"Science fiction double feature
Doctor X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show."
Miss Anne Francis, one of those rare creatures who was more famous for having her name featured in a song from a worldwide smash hit musical than she ever was as an actress, would have been 90 years old today.
In fact, Miss Francis has more of a cult following today than probably at any time during her acting career. Apart from the aforementioned Forbidden Planet (beloved of 50s sci-fi B-movie geeks everywhere), she was also the star of America's answer to (the far better-remembered) The Avengers, Honey West - in which she portrayed a feisty private detective (often referred to as the "private eyeful" for her voluptuous figure) who dressed to kill, drove a super-cool AC Cobra convertible, was trained in martial arts, used loads of cunningly-disguised spy gadgetry, and kept an ocelot as a pet! Surprisingly, the series only managed one season before being itself replaced by Steed and Mrs Peel in the US TV schedules.
Her career continued in character roles in daytime soaps and popular shows such as Cannon, The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, Wonder Woman and The Golden Girls, almost to the end.
It makes one wonder - what if the legendary Sydney Newman had never masterminded the creation of The Avengers; would Honey West now be "the" fondly-remembered femme fatale-led action series that formed part of the mystique of the Swinging Sixties?
Anne Lloyd Francis (16th September 1930 – 2nd January 2011)
