THE HAT SQUAD: ANNE FRANCIS

Monday morning I posted this on Facebook:
I knew the 2011 edition of the Toobworld Hat Squad would have to begin soon, but why did it have to start with Anne Francis? Rest in peace, Honey West.......

Anne Francis has passed away at the age of 80. For this Caretaker of Toobworld, she'll always be remembered for her two roles in 'Columbo' episodes, the "After-Hours" episode of 'The Twilight Zone', and of course, for that private eye/feminist icon, 'Honey West'.

I think we have to consider Honey West to have passed away as well. At the very least, there could never be another Honey West in the main Toobworld. I have a feeling somebody will try to do a remake; I'm surprised we haven't seen one before now, considering how often TV properties are translated for the big screen as well as for TV. (Perhaps there were development deals in the past that I'm just not aware of.)

As with Patricia Crowley, my crush on Anne Francis back in the day was tempered by the disturbing realization that they're both the same age as my mother. (Although Mom was more in the 'Please Don't Eat The Daisies' mode than as 'Honey West'.)

To mark her passing, Inner Toob offers up a variety of videos:

First up, here's an interview with Anne Francis conducted by the late Hollywood columnist Army Archerd, who himself passed away last year......





But Anne Francis as herself wasn't as instrumental to Toobworld as her character of Honey West was. Here's the opening credits to the show, very much a sixties feel to them:





And here's the ABC promo advertising the show's premiere:





Here are a couple of fight scenes from the series:





Here's a more serious use of her skills, in a tag team fight with her partner Sam Bolt against that particular episode's villains:





And here she is in battle with the great Kevin McCarthy. I have no idea why she was tagged as June Cleaver's sister for this YouTube video. If she's related to anybody in the TV Universe, she's the great-grand-daughter of Secret Service agent James T. West of 'The Wild, Wild West'.....





There'll be more to come......