honey is called by the father of a kidnapped rock musician for help. First it appears as a publicity stunt, but turns into extortion and a murder mystery. In another episode, Honey saves young girl when she is lost at the airport ("In the Bag"). This cleverly plotted half hour black-and-white episodes feature witty dialogue, jazzy scores and great action. In 1965, when Honey West premiered, spies and detectives rivaled cowboys in popularity. Honey was the first female detective with her own series, the first season aired 30 great episodes and they are available in 4 DVDs (one set). Supporting role is greatly provided by Sam; he usually sits in the high-tech surveillance van talking to Honey via a radio. Their relationship was kept platonic, and professional, in spite of this the show gets better and better as you watch all the episodes from beginning to end. This DVD set is highly recommended to all fans of spies, detectives, and cop shows. The 30 episode descriptions (storylines) are as follows:
1. "The Swingin' Mrs. Jones"
Honey goes undercover as a society matron to quash a blackmail ring that preys upon wealthy women.
2. "The Owl and the Eye"
In order to test a museum's security system, an insurance company hires Honey to steal a jade carving that they have insured.
3. "The Abominable Snowman"
After agreeing to deliver a novelty salesman's sample case, Honey becomes marked for death.
4. "A Matter of Wife and Death"
Someone tries to sink a ship carrying Honey and a woman who hired her after receiving anonymous death threats.
5. "Live a Little, Kill a Little"
Honey and an assassin race to find the former girl friend of an underworld leader.
6. "Whatever Lola Wants...."
Honey is hired to escort a man to a charity ball; unaware that he is a murderer.
7. "The Princess and the Paupers"
Honey is called in when the kidnapping of a rock and roll star, first thought to be a publicity stunt, turns into a murder mystery.
8. "In the Bag"
A precocious young girl whom Honey was escorting between her divorced parents gets lost at the airport.
9. "The Flame and the Pussycat"
Honey and Sam must catch a warehouse arsonist in order to secure a contract with an insurance company.
10. "A Neat Little Package"
A news-dealer survives a car wreck with amnesia and a mysterious $175,000.
11. "A Stitch in Crime"
Honey is hired to recover a stolen dress collection valued at $100,000.
12. "A Million Bucks in Anybody's Language"
Honey investigates the death of a P.I. whose car exploded shortly after he called Honey for help, and she uncovers a plan to print fake British pounds.
13. "The Gray Lady"
Honey goes after a master thief who stole an actress's jewel collection while she was being interviewed on TV. NOTE: This was the actual pilot for the series, and has a different opening sequence and music.
14. "Invitation to Limbo"
An electronics firm hires Honey to find an industrial spy who has been leaking company secrets.
15. "Rockabye the Hard Way"
Honey and Sam journey to Mexico to investigate the drugging of a truck driver whose cargo of missile parts was stolen.
16. "A Nice Little Till to Tap"
A suave master thief starts dating Honey in the hopes of getting inside information needed to pull off a bank robbery.
17. How Brillig, O, Beamish Boy"
A man kidnaps Sam and is willing to exchange him for a parcel that Honey has been hired to guard.
18. "King of the Mountain"
Honey goes undercover as a nurse on the secluded estate of a missing company president she's been hired to find.
19. "It's Earlier Than You Think"
A mortally wounded man carrying an 1865 newspaper wanders into Honey's flat and with his dying breath tells her to warn President Lincoln of an assassination plot.
20. "The Perfect Un-Crime"
An embezzler who has had second thoughts hires Honey and Sam to return the money he had stolen to the company vault before his employer discovers it is missing.
21. "Like Visions and Omens and All That Jazz"
A psychic accurately predicts several attempts to kill an heiress.
22. "Don't Look Now, But Isn't That Me"
Honey gets in trouble when her lookalike steals some furs that she has been hired to guard.
23. Come to Me, My Litigation Baby"
An insurance company hires Honey to validate a cowboy's claim that he was paralyzed by falling down a flight of stairs.
24. "Slay, Gypsy, Slay"
Honey and Sam are led to a gypsy camp while on the trail of kidnappers.
25. "The Fun-Fun Killer"
Honey and Sam have three suspects for the murder of a toy manufacturer.
26. "Pop Goes the Easel"
When two men steal a can of soup from Aunt Peg at the supermarket, Honey and Sam get involved with a famous pop artist.
27. "Little Green Robin Hood"
Honey and Sam go after a modern day "Robin Hood" who has been victimizing the ritzy Sherwood Park area.
28. "Just the Bear Facts Ma'am"
When a stuntwoman is killed during a routine stunt, Honey is called in to discover if the death was really accidental.
29. "There's a Long, Long, Fuse A'Burning"
Honey comes to the aid of a recently released convict who gets into trouble when someone starts a series of thefts using his M.O.
30. "An Eerie, Airy, Thing"
A man who threatens to jump out of a window unless his wife is brought to him, is unaware that she is dead.
1. Charlie's Angels: The Complete Third Season [1977]
2. Charlie's Angels - Series 1 [1977] (NTSC)
3. Charlie's Angels - Series 2 - Complete
4. The Rockford Files - Series 1-4 - Complete
5. The Rockford Files - Series 5 - Complete [1978]
6. Police Woman: The Complete First Season [1975] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
7. Starsky And Hutch - Series 1-4 - Complete
8. Baretta: Season 1 [1978] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"Honey West (1965-1966) ... Anne Francis ... VCI Ent. (2008)", 31 Jul 2008
VCI Entertainment presents "HONEY WEST COMPLETE SERIES" (17 September 1965) (30 Episodes on 4 DVD's) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- 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 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 --- Both picture and sound have been digitally restored from the original 35 mm fine grains.
Under the production staff of:
Directors:
James H. Brown (6 episodes, 1966)
John Florea (3 episodes, 1965-1966)
Murray Golden (3 episodes, 1965-1966)
Paul Wendkos (3 episodes, 1965)
Thomas Carr (3 episodes, 1966)
John Peyser (2 episodes, 1965)
Sidney Miller (2 episodes, 1966)
Screenwriters:
Gwen Bagni
Paul Dubov
Gloria Fickling
Skip Fickling
G.G. Fickling
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 --- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
the cast includes:
Anne Francis ... Honey West
John Ericson ... Sam Bolt
Irene Hervey ... Aunt Meg
Bruce ... Bruce the Ocelot
Don Gazzaniga ... Butler
Ken Lynch ... Lt. Barney
COMPLETE EPISODE GUIDES:
1. "The Swingin Mrs. Jones" (September 17, 1965)
2. "The Owl and the Eye" (September 24, 1965)
3. "The Abominable Snowman" (October 1, 1965)
4. "A Matter of Wife and Death" (October 8, 1965)
5. "Live a Little... Kill a Little" (October 15, 1965)
6. "Whatever Lola Wants..." (October 22, 1965)
7. "The Princess and the Paupers" (October 29, 1965)
8. "In the Bag" (November 5, 1965)
9. "The Flame and the Pussycat" (November 12, 1965)
10."A Neat Little Package" (November 19, 1965)
11."A Stitch in Crime" (November 26, 1965)
12."A Million Bucks in Anybody's Language" (December 3, 1965)
13."The Gray Lady" (December 10, 1965)
14."Invitation to Limbo" (December 17, 1965)
15."Rockabye the Hard Way" (December 24, 1965)
16."A Nice Little Till to Tap" (December 31, 1965)
17."How Brillig, O, Beamish Boy?" (January 7, 1966)
18."King of the Mountain" (January 14, 1966)
19."It's Earlier Than You Think" (January 21, 1966)
20."The Perfect Un-crime" (January 28, 1966)
21."Like Visions and Omens... and All That Jazz" (February 4, 1966)
22."Don't Look Now, But Isn't That Me?" (February 11, 1966)
23."Come to Me, My Litigation Baby" (February 18, 1966)
24."Slay, Gypsy, Slay" (February 25, 1966)
25."The Fun-Fun Killer" (March 4, 1966)
26."Pop Goes the Easel" (March 11, 1966)
27."Little Green Robin Hood" (March 18, 1966)
28."Just the Bear Facts Ma'am" (March 25, 1966)
29."There's a Long, Long Fuse A' Burning" (April 1, 1966)
30."An Eerie, Airy, Thing" (April 8, 1966)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Anne Francis Photo Galleries
2. Vintage Commericals
3. Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
4. Episode Selections
5. Each Episode is complete with no commercial interruptions
BIOS:
1. Anne Francis
Date of Birth: 16 September 1930 - Ossining, New York
Date of Death: Still Living
2. John Ericson (aka: Joseph Meibes)
Date of Birth: 23 September 1926 - Düsseldorf, Germany
Date of Death: Still Living
3. Irene Hervey (aka: Irene Herwick)
Date of Birth: 11 July 1909 - Venice, California
Date of Death: 20 December 1998 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Check out my review on "Burke's Law - Season One - Volume One" featuring Gene Barry, Gary Conway and Regis Toomey also from VCI Entertainment and posted on Amazon.Com
Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections.
Total Time: 900 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8515 ~ (9/02/2008)
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