The Bayport Times #25

The Hardy Boys Webzine		Unofficial Hardy Boys Home Page
Issue # 25 June 2000 Editor: Bob Finnan

Bayport Beat

Welcome to the Bayport Times.
This month focusing on early Hardy Boys writer's outlines with a brief look at the outlines of the first 20 stories and the actual original outline to Volume 1 The Tower Treasure.
Plus new collectible discoveries, letters, the Mike Humbert Department and more!

The Bayport Times Needs YOU!
To contribute an article, book review, letter or announce a new Hardy Boys discovery!
Please send via e-mail to: fwdixon@yahoo.com - Please use "Bayport Times" as your subject heading.

Hardy Boys Mailing List
http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/HardyBoys
Please note that this is NOW the place to subscribe to the Bayport Times.
If you have not done so already, you'll have to register with the provider of this service, eGroups.com.
In addition to being notified of new issues of the Bayport Times, you'll be able to exchange letters with other Hardy fans, look for elusive Hardy Boys books & collectibles and participate in Hardy Boys related surveys.

MORE MONEY THAN YOU EVER DREAMED OF!!!
Yep, that's what I'll have if you buy some of the many of the books and collectibles listed on my SALES PAGE.
Many Hardy Boys with DJ's and many PC editions including many original text editions as well as many other series.

See you next time!

New Collectible Discoveries

Armada 3 In 1 of revised text stories

New On The Shelves
Recent additions to the Hardy canon

Digests A Game Called Chaos (#160) Training For Trouble (#161) The End Of The Trail (#162)	Clues Brothers Slip, Slide and Slap Shot (#15) Fish-Faced Mask Of Mystery (#16) The Bike Race Ruckus (#17)
3 In 1 Editions with Dust Jacket 3 in 1 Special Edition (Vol. 1) Tower Treasure, House On The Cliff, Secret Of The Old Mill 3 in 1 Special Edition (Vol. 2) Missing Chums; Hunting For Hidden Gold; Shore Road Mystery	Applewood 1st Edition Reproductions The Mystery Of Cabin Island (#8) The Great Airport Mystery (#9) What Happened At Midnight (#10)

Overview Of The Original Stratemeyer Syndicate Outlines

Recently, I've obtained copies of the original Syndicate outlines for the first 20 volumes of the Hardy Boys series from the archives of the NY Public Library.
They vary in length, with the later outlines generally being longer and more detailed:

Volume 1: 2 pages
Volume 2: 2 pages
Volume 3: 2 pages
Volume 4: 4 pages
Volume 5: 2 pages

Volume 6: 2 pages
Volume 7: 3 pages
Volume 8: 4 pages
Volume 9: 4 pages
Volume 10: 5 pages

Volume 11: 5 pages
Volume 12: 6 pages
Volume 13: 8 pages
Volume 14: 10 pages
Volume 15: 10 pages

Volume 16: 7 pages
Volume 17: 10 pages
Volume 18: 8 pages
Volume 19: 10 pages
Volume 20: 12 pages

Some outlines also included descriptions of the standard characters and places in the stories, these pages are not included in the page count.
In the early outlines (1-12) specific chapter divisions were not specifically mentioned but are clearly alluded to by the various paragraph breaks. In volumes 2-12, only the end of chapter 1 (aka "The Cliffhanger") was specified. In the later outlines (13-20), the chapter breaks are explicity stated.
Edward Stratemeyer wrote the outlines for volumes 1-9. His daughter, Edna, wrote the outlines for volumes 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17 and 19. His other daughter, Harriet, wrote the outlines for volumes 13, 15, 18 and 20.
Let's examine the outlines for chapter 1 in volumes 1 and 13:

Volume 1 - The Tower Treasure
Joe and Frank Hardy are on their motorcycles on an errand for their father, Fenton Hardy, the famous detective. It is Saturday, a holiday from the Bayport High School which they attend, springtime. They talk of their father's work on a forgery case and how they suggested something that led to a clue. Would like to be detectives too when they grow up, even though Mrs. Laura Hardy, the mother, wanted them to be lawyers or doctors. The shore road, the rocks below -- the racing auto -- will it hit them?
Volume 13 - The Mark On The Door
CHAPTER I. "Hey, look out!" Just in time to avoid a bad collision in a storm on the water, Frank Hardy pulls his motorboat around, but it is clipped by a speeding craft piloted by a swarthy, handsome, but unpleasant looking man. Boys yell at him but he does not stop, and though they give chase he reaches the Bayport dock many minutes ahead of them Chet meets them and says, "Let's go to the Federal Court. My father's on the jury, and there's an exciting case going on." Joe stops to inquire who the owner of the fast boat may be, and learns the man is some kind of foreigner who hired the launch two days before for an important errand. Boys find the courtroom bristling with agitation - men are being questioned in connection with fraudulent transactions carried on in Bayport in oil stock - (The wells are in Mexico) - A note is handed to the district attorney, who asks that the case be postponed as his star witness is strangely missing. Just then Frank spies the man who damaged the boys' motorboat, and as the crowd files out, tries to get to him.

As you can see, in volume 1 the writer is given pretty much a free hand in creating the dialog and exposition. In volume 13 this is gone, with the writer being given fairly specific instructions and some actual dialog.
Depending on the writer, the results of these detailed outlines varies wildly. Old pro Leslie McFarlane was still able to inject some enthusiasm and excitement into the stories, even while laboring under the stricter guidelines. On the other hand, a hack like John Button merely fleshed out the outline, rendering the stories dry as dust. This phenomenon reached it's nadir in the execrable The Disappearing Floor, which was taken directly from the outline and is universally derided as the worst story in the original text canon.

Original Stratemeyer Syndicate Outline For
The Tower Treasure

This is a copy of the original outline sent to Leslie McFarlane, dated 11/26/26.
Note the "125" written on the right border of page 1 - it's what McFarlane was paid to create this immortal story. Page One

THE MYSTERY OF THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOM
By Mike Humbert

The woman sat in the leather chair, noticeably uncomfortable. The chair itself was not the problem, nor was the temperature of the pleasantly furnished office. It was the man sitting opposite her in an identical leather chair. With a cool professionalism, he was staring at her silently, as if he were studying her. Which, come to think of it, he was.
After a time, he broke the silence.
"So, Laura. What can I do for you?"
Laura Hardy felt her throat tighten. She looked at her lap as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress.
"I--" she began, then faltered. "It's just that--"
The doctor gave a reassuring nod. "It's all right. Just tell me what's on your mind," he said softly.
Laura collected herself and took a deep breath. "Okay. All right. It's just that sometimes I feel like such a non-entity."
The doctor nodded.
"My husband, as you probably know, is a world-famous private detective. Very successful, obviously. After all, can you name another world-famous private detective?"
"Sherlock Holmes?"
"I meant in real life."
"Sorry," said the doctor. "Please go on."
"Anyway, we have two boys in high school. They should be graduating soon, I suppose. Some days I actually remember that they DID graduate, but that doesn't make any sense. Maybe I dreamed it."
"I see."
"Do you? Then explain it to me. My life makes no sense. My husband is away constantly, always on some cockamamie "case," or so he tells me. And recently the boys have decided THEY want to become detectives, too."
"Really," commented the doctor. "How effective could two high school boys be as detectives?"
"I hate to admit this, because I am SO against the whole idea, but they do some to have some talent. They've personally solved over two hundred cases."
The doctor was taken aback at this.
"Two hundred? And when did they start this detective business?"
"Well, Frank is still 18, and Joe's 17, so it's been a year or two since the first one."
Laura realized as the words came out of her mouth how crazy it sounded.
"So, if I understand this correctly, they've been solving a case every couple of days or so, then immediately starting a new one. Is that correct?"
Laura looked embarrassed. She said nothing.
"I'm sorry," said the doctor, noting her discomfort. "Please continue."
"In any case, with everyone always busy on some 'case' or another, all I do is sit home alone and worry."
"Is that really all you do?"
"Well, I suppose I make a sandwiches a lot, too. Which is strange, because I'm SURE we have servants. A cook, at least."
"So you feel like a servant in your own home?"
"I don't even feel up to THAT level. It's like I'm not there. No one pays any attention to me at all. I didn't want the boys to be detectives, especially before they graduate. Did anyone listen? I always tell everyone to be careful not to get whacked on the head and tied up, but it happens all the time! No one listens! No one ever asks my opinion, not that they'd pay any attention to it if they DID listen! Not even Gertrude!"
"Gertrude?" inquired the doctor.
"My husband's 'sister', although she's old enough to be his mother. She comes for a month-long visit about fifteen times a year."
"So she's there a lot. How do you feel about that?"
"I'd rather have Attila the Hun move in. The woman is a terror. She takes over everything as if I'm not even there. And, on those rare occasions she DOES want to speak to me, she just shouts 'MILDRED!' and waits for me to come to HER! Then when I DO, she ignores me like everyone else."
"Is Mildred your middle name?"
"Not as far as I know!"
The doctor looked down as he wrote on the yellow legal pad in his lap. Laura observed that he was a nice-enough looking man, probably about Fenton's age, wearing a crisp blue button-down shirt. He had brown hair, but Laura suspected it might be a toupee...
The doctor's look became serious. "Laura, I want you to think about this. What year was your oldest son born?"
"1911. And Joe in 1912. He's a year younger."
"Uh huh. And what year is it now?"
"2000," replied Laura, wondering what the doctor's point could be.
"That would make Frank 89 and Joe 88."
Laura became indignant. "You're mocking me, doctor! They're just high school boys!"
"Laura, do you remember why you first came to see me?"
The woman's brow furrowed. "To be honest, Doctor, I don't recall how I got here at all..."
"I thought not. If it makes you feel any better, I had a similar experience last year shortly after one of my former patients showed up in my bedroom and shot me."
"Shot you!" exclaimed Laura.
"Right in the belly. I could feel all the life draining out of my body. In the following months, I was in denial about my, uh, situation. But eventually I adjusted. In fact, they made a big Hollywood movie about it. I thought Bruce Willis did a great job!"
Laura felt a chill down her spine. She began to understand why everyone ignored her, why they seemed unaware she was even in the room. The horrible, horrible truth was sinking in...
Unnoticed by either, a small boy with light brown hair had quietly entered the room. His face showed a terrible burden for one so young. Tears welled in his large blue eyes. His mouth opened, but for a moment no words came out. Finally, in a near-whisper, he said:
"I SEE... NON-CHARACTERS....."

Bayport Mail Bag

From: watson@ugsolutions.com
What a wonderful site! We were trying to explain to our son's school librarian about the Stratemeyer authorship of books -- how great to find such complete documentation. - C. Watson

From: d-lux2000@juno.com
I am an avid Hardy Boys fan and book collector. Since you are a connoiseur in this realm, I wondered if I might ask a few questions. I realize that you must be busy, but could I take just a bit of your time?
Q1: I own the Hardy Boys/Tom Swift Ultra-Thriller TIME BOMB. I can't find the other 'Thriller, ALIEN FACTOR, anywhere. I've read it before because I had checked it out at my library. Do you know of anyplace where I might find this coveted book?
Q2: Have you seen the books by Applewood Publishers (www.awb.com) that are exact replicas of the very first Hardy Boys that appeared back in 1927? I've acquired three of these books. Do you believe they will be valuable someday?
Q3: I have acquired a Hardy Boys THE TOWER TREASURE. It is tall and slim, in a DJ that is turquoise in color. The picture on the front is the same as the picture on TOWER TREASURE in pictorial cover hardback. The inside flap of the DJ has "Book Club Edition" printed on it. What is the history behind this book? How rare is it?
Thank you very much for your time. I deeply appreciate it. - William Dickerson

Readers - This is your forum to tell the world your thoughts on the Hardys!
Letters may be edited for content, spelling etc. but, then again, maybe not!
Full name & e-mail address required for your letter to appear here.

HARDY BOYS FOR SALE
Buying here makes it possible for me to continue bringing you
The Bayport Times & The Unofficial Hardy Boys Homepage!

THE GREATEST HARDY BOYS
SALE OF THE MILLENNIUM !

MY BOOKS & COLLECTIBLES SALES PAGE!
100's of Hardy Boys and other series books & collectibles!
Updated weekly!

Buy New Hardy Boys Books From AMAZON.COM
All Hardy Boys books listed by series and number - just click & buy!
Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Chip Hilton + other books, videos & MORE!
You can also search the AMAZON.COM book data base from here!

The Mike Humbert Department!

To contact me by e-mail fwdixon@yahoo.com