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Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries coming 3/22 (1 Viewer)

Jeff Willis

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Review Time on the Pilot Ep :)

Just got my HB/ND set yesterday. Watched the pilot. Brought back memories for sure. "Fenton Hardy" wasn't played by William Schallert in the pilot. I guess he took over the role in the next ep. Will watch tonight.
 

Jeff Willis

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"When you're right, you're right" ;) I just watched the ND pilot. Dave L (TSoD) wasn't kidding when he said the HTF'ers "knew their stuff" :)

Fun series. 2 disks in the pack. Separate disks for each series.

Let me ask you HTF'er "vets" something....does the "Honeymoon" ever wear off? I've been on this forum since Jan 1 and only had the 'net at home since June '04 and these DVD sites/discussion boards are grrreeaaattt (to quote "Tony the Tiger" from my "Frosted Flakes" days :D )
 

Greg_S_H

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Some do, but the HTF is consistently interesting. The mods help keep the idiocy to a minimum, and a lot of news gets posted here before it hits other sites. Some sites, I find myself going to less and less without even really realizing it, and soon I am not going at all. My interest in DVD has waned a couple of times since I joined up, but never for more than a couple of days.
 

Jeff Willis

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Thanks for the feedback, Greg. I sometimes think that I'm a source of "idiocy" here :rolleyes:but hopefully that's not the case. It's just enthusiasim for this site and TSoD, The "Bits".

Anyway, back on-topic: I've only watched the 1st ep's of both series in this pack, but, for me, it's "stood the test of time". There's always that question about blind-buys for nostalgia and how the series stands up after viewing it years later. Interesting discussions here at HTF for sure. I can only say that I've "blind-bought" a couple of other series based on HTF'ers info and I'm batting 1000 so far ;)
 

MattHR

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I just watched the first episodes of each and was very disappointed with the transfers. I scanned the remaining episodes, and they aren't any better. The overall appearance is very similar to Universal's MIAMI VICE set. There is an annoying amount of grain, some of which is due to the many night (and "day for night") scenes. There is a constant "crosshatch" appearance to the grain, as if viewing the image through a fine screen. I found it very distracting. The transfers seem to have been mastered from existing composite sources, rather than from new prints. I also noticed a few spots where the audio was out-of-sync in a NANCY DREW episode. I've been used to Universal's quality transfers on other shows from the era (A-TEAM, COLUMBO, HULK, KNIGHT RIDER), so this is a big let-down.

When originally broadcast, the episodes alternated between HARDY BOYS and NANCY DREW each week, hence the title HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES. The only difference in the opening credit sequence was the order in which the stars' names appeared, and the voiceover that announced "Tonight...a Hardy Boys (or Nancy Drew) mystery...(insert episode title)". It was a bit odd because all three primary actors are in the main credits, whether they are in the episode or not.

Universal has chosen to combine all seven episodes of HARDY BOYS on disc one, while all seven NANCY DREW episodes are on disc two. While not technically correct in their broadcast order, I can understand why they did this. It's a bit odd to sit through seven episodes of HARDY BOYS credits seeing Pamela Sue Martin on the titles, but she's nowehere to be found within the shows themselves. (That doesn't happen until season two.)

Like COLUMBO S2 and KOJAK, Universal has chosen to release HB/ND in standard keepcases within a box sleeve. This is taking a step backwards in packaging, since it is unnecessarily over-sized. It could have been released in a double-keepcase (like NORTHERN EXPOSURE) to cut the size by 50%. I'm guessing that rental store demands for individual cases for their rental display has something to do with this recent trend in packaging changes. Universal has announced their intent to start using ThinPaks shortly, so these must have been designed before the decision to switch to ThinPaks.

Transfer quality aside, the show is nowhere near as entertaining as I remembered it as a kid. Sometimes when I get a DVD of a show I loved as a kid, it brings me right back to that moment in time. Others, like HB/ND, leave me wondering, "What was I thinking?"
 

Greg_S_H

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No, I'm talking about flame wars and people spouting a bunch of nonsense unchecked. You don't really see that around here. It doesn't last very long when you do.
 

Will Krupp

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I hate to disagree Matt, but this set DID bring me right back to being a ten year old. I've watched two Nancy's and three Hardy Boys (admittedly I watched them out of order--I was looking for the episodes I remembered seeing when I was ten.)

I agree that the transfers for the pilot episodes were not so hot (not BAD mind you, just not special) but I thought the situation improved somewhat by the time of "A-Haunting We Will Go." It has that flat mid-70's look to it, but I think it perfectly captures the nostalgic mood.

I remember having a TERRIBLE crush on Pamela Sue Martin at the time (before Christopher Atkins in the BLUE LAGOON made me realize I was gay ;) ) and I can still see why. She's beautiful, smart, tough, and has really great hair. As for The HARDY BOYS, I always remembered Shaun Cassidy as the innocent/boy-next door type and was un-prepared for his blatant sex-candy look. They continusously strap the boy into the tightest jeans imaginable that leave little to the imagination (he dresses left, by the way) and his "rock" performances are a fun cheese-fest and a hoot to boot.

All in all, it's a fun package and I'm glad to relive the series as an adult...that theme song though...UGH!
 

Jeff Willis

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That's the great thing about this forum...we can "agree to disagree" :) I know what Matt's saying about the transfers but I'm still glad that this series was released. It was a complete surprise to me that this would be released. I can't say that I was 10 yrs old back then (man, reading that depressed me :rolleyes:just kidding...some :) ) I'll just say that I was watching "Lost In Space" and maybe my all-time scifi fav, "Time Tunnel" about that time :)

Anyway, I'm just a fan of a certain era of TV series and this one falls into that time period for me. I don't remember hardly any of these from their original airings so watching this set is like watching a "blind buy" set for me. I just like the older series from a simpler time, I guess. My interest in TV series really faded fast in the late 80's and 90's.
 

Eric Paddon

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Going through the first HB episode, I wonder if some of the music replacement the packaging implies is for the scene where they go into the Haunted House club and there's a band playing music there. It doesn't sound like anything particularly distinctive, as if it were generic "replacement music."
 

David Von Pein

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:laugh:

It took a few seconds for the meaning of this to sink into the aging noggin -- but when it did ----> :laugh:

(Good one. ;))
 

Paul_Scott

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i've finally had a chance to dip into my set and from i've seen i would have to disagree with Matt.
i've watched the Nancy Drew Pilot and the HB ep The Disappearing Floor and both look absolutely fine to me.
about the only flaw i could discern was some slight aliasing in a couple of shots in one episode.
i scanned thru one other ND ep and it look a bit softer than the pilot, but nothing in the way of unwatchable.

once again, i have seen far worse, far more disappointing a/v examples of 70s tv material ( the shot on video Columbia sitcoms, Dallas) as well as material that is about the same level (Mash). i don't know why people continue to single out Universal to rag on.

glad to hear they are switching to thin packs

hopefully this will be the case for Kolchak and The Bionic shows...whenever they show up.
i was going to bitch about how bloated the packaging was for this and Kojak...especially after i had gotten used to the digipaks, but if its just a transitional blip i can handle it.


oh, i enjoyed the shows also.
held up well for me and i'm really happy they released them.
 

Jeff Willis

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DItto on your post, Paul :)

Although I saw a little of the graininess mentioned by Matt, overall I'm enjoying watching these. I'm up to ep #4 in each pack.



I heard that...thanks for the thought from a real fanatic "bionic" series fan :D
 

Greg_S_H

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I never watched these shows growing up, but recently watched the pilots and really enjoyed them. I knew I was fairly safe when I found out Glen Larson was involved, as he did a lot of stuff I liked back then. It's easy to see that it targets a younger audience, and the acting isn't always great, but the stories are fine, and I really enjoy the set locations. The Haunted House is a pretty neat concept and, unless something like it really exists in California, somebody is missing out on a great opportunity to make a restaurant like that today. I like the look of the town and lighthouse in Nancy Drew, and the cave that fills at high tide is just a great concept. It is like something out of Scooby Doo--really classic for this type of mystery. I was thinking how great it would have been to have used that set for a classic serial. Really great stuff.
 

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