Hardy Boys SEASON 3 on DVD

[SkyWarp]

The long-awaited season 3 of the Hardy Boys 1970's tv series will finally be released in February 2013.  Season 3 can be pre-purchased at Amazon.com



Thanks to Trevor Thurlow and Matthias Smith for the heads up on this information over at the Hardy Boys Casefiles Facebook Group. 

[MacGyver]

Yay! I'm SO excited for this. That's cool you got the cover art up too.

[MacGyver]

I posted this in another thread, but I thought I'd post it here too.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I just looked at Shout! Factory's Web site- and they have a preorder listing up for The Hardy Boys Season 3 at a price of $18.98 [which is a reasonable price for me.] And there is an extra included!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sure- it's not quite the extravaganza I might have hoped for that I listed in my earlier post (which I knew the vast majority of was highly unrealistic, but it was fun to list ideas anyway)- but it looks like I did actually get one of the things I wished for- so I am very happy for that!!!

If you hit the link above, you can see what I'm talking about. The page says the DVD set will have 3 discs and it will include a bonus feature- a new interview with Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      WOW!!!!! I honestly wasn't expecting anything beyond the episodes, but to at least have a new interview with both of the main stars- I am very excited to see that. That is definitely a cool bonus feature to include and it will be great to see both of them back together again in this interview. Well, now I'm even more excited for February to get here so I can get this DVD set. I'm glad to see that Shout! Factory has come through once again on including some cool extras on their DVD sets. I can't wait for this one! Yay for The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries on DVD!!!!!!

[tomswift2002]

You know, I was just looking at the artwork for Season 3 and the interior artwork for Season 1, since someone mentioned how the fingerprint wasn't under the Season number, but if you look at the artwork for the interior case of the Hardy Boys Season 1, the Season number isn't on the fingerprint either.

[MacGyver]

Hmm-interesting. I'll have to look at that when I get a chance.

[tomswift2002]

Just watching "Last Kiss Of Summer Part 1" on the DVD.  Interesting episode, but it's extremely washed out, scratched up and torn up.  I think Universal gave Shout  broadcast masters that were made back in the 70's, instead of making newer (even standard-def) transfers.

[tomswift2002]

Just watching "Search For Atlantis", boy, this episode looks a lot softer than the Goodtimes VHS.

[MacGyver]

For anyone who doesn't have a copy of The Hardy Boys Season 3 DVD yet, here's a chance to win a free one from efilmcritic.com
But you better hurry- entries have to be submitted by February 20th.

[tomswift2002]

I was just on Amazon and a lot of people are posting there, and I had noticed the shorter length myself, but the masters used are the Syndication masters, and not the Orignal Network masters.  The episodes in Seasons 1 & 2 are about 50 minutes each without commercials, while the Season 3 episodes seem to be around the 45-46 minute mark. 

One poster thought that this was maybe because of the 2008 fire at the Universal lot, but it could also be because Universal has the syndicated masters priced lower than the network masters.

[tomswift2002]

I was just on Amazon and a lot of people are posting there, and I had noticed the shorter length myself, but the masters used are the Syndication masters, and not the Orignal Network masters.  The episodes in Seasons 1 & 2 are about 50 minutes each without commercials, while the Season 3 episodes seem to be around the 45-46 minute mark. 

One poster thought that this was maybe because of the 2008 fire at the Universal lot (this is because one building, called the "Video Vault", was destroyed, but from what I can tell this was only a place for storing duplicate masters on videotape of Universal-owned TV series and Films), but it could also be because Universal has the syndicated masters priced lower than the network masters.

[MacGyver]

Yeah, it is unfortunate, but still- it's better to have something than nothing at all on DVD. Of course, if it was possible to have used the network masters and get unedited episodes, I'd rather have that. I have been able to confirm that the "Game Plan" episode definitely is edited- there's a whole scene missing at the start of the episode where Joe tackles a bad guy in the airport. Do you know of any other episodes that are edited?

[tomswift2002]

Apparently all the episodes are Syndicated versions.  But as I said, Universal probably wanted more money than Shout was willing to pay for the Network cuts vs. the Syndication cuts.

[MacGyver]

Okay- so every single episode probably has some scenes missing then? Oh, well. That's unfortunate, but I'm still glad the third season at least got released to DVD in some form.

[MacGyver]

I got a reply from Shout! Factory about the planned extra that was to have been included- the new interview with Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson.
Here is what they said on that:
"Sorry about that, that was indeed a bonus feature that was originally going to be on there but didn't make it for one reason or another. We've now removed it from the site, thanks for letting us know, and enjoy the Hardy Boys!"

Too bad, but it happens. Oh well- I am still glad to have some official form of the Season 3 episodes finally on DVD, syndicated or otherwise, regardless of whether any special features were included.

[Judah-Ben-Hur]

Syndicated Cuts probably just removed licensed music. Too bad about the bonus feature though