Days of Spooky Network TV Past

Last night, I was browsing at a local chain electronics store with an awful selection, brainless high school kids on staff, and a completely disorganized stock (cough, Circuit City in Geneva, IL, on Randall Road, cough) when I discovered the following in the DVD on TV section:

For those unaware (or too young to recall), this show—based on the kid mystery novels of Franklin W. Dixon--ran on ABC starting in 1977 with the premiere episode “The Mystery of The Haunted House,” and co-starring (then) teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson as the crime-busting Hardy Boys.

As the days prior to the show’s airing ran down, ABC put a lot of money into promoting “The Mystery of The Haunted House,” airing spooky previews of the Hardy brothers (I had no interest in the Nancy Drew part of the show) creeping around the dark manor in question with a spooky title theme in the background.

But after some trepidation, and quickly learning that “The Hardy Boys Mysteries” was as terrifying as your average episode of Scooby-Doo, any heebies I might have had about the show quickly evaporated.

Even so, it’s fun to hear that old theme song again – in fact, I think it still creates a creepy resonance. If you disagree, trying going to sleep tonight with it playing in the background, as the nine year-old kid in you resurfaces in your mind, and your eyes flick over to the closet hoping that something scaly and patient isn’t camped in there, ticking away the minutes until you nod off.

Sorry, that's pretty dumb isn't it? I mean, it's just a TV show.

PS: Took a gander at the forementioned “Hardy Boys” pilot last night, my first viewing of the show in (ack) 30 years. The opening montage—involving a miniature maze intended to create an air of tension, I gather—depicts Nancy and the boys looking for clues as various HD/ND book covers are spliced into frame. Not bad.

But as memory served, the “Haunted House” story was witless. For one, the house in question (specifically, the old “Psycho” house on Universal’s back lot) is a spook-themed nightclub which Frank and Joe visit to investigate a curious business deal involving their Dad. Secondly, well…there really is no “secondly,” that’s pretty much it.

The bad guys are exposed, justice prevails, and Scooby Snacks are enjoyed by all…

Thank God, I was worried there for a sec…