What's a swimsuit?

January 4, 2011 5:29 PM

First Leslie Nielsen, and now Anne Francis. Fortunately, Robbie the Robot will live forever.

While probably best known as Altaira Morbius, the Miranda character in the Shakespeare-inspired sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet", Francis had a long career in film and TV. She co-starred with Spencer Tracy in the thriller "Bad Day at Black Rock", which took a stand against the racism of Japanese internment during WWII, and played a private detective in "Honey West." An Aaron Spelling copy of Great Britain's "The Avengers," "Honey West" was more notable for the lead's pet ocelot than compelling writing, though Anne's charm and good looks kept the show afloat for two seasons.

Francis first appeared in film in 1947 and continued to work up until the last decade, when she was slowed by a battle with lung cancer. She died Sunday at age 80.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll (21 comments total)

Science Fiction - Double Feature
Dr. X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Oh-oh at the late night, double feature, picture show.

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posted by cazoo at 5:35 PM on January 4, 2011 [2 favorites]

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posted by lampshade at 5:45 PM on January 4, 2011

No, not Honey West!! My first girl-hero! I was just a little kid when that show was on. She was so beautiful. Now I'm sad. I loved her.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 5:47 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

At this rate, we're going to run out of .s any minute.
posted by briank at 5:49 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by MrMoonPie at 5:55 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by DaddyNewt at 6:08 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by Faint of Butt at 6:21 PM on January 4, 2011

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Interview discussing Forbidden Planet.
posted by telstar at 6:37 PM on January 4, 2011

Seconding how inspiring Honey West was way back in the 60's. She survived both lung and pancreatic cancer and got to 80, an excellent run all things considered.
posted by nickyskye at 6:51 PM on January 4, 2011

telstar, that was trippy listening to the interview and hearing her mention "Tron." (She was, of course, referring to the first one.)
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:55 PM on January 4, 2011

One of my first crushes, along with Emma Peel
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posted by quazichimp at 7:17 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by MythMaker at 7:35 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by Thorzdad at 8:32 PM on January 4, 2011

Oh dear. This past fall I taught my own college course for the first time in my life - Studies in Shakespeare in the undergraduate drama department. Given that the new Taymor version of the Tempest was due out at the end of the semester I decided to close the class with a few days considering Shakespeare on film, via adaptations of The Tempest. I started them out with Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books, which they (with a few exceptions) roundly detested, before moving on to a variety of other versions - a silent tempest, Mazursky's Tempest, and Derek Jarman's version. But the one they liked the best was, hands down, Forbidden Planet. And a lot of that had to do with Anne Francis's work in it - to the students, and I might agree, she was the most compelling and multi-faceted Miranda of the bunch. And I'll second quazichimp's sentiments, that week she became one of my most recent crushes.

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posted by jrb223 at 8:43 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

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posted by Halloween Jack at 9:08 PM on January 4, 2011

Commander John J. Adams; the crew of United Planets Cruiser C-57D; Altaira Morbius and her tormented father; Robby the Robot; and a Forbidden Planet built by the brilliant, self-destructive Krell — this is what interstellar space travel was supposed to be like. Thanks for an unforgettable vision of the future, all of you.
posted by cenoxo at 9:53 PM on January 4, 2011

Um, what swimsuit?
(mildly NSFW)
posted by cenoxo at 10:02 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by Xoebe at 11:06 PM on January 4, 2011

She had a damn good run, she was a trooper.
posted by happyroach at 11:21 PM on January 4, 2011

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posted by Smart Dalek at 12:30 AM on January 5, 2011

Anne Francis played Marsha White in one of the greatest Twilight Zone episodes of all time, "The After Hours" (season 1, episode 34).

Marsha White happens to be my real name, and I'm terribly glad that, in some small way, I share that connection with her.

RIP, Ms. Francis.

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posted by magstheaxe at 9:57 AM on January 5, 2011 [1 favorite]