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“The Disappearing Floor”
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Original: 1940 John Button (218 pages)
Revised: 1964 James Lawrence (176 pages)
Revised Outline: James Lawrence
Revision: Completely Different
Art: 1940 Paul Laune
Art: 1962 John Leone
The original text edition is generally regarded as the worst written story in the canon.
The Hardy Boys smash Duke Beeson’s (AKA Chief Shining Light Of The Sun-Worshipping Ozonites) robbery gang using the weird inventions of Aunt Gertrude’s former classmate, Eben Adar.
Revised: The Hardy Boys track down a gang of jewel thieves in a mysterious old mansion.
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Frank and Joe must take the shine off a jewel thief who sends ominous riddles in this Hardy Boys adventure.
First a priceless painting disappears from the museum; then two ancient samurai swords vanish from a private collection. A string of robberies has hit Bayport, and all signs point to “the Phantom,” a recently released ex-con who last struck more than twenty years ago. There’s only one problem: the Phantom has vanished into thin air, and not even Frank and Joe Hardy can track him down.
Then the boys begin receiving threatening notes in the mail, each one containing a strange riddle. And it looks like the Phantom’s next target could be the valuable Emerald of Astara, the 2,500-year-old crown jewel of the Bayport Historical Museum. Can the Hardys crack the Phantom’s code before he strikes again?
The plot outline for the original text version of The Disappearing Floor is almost 10 full pages long. Since there isn’t room for the entire outline, I am just reproducing the first four chapter outlines exactly from the original obtained from the Stratemeyer archives at the New York Public Library.
CHAPTER I
Joe and Frank Hardy with their fat chum, Chet Morton, are about to board a train for an outing. They are loaded down with camping equipment – since the boys have decided to scale a certain mountain, have left autos behind. Aunt Gertrude is seeing them off, with a hundred last-minute admonitions. Boys annoyed – she spies a beady-eyed elderly man, in black hat and raincoat – exclaims it is Eben Adar, whom she hadn’t seen for years – as a boy in her school he was queer, always doing magic tricks. Guesses he is now a good-for-nothing. Boys notice he carries a package. His actions seem furtive. Aunt Gertrude whispers, maybe he is carrying burglar tools – boys scoff – off on train – arrive at Grey Notch – chums looks for a suitable camp site. Chet as usual very hungry, is annoyed that the first spot viewed isn’t selected. Frank spies an ideal place. Joe points out the fact that someone has been there before. Scurry around for wood for fire, etc. Frank suddenly unearths a half charred envelope – a printed name, Harry Tanwick, is on the corner. Joe examining it after Chet has discarded it, finds $100 bill inside. Later boys get to nearest town, inquire for Harry Tanwick – no one knows him. That night while the boys are sleeping a dark figure steals up to their camp site. Franks arouses, sees a man (Weeping Sam) jumps up – fellow mumbles, other boys awake, try to stop fleeing stranger. Boys find Chet missing – he has slipped over mountain side – by shouts boys locate him, at dawn he starts to climb back when a snake frightens him – Hardys help and all stumble into cave. Suddenly Weeping Sam swings a secret door – boys are walled in. (To make 7 1/2 pages.)
CHAPTER II
Situation bad – no light or exit – boys speculate on man’s motive – believe he has mistaken them for someone else – mention father’s work as a detective – could it be for revenge? (Here mention previous volumes.) The boys find matches in their pockets, get bearings – suddenly (Fenton) tells them he is hiding there, watching for a band of criminals – he is hoping to catch the much sought-after gangster, Al Lapone, who is somewhere in hiding – Bad man had terrified the countryside, killing a gas station proprietor, etc., in his getaway. The father shows them a secret exit – Frank in examining the cave loosens a rock, discovers big bag of money. Joe finds a slip – “Property of Wayne County Bank” – the boys dig and search industriously with the exception of Chet, who is hungry – Mr. Hardy supplies food – when the boys hear Weeping Sam’s voice, Mr. Hardy hides, and the lads rush toward entrance. A stranger with a torch is brought in – they are let go but ordered to leave site. Knowing they are being watched, boys pretend to be awfully glad to get away. That night Mr. Hardy steals to their new camping spot. Asks their aid in transporting bag of money – under cover they get sack out of cave – low whistle resounds. Danger! Someone near!
CHAPTER III
Just when success seems imminent, Mr. Hardy disappears. Chums are caught lugging sack – however, Chet is so scared he stumbles – valuable bag is flung away in darkness. Hardy boys pretend Chet is badly hurt, and once again the trio are told to be “on their way.” Because of their youth the men are not very worried over their hunting. Then later Mr. Hardy appears from hideaway – at dawn seek bag – after some adventure with a hornet’s nest boys find bag. Mr. Hardy instructs them to rush money secretly to Wayne County bank – he writes letters of which each makes a copy in case anything should happen to one or the other. Urges boys to return at once to assist in capturing of bandits. The boys leave their camping equipment, go to nearest railroad station. Given ride on hand-car to junction, get train. Four-hour trip to bank – taxi to bank (Driver, who is in league with band, scents their mission) – Swings car in opposite direction. A wild ride. Drawbridge open – car plunges through to water.
CHAPTER IV
The boys note driver jumps – (Swims to safety.) Battling their way out of the cab is an effort. Fat Chet is a problem – Hardys hang on to bag – climb out, come to surface – small boat rescues them – worried over Chet, who does not appear – fearing bag will be stolen, Frank goes to shore – hires car and heads to bank – Joe finally locates Chet and he gets a car to take them to the bank also – during the ride boys learn more details of the hold-up of the Wayne County bank – the president is in hospital with a severe bullet wound, and is likely to die. Three other employees injured also. Since car Frank was in developed motor trouble, boys pick him up on road, all three ride to institution – crowds collects as soaking wet boys enter. Believe them to be the criminals remorsefully returning loot. Police arrive in commotion, boys are held at bay. They try to explain but it is of no use, and the townspeople are at a fever pitch, overriding the officials. Rioting breaks out among the opinionated groups – to shoot or hang the three blackguards is the cry – Frank struggles to get the note from his pocket to give to the officer. This move calls for a mean crack on the head. Frank topples.
Well, there are 21 more chapters of this drivel, none of which make any more sense than do these. While author John Button has been rightfully excoriated for producing this piece of trash, it’s clear that he should not have to shoulder the entire blame. Edna Squier, daughter of Edward Stratemeyer, created this outline and surely deserves a fair share of the shame. Even she seemed to know that this outline is a real turkey, belatedly trying to tie up the myriad of loose ends at the very end of the outline by lamely mentioning They never found Harry Tanwick and The “frozen humans” turn out to be a cure for certain diseases, a theory Adar had been working on for some time.
It’s interesting to note the villain’s name was changed from Al Lapone in the outline to Duke Beeson in the final product (not that it improved the story any!) Furthermore, the original cover art seems to be unfinished along the bottom – very fitting for this bizarre, disjointed story!
When I first read this story as a boy about 40 years ago, it was one of my favorites. The surreal weirdness and strange inventions fascinated me. I’ve heard from several other middle-aged fans who held the same opinion back in the halcyon days of their youth. Judged by those youthful standards, the story was successful. Nevertheless, as an adult I have to judge this story harshly and condemn it as one of the very worst in the canon.
The Hardy Boys
“The Disappearing Floor”
Season 01; Episode 04
Reviewed by Mark Wilson
Synopsis (no spoilers):
When a world renowned scientist developing top secret technologies disappears under mysterious circumstances, Fenton Hardy asks his sons to investigate. Even more mysterious however are an inexplicable and seemingly impossible series of events witnessed firsthand by Frank and Joe, including UFO’s and an abandoned house harboring a “disappearing floor”.
Narrative (spoilers):
Act 1: The episode opens at the Hardy home, with Fenton Hardy briefing Frank and Joe on an industrial espionage case that has him baffled. Professor Robert Desmond, a renowned scientist specializing in electronics, went missing weeks ago in Vienna while working on a major secret project. Fenton was hired by Alpha-Tech Corporation, the professor’s employer, to locate Desmond and determine who has been stealing trade secrets and technology from the company. However, Alpha-Tech refuses to divulge any details on Desmond’s work which might provide a lead in the case, leaving Fenton visibly frustrated. He doesn’t know whether the professor defected or was kidnapped, only that he was involved in a “Project K” with three other scientists whom Fenton is currently investigating. He instructs Frank and Joe to follow one of them, Sydney Tabor, who has been making numerous trips from his home at odd hours.
That night the boys follow Tabor along an isolated country highway, while Fenton stakes out the home of one of the other scientists, a mister “Evans”. Suspecting he’s being tailed, Tabor suddenly turns down a country road, the boys trying to follow through the dust. Joe suddenly sees a glowing saucer in the sky diving straight towards their van, forcing the boys to jump out. The object stops and hovers however, allowing Joe to take photographs just before it buzzes over their heads and disappears into the horizon, leaving the boys in a state of shock and disbelief. Returning home Joe develops the film in their darkroom, only to find the pictures are blank. The boys then meet Fenton, Callie and Aunt Gertrude in the den and relay their story. All three are skeptical, with Gertrude scolding Fenton on the pressures of detective work.
The following day, Frank and Joe drive to meet Fenton at the Alpha-Tech security office. There they interview Tabor who dismissively admits fleeing the boys, but explains he deals with classified information and had to take precautions. He openly scoffs at their UFO story however. That night, the boys and Fenton discuss whether Project K might indeed involve UFO’s, unaware that they are being spied upon by two men in a car parked across the street. Later after everyone’s asleep, the boys sneak back to the road to hunt for physical evidence such as scorch marks or landing gear depressions. Instead, while searching the ground in a nearby wood, they spy a man watching them from the trees who immediately runs away. Losing him in a subsequent chase, the boys instead discover a large, old and dilapidated house. Simultaneously unbeknownst to them, the “spies” are pulling alongside their parked van. Inside the old house, the boys are surprised to discover it filled with opulent furnishings and chandeliers. Exploring further, they venture into a large upstairs bedroom. As Frank walks out, the room and its furniture suddenly begin to “grow” in huge proportion all around Joe who startled, runs after Frank. Returning, they discover all is back to normal, but upon opening a second door inexplicably find themselves “outside” in the woods at ground level in daylight, knowing all the while they’re still upstairs at night. Vicious wolves appear to chase them back inside. Entering a third doorway, Frank suddenly falls “through” the floor and disappears as if it’s only a mirage. While helping his brother pull himself back up, Joe tests the floor himself, watching his hand pass through into nothingness in disbelief. The boys quickly run back to their van and drive home, unaware the spies are following closely behind.
Act 2: Sometime the following day, Frank and Joe pull their van into the driveway where Aunt Gertrude admonishingly reminds them they were supposed to join their father at Alpha-Tech an hour before. Meanwhile, Fenton is in the office of Dr. Janice Craddock giving a progress report to her and one of her colleagues. Frustrated at his lack of results, Fenton explains in exasperation that he can’t find a thief without knowing what he’s supposedly stolen, but the administrators refuse to divulge any further information on Project K, including whether it might be of value to a foreign government. Dr. Craddock becomes indignant at the suggestion Professor Desmond might be a defector. During this time, Frank and Joe arrive at the large facility unsure where to go, and decide to split up in search of Dr. Craddock’s office. Frank meets a young intern driving an electric cart named Marsha Collins who agrees to take him to Craddock’s office. Along the way, she explains some of her work at the facility as being part of a fellowship research grant, when a security officer stops them. Examining Frank’s pass, he informs them that it is only valid for public areas of the complex, and escorts both to the security office. Shortly afterwards, Craddock’s associate receives a call from security, abruptly ending their meeting with Fenton as Craddock accompanies him to retrieve his sons and Miss Collins.
Apologizing to their father, Frank and Joe tell him about the house and persuade him to return there with them. Reentering however, they now find the inside as dilapidated as the outside, empty of furniture and filled with cobwebs. Taking him through the house room by room, they are mystified that the house is now perfectly ordinary. In the room where Frank fell “into” the floor, they discover that the outer edges of the room surround a stairwell, which Fenton rationalizes might be what Frank actually fell into. Leaving the house, the boys more frustrated and their father more skeptical than before, Fenton departs telling the boys they’ll figure it all out at home later. Walking back to their van, the boys discover the spies rummaging through their belongings. They manage to escape, but not before Joe is able to photograph their license plate.
Act 3: Back at home that evening, the boys talk with Callie while Fenton holds another meeting with Alpha-Tech in the den. She informs the boys that while the film was again foggy, they did determine that the license number was from a diplomatic embassy. Joe then remembers that one of the spies spoke with a Russian accent. Meanwhile in the den, Dr. Craddock and her colleague inform Fenton that they will in no way present his report to their Board of Directors, containing references to UFO’s but no concrete findings. Leaving, they politely dismiss him from the case, with the boys surprised but reassured that their father chose to include their stories in his report at all.
Later that evening, while staring at a table decoration featuring a holographic ballerina, Frank speculates that Project K might be a development program for holographic and laser technology, and shows Joe and Callie a book illustrating how a photograph of a hologram looks exactly like the foggy images in Joes photos. Realizing the military applications of holographic projections that can appear real like their UFO and possibly even simulate entire armies, they decide to share the theory with Fenton in the den. After discussing it further, they speculate that someone within Alpha-Tech might be after the technology themselves, hired Fenton to divert attention externally, and then had him fired when Frank and Joe began uncovering the truth. Fenton decides to take this information directly to the Pentagon, concerned that an Alpha-Tech insider might prevent it from reaching the Board of Directors, and also fearing that Professor Desmond might be in great danger.
Meanwhile the next day, Frank, Joe and Callie visit the Bayport Hall of Records, and while performing a title search discover that someone has gone to great trouble to hide the fact that one of the owners of the company that owns the old house in the woods is Marsha Desmond Collins. That night the three of them meet Marsha at a local pizzeria where they discover to their surprise that Professor Desmond is her grandfather and Dr. Craddock her aunt. Marsha claims she had no idea she was part owner of what is apparently her grandfather’s house, and asks the three to accompany her to Craddock’s house to clear things up. In the house, Joe sees a photo of the man they chased in the forest, and Marsha informs him that it’s Professor Desmond. Going up to her aunt’s room, Marsha catches the two spies ransacking it and she screams, alerting Frank and Joe who trap and confront the men, whom they discover are attaché’s of the Russian embassy.
Act 4: As the Bayport Police take the attaché’s into custody, Frank, Joe and Callie return to the old house in search of the professor, leaving Marsha behind to wait on Craddock. While Callie monitors the van’s CB receiver, Frank & Joe begin searching the grounds with their pencil flashlights for an alternate entrance to the house, and discover a trap door in the dirt hiding a secret underground cellar. Following a cave-like tunnel under the house, they spy Desmond and an assistant in a makeshift laboratory discussing holographic technology, the professor explaining that it should be used for the good of the people to beautify the world, not for military purposes. Meanwhile Fenton urgently radios Callie informing her that the boys are in terrible danger, and she in turn summons the police.
At that moment, Frank and Joe are taken by surprise and captured by Craddock and Tabor, who as it turns out are attempting to control the professor’s technology for profit. They’ve been using the old house to prevent Alpha-Tech from realizing how far along Desmond’s work has progressed, as well as to keep their plot secret from the professor, who mistakenly believes they are protecting him from foreign agents. The boys suddenly knock out the lights, and escaping in the darkness climb up through a trap door and into the house’s back entrance. Finding themselves in the room with the disappearing floor and hearing police sirens, they descend “through” the floor to the main entrance where they find Callie. The three rush back down to the cellar laboratory just as the police enter and arrest Tabor. Craddock reaches the laboratory first however, and tells Desmond that their security has been breached and they must leave immediately, switching on a holographic projection to confuse their pursuers and cover their escape. The ruse, a recording of Craddock providing a lengthy explanation for her actions, momentarily fools the three, until Frank realizes she’s just a hologram. Ascending through the cellar trap door, they apprehend Craddock before she can abduct Desmond and explain to the professor that the reasons he’d been given for hiding in the house were lies all along, and that even Alpha-Tech didn’t know where he’d been the past four months. Stunned, Desmond confronts Craddock, who calls him a fool and tells him he would’ve just given the technology away when there was millions to be made. Meanwhile back in the laboratory, two police officers are equally stunned when the Craddock hologram they’ve been taking a confession from suddenly vanishes right before their eyes.
Finale: Gathered together at the Hardy home, Professor Desmond, Marsha, Aunt Gertrude, Fenton, Callie and the boys relax and discuss what might’ve happened had Craddock and Tabors plan been successful. Marsha remarks to Joe that she’s heard he’s interested in science and Joe smiles and asks if she’d like to go see his lab, to which she replies that she’d love to. As they leave Callie and Frank agree they’re glad that Joe has found a new friend, prompting a knowing laugh from everyone else.
Similarities to the Original Novels:
This episode is based on the novel “The Disappearing Floor” (revised edition), Volume 19 in the original mystery stories. In both the novel and the episode:
• The story begins with the Hardy Boys following a suspect’s car while assisting their father’s current investigation, with the suspect then employing an unusual device to force the Hardy’s vehicle off a dirt road to escape. Noel Strang employing a smokescreen in the novel, and Sydney Tabor a holographic projector in the episode.
• The Hardy Boys return to the same dirt road the following day to further investigate the unusual occurrence, accidentally discovering the old house in the process. In the novel they’re searching for a tile floor in the middle of the woods as reported by Chet Morton, while in the episode they’re searching for physical evidence of the UFO.
• A mysterious man is chased through the woods outside the house by the Hardy Boys, only to disappear. Karl Nyland Jr. in the novel and Professor Desmond in the episode.
• Joe uses a small camera to gather photographic evidence.
• Artificial canines are employed by the villains to ward intruders away from the old house. An electrified mechanical dog in the novel, and a pack of holographic wolves in the episode.
• The old house features a disappearing floor inside, and a floor-like secret entrance outside accessing a hidden tunnel running to the house, used by the villains to enter and leave the house unobserved. In the novel, the disappearing floor is a mechanical platform that can be lowered into the basement below. The secret entrance to the tunnel is the original floor of a long since demolished summerhouse, which was fitted with hinges allowing it to swing downward into the tunnel entrance. In the episode, the disappearing floor is a holographic illusion, while the secret entrance is a cellar-like trap door. Additionally, one of the Hardy’s accidentally falls through one of the floors. Joe falling through the open summerhouse floor in the novel, and Frank through the holographic floor in the episode.
• The Hardy’s discover intruders searching their vehicle, but are unable to capture them. One of Strang’s men searching for a roll of film in the novel, and the diplomatic attaché’s looking for information on Project K in the episode.
• While investigating the current status of the old house, the owner is discovered to be a missing professor specializing in technological research. In the novel an interview with realtor Cyrus Lamkin reveals that the property was recently purchased by Professor Aden Darrow, while in the episode a title search performed by Callie determines that the house is co-owned by Professor Robert Desmond and Marsha Desmond Collins. Similarly a license plate search is performed on a vehicle believed to be involved in the case. Noel Strang’s black sports car in the novel, which was also registered to Darrow and the car driven by the diplomatic attaché’s in the episode that was registered to the Russian Embassy.
• The professors’ invention involves light projection, a temporary blackout inducing device in the novel, and holographic projectors in the episode.
• The Hardy Boys sneak into the old house via the secret tunnel in search of the professor, whose inventions they discover are unbeknownst to him being exploited and manipulated for financial gain, rather than for the public good as they were originally intended. In both stories, the boys are captured in their attempt, manage to escape, and then engage the villains in a chase throughout the mazelike house before finally reaching the professor and informing him that the people he believed were protecting him from spy’s are actually criminals themselves.
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