Honey West: The Complete Series (4pc) (Full B&W)

List Price: ~~$39.99~~
Our Price: $34.99
You Save: $5.00 (13%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $19.84 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details

Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD details

Actor: Anne Francis, Bruce the Ocelot, John Ericson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 900 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-02
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Vci Entertainment

DVD Reviews of Honey West: The Complete Series (4pc) (Full B&W)

DVD Review: Nostalgia
Summary: 3 Stars

The "Honey West" 4 single-sided disc DVD release contains all 30 (half-hour) B & W episodes, which ran on ABC during the 1965-66 television season. Also included are some vintage commercials and several promos for other ABC shows. The set is nicely made from high quality recordings of the original episodes.

If you are unfamiliar with the show it is like a blend of Honor Blackman's "Avengers" episodes and Gene Barry's "Burke's Law" stuff. In fact, the title character and her associate Sam Bolt (John Ericson) had been first introduced to television audiences in the "Who Killed the Jackpot" episode of "Burke's Law".

It did not approach the imaginative whimsy of Diana Rigg's "Avenger" episodes. It was played pretty straight, putting it a bit behind the times as shows like "The Wild Wild West" and "The Man From UNCLE" were following "The Avengers" down the self-parody road. This odd disconnect was one reason the series never made it past its first season.

Another problem (obvious at the time even to a pre-teen like myself) was the casting of a high mileage actress like Anne Francis in the title role. Francis had been tantalizing eye candy back in the 1950's (see "Forbidden Planet" and "Susan Slept Here"). Unfortunately by 1965 she looked like my Cub Scout den mother, but with too much make-up and a much more tacky wardrobe. Poor Anne had gotten a little chunky by this time and you felt sorry for her trying to go after the same demographic as the svelte and much younger looking Diana Rigg. And they wonder why these things get weak ratings.

The half-hour format also hurt the series as there was not sufficient time for either character development or interesting misdirection. The production design was pretty basic and generally low budget. They did manage a few gimmicks like a pet ocelot (named Bruce), high tech gadgets, and a nicely understated attraction between Honey and Sam.

Honey is more Cathy Gale than Mrs. Peel, using her feminine wiles and a few judo moves. Francis and her stunt coordinator were not up to Mrs. Peel's fighting skills so Honey mostly resorts to a gun. The action sequences are generally pretty lame, so you can imagine that after a few tries at staging fights the producers decided that it would be a good idea to give Honey marksmanship ability.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

DVD Review: Fun shows rich in mid-1960s nostalgia
Summary: 4 Stars

HONEY WEST was telecast in the U.S. starting 17 Sep. 1965 on ABC TV in 30 episodes, each the then standard half hour. The show starred Anne Francis as Honey West (30 episodes), John Ericson as Sam Bolt her side-kick (30 episodes), Irene Hervey as Aunt Meg (16 episodes), and Bruce as Bruce the Ocelot (16 episodes). The series is now issued complete on 4 DVDs. Total time is a claimed 15 hours, actually less sans commercials, which are viewable as extra features. These also include two photo galleries. Unfortunately, the DVD set offers no background information on the show. Also not included is the pilot, where Honey West was introduced on a 1965 Burke's Law episode, "Who Killed the Jackpot?"

Capitalizing on the new James Bond craze, Honey West was a female Bond type with sexy outfits, snappy dialog, gadgets galore (e.g., tear-gas earrings and a radio transmitter disguised as a martini olive), and fast-moving, often contrived plots. The shows are fun to watch, as are the mid-60s cars and fashions and the separate vintage commercials. Highly recommended, especially if you were a mid-60s male teenager.

DVD Review: Fast Honey From The Sixties
Summary: 4 Stars

Just finished the final episode of "Honey West" The complete series. (Once started, and immediately falling in love with Ms. Francis, I kept running them night after night).

Apologies to her sidekick, John Ericson, but the series really belongs to it's star. For me, it was an increasing joy to watch her as a sex doll on the outside, and a delightfully shrewd actress on the inside - charmingly far ahead of the stories she was playing, or the actors with whom she played them. She radiated a very attractive, (natural?) abiding satirical humor beneath the story events, in a way strongly enhancing, not subtracting audience enjoyment. (If it wasn't natural, it was a sadly uncommon acting achievement)

The episodes rip along at a pace quite appropriate to distracting audience attention from the admittedly rapidly written 26 minute storylines of the era. The idea behind the series was to provide never-too-serious fast fun, and with Ms. Francis out front in so many admirable ways past surprising, it becomes smile-inducing warp-speed escapism (which also featured a number of imminently famous guest stars).

DVD Review: This is a unique show
Summary: 4 Stars

Because of when this show was produced, and because of its producer's involvement with other shows of more comedic genres, it is unique. Honey West lies somewhere in between light-hearted Gilligan's Island and the totally serious Mission Impossible series. The plots are always serious at their hearts, but the whole show is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. As we've grown more accustomed to serious shows of destruction, explosions, and death, viewing this series will remind you of a time when America was more innocent. Honey West is somewhat like a ten-year-old's attempt to describe really serious events. The episodes involve a potentially serious situation but go on to treat it with an optimistic, childlike solution. It's cute, and it's old-fashioned, whole-family-can-watch-it entertainment. Even if you're a guy that has grown to expect Hollywood's current action thrillers, you'll still enjoy watching Anne Francis. She's hot!

DVD Review: Digitally Remastered Retro-ads!
Summary: 5 Stars

Two things stand out on this DVD set. The first is the well-endowed Ms. Francis walking around in her tight black cat-suit and black boots. The second is something I have NEVER seen before on DVD--beautiful, digitally restored ads from the 1960's, such as the ads for Parliament cigarettes, Prell shampoo, Lucky Strike, etc. The bright digital transfer of the episodes tends to bring out the cheap sets and production values. This is something that plagues other old shows such as "Ironside" and "The Man From UNCLE", but which also is part of their charm. Honey West comes off as more of a cartoon character than a real detective (obvious comparison--Emma Peel of "The Avengers") which makes for some fun TV. A unique show that was cancelled, ironically, because ABC found that they could order episodes of "The Avengers" for less money than producing "Honey West".

Description of Honey West: The Complete Series (4pc) (Full B&W)

As televisions first title roll female Private Eye, Honey West would take on any tough case. After the death of her father, the sexy private detective took over his high-tech PI firm. Being assisted by the rugged Sam Bolt and her pet ocelot Bruce, she could handle herself mingling with millionaires just as well as scaling a thirty foot wall.

Bonus Features: Episode Selection, Vintage Commercials, Anne Francis Photo Gallery, Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery Specs: 4-DVD9s; Dolby Digital; 900 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA NR; Year - 1965-1966

"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

General DVDs

DVD Video

Bestsellers in General DVDs

The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $17.69
Price in other shops: ~~$35.99~~

Taken (Extended Cut)
Release date: 2009-05-12; DVD
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops: ~~$29.98~~

Gran Torino (Widescreen Edition)
Release date: 2009-06-09; DVD
Best price: $17.49
Price in other shops: ~~$28.98~~

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-04-07; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Bedtime Stories
Release date: 2009-04-07; DVD
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Australia
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-03; DVD
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

The Wrestler
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops: ~~$29.98~~

Quantum of Solace
Release date: 2009-03-24; DVD
Best price: $8.85
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Caprica
Universal; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $13.50
Price in other shops: ~~$26.98~~

Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Universal; Release date: 2009-03-21; DVD
Best price: $14.45
Price in other shops: ~~$32.99~~

Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs

Route 66 - The Complete Second Season
Release date: 2008-11-04; DVD
Best price: $21.69
Price in other shops: ~~$49.98~~

The Donna Reed Show: The Complete First Season
Release date: 2008-10-28; DVD
Best price: $22.32
Price in other shops: ~~$39.95~~

I Spy - Season 1
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2008-04-29; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops: ~~$19.98~~

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5 (Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum/ Murder Over New York/ Dead Men Tell/ Charlie Chan In Rio/ Charlie Chan In Panama/ Murder Cruise/ Castle in the Desert)
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2008-09-16; DVD
Best price: $23.99
Price in other shops: ~~$49.98~~

Mannix: The Second Season
Paramount; Release date: 2009-01-06; DVD
Best price: $25.99
Price in other shops: ~~$49.99~~

Mission Impossible - The Fifth TV Season
Paramount; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops: ~~$49.99~~

The Invaders - The Second Season
Paramount; Release date: 2009-01-27; DVD
Best price: $19.48
Price in other shops: ~~$36.98~~

Burke's Law: Season 1 - Volume 1 (First 16 Episodes)
VCI ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2008-04-29; DVD
Best price: $14.88
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series Image

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-10-21; DVD
Best price: $145.76
Price in other shops: ~~$199.92~~