Sleuthing in the ‘70s with The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew

 

Note: This is Comfort TV's contribution to The Classic TV Detectives Blogathon, hosted by the Classic TV Blog Association. Read more about it here!

What is it about some fictional characters that makes their popularity persist over decades and generations, while others capture our attention for a season, only to be quickly forgotten?

 

Whatever the criteria may be for such cultural endurance, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are charter members in that elite company. The first Frank and Joe Hardy mystery novel was published in 1927. Its immediate success inspired the publisher to launch a new series with a female lead, and Nancy Drew was introduced in 1930. New adventures in both series were published in 2013.

Neither of their “creators” – Franklin W. Dixon for the Hardys, Carolyn Keene for Nancy – ever existed. They were pseudonyms under which hundreds of books were written by dozens of different authors who labored largely in anonymity. But the stories they told have influenced generations – Nancy in particular has been cited as a formative influence by everyone from Hilary Clinton to Oprah Winfrey to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Hollywood rediscovers the characters about every 20 years; the Hardy Boys first came to television on The Mickey Mouse Club in the 1950s. The most recent version debuted on Canadian television in 1995. Guess we’re about due for another one. The first Nancy Drew was Bonita Granville, who played the teen sleuth in a series of films beginning in 1938. The most recent Nancy Drew was Emma Roberts in 2007.

For my generation, the characters were personified by Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson and Pamela Sue Martin on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977-1979). It aired Sunday nights at 7pm on ABC, where theoretically it should have found an audience among teens who thought they were too old for The Wonderful World of Disney on NBC, and too young to watch the grumpy old men on CBS’s 60 Minutes. 

That didn’t happen, and even now it’s hard to figure out why. Cassidy and Stevenson could not have been more poster-ready, with Cassidy’s teen idol status amplified by a string of hit singles that not surprisingly found their way into the show. 

And while Martin seemed to always get the weaker stories, she tried to capture some of the intelligence, resourcefulness and New England pluck that made Nancy so appealing in the books. 

No, it wasn’t a great show, but quality has never been a pre-requisite for TV success. Anyone expecting meticulously-plotted mysteries with shock twists and clever reveals left disappointed by whodunits that were more Scooby-Doo than Agatha Christie. By season two even the rudimentary mystery format was largely abandoned, in favor of dropping the characters into exotic (backlot) locales and telling the same kinds of stories you’d see on Barnaby Jones.

Despite the dearth of classic episodes the series did provide a few memorable moments. “The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle” is the best of the Nancy Drew mysteries – Nancy sees a car disappear after an accident, and launches her own investigation after no one believes her story. Rick Nelson, the Shaun Cassidy of an earlier era, meets the Hardy Boys in “The Flickering Torch Mystery.”

“A Haunting We Will Go” is a broadly played Nancy Drew whodunit with a fun guest cast – Bob Crane, Victor Buono, Carl Betz and Dina Merrill. “Sole Survivor” begins with Joe Hardy waking up in a Hong Kong hospital, where he is told he’s been in a coma for a year, and his father and brother are dead. 

It's also a great show for playing "spot the '70s guest star," with appearances from Debra Clinger ("Oh Say Can You Sing"), Joan Prather ("The Mystery of the Ghostwriters' Cruise"), Howard Cosell ("Mystery of the Solid Gold Kicker"), Casey Kasem ("Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom"), Maureen McCormick ("Nancy Drew's Love Match") and Maren Jensen ("Death Surf").

The show actually made one important contribution to Hardy/Drew lore, by allowing the characters to meet for the first time. 

Shockingly, despite sharing the same publisher for decades, Nancy and the Hardys never worked a case together in the books. That changed with the season two opener “The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula.” In this two-part adventure, Frank and Joe trace their missing father to Dracula’s castle, which has been rented out for a superstar rock concert (said superstar played by Paul Williams). Nancy, who had been working for the brothers’ dad on a case, joins the search, and sparks fly between her and Frank.

Several subsequent crossover episodes followed, but they couldn’t bolster the popularity of the Drew stories, which were dropped in the series’ final season. Pamela Sue Martin apparently saw it coming as she left before the end of season two, after appearing in a trench coat (and nothing else) on the cover of Playboy. 

Eighteen year-old Janet Louise Johnson took over the role for the final three stories featuring Nancy Drew. By then the show had already endured more recasts than Petticoat Junction. Susan Buckner replaced Jean Rasey as Nancy’s sidekick George, and Rick Springfield replaced George O’Hanlon, Jr. as the Nancy-smitten Ned Nickerson. Only the ever-stalwart William Schallert, as Nancy’s detective dad Carson Drew, went the distance.

Television eventually did get Nancy Drew right, but by then it was called Veronica Mars.

Flying solo again in their final season, the Hardys found themselves in somewhat darker stories, beginning with the murder of Joe’s fiancée, probably not the kind of tale that appealed to the show's teen girl demographic. The plug was pulled after eight episodes.

We will certainly see more attempts at reviving and updating Frank, Joe and Nancy, but until then The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries arguably remains the definitive treatment, despite its shortcomings. Why it didn’t connect with a wider audience may be the only mystery our trio of young sleuths could not solve. 

Checking in with More Comfort TV Facebook Friends

 

In 2013 I wrote about how I enjoyed connecting via Facebook with television stars that, when I was young, seemed to live in a very different world. It’s another reminder of how much we take for granted that was unimaginable 20 years ago.

As you may know, Facebook has two statuses in the case of celebrities – “Friends,” which is the same status as you have for your family members and coworkers and all the people you knew in high school, and “Follow” which means their messages appear on your wall, but yours do not appear on theirs.

I don’t do follows. I get why they’re necessary – Taylor Swift probably wouldn’t enjoy logging on and being told that another 230,000 of her 74 million followers are having a birthday – but to me “follower” status is no different than the mail order fan clubs of yesteryear. It’s a way for the star’s team to keep you informed about new projects, but there’s no real interaction. You’re just another potential customer. 

Let me introduce you to a few more of my famous Facebook friends.

Maureen McCormick

Yes, this was a big deal to me, as it would be for anyone who grew up on The Brady Bunch. She is a fairly recent convert to Facebook, and her posts thus far have been unfailingly cheerful, optimistic and supportive. Given the trials she’s faced in her life, it feels good to know that someone who brought so much joy to others through her career is now in an equally happy place herself. Meanwhile, Susan Olsen continues to ignore my “Friend” request. Maybe she got lost in the Grand Canyon again. 

Barry Livingston

He was the bespectacled Ernie on My Three Sons, but you’ll also see him pre-Ernie in reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show and Ozzie & Harriet and The Lucy Show, and on Room 222 and Ironside and many more in the years that followed. What is so admirable about Barry is that he is just as busy now. Many of his frequent FB posts are new job announcements, which have included parts in such films as Argo and Jersey Boys, and on shows like Glee and Rizzoli & Isles. He remains the very definition of a working actor. 

Donna Loren

Singer-actress Donna Loren was one of the quintessential all-American teenage dream girls of the 1960s. She appeared in some of the “Beach” movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, starred in the music series Shindig! and was the Dr. Pepper girl in a series of impossibly cute commercials. Loren was also Suzy the felonious cheerleader in a memorable Joker episode of Batman (finally on blu-ray!). This is where Facebook can be a wonderful thing – it gives Donna a chance to stay connected to fans new and old, and provides a way for long-time admirers like me to acquire an autographed CD. 

Kathryn Leigh Scott

I first met Kathryn pre-Facebook when I interviewed her for an article on Dark Shadows (she played Maggie Evans and Josette du Pres’ among other characters). Subsequent meetings at Dark Shadows conventions eventually led to her publishing my Charlie’s Angels book. She’s out of publishing now but not out of writing – her new mystery novel, Jinxed, is getting great notices. 

Dean Butler

He’s closing in on 2,000 Facebook friends now, a testament to the enduring popularity of Little House on the Prairie. Dean Butler played Half Pint’s husband, the unfortunately named Almanzo (or “Zaldano” if you’re Harriet Oleson). He’s not online as much these days but he still makes all the cast reunions and conventions.

Amy Yasbeck

My affection for the perennially underrated Wings is already well established, so it was a treat to have one of its cast members accept my “Friend” request. I don’t think Amy has mentioned the series once since we’ve been connected online, but she does like to share funny photos and memes just like us regular folk. She also regularly promotes the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. At the moment that means selling t-shirts to support Team Ritter in the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon. I ordered mine – here’s where you can order one too.

Susan Buckner

When we connected on Facebook I knew Susan Buckner almost solely as the school spirit-obsessed Patty Simcox in Grease. I have since learned that she sang and danced behind Dean Martin as a member of the bodacious Golddiggers, and was one of the swimming Kroftettes on The Brady Bunch Hour. Working in a variety series from that era put her in contact with an amazing array of talent, from Farrah Fawcett to Tina Turner to Milton Berle. Susan is one of the most active and engaging posters on my wall, and is always passionate about the causes she believes in, whether its calling out bullies on social media or getting the band War into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

And here’s a rare combination segue/teaser: Susan also appeared in a few episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, which will be the topic of the next Comfort TV blog. That piece will be written for the Classic TV Detectives Blogathon, hosted by the Classic TV Blog Association. See you there!

What Might Have Been: TV: The Top Three

 

Over the past three decades I’ve had 14 books published. I’ve also had several ideas for books rejected by every publisher that reviewed them. It’s an occupational hazard to which writers adjust, even if we never stop thinking we know better. 

Of all the ones that got away, the project I had been most excited to tackle was pitched as “TV: The Top Three.” The concept was simple: a ranking of the top three episodes from more than 300 television series – sitcoms, dramas, westerns, cartoons, sci-fi, Saturday morning, cult favorites – all selected by me.

I still think it’s a good idea. Top 5 and top 10 lists are click-bait for thousands of websites, and similarly themed articles are a staple in entertainment publications. The appeal of the book, I argued unsuccessfully, was not another man’s opinion of the best 3 episodes of Star Trek or I Love Lucy, both fairly well-trod territory by now, but the selection of outstanding episodes from shows that rarely get books or magazine articles or blogs devoted to them.

Here are two examples of what typical entries would have looked like, for the classic shows Maverick and The Adventures of Superman.

Maverick

1. Shady Deal at Sunny Acres (November 23, 1958)

 “If you can’t trust your banker, who can you trust?” says Mr. Bates the banker (John Dehner), who’s as crooked as they come, as Bret Maverick (James Garner) discovers after his $15,000 deposit disappears. To retaliate, the ultimate man of inaction pulls up a rocking chair across from the bank and spends the next several days whittling. When the sheriff and various passersby ask if he’s recovered his money yet, Maverick smiles and says, “I’m workin’ on it.” By episode’s end the money is back in his wallet, and Bates is in jail for embezzlement. "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time," concludes Bret,  "and those are very good odds." 

2. Three Queens Full (November 12, 1961)

Throughout its five-season run, Maverick would occasionally take a break from making fun of its own characters and have a laugh at somebody else’s. “Gun-Shy” was a parody of Gunsmoke, and “A Cure for Johnny Rain” opened with a monotone narration meant to suggest Jack Webb on Dragnet. But the best of the Maverick send-ups was the Bonanza-inspired “Three Queens Full,”guest-starring Jim Backus as Joe Wheelwright of the Subrosa Ranch. The story has Bart Maverick facing a jail sentence unless he chaperones the three brides of Joe’s sons, Moose, Henry and Small Paul. 

3. Hadley’s Hunters (September 25, 1960)

Imagine the reaction today if characters from Friends, Seinfeld and Will & Grace all got together to swap stories at New York’s Central Perk. The 1960s equivalent of this crossover extravaganza happened on Maverick, in which Bart summons help to escape the wrath of a trigger-happy sheriff, played by Edgar Buchanan. Answering the call: Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot), Clint Walker (Cheyenne) and  John Russell and Peter Brown (Lawman).

The Adventures of Superman

1. Panic in the Sky (December 5, 1953)

A meteor hovers perilously close to earth, threatening to crash into Metropolis and cause untold devastation. Superman (George Reeves) tries to fly to the rescue, but there’s Kryptonite in the meteor, and he falls back to earth, suffering from amnesia. In one of the series’ best scenes, the confused Clark Kent starts to undress in front of Jimmy Olsen, and opens his shirt to reveal the Superman costume underneath. Meanwhile, the meteor remains, ominously close to earth, playing havoc with weather patterns around the world. Where, the citizens of earth wonder, is Superman? Those who wonder why the most knowledgeable fans of this series treasure the episodes written by Jackson Gillis need look no further than this superb sci-fi adventure. 

2. Crime Wave (February 27, 1953)

With its atmospheric night shots of rain-slicked streets, and its killing of a half-dozen people before the first line of dialogue, viewers may wonder if they’ve tuned into The Untouchables by mistake. In this gritty, action packed episode, typical of the series’ first season, Superman pledges to cleanse Metropolis of organized crime. His crusade is threatened when a top mob boss discovers his secret identity. Reeves plays the angry scourge of the underworld with conviction, though he is better remembered today as the kinder, gentler Superman of the series’ later seasons.

3. Around the World With Superman (March 13, 1954)

The series’ emotional zenith is achieved in this gut-wrencher written by Jackson Gillis. A little girl is blinded in a car crash and her father, guilt-ridden over the accident, deserts the family. The girl writes a letter explaining her plight to the Daily Planet. Superman uses his x-ray vision to locate fragments of glass in the girl’s optic nerve, and helps surgeons to restore her vision. He then sweeps the girl in his arms and flies her around the world. The rear-projected shots of the Eiffel Tower and the Himalayas may not be state-of-the-art, but the impact of the moment is undiminished by primitive special effects.

I’ve already written dozens of other entries, which I may incorporate into future blog posts about those shows.  In the meantime, if there are any publishers among my readers, I’m still game if you are.