Hardy Boys (Mickey Mouse Club serial) facts for kids
The Hardy Boys were a popular detective duo from books, and in the late 1950s, Disney decided to bring their adventures to television! They worked with the companies that published the books, the Stratemeyer Syndicate and Grosset & Dunlap, to create two TV shows. These shows starred young actors Tim Considine as Frank Hardy and Tommy Kirk as Joe Hardy.
The first TV show was called The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure. It was shown on The Mickey Mouse Club in 1956, during the show's second year. To make the characters more relatable to the young audience, Frank and Joe were shown as being younger than in the books, around 12 or 13 years old. (Even though Tim Considine was 15 and Tommy Kirk was 14 when they filmed it!) The story was written by Jackson Gillis and was based on the very first Hardy Boys book, The Tower Treasure. This show was split into 19 episodes, each about fifteen minutes long.
A second TV show, The Mystery of Ghost Farm, came out in 1957. This story was also written by Jackson Gillis, but it was a brand new adventure not based on an existing book. After these two shows, no more Hardy Boys TV series were made by Disney, and the reasons why are not known.
Contents
Meet the Cast of Series 1
The first Hardy Boys TV show, The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, featured these actors:
- Tim Considine played Frank Hardy
- Tommy Kirk played Joe Hardy
- Florenz Ames played Silas Applegate
- Russ Conway played Fenton Hardy (the boys' dad)
- Sarah Selby played Aunt Gertrude
- Carole Ann Campbell played Iola Martin
Episodes from the First Series
Here is a list of all 19 episodes from The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, along with their original air dates:
- An Introduction – Oct 1, 1956
- 1. A Stranger – Oct 2, 1956
- 2. A Real Case – Oct 3, 1956
- 3. The First Clue – Oct 4, 1956
- 4. The Fugitive – Oct 5, 1956
- 5. Applegate's Gold – Oct 8, 1956
- 6. Dig For Treasure – Oct 9, 1956
- 7. A Pirate's Chest – Oct 10, 1956
- 8. Boys in Trouble – Oct 11, 1956
- 9. Female Detective – Oct 12, 1956
- 10. Iola's Bravery – Oct 15, 1956
- 11. Footsteps in the Tower – Oct 16, 1956
- 12. The Prisoner Speaks – Oct 17, 1956
- 13. The Strange Confession – Oct 18, 1956
- 14. A Golden Clue – Oct 19, 1956
- 15. The Final Search – Oct 22, 1956
- 16. The Tower's Secret – Oct 23, 1956
- 17. Never Say Die – Oct 24, 1956
- 18. Boys in Danger – Oct 25, 1956
- 19. The Tower Treasure – Oct 26, 1956
Meet the Cast of Series 2
The second Hardy Boys TV show, The Mystery of Ghost Farm, had mostly the same main actors:
- Tim Considine played Frank Hardy
- Tommy Kirk played Joe Hardy
- Russ Conway played Fenton Hardy
- Sarah Selby played Aunt Gertrude
- Carole Ann Campbell played Iola Martin
Opening Theme Song
The theme song for the Hardy Boys TV shows was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft. You might know his voice from other Disney projects! While the song played, the opening credits showed clips from Disney's 1950 movie, Treasure Island.
Where to Watch Now
In December 2006, Disney released a special DVD set called Treasures for The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Applegate Treasure. This means fans can still watch the classic TV show today!
