The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries -The Disappearing Floor (1977)
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Disappearing Floor
In my previous reviews of the first two episodes of the Hardy Boys, I was starting to get concerned, because I didn't enjoy them nearly as much as I remembered liking them as a child. However, I enjoyed the third episode more than the first two, and now I'm thinking the series just needed a few episodes to get a feel for what it was doing.
Hardy Boys in the Doorway
The first episode had a horror theme, with a "haunted house" scenes in a graveyard, and characters dressed up as monsters. The second episode had an outdoor adventure theme, involving camping in the mountains, falling over a cliff, and fighting off a mountain lion. For the third episode, the Hardy Boys enter sci-fi territory, in a story involving UFOs, holograms, and a missing scientist.
Flashing Saucer
I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. The Boys deal with a lot of far out stuff in this episode. First, they encounter a UFO. Then they discover a mysterious abandoned house in the woods full of weird rooms. One room grows after Joe Hardy enters it, like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Another has a "disappearing floor" that looks solid, but Frank falls through it like it's not really there. A third room leads to a wide open day lit wilderness filled with wolves, even though it is in the middle of the house, and it's dark outside. Throw in some run-ins with Soviet Union spies, and a hunt for a missing American scientist, and we end up with one heck of an adventure.
Hologram Ballet
In the end, the Boys crack the case, and discover a logical explanation for all the weird events. It reminded me quite a bit of the end of a Scooby Doo episode where the Mystery Incorporated gang unmasks the villain and explain how he achieved all of his otherworldly deeds.
The Red Room
This episode was a lot of fun, and my favorite of the series so far. I like the way the Hardy Boys are so clean cut and All-American, but there is always a bit of creepy weirdness hovering around at the edges, almost like a less self-aware version of Twin Peaks. I could definitely see Frank and Joe sitting around in a diner with Agent Cooper, swapping crime-solving techniques over slices of cherry pie.
Rating: 3½ Robots (out of 5)
The Faint - I Disappear
More screencaps after the jump...
Hardys in the Rear View
A Game of Chess
After the case, Fenton Hardy smoked marijuana and stared at this hologram for HOURS.
Hi. This blog is on a temporary hiatus right now, but I plan on bringing it back soon. I'm currently working on reviews of the original Battlestar Galactica, but I'm waiting until I get the whole series done before I start publishing them. After that I'll probably be tackling season 2 of the Hardy Boys. I don't currently have any copies of season 3 on video, but hopefully I'll track some down by the time it comes to write about that.
I am going to be watching this episode tonight, so good thing I got a sneek peek!
ReplyDeleteWatched it several times - great episode, I'm the Anonymous! Love the show, do some blog reviews on Season 3 of the Hardy Boys! :) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi. This blog is on a temporary hiatus right now, but I plan on bringing it back soon. I'm currently working on reviews of the original Battlestar Galactica, but I'm waiting until I get the whole series done before I start publishing them. After that I'll probably be tackling season 2 of the Hardy Boys. I don't currently have any copies of season 3 on video, but hopefully I'll track some down by the time it comes to write about that.
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