Sept. 2-8, 2012 TV Club- The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries- Season 1-Ep. 1

[MacGyver]

Okay, it's finally time to review one of the best known and loved versions of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew on TV- the classic late 1970s show, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries!
We'll start off this week with the pilot episode, featuring The Hardy Boys, in "The Mystery of the Haunted House".
Leave your thoughts, comments and reviews below.

[tomswift2002]

This episode was never released on VHS,Betamax or any other video tape format (except at the professional level), however it was released on disc a couple of times, secondly in the Season 1 DVD set in 2005, and then for the first time back in 1980 on the Discovision (aka Laser Disc) format.

[MacGyver]

Thanks for the video release history, Tom. Kinda surprising that the pilot didn't make it to VHS when almost every other episode from the 1st. Season (featuring The Hardy Boys) were released to VHS back in the '80s...

[tomswift2002]

Well, aside from The Disappearing Floor (which didn't appear on home video on any format till the DVD in 2005), The Mystery of The Haunted House is the only other Hardy Boys Season 1 episode that most people had not been able to pick up to watch at home.

[MacGyver]

I've actually been hoping for a dark and stormy night to watch this episode (actually, it seems like it's the best weather for watching any of these episodes- it just adds to the mood. )
But hopefully I will rewatch the episode tonight and have a fairly detailed review up soon.

[MacGyver]

Well, I finally got a chance to watch the pilot episode again last night. It was kind of cool that I actually watched it on a Sunday night, which is when it originally aired. (Though in a much earlier time slot- I wound up watching it close to the hour that some of the events took place in the episode!)
But like I said in another post about watching this show on a dark and stormy night, somehow that just adds to mood.
        Though I've seen the entire series before at some point or another, I noticed some things with this episode that I wanted to point out for the review. First of all, I've got to mention the incredible job that was done with the theme song. The music is great and the visuals are great too. The maze in the desert at night makes for a mysterious setting as Frank and Joe and Nancy try to find their way through it. Then along the way, we see the images of various books from both The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series- I love the way they superimpose Parker Stevenson, Shaun Cassidy and Pamela Sue Martin into the covers. Even the announcer's voice is really cool too.
        So after a really exciting theme song introduction, we get into the show itself, which quickly presents the title of the episode. (which is nice to have there, even if it is already announced too.) I noticed that in this episode, the attribution to Glen A. Larson as the show creator and the acknowledgment of basing the episode on The Hardy Boys books by Franklin W. Dixon (and Nancy Drew episodes of course have a similar notice that the episode is based on the Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene) both come at the end of the episode, rather than the start. I'm pretty sure this is changed to be put right at the start with the other opening credits at the beginning of the episode.
         I like that this episode starts directly in the middle of action. Frank and Joe are tailing their own father at night on their motorbikes. (It's great to see these as they are certainly mentioned and make appearances a number of times in the books, including the very first one- The Tower Treasure. So it's fitting to see that. And we also see the Hardy Boys' trusty van parked at their house later, which they briefly use in the episode too. (We also see in this episode that The Hardy Boys carry their bikes in their van at times.) It's nice to have different options for transportation, depending on what is more expedient for the situation.
         I also like that this episode is primarily set at night for the entire time. Indeed, the whole turn of events takes place over the course of one night, for which the Hardys stay up for the most part. Though we have no indication of age exactly, we can assume they are meant to be the same ages as in the revised books, Frank at 18 and Joe at 17. (I have read from interviews with the cast that the age issue was basically not addressed on the show and it is just as well, as it doesn't seem to make a big difference.) I noticed that the officers bring Frank back in off the streets as he was on his motorbike late at night and in his pajamas, but this doesn't necessarily indicate age, as the police may well have done this with any person at any age.
Anyway, since Fenton Hardy is said to be on a fishing trip, it seems likely this episode takes place on a weekend (as so many of The Hardys' cases tend to take place in the books- either on weekends and after school during the week- or on vacation and holidays, etc.) so perhaps that helps make it more plausible for The Hardys' to be up all night and apparently not having anywhere to go the next morning.
        I like this aspect for the first episode- the night time events at the cemetary and the "haunted house" all set a great tone for spooky goings-on in the middle of the night, along with some governmental intrigue. It makes a great start to the series for me.
        I also like how "The Haunted House" club plays it up for laughs here and there- little bits of humor like that are necessary to relieve some of the suspense and tension and break up the action every now and then. The books have generally done this pretty well and the show keeps this tradition strong. I really like the characterization of Frank, Joe, Mr. Hardy, Aunt Gertrude and Callie Shaw. All are well cast and on the mark for their characters.
(I'm particularly thinking of Aunt Gertude's fussing over the boys, Mr. Hardy's concern for them mixed with his admiration and acknowledgment of their talents, Frank's leadership and as the older brother and methodicism, Joe's impetuousness and reservations as the younger brother.... though I would never categorize Joe as a scaredycat, I think this show does make a distinction of characterizing Joe as at least wary of scary situations, particularly involving the supernatural- but perhaps that is to emphasize Joe's tendency to go with his gut feeling versus Frank's logical approach. And to be fair, Frank has his moments of fright and reluctance too, and it's not like they never have a few such moments in the books- so maybe that is fairly on target to the books too. Also of note is Joe being the one to be concerned about the food and claiming he needs nourishment as a growing boy. That seemed in keeping with his character too, though he's nowhere near the chowhound that Chet Morton is, of course.   The older and younger thing between Frank and Joe would definitely continue in the series, insofar as Frank and Joe using their ages and respective positions in the family tree as reasoning for something, etc.- usually playing up well for humor.)
We see The Hardys' first run-in with the local police in this episode, of which they have many more during the course of the series. (Including a few appearances of Chief Ezra Collig- but that's later in the series.) We also get to see a good bit of The Hardys' house in this episode, including some exterior and interior shots, which is something that is not as prevalent later in the show. This episode sets a good foundation and sticks true to the book series' general premise. Harriet Adams was very particular about who could have rights to the books and how the show would be done and I'm glad that she and other copyright holders held firm to make sure a TV show adaptation stayed true to the books and the values Frank and Joe hold true to as well.
       It was interesting to see Callie here too- I'm glad she is included in the adaptation of the books, though it is interesting to see her now taking on the role of Fenton Hardy's assistant and/or secretary. It certainly is plausible she could have been hired by Fenton as a favor to Frank if Callie and Frank were dating. (Though I'm sure Fenton would hire just upon Frank's recommendation of her as a friend.) In any case, though the romantic relationship between Callie and Frank is apparently non-existent in the show, it's still nice to have Callie Shaw on the show than not, especially since this is her primary appearance in any Hardy Boys media adaptations. (She does briefly appear in the 1967 pilot, The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk, but in a much smaller role.) It's too bad Iola Morton didn't make the transition- but I suppose perhaps they didn't want to have Joe with a girlfriend and Frank not having one. Also, this kept both boys open to have romantic affections for different girls throughout the series (most all of whom would only appear for just one episode.) Perhaps they also didn't want to have the romance detract from the action and mystery of the series, and while I am glad for that, I do think it's worth noting that the books have generally done a pretty good job of balancing that. (Though of course in the original 58 Grossett & Dunlap books, revised editions, Frank and Joe's date times with Callie and Iola, respectively, seem to be pretty limited. Callie and Iola are definitely pretty patient with Frank and Joe as they spend a lot of their free time chasing down criminals- and that makes it tough to keep the romance going sometimes. But obviously they work it out.)
            The plot of the episode itself was pretty solid, with the Hardy Boys helping a recovering amnesiac ex-soldier on the run from a killer. We still have an effort to minimize the violence in keeping with the books' traditions, but nonetheless, The Hardys still wind up in some potentially violent situations. And all the horrors and maze of "The Haunted House" just adds to the mystery and the scares. I also love that Frank and Joe lift fingerprints and study them in their home lab. This is a great aspect of detective work to show on the show, as it is certainly true to the books and the boys' crime lab is first mentioned back in the first book, The Tower Treasure (revised edition.) This is something else we don't get to see as much of later on in the series as more and more cases happen away from home.
   

[MacGyver]

       But for the first episode at least, it's great to see the standard plot of Frank and Joe getting mixed up in one of their dad's cases and helping solve it right there on the streets of Bayport, without going anywhere else. Though we will certainly see a lot of travel later in the series, it's always nice to have some episodes set right there in their own neighborhood. And of course, we have that funny chuckle moment at the end to finish things on a light note, though not all episodes necessarily end like this. But it is nice to have it most times.
      You can definitely see some of Glen Larson's writing style in this episode as it certainly has its gimmicks (i.e. "The Haunted House" and its denizens), but they are pretty well done and add to the episode. And it's always nice to have the creator of the show write an episode himself here and there for the series, particularly for the pilot- as that sets in motion the rest of the series.
             And now I think I've gone on quite long enough on this one, though I know this one is probably particularly long because I wanted to talk some about the series itself with the premiere here. This episode is well done and sets a great tone for the series.

[MacGyver]

I actually had to do two posts there, as I had apparently exceeded the maximum limit for posts. (10,000 word limit, I think it is- actually, I can't remember if that was for characters or words- but it's certainly a reasonable limit. I don't normally go on for quite that long all the time- lol.)

[MacGyver]

Okay- one other quick observation and I'm done. I also like how particularly in the first season, though some in the second season too, the writers kept the traditional naming structure of the episodes, as per many of the books. (i.e. "The Mystery of"......   or "The Secret of".....) However, I also appreciate the creative titles that abandon that structure as some of the titles of the books do the same as well. 

[tomswift2002]

Okay- one other quick observation and I'm done. I also like how particularly in the first season, though some in the second season too, the writers kept the traditional naming structure of the episodes, as per many of the books. (i.e. "The Mystery of"......   or "The Secret of".....) However, I also appreciate the creative titles that abandon that structure as some of the titles of the books do the same as well. 

Don't forget that some of the better remembered titles upto that point (Tower Treasure, House On The Cliff, While The Clock Tocked, What Happened At Midnight, The Melted Coins, The Bombay Boomerang, The Shattered Helmet) did not have "Mystery" or "Secret" or even "Clue" in the title.

[MacGyver]

Yep- I was thinking of a number of those same titles when I posted that too.