SEASON’S GREETINGS
☼ Spotlite Book ☼
“The Secret Warning”
Comments and reviews are welcome.
Original: 1938 John Button (220 pages)
Revised: 1966 James Lawrence (176 pages) – For Sale
Revised Outline: James Lawrence
Revision: Completely Different
Art: 1938 Paul Laune (frontispiece removed in 1947)
Art: 1962 John Leone
Art: 1966 Rudy Nappi
Notes: In 1941 the text on page 219 was altered to include the title of the next book.
The Hardy Boys go deep sea diving to recover the treasure from the sunken “Katawa” and foil the plans of the thuggish Gus Kuntz.
Revised: The Hardy Boys investigate the strange disappearance of an ancient Egyptian artifact.
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Still no cover art for 9: The Curse of the Ancient Emerald
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Stratemeyer Syndicate response to a fan letter to Franklin W. Dixon
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Here’s an interesting article about “Things Found In Books”
Introduction by Mark Wilson
A year ago I came across “The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries” on Netflix, and remembering very little of its original 1970s run thought it might be fun to watch. Noticing that several episodes shared titles with the novels however, I was concerned that watching them might spoil the books I hadn’t yet read. After doing some internet searches I found no one had ever really compared the two, so I decided to go ahead and watch but make some notes as I went.
I found the episodes differed from the novels enough as to certainly not be spoilers, yet surprisingly shared much more in common than I expected. It seems likely they had a consultant on the production, or at least someone who was familiar with the books. Not all episodes are directly based on a novel, but neither is it a case of Hollywood taking a popular title, only to create something that bears little resemblance to the original. The end stories are themselves unique, but I found the numerous similarities in individual plot points intriguing enough to document further, which developed into this series of articles.
When you read the episode stories in print…removed from familiar Hollywood actors, the overall 1970s look, and California location shots that are supposed to represent Bayport/River Heights…they actually feel more like a Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew story than most other film adaptations I’ve seen. (The first season at least.). Some of those films might technically be of better quality as standalone productions, but I currently think the 70s series comes closest to mimicking the books. Many of the scenes are similar to what you’d find in a typical pre-1980s novel, including neat little touches here and there, such as the boys always having their pencil flashlights handy.
The majority of each article retells the episode story in print, both with and without spoilers. The last section is what I found most interesting however, and that’s the comparison of plot points shared between the episode and the novel it appears to be based on, and the contrast in how they were implemented to create two similar yet different works. I hope readers here will find it interesting as well.
The Hardy Boys
“The Mystery of Witches’ Hollow”
Season 01; Episode 03
Reviewed by Mark Wilson
Synopsis (no spoilers):
When Callie Shaw’s uncle, the retired NYPD captain Bill Maguire reports strange goings-on around his cabin home, Fenton Hardy asks his sons to investigate. Discovering the uncle has gone missing, the boys, Callie and Chet Morton find themselves caught up in local legends, industrial sabotage and the “curse” of an isolated woodland called “Witches’ Hollow”.
Narrative (spoilers):
Act 1: The episode opens with Frank, Joe, Chet and Callie driving in the boys van through desolate farm land on their way to a small woodland place called Witches’ Hollow. There’s a hard wind storm rocking the van, and everyone is good-naturedly teasing Chet who’s obviously nervous about all their tales of people disappearing in the deep forest, and other spooky legends of ghosts and witches. The group was asked by Fenton Hardy, currently busy on another case, to visit Callie’s uncle, retired NYPD Captain and avid hunter Bill Maguire who now resides in a cabin home there. Maguire is also an old friend of Fenton’s, and recently told the detective that strange things have been going on in Witches’ Hollow.
Arriving at the cabin, they are greeted at the door by a mysterious gypsy-like woman named Mrs. Hazel Thompson, who comes there to clean once a week and informs them Capt. Maguire is not there and that she doesn’t know when he’ll be back. When the boys point out that a sizable amount of unopened mail suggests he’s actually been gone for some time, she simply shrugs saying she doesn’t know. She tells the group they can wait there if they want, but leaves the house with ominous warnings about the “Curse of Witches’ Hollow”, admonishing them not to venture there, lest they end up like Maguire. Unseen by anyone, a flash of lightening reveals a face watching from the bushes.
As Mrs. Thompson prepares to return home, a boy is seen stalking around the cabin as the group begins to investigate inside. Frank and Joe note that the mail is over a week old, while Callie discovers her uncle’s favorite gun is missing. Fearing Maguire might be in danger, the boy’s call Fenton who reassuringly dismisses their concerns but informs them he will join them there in two days once the Tanner Case finishes up. The boys decide to stay the night, making plans to visit the local sheriff in nearby Forestburough the following morning should Maguire not show up by then.
That night while everyone is sleeping, the same mysterious boy sneaks into the cabin while simultaneously a panther circles the woods outside. Callie is awakened by the panther’s sudden roar, and then screams when she sees the intruder, who runs outside into the woods. Impulsively, Joe chases after him through the trees, but in the darkness accidentally falls over a cliff. Frank following closely behind begins a desperate search for Joe, finally hearing his voice below and after almost falling over the cliff himself, finds his brother hanging onto a branch. Frank pulls Joe up with his belt, and realizing that continuing their search at night would be futile, they return to the cabin. On their way back however, they discover shotgun casings on the ground, along with a torn piece of cloth from Maguire’s hunting coat stained with what might be blood.
The boys immediately drive to Sheriff Andrew Houghton’s office in Forestburough, who angrily chastises them for waking him up in the middle of the night. He tersely informs the boys that Maguire bought the cabin for the express purpose of hunting and fishing, so a missing gun and torn jacket are not a mystery. At that moment however in a different cabin, Maguire is being held captive in a small room in the cellar, with the panther named Tabitha guarding outside his door. A man enters the cellar bringing food for both, and calling him “Flatfoot” mockingly tells Maguire that Tabitha hasn’t taken to him since he was caught spying on their little enterprise.
Act 2: The next morning in Forestburough, Frank and Joe ask an old man working at a filling station, Andy Hudson, if he has seen Maguire recently and can explain the curse of Witches’ Hollow. Mr. Hudson says he’s heard and seen “her”, then complains that “city folk are cluttering up the countryside, and if that new parkway goes through there won’t be room for a gnat!” After lamenting that all he sees now are construction workers, real-estate developers and campers, Hudson returns to the subject at hand and says he saw Maguire buy gas three days prior. He adds that Maguire is friends with another “city feller” and construction man named Steve Donner, who bought an old place in back of the Hollow and plans to tear it down. Using the stations telephone booth Frank and Joe call Fenton again, who now getting concerned himself agrees to call the NYPD to inquire as to whether Maguire had any potential enemies.
Meanwhile, Frank and Joe pay a visit to Donner, who unbeknownst to them is the same man holding Maguire hostage. They discover he is called “Dunderhead” by Maguire, whom Donner in turn refers to as “Flatfoot”. Donner plans to develop Witches’ Hollow with houses, condominiums and office buildings, but expresses concern at problems being encountered by the construction firm Wallis & Mathers who are building the parkway. He fears the firm may go bankrupt and fail to complete the project due to numerous breakdowns, faulty materials and pilferage, and tells the boys it will “cost him a lot” if the parkway gets cancelled. He then explains that the Curse of Witches’ Hollow involved an old woman who lived on the site during the Salem witch trials, who took in cats and raised a big, black mountain cat. She barricaded herself in her home with the panther when the local townspeople came to try her for witchcraft, and they burned her house down with both inside. He relates that nowadays when people see or hear a mountain lion, they say it’s “her”, and that according to legend the next person to hear her scream is cursed to be her next victim.
Deciding that the only way to discover what’s really going on in Witches’ Hollow is to spend the night, the boys and Chet set up camp there that evening. Sleeping around a campfire, Frank takes the first watch. Meanwhile back at the cabin, Callie gets a call from Fenton urging her to get word to the boys that some criminals Maguire helped send to prison have been released, and could be in the area seeking revenge. Callie goes into the woods looking for the boys, but arouses the attention of the panther instead. Back at the campsite, Frank pretends to have fallen asleep as the boy who’s been stalking the cabin sneaks up behind, and with Joe and Chet’s help is finally able to capture him. Attempting to question him, they discover he is mute, but before they can learn more they hear Callie screaming as she’s being chased by the panther. All four boys catch up to her, and they run back to the cabin. Safely inside, the boy, who as it turns out is a very good artist, attempts to communicate with the group by drawing the panther and using hand gestures to show that he only came into their cabin looking for food. While the boys return to the campsite to put out their campfire, Callie communicates with the boy further and discovers his name is Simon. Later back in the cabin, Frank stays up to read some notes given to Callie by Fenton.
Later that night after everyone has gone to sleep, Donner sneaks up on the cabin, jamming the door shut so no one can get out and blocking the chimney to fill the building with smoke. Awaking to the smoke and believing the cabin is on fire, Frank wakes the others while Joe breaks a window allowing them all to escape. After they realize someone has blocked the chimney intentionally, they reason they must be getting closer to the truth and ask Simon if someone has kidnapped Maguire. He motions “yes” so Frank and Joe decide to drive back to town along with him to inform Sheriff Houghton of their latest discoveries. On the way however, Simon signals them to pull off the main road and stop. Climbing a hill that overlooks Witches’ Hollow, the boys see a convoy of large trucks making their way along a back-road, the sound of screams blaring over loudspeakers in an apparent attempt to scare off potential witnesses and cover their operation.
Act 3: Realizing the recorded screams are likely the same sounds attributed to the Curse of Witches’ Hollow, Frank and Joe jump into the back of the last truck to further investigate while Simon makes his way back to the cabin. Using their pencil flashlights under the flatbeds tarp, they discover bags of cement stolen from Wallis & Mathers, the same parkway construction firm facing bankruptcy. The boys reason that Maguire may well have made the same discovery, leading to his kidnapping, so they jump out of the truck and return to their van on foot.
Meanwhile, Fenton arrives that morning and everyone is concerned for the boys safety, until they finally arrive themselves shortly thereafter. Frank and Joe inform their father of the stolen goods, and their theory that someone is trying to stop construction of the parkway. Mentioning that Donner stands to lose a lot of money if that happens, Simon looks up in surprise at hearing the name just as Fenton and Callie leave to get Sheriff Houghton. Simon draws pictures of a foot, a storm and a panther in an attempt to communicate with the boys, and Frank and Joe immediately recognize the foot as meaning “Flatfoot”, Donner’s nickname for Maguire. Deciding there may not be enough time to wait for the sheriff, Frank, Joe and Simon rush to Donner’s house, leaving Chet to wait for the others.
At that moment back in his cellar prison, Maguire warns Donner to stop whatever scheme he has in mind and turn himself in to the authorities. Donner laughs and informs him that a bill is currently making its way through the state legislature to suspend all work on the parkway for six months, pending the outcome of a project review. With a sinister smile he adds that an “accident” Maguire will have at the construction site will be all that’s needed to make the bill pass. Angrily he tells Maguire that he’s been laughed at by speculators all his life and they will come running to him to buy their properties at half price when they believe the project has been cancelled. “They’ll stop laughing” he says as he leaves the cellar; when he comes out millions of dollars ahead after work on the parkway resumes.
Unbeknownst to Donner however, Frank and Joe have arrived and sneak in through the cellars back door. Joe manages to trap the guarding panther, and the boys free Maguire. Sneaking back out of the cellar, the group confronts Donner and his cohorts who then try to run them over with a pickup truck. As the truck barely misses them, Frank jumps into the truck-bed and throws a tarp over the cab, blocking Donner’s view and causing the truck to run off the road into an embankment. At that moment to the boys’ relief, Sheriff Houghton, Fenton and Callie, accompanied by several policemen arrive at the scene and arrest Donner and his accomplices.
Finale: Rejoining Chet back at the cabin, Fenton, Maguire, Simon, Callie and the boys relax and while looking back over Simons drawings, realize the sketch of the storm was meant to represent “thunder”, which rhymes with “dunder”, as in “Dunderhead”. Remarking on Simon’s talent, Maguire informs them that with the reward money received from Wallis & Mathers, the boy is now able to go to art school and receive the special tutoring he needs. The episode ends as Frank and Joe tease Chet about the spooky location of their next camping trip, Devils Rock.
Similarities to the Original Novels:
This episode appears to be based on the novel “The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge”, Volume 45 in the original mystery stories. In both the novel and the episode:
• Repeated attempts at sabotage threaten to cancel a new highway construction project that will bring industrial development to an isolated woodland community. Boonton, KY in the novel, and Forestburough in the episode.
• Potential suspects initially include local townspeople opposed to the project who are possibly trying to preserve their small town way of life, as well as former convicts recently released from prison in New York City.
• The true culprit turns out to be an out-of-town individual seeking to delay the highway project for personal gain. In the novel, crime boss and ex-convict Gerald Thurston is attempting to cheaply buy up local properties that, unbeknownst to their owners contain large gas deposits. The new highway threatens to bring in traffic and developers (who might pay higher prices) before Thurston can secure all the land rights to install gas wells. In the episode, developer Steve Donner seeks to buy properties from speculators who fear losing their investment should the project fail, and then resell at higher prices when construction resumes 6 month later pending a legislative bill.
• Former NYPD police officers are captured upon discovering the saboteurs and held hostage at woodland hideouts. Fenton Hardy in the novel, who is subsequently drugged and released, and Bill Maguire in the episode.
• Local legends are exploited by both criminals to scare away trespassers and cover their operations. A mysterious pink nighttime glow called “Rosy” (created by lighting a pipeline valve at one of the gas deposits) is employed in the novel, while terrifying screams (broadcast over loudspeakers) attributed to a witches’ curse are utilized in the episode. Claims of people venturing into the ‘cursed’ woods never to return are made in both stories, however no kidnappings are substantiated except for Fenton and Maguire.
• Wild animals are kept by both villains to protect their hideouts and further scare away those who disbelieve the legends. A tied-up, malnourished bear in the case of Thurston, and a trained mountain lion in the case of Donner.
• A young boy with knowledge of the crime holds the key to solving both mysteries, but faces difficulty informing the Hardys. Willy Teeple in the novel, who reluctantly cooperates with the criminals who have threatened to harm his father if he reports them, and Simon in the episode who is physically mute, forcing him to develop an alternate method of communication.
• The villain’s own off-road vehicle is used to help capture them at stories end. Their jeep in the novel, and their pickup truck in the episode.
There are also superficial similarities to Volume 8, “The Mystery of Cabin Island” (revised edition). Both stories are set at a remote woodland cabin, with the Hardy Boys initially venturing there at someone’s request to determine the well being of a third party, only to discover a greater mystery upon their arrival. (Elroy Jefferson who desires to determine his grandson Johnny Jefferson’s whereabouts in the novel, and Fenton Hardy who wants to followup odd messages from his old friend Bill Maguire in the episode.) Pure conjecture, but it’s possible that Volume 8 was the original inspiration for the episode (“The Mystery of Witches’ Hollow” being similarly titled to “The Mystery of Cabin Island”), with only the basic setting retained after some subsequent decision to instead base the story on Volume 45.
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