The Hardy Boys on Television

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙍𝘿𝙔 𝘽𝙊𝙔𝙎 originally exploded onto the book scene in 1927. Published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the Hardy Boys followed the formula that had been established over the prior 22 years with book series such as The Rover Boys, Tom Swift, the Motorcycle Chums, the Speedwell Boys, the Boy Aviators, the Racer Boys, the Motion Picture Chums, the Radio Boys, and the list went on, totaling some 70 different book series.

The strong, athletic, brave, and resourceful Frank Hardy, 16, and Joe Hardy, 15, attended the same grade at Bayport high school and investigated the numerous mysteries that inexplicably presented themselves in their small seaside town. Throughout the depression, the Hardy Boys – with their access to motor cars, motorbikes, boats and airplanes – not only offered young readers an escapist story to lose themselves in, but would also present a fantasy that was a far cry from the ‘brother, can you spare a dime’ reality of breadlines and soup kitchens much of working America found themselves in.

30 years after their debut, the Hardy Boys were adapted into 15-minute serialized episodes that aired on The Mickey Mouse Club. The segments featured 15-year-old Tim Considine as Frank Hardy and 14-year-old Tommy Kirk as Joe Hardy. Keeping in line with the young audience, here the rather rambunctious Hardy Boys were portrayed as being much younger than in the books, likely intended to be as young as 11-13 years old. 

The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure adapted the original book, The Tower Treasure, into 19 episodes. The following year’s The Mystery of Ghost Farm presented the clearly older boys investigating a 'haunted' farm while Joe is greatly irritated at Frank's discovery of girls.

The Mystery of the Chinese Junk 1967 NBC TV pilot starred Rick Gates as Frank Hardy and Tim Matheson as Joe. Based on the 1960 Hardy Boys book of the same title, it was sort of old-school Hardy Boys meets 60s beach movies. The pilot did not sell but was aired as a special.

The Hardy Boys 1969 animated series had the boys be members of a rock band that also includes Chubby Morton, Pete Jones, and Wanda Kay Breckenridge. The band travels around the country in a mod Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Notable for featuring the first animated black character on US television, Pete Jones was voiced by Filmation regular Dallas McKennon, who unfortunately was not black.

By 1976, the Hardy Boys books were still strong sellers, moving some 2 million copies per year. Producing partners Arlene Sidaris and Joyce Brotman pitched a modernized version first to Paramount, then to Universal, who encouraged them to also obtain the rights to detective counterpart Nancy Drew. Glen Larson hopped on the project, and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries aired on ABC from 1977-1979.

Look for a podcast on The Hardy Boys coming soon from Forgotten TV.