The Hardy Boys also appeared on the
small screen in several different
formats.
The first attempt was in the
1950's. The Boys were in two serials aired by
Disney's
Mickey Mouse Club on ABC. Frank Hardy was played by Tim Considine and Joe Hardy was played by Tommy Kirk. Both Episodes were produced by
Walt Disney and the
Disney channel still shows these every once in a while.
In 1966, NBC tried their hand at airing a live action series of The Hardy Boys. It lasted only one episode.
Things got a little worse for the Boys in '69. They were turned into teens who used their groovy rock-n-roll band to cover their mystery solving ways. This animated series was complete with a soundtrack (think The Monkees). The cartoon aired on Saturday mornings on ABC until 1971.
In 1977, once again the Boys turned into live action heros on ABC. Joe Hardy was played by Shaun Cassidy (the love of my life for a short time) and Frank Hardy was played by Parker Stevenson. This series alternated with "The Nancy Drew Mysteries" and they even appeared in some of the episodes together. But in 1978, Nancy was dropped altogether. 38 episodes were filmed and aired, and the series lasted until January of 1979. Eight of the episodes are still available on VHS.
Finally, in '95, New Line Television developed and syndicated a version of The Hardy Boys. Colin Gray played Frank and Paul Popowich portrayed Joe. There were 13 episodes filmed and it was on the air for only 3 months.
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