The beginning is so like the Avengers '66 episode The Cybernauts as to be plagiarism, but let's not take it so seriously. That Avengers episode apparently aired on ABC in the US weeks later, but so many of that series' episodes seemed to repeat themselves after a while that it's difficult to say who or which came first, in either series. Anyway, that seems to explain some of the back story here. Just add an ocelot, Anne Francis and her nifty nevus, cool Sam and you have an episode. Seen one Honey West episode, seen 'em all...or some such nonsense. Liking Anne Francis and the legendary Marvin Kaplan, late of the Mad Mad World gas station, goes a long way in helping enjoy/endure this installment.
4 Reviews
Is this the worst of Honey West? So far, the answer is "yes".
bensonmum25 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Up to this point, all of my comments on Honey West have been positive. How about an episode that's not so good? How about an episode that scraps the bottom of the barrel? How about an episode so stupid I can't think of another word to describe it other than "stupid"? With only a handful of episodes left to got, my vote for the worst goes to The Fun-Fun Killer (surely, none of the remaining five are as bad as this one). Lame with a capital "L". The plot is beyond ridiculous – a toymaker is killed in Honey's office by a robot gone wild. Honey and Sam check out the toy factor to try to unmask a killer. The biggest fault in The Fun-Fun Killer is with the robots. I don't see how anyone could get past how moronic these things look. They're the kind of robots you might see in a 1930s Flash Gordon serial – you know, square heads, square bodies, impossibly stiff legs and arms, and a slow, shuffling gate. The average garden snail is faster and more nimble than these things. Yet we're supposed to think these silver behemoths are capable of killing anyone? They'd have trouble catching a fire hydrant. Sam and Honey look silly "running" from these soup cans. The finale, complete with giant magnet labeled "Super Magnet", really puts this thing over-the-top and is really the last straw. A 3/10 from me.
I Robot, You not Altaira
Miles-108 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Having dealt with gypsies and gorillas in the previous episode, Honey and Sam should have been on safer ground with this story about a man-size robot that electrocutes its victims. But this story seems only slightly better than its predecessor. (At least Anne Francis is not forced to reprise her role in "Forbidden Planet," as her relationship with the robot is never cordial.) There are many attempts at humor in this episode, which remain just attempts. Bruce the ocelot likes to watch wildlife programs on television, and Honey is compelled for no reason to indulge him. This gag is revisited at the end of the episode regardless of how funny it was not the first time. Comic actor Marvin Kaplan tries to give the episode the levity it needs, but the writing is not there.
This is the episode in which Honey, while touring a toy factory, is disconcerted to find a Honey West doll. I would have been, too, because it doesn't seem to be a very good likeness.
In one scene, Sam is waiting by the van while Honey breaks into the toy factory when, suddenly, a beach ball bounces toward him. He picks it up, sleeping gas escapes from the rapidly deflating ball, and Sam crumples to the ground. This seems to be an example of the producers of "Honey West" wanting to imitate the whimsy of "The Avengers," but this episode illustrates how ill equipped they were to do that. Although the bit with the beach ball works well enough on its own, the rest of the episode is less imaginative. You would expect more from a killer toy maker.
The fight with the robot in the warehouse at the climax is confusing, and the subsequent uncovering of the killer's identity only made me realize how little I cared who it was or why he had done it. A dull villain with less personality than the robot.
This is the episode in which Honey, while touring a toy factory, is disconcerted to find a Honey West doll. I would have been, too, because it doesn't seem to be a very good likeness.
In one scene, Sam is waiting by the van while Honey breaks into the toy factory when, suddenly, a beach ball bounces toward him. He picks it up, sleeping gas escapes from the rapidly deflating ball, and Sam crumples to the ground. This seems to be an example of the producers of "Honey West" wanting to imitate the whimsy of "The Avengers," but this episode illustrates how ill equipped they were to do that. Although the bit with the beach ball works well enough on its own, the rest of the episode is less imaginative. You would expect more from a killer toy maker.
The fight with the robot in the warehouse at the climax is confusing, and the subsequent uncovering of the killer's identity only made me realize how little I cared who it was or why he had done it. A dull villain with less personality than the robot.
FUN TO WATCH AND WHATEVER
tcchelsey29 January 2023
I haven't seen HONEY WEST in decades, and it's a fun trip back into black and white tv adventure. First and foremost, Anne Francis was the whole show, and she was pretty good at what she did, a sort of female James Bond, in a way. However, I do agree with the last reviewer that this episode leaned more to the AVENGERS, and goofy stuff. Here, a robot gone awry kills a toy manufacturer who created him and Honey has to stop the metal brute. For all of us big kids, it's fun to see the robot clanging around, but the supporting cast hits the bullseye. The great John Hoyt plays the professor, also look for comic Marvin Kaplan as Byron, always good for a few laughs and Ken Lynch, who was born to play cops! Also there's Bruce the leopard slinking about, who was female! The story goes that Bruce liked to "nip" at some of the actors, including Anne Francis, who wasn't a fan! The fun director, Murray Golden handled this episode, without too much surprise, who was behind such shows as BATMAN, the FLYING NUN and BURKE'S LAW, SEASON 1 EPISODE 26. It took awhile, but for completists the show is finally on dvd.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
