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The Hardy Boys Mysteries and The Nancy Drew Mysteries began in 1977 as separate series alternating in the same time slot on ABC. Early the following year, the casts combined, and in the fall of 1978 the Nancy Drew thread was dropped and The Hardy Boys Mysteries continued on alone. This Season One boxed set captures the twin-series idea at its most ambitious, with adolescent brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, created by author Franklin W. Dixon, sleuthing for clues one week and Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew investigating crimes the next.
Actually, as fans of the books know, Dixon and Keene were both pen names used by Edward Stratemeyer when he created those characters in 1927. Just as the young detectives have been updated in print every so often to accommodate successive generations of readers, so too did the TV show present Joe (Shaun Cassidy, brother of David Cassidy of The Partridge Family), Frank (Parker Stevenson), and Nancy (Pamela Sue Martin) as thoroughly 1970s kids. The boys are outfitted with motorcycles, Joe enjoys a retro-pop singing career, and Nancy has a certain freedom of movement only the hippest of dads in a permissive age would allow. Hardy Boys finds the always-amicable siblings following in the footsteps of their father, Fenton (Edmund Gilbert), a private detective, as they untangle capers that take them from haunted houses to Hawaii. The Hardy episodes make for brisk, family viewing, much better than the bubblegum reputation that built up, undeservedly, around the series. Slightly less interesting are the Nancy Drew programs (despite a more entertaining supporting cast), but only because the heroine is less focused and distractingly man-crazy, and the storylines are less exotic. An emphasis on the supernatural and science-fiction themes lends a Scooby-Doo vibe to several programs in both series, though the best stories are the ones with straightforward, meat-and-potatoes detective work. Among the directors on either series are Jack Arnold (The Creature from the Black Lagoon), Winrich Kolbe (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and actors Vince Edwards and Stuart Margolin. --Tom Keogh
The Hardy Boys Mysteries and The Nancy Drew Mysteries Trivia
• Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Englund, who played the biker couple Mary and Gar in an episode of this series, started acting in horror films during this era.
Product Description
Follow the clues to mystery, adventure and thrills as Season One of the The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries comes to DVD for the first time ever! Teen sensations Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson and Pamela Sue Martin star as brave super-sleuths in 14 spooky episodes loaded with spellbinding action and smash-hit pop songs, including Shaun Cassidy’s #1 hit "Da Doo Ron Ron." Inspired by the hugely popular books and with an amazing lineup of guest stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Harmon, Bob Crane, Rick Nelson and more, it’s no surprise that The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries is an open-and-shut case for fun!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
113 of 121 people found the following review helpful
For those of us who are nostalgic fans of this 1977-1978 ABC Sunday night show, the word that this first season would be released on DVD is pure magic. This is the great first season, when Parker Stevenson/Shaun Cassidy alternated with the beautiful Pamela Sue Martin in a series of weekly detective adventures. This is the season with the underrated, divine Lisa Eilbacher as Callie Shaw, the Hardy Boys' best friend and frequent helper. This is a show one could never have expected would come to DVD. Until now there were SOME episodes on videos (not all easy to find), and the usual Ebay bootleg crowd with lousy picture quality. So, if you were a fan of this great late '70s innocent fun, get ready for March...we've waited a long time for this.
86 of 91 people found the following review helpful
Thank you to Universal for bringing back a classic television program that features REAL teen idols: Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson, and Pamela Sue Martin. I must also applaud the supporting cast of William Schallert as Carson Drew and Edmund Gilbert as Fenton Hardy.
Universal, please do not keep us waiting for seasons two and three! The season two premiere found Nancy and the Brothers Hardy working together for the very first time - a concept which has since found its way into many novels. For fans of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Casefiles (novels written in the late 1980s), I encourage you to check out these DVDs! The Casefiles would've inspired some wonderful scripts for this series. It's unfortunate they didn't come along a decade earlier. Overall, the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a very cool tv series that deserves to be seen in its entirety once again. Let's show a new generation a Frank, Joe, and Nancy who value respect, trust, independence, perseverance, confidence and so much more! After all, REAL idols are so difficult to find these days.
Universal, please do not keep us waiting for seasons two and three! The season two premiere found Nancy and the Brothers Hardy working together for the very first time - a concept which has since found its way into many novels. For fans of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Casefiles (novels written in the late 1980s), I encourage you to check out these DVDs! The Casefiles would've inspired some wonderful scripts for this series. It's unfortunate they didn't come along a decade earlier. Overall, the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a very cool tv series that deserves to be seen in its entirety once again. Let's show a new generation a Frank, Joe, and Nancy who value respect, trust, independence, perseverance, confidence and so much more! After all, REAL idols are so difficult to find these days.
72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries DVD features 14 episodes in this 2-disc set. Seven Nancy Drew episodes are on one disc, while the seven Hardy Boys episodes are on the other.
I've been a fan of the Nancy Drew books since I was a little girl. In fact, I read them all by the time I hit Junior High. I read a handful of the Hardy Boys books, as well.
When this show hit TV, I wasn't able to watch it clearly. I lived in a rural area, and the station that was airing the episodes was very fuzzy. But I was oh-so-intrigued by the haunting theme song! As a fan of the books, I yearned to be able watch the TV show-and squinted my eyes to try to make out the dialogue and the action.
I was delighted to find the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries on DVD, and purchased it from Amazon.com Surprisingly, I enjoy the Hardy Boys episodes *much* more than the Nancy Drew ones. In fact, the glaring discrepancies between the Nancy Drew books and the TV episodes are downright irritating. For example, in the books, Ned Nickerson is an athletic college student that Nancy dates when he's in town; Ned sometimes joins Nancy and her friends for sleuthing, but isn't in every book. Hannah Gruen, the beloved Drew housekeeper who serves as a mother figure to Nancy, makes an appearance in every book. Bess Marvin and George Fayne are two female cousins who accompany Nancy on her adventures.
Yet, in the episodes on this DVD, Ned is now a shy, serious, bespectacled geek who works for Nancy's attorney father, Carson Drew. With way too much air-time, he's in every episode. Bess Marvin isn't in any episodes (in fact, she's never mentioned)-and fearless tomboy George, who is paired with Nancy (played by Pamela Sue Martin) in every episode-is a girly scaredy-cat. (In the books, Bess is actually the scaredy cat.) And housekeeper Hannah Gruen? Nowhere to be seen.
The Hardy Boy episodes are a bit more faithful to the original books, with the fearful character Chet Morton making the occasional appearance. Aunt Gertrude, the stern but loving older sister of Fenton Hardy (the father), is also featured. Feeling the need to "balance" the Yin/Yang element (I suppose), there is another character added for the TV show: Callie Shaw, a young female assistant to private detective Fenton Hardy.
On the DVD, each episode is 41 minutes long. There are no extras, save for a Parker Stevenson/Shaun Cassidy pin-up from Dynamite! Magazine. (Remember that one, gals?! Gosh, I had a huge crush on Shaun Cassidy, and was so jealous when my childhood friend got his lunch box AND album.) Another irritation is that the Hardy Boys DVD includes trashy previous of Miami Vice and other shows; I have to usher my 6 year old son out of the room or tell him to close his eyes! Sheesh.
There are some goofs in the episodes, as well. For example, the Hardy boys will be driving a van at night, but then the camera pans to a scene of them driving in broad daylight...then back to a night shot! In the Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin, one close-up focuses on a jade statuette. In another close-up, the statue looks completely different...as if it were made of plastic. In Wipe-Out, the boys go undercover and cleverly hide jewelry in an ice tray. One shot shows the jewelry encased in ice, while another one (a few seconds later) shows them dumping a mass of dry jewelry out of a completely dry ice tray. Still, I was utterly delighted with most of the episodes, especially the Pilot and The House With the Disappearing Floors.
Here are the 14 episodes and a short synopsis:
HARDY BOYS
Disc 1 Side A
1. The Mystery of the Haunted House (Pilot) - In this pilot episode, Joe and Frank Hardy (played by Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson) find themselves involved with an amnesiac ex-soldier and the many people who are out to get him. The chase takes them to a club called The Haunted House, where they find mazes, mirrored rooms, trapdoors-and a killer.
2. The Mystery of Witches' Hollow - When the brothers travel to visit a family friend, a strange woman claims the man has disappeared and is the latest victim of the mysterious forest known as Witches' Hollow. The brothers are in for the fright of their lives as they try to rescue the man from the eerie shadows of a place said to be haunted.
3. The Disappearing Floor - This sci-fi adventure finds the boys doing research work for their P.I. father, which leads them into a case involving a mystifying house, a missing Russian scientist and a UFO. Even in another dimension, Joe and Frank must crack the case-or else.
4. The Flickering Torch Mystery - While doing routine investigation for their detective father, Joe and Frank uncover a part to murder a famous pop star. When the singer's sound engineer suddenly disappears, the young detectives become body guards in a race against the clock to save two lives. (Ricky Nelson guest stars as Tony Eagle)
Disc 2 Side B
5. The Mystery of the Flying Courier - Joe's singing debut hits a sour note when Frank recognizes a girl at the club who's been missing for years. What begins as a record piracy case leads a motley crew of shady music industry personalities-and maybe even murder.
6. Wipe-Out - When the brothers hit the beaches of Hawaii for a surfing contest, they find themselves victims in an outbreak of hotel robberies. The two join forces with local police and everyone's in for a surprise when the duo finally uncovers the truth. (Shaun Cassidy sings "Surfin' USA" in this episode)
7. The Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin - While snorkeling, Frank and Joe discover a wooden box containing a priceless-and stolen-Chinese treasure. What starts out as just another day at the beach leads into a dangerous smuggling ring where their lives are on the line.
NANCY DREW
Disc 1 Side A
8. The Mystery of Pirate's Cove (Pilot) - In the pilot episode, Nancy investigates a mysterious beam of light coming from a supposedly haunted lighthouse. When a "ghost hunter" and a curious professor try to stop her clue gathering, it's up to Nancy to throw a little light on the crime surrounding the desolate place.
9. The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle - Nancy witnesses an accident from a sail plane that ends with a car plunging into a ravine, but when she reports the tragedy to the sheriff, no one believes her since there's no evidence and the road has been closed for years. Nancy investigates, driven to find the secret to the missing accident scene.
10. The Secret of the Whispering Walls - Terror strikes close to home when a thief steals important documents from Nancy's aging aunts. But when does some sleuthing, a series of strange events-and even stranger neighbors-reveal that there may be even more danger lurking around the corner.
11. A Haunting We Will Go - The stage is set for mystery when Nancy and her friends decide to launch a 20 year old play for charity at the allegedly haunted Palace Theatre. Surprisingly, all the original cast members volunteer for the production, but when tragedy strikes backstage, it's up to Nancy to read between the lines.
Disc 2 Side B
12. Mystery of the Fallen Angels - A case of missing jewels leads Nancy to a rebellious biker gang. In order to crack this case, she's going to have to go undercover for the ride of her life. (Guest stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Englund a.k.a. Freddy Krueger)
13. A luxury cruise gets turbulent when a world-famous mystery writer and his daughter are attacked on-board. With trouble mounting on the high seas, it's up to Nancy and George to stay one step ahead of the mystery assailant.
14. Mystery of the Sold Gold Kicker - There's danger on the playing field when a start quarterback (guest star Mark Harmon) is accused of murder. Now Nancy must kick-off an investigation of the crime before Chip is benched for good.
Too bad this DVD set doesn't include interviews with Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson, and Pamela Sue Martin-or, at least, a documentary about the amazing popularity of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mystery books.
If the Nancy Drew episodes were as good as the Hardy Boys, I'd give this DVD series 4 stars. But with the cheesy acting of the Nancy Drew episodes and departure from the book characterizations-as well as the lack of extras-I must award this DVD series only 3 stars.
I've been a fan of the Nancy Drew books since I was a little girl. In fact, I read them all by the time I hit Junior High. I read a handful of the Hardy Boys books, as well.
When this show hit TV, I wasn't able to watch it clearly. I lived in a rural area, and the station that was airing the episodes was very fuzzy. But I was oh-so-intrigued by the haunting theme song! As a fan of the books, I yearned to be able watch the TV show-and squinted my eyes to try to make out the dialogue and the action.
I was delighted to find the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries on DVD, and purchased it from Amazon.com Surprisingly, I enjoy the Hardy Boys episodes *much* more than the Nancy Drew ones. In fact, the glaring discrepancies between the Nancy Drew books and the TV episodes are downright irritating. For example, in the books, Ned Nickerson is an athletic college student that Nancy dates when he's in town; Ned sometimes joins Nancy and her friends for sleuthing, but isn't in every book. Hannah Gruen, the beloved Drew housekeeper who serves as a mother figure to Nancy, makes an appearance in every book. Bess Marvin and George Fayne are two female cousins who accompany Nancy on her adventures.
Yet, in the episodes on this DVD, Ned is now a shy, serious, bespectacled geek who works for Nancy's attorney father, Carson Drew. With way too much air-time, he's in every episode. Bess Marvin isn't in any episodes (in fact, she's never mentioned)-and fearless tomboy George, who is paired with Nancy (played by Pamela Sue Martin) in every episode-is a girly scaredy-cat. (In the books, Bess is actually the scaredy cat.) And housekeeper Hannah Gruen? Nowhere to be seen.
The Hardy Boy episodes are a bit more faithful to the original books, with the fearful character Chet Morton making the occasional appearance. Aunt Gertrude, the stern but loving older sister of Fenton Hardy (the father), is also featured. Feeling the need to "balance" the Yin/Yang element (I suppose), there is another character added for the TV show: Callie Shaw, a young female assistant to private detective Fenton Hardy.
On the DVD, each episode is 41 minutes long. There are no extras, save for a Parker Stevenson/Shaun Cassidy pin-up from Dynamite! Magazine. (Remember that one, gals?! Gosh, I had a huge crush on Shaun Cassidy, and was so jealous when my childhood friend got his lunch box AND album.) Another irritation is that the Hardy Boys DVD includes trashy previous of Miami Vice and other shows; I have to usher my 6 year old son out of the room or tell him to close his eyes! Sheesh.
There are some goofs in the episodes, as well. For example, the Hardy boys will be driving a van at night, but then the camera pans to a scene of them driving in broad daylight...then back to a night shot! In the Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin, one close-up focuses on a jade statuette. In another close-up, the statue looks completely different...as if it were made of plastic. In Wipe-Out, the boys go undercover and cleverly hide jewelry in an ice tray. One shot shows the jewelry encased in ice, while another one (a few seconds later) shows them dumping a mass of dry jewelry out of a completely dry ice tray. Still, I was utterly delighted with most of the episodes, especially the Pilot and The House With the Disappearing Floors.
Here are the 14 episodes and a short synopsis:
HARDY BOYS
Disc 1 Side A
1. The Mystery of the Haunted House (Pilot) - In this pilot episode, Joe and Frank Hardy (played by Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson) find themselves involved with an amnesiac ex-soldier and the many people who are out to get him. The chase takes them to a club called The Haunted House, where they find mazes, mirrored rooms, trapdoors-and a killer.
2. The Mystery of Witches' Hollow - When the brothers travel to visit a family friend, a strange woman claims the man has disappeared and is the latest victim of the mysterious forest known as Witches' Hollow. The brothers are in for the fright of their lives as they try to rescue the man from the eerie shadows of a place said to be haunted.
3. The Disappearing Floor - This sci-fi adventure finds the boys doing research work for their P.I. father, which leads them into a case involving a mystifying house, a missing Russian scientist and a UFO. Even in another dimension, Joe and Frank must crack the case-or else.
4. The Flickering Torch Mystery - While doing routine investigation for their detective father, Joe and Frank uncover a part to murder a famous pop star. When the singer's sound engineer suddenly disappears, the young detectives become body guards in a race against the clock to save two lives. (Ricky Nelson guest stars as Tony Eagle)
Disc 2 Side B
5. The Mystery of the Flying Courier - Joe's singing debut hits a sour note when Frank recognizes a girl at the club who's been missing for years. What begins as a record piracy case leads a motley crew of shady music industry personalities-and maybe even murder.
6. Wipe-Out - When the brothers hit the beaches of Hawaii for a surfing contest, they find themselves victims in an outbreak of hotel robberies. The two join forces with local police and everyone's in for a surprise when the duo finally uncovers the truth. (Shaun Cassidy sings "Surfin' USA" in this episode)
7. The Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin - While snorkeling, Frank and Joe discover a wooden box containing a priceless-and stolen-Chinese treasure. What starts out as just another day at the beach leads into a dangerous smuggling ring where their lives are on the line.
NANCY DREW
Disc 1 Side A
8. The Mystery of Pirate's Cove (Pilot) - In the pilot episode, Nancy investigates a mysterious beam of light coming from a supposedly haunted lighthouse. When a "ghost hunter" and a curious professor try to stop her clue gathering, it's up to Nancy to throw a little light on the crime surrounding the desolate place.
9. The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle - Nancy witnesses an accident from a sail plane that ends with a car plunging into a ravine, but when she reports the tragedy to the sheriff, no one believes her since there's no evidence and the road has been closed for years. Nancy investigates, driven to find the secret to the missing accident scene.
10. The Secret of the Whispering Walls - Terror strikes close to home when a thief steals important documents from Nancy's aging aunts. But when does some sleuthing, a series of strange events-and even stranger neighbors-reveal that there may be even more danger lurking around the corner.
11. A Haunting We Will Go - The stage is set for mystery when Nancy and her friends decide to launch a 20 year old play for charity at the allegedly haunted Palace Theatre. Surprisingly, all the original cast members volunteer for the production, but when tragedy strikes backstage, it's up to Nancy to read between the lines.
Disc 2 Side B
12. Mystery of the Fallen Angels - A case of missing jewels leads Nancy to a rebellious biker gang. In order to crack this case, she's going to have to go undercover for the ride of her life. (Guest stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Englund a.k.a. Freddy Krueger)
13. A luxury cruise gets turbulent when a world-famous mystery writer and his daughter are attacked on-board. With trouble mounting on the high seas, it's up to Nancy and George to stay one step ahead of the mystery assailant.
14. Mystery of the Sold Gold Kicker - There's danger on the playing field when a start quarterback (guest star Mark Harmon) is accused of murder. Now Nancy must kick-off an investigation of the crime before Chip is benched for good.
Too bad this DVD set doesn't include interviews with Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson, and Pamela Sue Martin-or, at least, a documentary about the amazing popularity of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mystery books.
If the Nancy Drew episodes were as good as the Hardy Boys, I'd give this DVD series 4 stars. But with the cheesy acting of the Nancy Drew episodes and departure from the book characterizations-as well as the lack of extras-I must award this DVD series only 3 stars.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
THANK YOU
I LIKE THIS DVD I BEEN WATCH THIS EVERY OTHER DAY
IT IS A EVERYGREAT DVD THANK YOU EVERY MUNCH
IT IS A EVERYGREAT DVD THANK YOU EVERY MUNCH
Published 1 day ago by BRETT KINNEY
5.0 out of 5 stars
hardy boys
Wow now we are going back but when i was growing up it was the show to watch had to get it. We received this dvd in excellent condition and in record time. Read more
Published 9 days ago by nelly123
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remember when
It was great and I had watched some of them on RTN but it was still worth watching the episodes I had already seen again and the ones hadn't seen for years was still as good as it... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Peter J. DeArruda
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful
you will see mostly Hardy Boys but Nancy drew helps them a lot. Holds you in suspense. Better then newer shows for kids and adults.
Published 1 month ago by sandra Gideon
5.0 out of 5 stars
i grew up with this show
i chose this rating because i grew up with it and loved it and wanted to add it to my other movies
Published 2 months ago by Lisa Garner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hardy Boys And Nancy Drew Fun !
Great ecapist series made for early hour television in the 1970's. Fans of Pamela Sue Martin,Shaun Cassidy,and Parker Stevenson will enjoy this. Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. Nolting
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cool!
The quality for such an old show is excellent. The cover is tattered, but that was well defined and expected.
Published 3 months ago by Laura R. Burns
5.0 out of 5 stars
This series is great!
This show debuted when I was in 7th grade and I loved it. I got the first two seasons for Christmas this past year and I look forward to getting season three. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kitty
2.0 out of 5 stars
Must be a nostalgia thing?
Noramlly, I am a 70s addict! Having grown up in the 80s, I can't say that I watched any of the great shows like Starsky and Hutch or The White Shadow when they were actually on... Read more
Published 3 months ago by WorldTravelr
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Set
This was a great set, it brought back memories .If you were a Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Fan this is for you.
Published 3 months ago by Marianna
