The Hardy Boys on TV and Film VS Books

MacGyver · January 11, 2012, 01:14:57 PM

QuoteA good interview, as it has stuff I didn't know. Like the one photoshoot (yeah...) sort of had some good come from it, in raising environmental awareness, besides helping to "change her image". I think she's one of the first to have made a career move like that, and it probably helped to eventually land a role on Dynasty.

Yeah- there are others for whom it didn't quite work out the same- like Elizabeth Berkley with the whole Showgirls movie in 1995.... (and of course, I've never seen that movie)- but yeah, I think I'd rather remember her as Jessie Spano on Saved By the Bell.
And no offense as I know you like Pamela Sue Martin and Dynasty- but considering some of the stuff that went on with that show, I can see how the racy photoshoot would help...
That's another case where I'd rather remember Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew.

Olivia · January 15, 2012, 03:02:34 PM

Quote from: MacGyver on January 11, 2012, 01:14:57 PM
Yeah- there are others for whom it didn't quite work out the same- like Elizabeth Berkley with the whole Showgirls movie in 1995.... (and of course, I've never seen that movie)- but yeah, I think I'd rather remember her as Jessie Spano on Saved By the Bell.
And no offense as I know you like Pamela Sue Martin and Dynasty- but considering some of the stuff that went on with that show, I can see how the racy photoshoot would help...
That's another case where I'd rather remember Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew.

No worries. I know the reputation the show has. Emphasis is always placed on the racy stuff. In the early days, there was a lot of intelligent writing, as well as the occasional storyline (and character development) afterwards. But the ratings weren't great, so they included more camp/drama (it was the '80's), and the viewers piled in. PSM left after 4 years, right when it was the #1 show, because she was drained creatively in playing the same character, wanted to pursue other things, and had a health problem.

I was upset in finding out how early she left Nancy Drew. I thought she wasn't being a team player and actually didn't like her for a while. Though now, I understand a bit more that she wanted to do more acting and movies, and not be a recurring character.

As for the Elizabeth Berkley scenario - that was definitely more drastic IMO. At least she knows it was a huge mistake. And it's good to see her doing something positive as she now works with young girls to help with with self-esteem.

MacGyver · January 15, 2012, 04:37:42 PM

QuoteAs for the Elizabeth Berkley scenario - that was definitely more drastic IMO. At least she knows it was a huge mistake. And it's good to see her doing something positive as she now works with young girls to help with with self-esteem.

Well, that's good to hear then.

MacGyver · January 17, 2012, 08:09:50 PM

Well, it took a bit of doing but I've finally tracked down all 4 Gold Key issues of The Hardy Boys comic book (based on the 1969-1971 The Hardy Boys cartoon) and all 4 issues of The Hardy Boys from DELL Comics (based on The Hardy Boys serials on The Mickey Mouse Club). So I hope to read them all soon and perhaps offer some observations here. I'm particularly excited to at least be able to read a comic book adaptation of The Mystery of Ghost Farm, since that's the other Hardy Boys serial from the MMC show that I haven't been able to see yet.

MacGyver · January 26, 2012, 08:17:03 PM

Found a link to a Pernell Roberts site that has clips of his work on two episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries- Season 2's "Arson and Old Lace" and Season 3's "Assault on the Tower"

MacGyver · December 04, 2012, 05:05:28 PM

QuoteWell, it took a bit of doing but I've finally tracked down all 4 Gold Key issues of The Hardy Boys comic book (based on the 1969-1971 The Hardy Boys cartoon) and all 4 issues of The Hardy Boys from DELL Comics (based on The Hardy Boys serials on The Mickey Mouse Club). So I hope to read them all soon and perhaps offer some observations here. I'm particularly excited to at least be able to read a comic book adaptation of The Mystery of Ghost Farm, since that's the other Hardy Boys serial from the MMC show that I haven't been able to see yet.

I thought I'd offer a quick breakdown of titles for now. For the DELL Comics, all of the covers and illustrations are based on Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk's portrayals, respectively, of Frank and Joe Hardy on The Mickey Mouse Club. (All 4 covers feature a photograph of both stars.) Here are the 4 titles: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure is adapted first in DELL No. 760 [printed in 1956] (Disney's version of The Tower Treasure, as seen on The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure serial on The Mickey Mouse Club). DELL No. 830 offers an adaptation of The Secret of the Old Mill (and since this comic was printed in 1957, it's based on the original text version of the book). DELL No. 887 was published in 1957 and it is an adaptation of The Mystery of Ghost Farm, the second Hardy Boys serial [The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of Ghost Farm] that ran on The Mickey Mouse Club). DELL No. 964 is an adaptation of The Mystery of the Caves (and since this comic was printed in 1958, it's based on the original text version of the book).

And now for the Gold Key comics, they are all based on the 1969-1971 Filmation cartoon series, The Hardy Boys. All 4 covers feature a photograph of the band, and all but one also include illustrations from the cartoon on the cover as well.
The Hardy Boys #1 (printed April 1970) has two stories: "Secret of the Orinda Star" [which seems to be an adaptation of Footprints Under the Window, leading me to think that this is also the book that was adapted for the first episode of the cartoon series, which most episode guides label only as "Episode #1".]. The other story is "The Dart-Riddle Rumble".
The Hardy Boys #2 (printed July 1970) has two stories: "Mystery of the Catacombs" and "Secret Mission".
The Hardy Boys #3 (printed October 1970) has two stories: "Mystery of Wildcat Swamp" [which I daresay is an adaptation of The Secret of Wildcat Swamp

] and "The Headless Horseman".
The Hardy Boys #4 (printed January 1971) has two stories: "The Guise of Medusa" and "Paddle Wheel Peril".

I'm pretty certain all of these comic books (at least for the ones that are based on books- which I think is all of them; I'm just not sure what book all these stories are adapting right now.)- Anyway, all of them are assuredly based on the revised text rather than the original text.
Also, on all but the 2nd. issue, the Gold Key Hardy Boys comics have this tagline on the cover- "On The Beat!".

Okay- I hope I can offer some more observations on these comic books later.

MacGyver · January 08, 2013, 10:43:17 AM

I posted this in the "Now Reading" thread, but I thought it'd be appropriate here too. I've decided to read the two novelizations based on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and here are some of my observations on the first one.

QuoteI'm now reading The Haunted House & Flight to Nowhere- a two-story book containing novelizations of two episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. (The episodes in question being "The Mystery of the Haunted House" and "The Flickering Torch Mystery".) The book presents them both as separate stories. (i.e. There is no connecting narrative.) I've read the first story so far and as far as I can tell, it plays out almost exactly as presented in the television episode. I noticed a number of lines that were verbatim from the episode. Of course, I also noticed a few lines added that I'm pretty sure were not in the episode- but they were just additional comments echoing what had already been mentioned in the episode. The novelization didn't really seem to add much to what the episode already showed, except for perhaps one scene. Frank and Joe are mentioned finding a chamber of horrors with characters like Jack the Ripper and Bluebeard... but now that I think about it, I think that scene may have been in the episode. However, it was helpful to have the characters' names there in print because it doesn't seem like you always catch them on the episode- especially if it's only mentioned once quickly. The novelization did seem to explain the storyline a little bit better but that may just be because it was written down to read at leisure, rather than the fast-paced nature of the TV show. Anyway, with all the pictures of Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy as Frank and Joe Hardy, respectively- both promotional shots and scenes taken straight from the episode- that definitely helped recreate the episode for fans of the show. I'm sure this kind of TV show novelization was a lot more enthusiastically welcomed in the late '70s when it was released, when fans were happy to have any memorabilia from the show and many did not have access to VCRs to record episodes and thus had little means of rewatching episodes, unless they caught it again in reruns. (Or as I've heard some TV fans would do- record an audio recording of the episode to listen to later.) Or perhaps this was viewed as a second chance to enjoy the episode for fans who may have missed the original airing. When all the episodes are available on DVD, unless the novelization is really fleshing out a lot of elements from the episodes and adding important details- it doesn't seem quite as enticing nowadays. However, it is still interesting to see things come full circle, with The Hardy Boys starting out as a book series and then getting translated to a TV show and then getting translated back to book form via the two novelizations that were released based on the series. I generally find original stories based on TV shows more interesting (see the British annuals released based on the series), as that's adding something to the catalog of adventures to me, but the novelizations are still a fun and interesting addition.

MacGyver · January 09, 2013, 04:47:23 PM

Okay- in reference to this post- I have a bit of an update.

QuoteI don't know where best this would fit, but since this thread was for talking about comparing The Hardy Boys' TV and film appearances to their books, and we had already mentioned The Hardy Boys cartoon show, I thought I'd post it here.
After checking a number of sources online, as well as newspaper microfilm archives at public libraries, I think I've found a complete listing for the episode segments of the cartoon show. I'm not sure of their exact airdates and how they were paired up for each episode, but at least I think I've got the complete list of Hardy Boys books that were adapted for the cartoon show. I'm disappointed that apparently The Tower Treasure wasn't adapted, but oh well- perhaps the show's producers figured it was already pretty well done on The Mickey Mouse Club Hardy Boys serials and didn't need to be done again.
Anyway- here is a list I pulled off of The Unofficial Hardy Boys Home Page (http://hardyboys.us/hbtv.htm) (By the way, the Big Cartoon Database concurs with this listing as well- (http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Filmation_Associates/H-R/The_Hardy_Boys/index.html)

Prod # Title Air Date
HB-01 Unknown 09/06/69
HB-02 Unknown 09/13/69
HB-03 The Secret Warning 09/20/69
HB-04 The Viking Symbol Mystery 09/27/69
HB-05 The Secret of the Caves 10/04/69
HB-06 The Secret of the Old Mill 10/11/69
HB-07 The Missing Chums 10/18/69
HB-08 The Mystery of the Desert Giant 10/25/69
HB-09 The Mystery Cabin Island 11/01/69
HB-10 Hunting For Hidden Gold 11/08/69
HB-11 The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior 11/15/69
HB-12 The Hidden Harbor Mystery 11/22/69
HB-13 The Ghost At Skeleton Rock 11/29/69
HB-14 Mystery of The Chinese Junk 12/06/69
HB-15 The Shore Road Mystery 12/13/69
HB-16 What Happenned At Midnight 12/20/69
HB-17 The Sign Of the Crooked Arrow 12/27/69
Prod # Title Air Date
HB-18 The Clue In the Embers 09/12/70
HB-19 The Clue the Screeching Owl 09/19/70
HB-20 The House On the Cliff 09/26/70
HB-21 Mystery Of the Spiral Bridge 10/03/70
HB-22 The Yellow Feather Mystery 10/10/70
HB-23 The Mystery Of Devil's Paw 10/17/70
HB-24 The Sinister Sign Post 10/24/70
HB-25 The Melted Coins 10/31/70
HB-26 The Mark On The Door 11/07/70
HB-27 The Flickering Torch Mystery 11/14/70
HB-28 The Haunted Fort 11/21/70
HB-29 The Mystery of Wildcat Swamp 11/28/70
HB-30 The Clue of the Broken Blade 12/05/70
HB-31 Unknown 12/12/70
HB-32 The Short-Wave Mystery 12/19/70
HB-33 The Hooded Hawk Mystery 12/26/70
HB-34 The Secret Of Pirate's Hill 01/02/71

Three episode titles are listed as unknown. However, after comparing this list with the one on another Hardy Boys site (Hardy-Boys.com), I think I've got the missing episode titles. (http://www.hardy-boys.com/cartoon.shtml)
A listing at Toonarific.com (with episode titles pulled from 16mm films) also helped confirm this. (http://shop.toonarific.com/product.php?productid=16285&cat=0&page=1) Also, this listing from ToonTracker helped (http://www.toontracker.net/video/dvd160.htm)

All sources agree that it was 34 episodes produced and aired, as far as I can tell. And both the Hardy-Boys.com and Toonarific.com sites list these titles not listed in the above list, so it looks like these must be the "unknown" titles.

"Footprints Under the Window"
"The Phantom Freighter"
"A Figure in Hiding"

So anyway- it's just interesting to me to see how many of the original 58 Hardy Boys Mystery Stories were adapted into episodes of the cartoon. Of course, since titles in the series were still being written at the time, some of the books could not be adapted since they hadn't been written yet. Though I am still confused about these airing dates- my understanding is that each episode of the show contained two segments depicting an incredibly truncated and adapted book as well as a music segment to take up the half hour.
So if that airing list is correct, I wonder if episode segments were just paired with earlier reruns along the way...

So yeah- the pairing of episode segments is tricky to determine- here is a partial list (not necessarily in airdate order) from Hardy-Boys.com

............................................................................
Each half-hour episode contained two 15-minute stories. Between stories (sometimes a little bit into the second one) the "Hardy Boys Plus Three" entertained viewers with a new song from one of their records.
.
These episodes aren't in any kind of order. I've included the song in each episode, when known. Although the episodes don't include a title (making it very tough to figure out anything about them), titles have been assigned.
1. Footprints Under the Window/Hidden Gold -- Love & Let Love
2. Desert Giant/Viking Symbol -- Feels So Good
3. Old Mill/Missing Chums -- That's That
4. Cabin Island/Hidden Harbor -- My Little Sweetpea
5. Secret of the Caves/Figure in Hiding -- unknown
6. Secret Warning/Aztec Warrior -- unknown
7. Skeleton Rock/Chinese Junk -- unknown
8. What Happened at Midnight/Clue in the Embers -- unknown
9. Screeching Owl/Yellow Feather -- unknown

10. Devil's Paw/Haunted Fort -- Carnival Time
11. Sinister Signpost/Melted Coins -- unknown
12. Hooded Hawk/Short Wave -- Hello Girl***
13. Shore Road/Crooked Arrow - One Time in a Million
14. Phantom Freighter/Pirate's Hill -- unknown
.
These are episodes produced, but I
don't know how they pair up (all 1970):
House on the Cliff
Spiral Bridge
Mark on the Door
Flickering Torch
Wildcat Swamp
Broken Blade
*** This song was first released by Reed Kailing (aka Frank Hardy) and The Destinations, his former personal band. Although the Hardy Boys recorded a version for this cartoon, it doesn't appear on any of their recordings.
. .....................................................................................

Toonarific.com's listings seem to concur with Hardy-Boys.com and also fill in the gaps in some places, but still leaves some mystery in others.
Culling from those listings, other matchups for episode segments include:

The House on the Cliff/The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge
The Flickering Torch Mystery/The Mark on the Door
The Secret of Wildcat Swamp/The Mark on the Door
(I've seen both listings like this for "The Mark on the Door"- either there's an error on the site somewhere or perhaps this was a rerun segment...)

Also, can anyone help me determine which episodes the description on this site are for? (http://www.toontracker.net/video/dvd072.htm)
Thanks.
I hope all this is helpful for anyone interested in the airing history of this cartoon. For whatever reason, it's particularly hard to track down...

Also, from what I can determine, it looks like the rights to Filmation shows may have reverted to a company called Classic Media- so I'm going to try to contact them to ask about if they have the rights to The Hardy Boys cartoon show, and if so, what their intentions are towards a DVD release.

On the general Wikipedia page for The Hardy Boys cartoon series (i.e. NOT The Hardy Boys Wiki page)- there is a different listing for the episode guide for the cartoon series.

Season 1: 1969-1970
No. Title Airdate
1 "'Footprints Under The Window / Hunting for Hidden Gold" 1969?Sep?06
2 "Mystery of the Desert Giant / The Viking Symbol Mystery" 1969?Sep?13
3 "The Secret of the Old Mill / The Missing Chums" 1969?Sep?20
4 "The Secret Warning / The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior" 1969?Sep?27
5 "The Mystery of Cabin Island / The Hidden Harbor Mystery" 1969?Oct?04
6 "The Secret of the Caves / A Figure In Hiding" 1969?Oct?11
7 "The Ghost at Skeleton Rock / The Mystery of the Chinese Junk" 1969?Oct?18
8 "The Shore Road Mystery / The Sign of the Crooked Arrow" 1969?Oct?25
9 "What Happened at Midnight / The Clue in the Embers" 1969?Nov?01
10 "'The Clue of the Screeching Owl / The Yellow Feather Mystery" 1969?Nov?08
11 "The House on the Cliff / Mystery of the Spiral Bridge" 1969?Nov?15
12 "The Mystery at Devil's Paw / The Haunted Fort" 1969?Nov?22
13 "The Sinister Signpost / The Melted Coins" 1969?Nov?29
14 "The Mark on the Door / The Flickering Torch Mystery" 1969?Dec?06
15 "The Secret of Wildcat Swamp / The Clue of the Broken Blade" 1969?Dec?13
16 "The Hooded Hawk Mystery / The Short Wave Mystery" 1969?Dec?20
17 "The Phantom Freighter / The Secret of Pirates Hill" 1969?Dec?27

[edit] Season 2: 1970?71No. Title Airdate
18 "'repeat of show #1" 1970?Sep?07
19 "repeat of show #2" 1970?Sep?14
20 "repeat of show #3" 1970?Sep?21
21 "repeat of show #4" 1970?Oct?03
22 "repeat of show #5" 1970?Oct?10
23 "repeat of show #6" 1970?Oct?17
24 "repeat of show #7" 1970?Oct?24
25 "'repeat of show #8" 1970?Oct?31
26 "repeat of show #9" 1970?Nov?07
27 "repeat of show #10" 1970?Nov?14
28 "repeat of show #11" 1970?Nov?21
29 "repeat of show #12" 1970?Nov?28
30 "repeat of show #13" 1970?Dec?05
31 "repeat of show #14" 1970?Dec?12
32 "repeat of show #15" 1970?Dec?19
33 "repeat of show #16" 1970?Dec?26
34 "repeat of show #17" 1971?Jan?02

.....................................................................

So apparently the second season was totally reruns. And there are the pairings for the "unknown" episodes as well. If this listing can be trusted as accurate, and it looks like it is, then it's nice to finally have this question settled.

MacGyver · January 10, 2013, 09:14:20 AM

Just for comparison, here is a list of The Hardy Boys books (Original series), with a note on those that have been adapted to film and comic books.
(*Note- unless otherwise marked, all adaptations of books are based upon the Revised Text version.)

1. The Tower Treasure - ("The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure" serial on The Mickey Mouse Club AND DELL No. 760 Comics- comic is an adaptation of the serial, which is in turn, based on the book. And both are based on the Original Text version of the book.)
2. The House on the Cliff - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
3. The Secret of the Old Mill - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon AND DELL No. 830 Comics- comic based on the Original Text version of the book.)
4. The Missing Chums - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
5. Hunting for Hidden Gold - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
6. The Shore Road Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
7. The Secret of the Caves - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon AND DELL No. 964 Comics- printed as The Mystery of the Caves on the cover, but the comic story itself has The Secret of the Caves title - comic based on the Original Text version of the book. Also, a Viewmaster set of reels was released based on The Hardy Boys cartoon episode and the Viewmaster set was also entitled "The Mystery of the Caves".)
8. The Mystery of Cabin Island - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
9. The Great Airport Mystery - (none)
10. What Happened at Midnight - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
11. While The Clock Ticked - (none)
12. Footprints Under the Window - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon AND Gold Key Comics' The Hardy Boys #1 [April 1970] - "Secret of the Orinda Star" story- comic is based on the cartoon episode, which is in turn based on the book.)
13. The Mark on the Door - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
14. The Hidden Harbor Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
15. The Sinister Signpost - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
16. A Figure in Hiding - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
17. The Secret Warning - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
18. The Twisted Claw - (none)
19. The Disappearing Floor - (The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977-1979 live action series had an episode with the same title, but the plot is totally different with perhaps only a few very vague elements used from the book.)
20. The Mystery of the Flying Express - (none)
21. The Clue of the Broken Blade - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
22. The Flickering Torch Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon AND The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977-1979 live action series had an episode with the same title, but the live action show plot is totally different with perhaps only a few vague elements used from the book.)
23. The Melted Coins - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
24. The Short-Wave Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
25. The Secret Panel - (none)
26. The Phantom Freighter - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
27. The Secret of Skull Mountain - (none)
28. The Sign of the Crooked Arrow - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
29. The Secret of the Lost Tunnel - (none)
30. The Wailing Siren Mystery - (none)
31. The Secret of Wildcat Swamp - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon AND Gold Key Comics' The Hardy Boys #3 [October 1970] - "Mystery of Wildcat Swamp" story- comic is based on the cartoon episode, which is in turn based on the book.)
32. The Crisscross Shadow - (none)
33. The Yellow Feather Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
34. The Hooded Hawk Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
35. The Clue in the Embers - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
36. The Secret of Pirates' Hill - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
37. The Ghost at Skeleton Rock - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
38. The Mystery at Devil's Paw - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
39. The Mystery of the Chinese Junk - (1967 live action pilot The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk AND The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
40. Mystery of the Desert Giant - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
41. The Clue of the Screeching Owl - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon AND The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977-1979 live action series episode "The Mystery of Witches' Hollow")
42. The Viking Symbol Mystery - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
43. The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
44. The Haunted Fort - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
45. The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge - (The Hardy Boys 1969-1971 cartoon)
46. The Secret Agent on Flight 101 - (none)
47. Mystery of the Whale Tattoo - (none)
48. The Arctic Patrol Mystery - (none)
49. The Bombay Boomerang - (none)
50. Danger on Vampire Trail - (none)
51. The Masked Monkey - (none)
52. The Shattered Helmet - (none)
53. The Clue of the Hissing Serpent - (none)
54. The Mysterious Caravan - (none)
55. The Witchmaster's Key - (none)
56. The Jungle Pyramid - (none)
57. The Firebird Rocket - (none)
58. The Sting of the Scorpion - (none)

[Coincidentally, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977-1979 live action series has an episode entitled "Scorpion's Sting", but it is not related to The Sting of the Scorpion as the plots are different and the TV show episode was aired before the book was released- so it's very unlikely the two are meant to be connected. The book title may have been inspired by the TV show episode though. Also coincidentally, the TV show had another episode called "Wipe Out", which is also the title of a much later book in The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series- #96 Wipeout, but the two have different plots and are not connected otherwise.]

tomswift2002 · January 11, 2013, 03:23:27 PM

Well both Wipe-Out's center around surfing, but the TV episode takes place in Hawaii, while the book is set in the Mediterranean.

MacGyver · January 11, 2013, 03:59:31 PM

Right. I know they both center on surfing but beyond those similarities that I'm sure are only coincidental, the plots are not the same. I know the TV show episode dealt with The Hardy Boys tracking down a gang that was stealing from hotel rooms. As for the book, it had to do with sabotage and counterfeit money.

MacGyver · January 15, 2013, 10:42:03 AM

Just to add a little bit to my observations on reading this book-

QuoteI posted this in the "Now Reading" thread, but I thought it'd be appropriate here too. I've decided to read the two novelizations based on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and here are some of my observations on the first one.

Quote
I'm now reading The Haunted House & Flight to Nowhere- a two-story book containing novelizations of two episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. (The episodes in question being "The Mystery of the Haunted House" and "The Flickering Torch Mystery".) The book presents them both as separate stories. (i.e. There is no connecting narrative.) I've read the first story so far and as far as I can tell, it plays out almost exactly as presented in the television episode. I noticed a number of lines that were verbatim from the episode. Of course, I also noticed a few lines added that I'm pretty sure were not in the episode- but they were just additional comments echoing what had already been mentioned in the episode. The novelization didn't really seem to add much to what the episode already showed, except for perhaps one scene. Frank and Joe are mentioned finding a chamber of horrors with characters like Jack the Ripper and Bluebeard... but now that I think about it, I think that scene may have been in the episode. However, it was helpful to have the characters' names there in print because it doesn't seem like you always catch them on the episode- especially if it's only mentioned once quickly. The novelization did seem to explain the storyline a little bit better but that may just be because it was written down to read at leisure, rather than the fast-paced nature of the TV show. Anyway, with all the pictures of Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy as Frank and Joe Hardy, respectively- both promotional shots and scenes taken straight from the episode- that definitely helped recreate the episode for fans of the show. I'm sure this kind of TV show novelization was a lot more enthusiastically welcomed in the late '70s when it was released, when fans were happy to have any memorabilia from the show and many did not have access to VCRs to record episodes and thus had little means of rewatching episodes, unless they caught it again in reruns. (Or as I've heard some TV fans would do- record an audio recording of the episode to listen to later.) Or perhaps this was viewed as a second chance to enjoy the episode for fans who may have missed the original airing. When all the episodes are available on DVD, unless the novelization is really fleshing out a lot of elements from the episodes and adding important details- it doesn't seem quite as enticing nowadays. However, it is still interesting to see things come full circle, with The Hardy Boys starting out as a book series and then getting translated to a TV show and then getting translated back to book form via the two novelizations that were released based on the series. I generally find original stories based on TV shows more interesting (see the British annuals released based on the series), as that's adding something to the catalog of adventures to me, but the novelizations are still a fun and interesting addition.

I finished this book over the weekend. I don't have much to add regarding the "Flight to Nowhere" portion of the book. It was a pretty good novelization of The Mystery of the Flickering Torch episode. Some quotes were pretty much verbatim from the script. There were a few lines here and there added that were a bit different, but they pretty much conveyed the same idea and didn't really add anything to the plot. The book did clear up one question though that I had from watching the episode- Tony Bird's band is called The Flickering Torch in the episode. The book made that clear from the first sentence. In the book that the episode is based on, The Flickering Torch is the name of a club that the Hardy Boys play a show at and investigate.

VLoneWolf · January 15, 2013, 05:02:47 PM

Reminds me of the book The Flickering Torch Mystery.

tomswift2002 · January 16, 2013, 04:56:51 PM

You have to remember that the original text of "The Flickering Torch" was about an actual torch being used as a signal.

MacGyver · January 16, 2013, 05:30:42 PM

Yeah- it's nice that they worked in some element of the book by using The Flickering Torch as the band name on the episode, and adapting the name of the book for the name of the episode on the '70s show... But I suppose Hardy Boys fans should just consider those slight nods to the books without being a full out adaptation (though that episode had a few scant similarities to the book with a flying scene and the mystery centering on music- the revised text version, that is. I haven't read the original text version just yet.) Maybe a new show would do more straight out adaptations of the books though- it would be nice to see.