Product Details

• Actors: Parker Stevenson, Shaun Cassidy, Pamela Sue Martin
• Format: Box set, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: June 12, 2007
• Run Time: 1065 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NQRV8U
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,106 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

It's the world's greatest teen super-sleuths to the rescue as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys return in 22 hour-long episodes of The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries Season Two! Based on the hugely popular books and starring teen idols Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson and Pamela Sue Martin, these thrilling episodes follow the determined detectives on spooky mysteries in Dracula's Castle, at Mardi Gras in New Orleans and even in the Bermuda Triangle! Contributing to the fun and excitement are seven hit songs from Shaun Cassidy that made him a pop music sensation, including "That's Rock ‘N Roll" and "Hey Deanie." Also, along for the chase in Season Two are such special guest stars as Casey Kasem, Rick Springfield, Melanie Griffith and Valerie Bertinelli. Follow the clues to fantastic music and adventures with TV's most famous teenage detectives!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The mystery of "Will They Ever Release Season Two" is finally solved! March 13, 2007

By J. McDonald VINE™ VOICE

Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm VERY excited that we're finally going to see another season make it to DVD. However, I do have a minor complaint:

Season TWO consists of "22 episodes" and three are "two-part" episodes (making the real "whole episode" count "19"). Here is a list of the "season two" episodes:

The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula (Part 1) - 09/11/77
The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula (Part 2) - 09/18/77
The Mystery of King Tut's Tomb 09/25/77
The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (Part 1) - 10/02/77
The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (Part 2) - 10/09/77
The Mystery of the African Safari - 10/16/77
The Creatures Who Came From Sunday - 10/30/77
The Strange Fate of Flight 608 - 11/06/77
Acapulco Spies - 11/13/77
Nancy Drew's Love Match - 01/20/77
The Silent Scream - 11/27/77
Will the Real Santa Claus..? - 12/18/77
The Lady on Thursday at Ten - 01/01/78
Oh Say Can You Sing - 01/08/78
The House on Possessed Hill - 02/22/78
Sole Survivor - 01/29/78
Voodoo Doll (Part 1) - 02/12/78
Voodoo Doll (Part 2) - 02/19/78
Mystery Of The Avalanche Express - 12/26/78
Death Surf - 03/12/78
Arson and Old Lace - 03/31/78
The Campus Terror - 05/06/78

"Season Three" consists of only "10 episodes" and two are "two parts" (which basically makes it an "8 episode" season). I think that it would have made more sense to release a "season two AND season three" combo box set. I realize that it would have added to the cost, but then we may end up having to wait a couple more years for the final "10" ("8") episodes. Let's hope not!!

This series is standard "Glen Larson" material and GREAT nostalgia entertainment!... The chemistry of the cast helps to drive the series and make it a light hearted, fun, and quite enjoyable viewing experience!

-JM Read more ›

48 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, fun, fun series March 8, 2007

By J. Pastrana

Amazon Verified Purchase

Hate to sound like a demented fan - but I can't wait! This is the season that features the cross-over episodes of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula/ Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet the Hollywood Phantom. Plus I hope this has the "rare" Christmas ep of Nancy Drew - Will the Real Santa Claus... As mentioned, the major disappointment comes with Pamela Sue Martin's departure. In an interview she said she didn't want to turn into the girl that said - you boys solve the mystery while I go call the police. And sure enough that's what happened to the new Nancy. If anybody recalls - the first episode of Janet Louise Johnson as Nancy was one of the most idiotic episodes ever. First, her Nancy has been missing for months, kidnapped and held captive by an old geezer. That Nancy couldn't get out of that one herself was so preposterous. Then - to add further insult to injury, the Hardy Boys have to come rescue her and all she does the entire time is whine. Pamela's version of Nancy would've gotten out long before the Hardy Boys got there. Watch the Dracula and Phantom episodes and see how well she holds her own against the boys!

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! Season Two is here! March 1, 2007

By A. Minutella

This is a terrific season for HB/ND fans, with some terrific guest stars such as Dennis Weaver, Jaclyn Smith, Rick Springfield, and Maureen McCormick. The only disappointment is Pamela Sue Martin's midseason departure as Nancy Drew. After two years, fans are finally getting this terrific season DVD box set.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars look out world, here come the Hardy boys . . . January 3, 2010

By trebe TOP 500 REVIEWER

In the first season, The Hardy Boys Mysteries and Nancy Drew Mysteries split time equally, alternating episodes each week. In second season, the series underwent a major change, placing the emphasis on the Hardy Boys, and making Nancy Drew secondary. Of the 22 episodes, only three were stand alone Nancy Drew Mysteries. Pamela Sue Martin also appeared as Nancy Drew, in two, two-part Hardy Boy adventures. Martin, left the series with several episodes remaining, resulting in Janet Louise Johnson being cast as a replacement. Johnson, appeared as Nancy Drew, in four additional episodes.

With more backing from the studio, The Hardy Boys Mysteries changed in several ways. The writing, while still not great, is improved. Many of the clichés remained, but the series featured colorful international settings outside of Bayport, Massachusetts, that created possibilities for the stories. Hollywood, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Austria, Nassau, Egypt, and Africa, are some of the scenic spots on the Hardy boys' itinerary . The handsome brothers, Joe (Shaun Cassidy) and Frank (Parker Stevenson), while still prone to goofy foulups, display a higher level of maturity and competence. Still mostly pretty boy detectives, who usually run from trouble, at least the Hardy boys are now independent, and not constantly apologizing like schoolboys in the principal's office after messing up. While more lovers than fighters, the Hardy's are able to take on some physical tasks, without looking completely ridiculous.

With most of the action set outside of Bayport, first season regulars Aunt Gertrude (Edith Alwater), and Callie (Lisa Eilbacher) were written out of season two.... On their own, the guys, especially Frank, experienced a hormone rush, becoming much, much, more interested in girls, with this often being the motivation for their investigations. Some of the young actresses featured include, Kimberly Beck, Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time), Kim Cattrall (Sex In the City), Debra Clinger, Elyssa Daniels, Bonnie Ebsen, Martha Garrett, Melanie Griffith (Working Girl), Jean Marie Hon, Maren Jensen (Battlestar Gallactica), Stepfanie Kramer (Hunter), Anne Lockhart (Battlestar Gallactica), Robin Mattson, Cathy Rigby, and Deborah Ryan. After some pretty lackluster guest stars in season one, season two featured notable Hollywood veterans like J. D. Cannon, Cesare Danova, Thayer David, Howard Duff, Lorne Greene, James Hong, Jack Jones, Casey Kasem, Dorthy Malone, Ray Milland, Diana Muldaur, Larry Storch, James Wainright, Paul Williams, and Stuart Whitman. Those making cameos include Jaclyn Smith, Robert Wagner, and Dennis Weaver.

The Hardy boys remain mostly non-violent, and inept at fighting. A push is usually about as aggressive as they get, and it often doesn't take more than a push to put a Hardy down, particularly Joe. Whenever they are travelling, these guys seem to get their room searched nearly every time, but thankfully Joe doesn't spend much time, ridiculously collecting fingerprints anymore. The Hardy's have mostly left their junior investigators ways behind, taking on enemy spies, braving fires, thwarting smugglers, facing ghosts, and even managing to land a jet airliner at sea! Although the guys are approaching superspy status, there are still many cartoonish 'Scooby Doo' aspects (laughing phantoms, ghosts, witches, and vampires) to the program, which are part of its 'charm'.

While Shaun Cassidy's singing is featured more, he also demonstrates that he has some talent as an actor, with his best dramatic performance probably being in Sole Survivor, where foreign agents try to trick Joe into believing that he has been in a coma, and that Frank and his father are dead. The younger Hardy uses his head and makes a daring escape across the rooftops of Hong Kong, with a beautiful nurse. Campus Terror features a very determined Joe, searching for whoever is terrorizing female students on campus. The guys usually have an exciting time in Hawaii. In Death Surf, Frank is obsessed with finding out all he can about a girl that disappeared in the surf. Mystery on the Avalanche Express, is like a reunion for past teen stars, featuring Troy Donahue, Tommy Sands, Fabian, and Deborah Walley. It's a pretty good adventure set on a train passing through Europe, that features Joe fighting on the rooftop of the train, and in a ski chase down a slope.

While things are going very well for the Hardy Boys, the same can't be said for Nancy Drew. Nancy repeatedly describes herself as a 'part time investigator', and ironically, that is exactly what she became in season two. The rise of the Hardy brothers' star, is correspondingly the setting sun for Pamela Sue Martin. Martin has three separate Drew adventures, but most of her River Heights ground base from season one is gone. William Schallert returns as Carson Drew, but Susan Buckner replaces Jean Rasey as Nancy's pal George Fayne, and Rick Springfield is the reintroduced Ned Nickerson. Martin's stand alone episodes are not very well written. The best may be Nancy Drew's Love Match, where Nancy is hired to keep an eye on a star tennis player (Maureen McCormick, Brady Bunch) who has a penchant for shoplifting.

Martin fit in well, when teamed with the Hardy Boys, with the writers playing up her relationship with Frank, but with her role reduced, she decided to move on. Her replacement, nineteen year old Janet Louise Johnson, does an admirable job, in what must have been a stressful situation. It is kind of hard to accept another actress as Nancy Drew, after the sudden switch, but there isn't much choice. Johnson makes her entrance in the two-part episode Voodoo Doll, and does her best with the part. She is put to the test in Arson and Old Lace, a completely over the top story, where Nancy has been kidnapped, and held captive for six months, by a demented, reclusive millionaire. Later she is put into the ridiculous position of shinnying up an elevator cable with Frank.

The Hardy Boys becoming jet setting international operatives, unfortunately left Nancy Drew behind. In the third and final season, Nancy Drew would be completely phased out. In season two, Frank and Joe become more well rounded and credible sleuths, while retaining their wholesome appeal. After leaving the series, Pamela Sue Martin apparently sought to radically change her image, appearing in Playboy in 1978, and playing a prostitute in The Lady in Red (1979). She then secured the role as Fallon, on Aaron Spelling's Dynasty (1981-84). Read more ›

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The mystery is solved! Intelligent family programs DO still exist and all clues lead to this excellent DVD set... June 25, 2007

By L. J. Ouellette

There are many DVD sets in my collection and not one of them was as anticipated as this one. I'm pleased to say that Season Two of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries does not disappoint.

To put Season Two in perspective I must first say a few words about Season One. Released on DVD in March 2005, the first season episodes beautifully capture the essence of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew novels that have been a staple in children's literature since the 1920's. Frank, Joe, and Nancy helped solve mysteries around their hometowns, often assisting their fathers on important cases. In Season One the guys and Nancy are just getting started with their crime solving, sometimes making mistakes here and there. This could be debated but Nancy made far fewer mistakes than the boys ever did! In both seasons Nancy is a young woman who mostly works alone and gets the job done right the first time. Pamela Sue Martin's portrayal of Nancy was perfect. No one else could ever BE Nancy, then or now.

Nearing the end of Season One a phenomenon helped to transform this great children's series into "must-see-TV" for teens and pre-teens everywhere: The Brothers Hardy - wonderfully portrayed by Parker Stevenson and super singer Shaun Cassidy - became teen idols. And so began Season Two...

Though it has been done in print many times since, the first episode on this Season Two set has the characters of Frank, Joe, and Nancy meeting for the first time ever. The brothers are hardly ever home this season, though they do still assist their dad on occasion. The second season takes the guys to exotic lands and the danger quotient is slightly increased over the previous year. If you're a fan of The Hardy Boys Casefiles (novels written in the late '80's) this season is for you!...

Many guest stars lend their talents to this season too, including Lorne Green, Valerie Bertinelli, Edd Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip), Troy Donahue, Fabian, Tommy Sands, Deborah Walley (Gidget), Melanie Griffith, Ray Milland (veteran actor from the 1920's through the 1980's), Linda Dano (One Life to Live), Rick Springfield (General Hospital), Jaclyn Smith (Charlie's Angels), Robert Wagner (Hart to Hart), Casey Kasem (radio personality), Dennis Weaver (McCloud), and many more.

I'm proud to say I've been a fan of this series for 30 years, though I didn't watch it regularly until the end of season two. My memories of watching "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" take me back to edited reruns on snowy, low-powered UHF TV channels during the television days B.C. (Before Cable). Needless to say, this set is a joy to watch; the episodes are complete and beautifully restored. They are presented on five neatly packaged single-sided discs. New generations will watch this and get acquainted with three super sleuths who value friendship, perseverance, independence, respect, hard work, brotherly love, and so much more that's missing from today's television landscape. Three decades have passed but parents and children can still enjoy this show together. That is the sign of a true classic.

Finally, I must salute the cast - Shaun, Parker, Pamela, Janet Louise Johnson as Nancy Drew, Edmund Gilbert (the ONLY Fenton Hardy and the perfect Hardy dad!), and William Schallert as Mr. Drew. Without you this series would not be the classic that it is. The evidence - this DVD set - proves it! Read more ›